JRR Tolkien the Lord of the Rings barely scratches the surface of its fictional mythology. Self-interested tyrants have marked Middle-earth for thousands of years, long before the Elves even came on the scene. The First Age sees the rise and fall of Morgoth, a superpowered Dark Lord who leaves the world in ruins.
from Amazon rings of power covers several critical events of the Second Age, during which Sauron inherits the evil legacy of his former master. This exceptionally crafted television program complements Tolkien’s narrative vision with several well-placed lore twists. Although the show takes a somewhat cavalier attitude towards poetic license, the overall storyline is nonetheless enhanced by these changes.
ten Technically Hobbits Aren’t Supposed To Exist Yet
Also called Halflings, Hobbits are among the toughest races in Middle-earth. Gandalf describes them as “amazing creatures”, stating that their kind would always be full of surprises. Tolkien never clarified the origins of this race, except that they probably appeared in the valley basin of the Anduin River.
The first Hobbits were observed around a millennium into the Third Age, making them relatively new to Middle-earth. In rings of power, however, there is a minor tribe known as the Harfoots, which predates their newer counterparts by over two thousand years.
9 A previously unknown man-elf romance
There have been three official human-elf romantic pairings in recorded history. The first couple were Beren and Lúthien, famous for stealing a Silmaril from Morgoth’s crown and living to tell the tale. The second romance was forged between Tuor and Idril, which would eventually give birth to Eärendil the Sailor.
And then there’s Aragorn and Arwen, the most significant relationship mentioned in the the Lord of the Rings.rings of power adds a fourth couple to the overall lore – the elf Arondir and the human Bronwyn. Although Roundir and Bronwyn’s budding romance has yet to come to fruition, it does seem extremely likely at this point.
8 Galadriel doesn’t even try to return to Valinor
Although Galadriel leaves Valinor with the Ñoldor, her ambition outweighs any feeling of kinship she might have had for her cousin Fëanor. She played a negligible role during the First Age, as she never really believed that Morgoth could be overthrown by the Elves.
Galadriel is offered the option of returning home after the Dark Lord is defeated, but she refuses the Valar and chooses to remain in Middle-earth. rings of power takes a completely different approach to Galadriel’s experiments, as seen when Gil-galad “rewards” her with a return trip to Valinor. In the books, Galadriel doesn’t even set foot on a ship until the end of the Third Age.
seven The Jewel Wars are barely mentioned
Fëanor captured the sacred light of the Two Trees in his Silmarils, three jewels said to be beyond anything created before or since. Unfortunately, Morgoth murdered his father Finwë and stole the Silmarils, prompting Fëanor to take an eternal oath of vengeance against the Dark Lord.
Middle-earth spent the next hundreds of years drowning in its own blood, a series of wars that essentially destroyed the land and its people. The so-called War of the Jewels may be the most violent conflict ever fought on Middle-earth, but rings of power ignores the details. Additionally, the show alludes to apocryphal anecdotes about the Silmarils.
6 The Southlands are described in detail
Several major events in Rings of Power occur in the Southlands, a region of Middle-earth originally populated by the human servants of Sauron. Halbrand is apparently the heir to this previously uncharted territory, now overrun by a legion of Orcs led by the mysterious Adar.
No such place is mentioned in Tolkien’s account, but Mordor and the Southlands clearly share similar geographical features. Galadriel identifies the connection between the Southlands and Sauron, suggesting that the Dark Lord’s future kingdom is to be built in this region.
5 Elrond’s adorable friendship with Durin
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Defended by Elrond, Gil-galad, Elendil and Isildur, the Last Alliance of Elves and Men defeat Sauron and usher in a new era of peace for Middle-earth. King Durin IV leads his dwarf army to victory in many campaigns, especially the Battle of Dagorlad.
Other than that, there doesn’t seem to be any tangible connection between Elrond and Durin, let alone the heartwarming friendship depicted in rings of power. In fact, Legolas and Gimli are the only pair of Elf-Dwarf best friends in Tolkien’s version of Middle-earth. That said, fans are pretty happy with Elrond and Durin’s adorable dynamic, even though it’s not officially acknowledged.
4 Dwarves locate ore veins using song
Tolkien’s writing doesn’t go into the finer details associated with dwarven mining operations, other than that race often drilled too deep for their own good. When it comes to cannon, dwarves use pickaxes, shovels, and other mining tools to mine their precious metals and gems from the earth.
rings of power introduces a unique procedure called “resonance”, which is supposed to detect the presence of specific ore veins. The dwarves literally “sing to the stone”, triangulating the exact location of mineral veins as they listen to the sonic response of the mountain.
3 Galadriel has no relation to Númenor.
Númenor was perhaps the greatest human civilization in Middle-earth, at least before the entire island was swallowed up by the Sea of Parting. The Númenorean people were manipulated by Sauron, who tricked King Ar-Pharazôn into declaring war against the Valar themselves.
In rings of power, Galadriel is retrieved from the middle of the ocean and taken to Númenor, where she attempts to convert the Queen Regent to her cause. Starting in Episode 5, Míriel embarks on a journey to save Middle-earth with Galadriel and Elendil. None of this happens in Tolkien’s Akallabêth – in fact, Galadriel has no relation to Númenor whatsoever.
2 The stranger may or may not be one of the Istari
The Stranger is one of the most controversial characters in Rings of Power. Some fans believe he is part of the Istari, the group of five wizards sent to Middle-earth by the Valar. Although currently unproven, this hypothesis is not entirely unfounded.
The stranger displays overwhelming magical powers, summoning a gust of wind with his voice, manipulating fireflies, and creating small-scale earthquakes. Even if the stranger is a wizard, there aren’t enough clues to identify his identity. Also, Tolkien’s Istari reached Middle-earth by boat, not by hitchhiking inside a fiery meteor.
1 Several new characters and scenarios are introduced
rings of power weaves together a wide range of character arcs and plots, many of which have no place in Tolkien’s narrative. Characters like Kemen, Arondir, Adar, Disa, Magrot, Theo and the whole Harfoot clan were created specifically for the series.
Including new characters just might be the best way to keep book fans invested in a story they already know. That said, the central tradition remains more or less unchanged – rings of power still revolves around Sauron’s malevolent quest for dominance in Middle-earth.
