How faithful is the new season of Rings of Power to the source material? I’ve analyzed up to episode 6 of season 2.
Season 2 of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power is rapidly drawing to a close on Prime Video, with two episodes left to go. Aside from the promise of a beautiful expansion of Middle-earth as we know it from books and films, this show exposes folks who have never read the works of J.R.R Tolkien to what happened to this world before Sauron was turned in to a big angry flaming eyeball. But there’s a sort of twist, unlike the Peter Jackson versions of The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit, The Rings of Power doesn’t come from a clearly written novel with a beginning and ending. The writers of this show are taking some liberties with the story and filling in gaps in time and narration left by J.R.R. Tolkien and his family.
In the first season of The Rings of Power, showrunners J.D Payne and Patrick McKay were clear they made adjustments to the story as it’s told in the books based on an enormous amount of research and consultation with Tolkien scholars from around the world. Because Amazon only has access to a small section of the Tolkien legendarium, there are things in the books that are known but can’t be shown on screen without breaking the agreement with the Tolkien Estate. We outlined those changes in our coverage of the last season and how these story choices differ from the source material. Just like last season, we will be updating this article with each episode to break down what is part of Tolkien’s created lore and what has been filled in or altered by the creators of this show.
To be clear, this analysis does not include:
Whether people of color should be on screen as Dwarves, Elves or Harfoots. (They should, end of conversation.)
Whether Orc women and babies existed in Middle-earth. (They did, The Silmarillion is clear on this.)
Whether Dwarven women should have full beards. (Tolkien was never clear on this, so I won’t be taking a position.)
Whether Tolkien is OK with people inventing things in his world. (This letter from Tolkien to his publisher in 1951 makes his position clear.)
Episode 1: Elven Kings Under the Sky
This episode is all about setting up the stakes for the Elves, who now finally agree with Galadriel that Sauron is a threat to be taken seriously. To save their people and join the fight, the three rings need to find their way to their owners. Nori and The Stranger are also in this episode.
Sauron betrayed
The episode begins with a version of Sauron that does not look at all like Halbrand of the Southlands shortly after the fall of his master, Morgoth. Sauron does not appear to have the loyalty of the Uruk around him, and Adar lands a seemingly fatal blow which leads to the area known as Forodwaith to freeze over as Sauron’s physical form vanishes. Over time, we see Sauron barely survive long enough to find enough energy to take the form of Halbrand and get on the ship we see him clinging to in the first season. A lot of what we see here was described in bits and pieces across the last season, but it’s a great demonstration of Sauron’s ability to change shape and deceive.
There’s nothing in Tolkien’s lore that explicitly states any of this happening, but most of it fits well within the gaps in the material about this Age. Forodwaith is a region described as being terribly cold due to Morgoth’s extended presence there, and Tolkien never describes Sauron as having been attacked by Morgoth’s forces during the change in leadership, but that’s because very little about this area at this time was ever written about. I consider this a reasonable addition to the lore, even though what Halbrand does next does not warrant the same description.
Three Elven rings
What is possibly the largest deviation from Tolkien’s writing takes up a lot of time in this episode, namely that Lord Celebrimbor forged three great rings while guided (at least initially) by Sauron disguised as Halbrand of the Southlands. In this episode, Elrond is so afraid of Sauron’s potential influence that he runs away from Galadriel and then High King Gil-Galad when it becomes clear Elrond’s position is not the popular one. Elrond runs to Cirdan the Shipwright, who almost throws the rings into the sea before the sea itself seems to discourage this action and causes Cirdan to look at the rings for the first time. He puts on the blue ring, Narya, while the other two are presented to Gil-Galad and Galadriel.
There is quite a bit about this, which differs from the source material. For starters, in Tolkien’s story, the three rings meant for the elves were made after the rings for men and dwarves while Sauron was forging The One Ring and the elves hid their existence from Sauron. Elrond had no reason to fear the influence of these rings because they were made to defend against Sauron, and the risk of influence was not a concern. Additionally, Tolkien wrote Cirdan the Shipwright and Galadriel were given their rings by Gil-Galad willingly and without reservation. Later in Tolkien’s stories, Elrond himself becomes a ring-bearer.
The unknown ahead
When we last left Nori and The Stranger, who we now know is a Wizard but not necessarily the Wizard everyone knows from that time he turned Bilbo Baggins into a burglar in The Hobbit, they were headed to the far-off land called Rhun. When we see them now, not only does the journey not appear to be going particularly well, but they get so lost only Poppy Proudfellow is able to catch up and help them. It sure did seem like Poppy was well on her way to becoming the next Trailfinder for her Harfoot community when we saw her last, but she is here now to help and conveniently found some pages from Sadoc’s books about a time when Harfoots once traveled to Rhun.
Tolkien never got around to writing a ton about Rhun, and what he did write is fairly vague. We know Rhun is mostly home to a group of evil-leaning people called the Easterlings who were mostly interested in fighting one another until they were all united under a single banner by Sauron. We know Gandalf never explored Rhun, but early in his time on Middle-earth, Saruman the White, as well as the Blue Wizards Pallando and Alatar, did at some point before Sauron consolidated power. This creates a fairly large sandbox for the Rings of Power writers to play in, and that’s exactly what we see on screen.
One quick note from this part of the episode: The Stranger has a vision where a “branch” floats before him and grants him visions of power when he touches it. Nori refers to the branch as a “gand” which is significant, as the name Gandalf comes from the Norse word Galdalfr or “wand elf”. This could be a little easter egg to keep Tolkien-obsessed viewers believing this is Gandalf only to surprise us later, but we won’t know for sure until we get there.
Episode 2: Where the Stars Are Strange
Sauron’s influence has quickly spread from Adar’s darkened domain of Uruk soldiers to the Dwarven city of Khazad-dum and finally Eregion, the city of Elven smiths where the great rings are forged. Elrond gets a chance to show his quality.
Dwarven stubbornness abounds
With the Durins still not speaking with one another, the underground city of Khazad-dum is rocked by the eruption of Orodruin (later known as Mount Doom) and is plunged into darkness. Resources are dwindling, and an unseen source is stopping the Dwarven women who sing to the mountain from seeing a way out. Some are quick to blame Durin’s friendship with Elrond while Disa tries to get the son and father to put aside their differences and solve this crisis for the sake of their kingdom.
Tolkien describes the Second Age as a time of prosperity for the Dwarves in Khazad-dum, and it seems like these scenes are setting the stage for that prosperity to begin. It’s coming a little later than Tolkien describes, and there’s nothing written about the eruption of Oroduin impacting this city, but it seems like this part of the story is setting up an exciting time for the Dwarves under the mountain. Tolkien wrote of a great working relationship between these dwarves and the elves of Eregion, which we have yet to really see take shape. If this is the first step toward that part of the story, it would end up being quite close to Tolkien’s description of the city in this age.
Galadriel’s vision
A dark dream at the start of this episode sees Celebrimbor uttering the beginning of J.R.R. Tolkien’s famous poem about the great rings before being brutally murdered by vines which grew from seeds Galadriel planted. When she returns from this vision, she seeks the advice of Gil-Galad who shares that his sense of foresight has also been enhanced since he started wearing the red ring, Narya. A warning is sent to Celebrimbor, but he never receives it.
Several elves have been known to possess limited forms of foresight, including Galadriel, but that ability is not granted to her by wearing the Nenya, the white ring. When she learns to master it, Galadriel will be able to use Nenya to conceal and to preserve but that is not what we see here. I would interpret this scene as Galadriel being able to more easily access the power of foresight now that the ring is opening her up to new power and not a power granted by wearing the ring, which would be well in line with Tolkien’s writings on the how ring-bearers experience the power of a great ring.
The Lord of Gifts
After standing in the cold and the rain for what appears to be days due to Celebrimbor’s agreement to not treat with Halbrand for any reason, the badly beaten man is brought inside and Sauron is finally able to finish what he started. A flash of bright fire and glowing smoke reveals to Celebrimbor that Halbrand was actually sent by the gods, and is a divinely powerful being called Annatar who is here to help.
Halbrand of the Southlands is not a character J.R.R. Tolkien ever created, but the person he becomes at the end of this episode very much is. Annatar, the Lord of Gifts, is described by Tolkien as having appeared to the elves of Eregion as an almost angelic emissary of the Valar (the gods of Middle-earth) to guide them to creating great objects of power. It’s difficult to describe what is seen on screen as anything but that description. It’s true Annatar should have been here the whole time, but his entrance is as close to straight from the text as we’re likely to get.
Episode 3: The Eagle and the Sceptre
Isildur and Berek live, Arondir and Theo grieve and Pharazon sees his chance to claim the throne of Numenor. The Dwarves seek partnership with Eregion and the power of a great ring.
Surviving in Pelargir
Having been released from service at the end of the last season by Elendil, the brave horse Berek finds his owner Isildur and saves him from an untimely demise. Isildur connects with Arondir and makes his way to Pelargir with a young woman of questionable intent in tow. The people now huddled at Pelargir are surviving, but mainly in grief after losing nearly everything.
If you’ve read much about the Second Age of Middle-earth, you likely know Pelargir to be where Numenoreans who remained faithful to the ways of their forefathers go to escape the moral decline of the only home they have ever known. The Pelargir we see on screen so far is not that place yet, but the story shown in the rest of the episode suggests that a version of Pelargir is on its way. What we see here is not something Tolkien wrote, but it doesn’t explicitly counter the source material either. It’s a nice way to put all of these characters in one place while the larger stories unfold elsewhere.
What we do get in this scene that lines up with Tolkien’s writings is Bronwyn’s passing. Tolkien never created Arondir or Bronwyn, and while their existence in this story has been a lot of fun to this point, their relationship couldn’t continue. There are only three recorded long-term relationships between an elf and someone from the race of men and each are hailed as a great and terrible thing, which become a legend and song in this world. Bronwyn’s passing was more or less guaranteed to maintain this pillar of Tolkien’s lore.
Pharazon’s Stolen Eagle
Now that the mourning period for Miriel’s father and the King of Numenor draws to a close, it’s time for the coronation. Miriel faces new challenges as she returns home from what is widely viewed as a failure, and her cousin Pharazon is presented with an opportunity to seize power thanks to Elendil’s daughter, Earien. Just before a Great Eagle appears to bless this coronation, it is revealed that Miriel has been using Elvish power to influence her rule. This is viewed as a betrayal by the citizens who have grown to distrust Elves, and the coronation swiftly changes to Pharazon who becomes the new King of Numenor.
There are two pieces of this that are quite different from Tolkien’s writings, but I’m going to give one of them a pass.
First, Tolkien’s description of Pharazon’s ascension to the throne is pretty gross by modern standards. As written, when Miriel’s father dies, Pharazon breaks Numenoran law and forces her to marry him against her will. He takes power from Miriel who is supposed to be the next queen of Numenor, and uses that power to do all kinds of unpleasant things. What we see on screen is not at all what is written on the page in this instance, but I think it might be for the better in this case.
Second, and this is a discrepancy with Tolkien’s writings that goes back to the Peter Jackson films as well, Tolkien established that Great Eagles can speak. This giant bird didn’t just show up to look pretty while everyone celebrated, these are beings of incredible intelligence who would have arrived with a purpose. This Great Eagle arrived to bless the coronation of Miriel, and when it saw that wasn’t happening, it would have almost assuredly spoken up about it instead of preening and then leaving.
Episode 4: Eldest
The Stranger meets a hermit who helps set him on his path, Nori and Poppy meet some distant relations, Arondir saves Isildur from himself (again) and Elrond does his best impression of someone confidently in charge.
The Hermit and The River-woman’s daughter
The Wizard with no name stumbles across the home of Tom Bombadil, a name easily recognizable to anyone who has read The Lord of the Rings before. In this episode, Tom Bombadil describes himself as “eldest” and explains he came to Rhun to see why all the green areas here had turned to sand. In helping The Stranger with a bath and a warm meal, during which we are told we did not hear Tom Bombadil singing with his wife Goldberry, Tom Bombadil explains his power and what must be done for The Stranger to control his own.
There is a ton to unpack here. Tom Bombadil is, in fact, “eldest” from what descriptions of him we have from Tolkien. The full scope of his abilities isn’t known, but his traveling hermit lifestyle is consistent with Tolkien’s works. Tom Bombadil’s brief speech to the tree known as Old Man Ironwood likely sounds familiar if you’ve recently watched the Peter Jackson films, and that’s because it’s nearly identical to Treebeard talking to a tree after it tries to sample Hobbits. What is funny about that is those lines actually originate with Tom Bombadil in the books, making this both a throwback to the films and a correction of sorts with the lore as written.
A lot of Tom Bombadil’s mannerisms, including the vague speaking patterns and the nearly constant singing, line up well enough with Tolkien’s vision for this mysterious character. Where things differ fairly significantly is Tom Bombadil’s explanation that the Dark Wizard is an Istar like The Stranger deviates significantly from Tolkien’s lore. We know from Tolkien’s writings there were only five Wizards, and none of them were evil until Saruman the White was manipulated by Sauron, which should not happen for a very long time.
Don’t call her “The Gund”
Nori and Poppy wake to discover a being that bears a striking resemblance to a Harfoot but calls himself a Stoor. He leads them to a village where they discover a whole community of Stoors who live in holes in the ground. The leader of this village, a woman known as The Gund, is not big on outsiders and ties them up after learning they are in league with a Wizard. The only Wizard they know is the Dark Wizard, so distrust of this person they describe once as “Grand Elf” is immediate. Fortunately for Nori and Poppy, they’re nice and inquisitive and quickly earn the trust of these people who appear to be distantly related.
Most of this did not happen in anything written by Tolkien. For starters, the halfling race known as Stoors are described as fishermen and river-folk. Smeagol, who we later come to know as Gollum, was a Stoor and absolutely did not come from Rhun. Tolkien did write that three races of halflings known as Harfoots, Stoors and Fallowhides did eventually settle together in an area later known as The Shire and their union became Hobbits as we know them later in this timeline. This story about a Stoor wandering off from Rhun to find this home and instead becoming intertwined with the Harfoots has no basis in Tolkien’s works.
Elrond’s Choice, Galadriel’s Sacrifice
The tension between Commander Elrond and Lieutenant Galadriel leads a party of Elves into Tyrn Gorthad, otherwise known as the Barrow-downs, which seems to be known as a place where great evil sleeps. Elrond’s decision to ignore Galadriel’s warning because it came from the great ring Nenya ends in a standoff between Elves and Barrow-wights immediately followed by a fight with Orcs. Galadriel’s ring touches an arrow and it seems to disappear, so she takes it off and gives it to Elrond to stall for time so the rest of the party can escape. Elrond insists Galadriel did not do this to save them, but to save the ring.
As we mentioned previously, the tension between Elrond and basically everyone he respects as leaders is unnecessary because Tolkien’s writings made it very clear the three rings were free of Sauron’s influence because they were made without his knowledge and were hidden from him. We do know the great ring Nenya’s powers are concealment and preservation, so it’s possible the arrow seeming to almost dissolve is an interpretation of the latter power, which would be one of the only things in this scene consistent with Tolkien’s writings.
The other lore deviation in this scene is the Barrow-wights themselves, which Tolkien wrote were sent to the Barrow-downs by the Witch King of Angmar early in the Third Age and not by Sauron early in the Second Age as this episode suggests. In the Second Age, the area known as Tyrn Gorthad was not considered dark at all and was eventually a part of a kingdom called Arnor. That is a topic for another episode.
Arondir saves the day, over and over again
After revealing to Isildur that his lovely traveling companion had pledged herself to Adar, Arondir saves everyone from a very angry Entwife called Winterbloom, who has decided everyone who has ever hurt a tree has got to go. Arondir talks Winterbloom down while Isildur makes eyes at the woman he just learned was at the very least curious about evil before her betrothed shows up and finally makes it clear this is not the woman for him. Theo, the reason Arondir and Isildur left Pelargir in the first place, is also in this scene.
Just about everything in this scene plausibly fits within Tolkien’s lore as long as you remember Arondir, Theo and Astrid are all characters created for this show. We don’t know much about Entwives, and it is very cool to finally see this one on screen and ready to take matters into her own branches.
Episode 5: Halls of Stone
Durin III experiences the power of his Ring, Annatar pushes Celebrimbor further outside of his comfort zone, and the Faithful are no longer tolerated in Numenor.
Troubles in Eregion
Annatar is hard at work trying to corrupt not just Celebrimbor, but the Gwaith-i-Mirdain who work for him. We see the beginning of the creation on the Nine rings for Men, as well as some intense reckoning when Celebrimbor is confronted with the effects the Dwarven Ring is having on King Durin.
In truth, Tolkien didn’t write a ton about this time. We have already discussed how this show has changed the order in which the Rings were made to create some additional drama, but in this episode, that drama does a fantastic job showing Annatar’s manipulation of the Eregion Elves. A lot of what is shown of Eregion in this episode is not only plausible within Tolkien’s writing but also a lot of fun to watch.
Separately, we see the Doors of Durin, complete with the Mithril-infused stone as a gift from Celebrimbor. This celebration highlights the cooperation between Celebrimbor and Narvi, which is just about as close to exactly what Tolkien wrote as one can get without having him write the script himself.
Durin’s Greed
As soon as Durin III puts the Ring on, Khazad-dum prospers. Durin III seems to suddenly have remarkable new instincts for where to mine and how to expand, but Disa hears the thing we all know exists beneath the mines that are about to be opened. Unfortunately, Durin III seems unwilling to hear any council that doesn’t come from his Ring-powered insights.
This is another area where Tolkien’s writings are thin, but it is worth highlighting two things that deviate from the lore. The first is Disa hearing the Balrog. We know Disa is an original character for the show, and her ability to sing to the rock for resonance is something created for this show. Tolkien never wrote specifically about any Dwarf being aware of the Balrog before it was far too late. There’s not a ton about Dwarvish culture in this era we do know for sure.
As a result of this warning, Durin IV swears to his wife Disa that he will never put on his Father’s Ring. Tolkien never wrote any of that, obviously, but small and somewhat obvious spoilers ahead: Durin IV will absolutely be wearing that ring.
The banishment of the Faithful
Numenor has a new king, and with that comes a more intense loathing for anyone loyal to the Valar. Kemen takes the lead over the newly formed King’s Men to make it clear to the Faithful that they are not welcome in this new world. Elendil makes a promise to be the calm eye in the oncoming storm and struggles to meet that promise.
The compressed timeline of this show means a lot of the things Tolkien wrote about the downfall of Numenor are happening quite quickly. A lot of the subjugation of the Faithful should have happened under the previous king, but in this show, we will see the more violent parts of this subjugation happen under the newly crowned Ar-Pharazon.
Similarly rushed but still largely as written is Ar-Pharazon’s resentment of the eternal life granted to the Elves. As Tolkien wrote it, a lot of that resentment comes after Numenor has captured Sauron and the manipulator continues to do what he does best. There’s still plenty of time for this to happen in future seasons of the show, but the whispers of that resentment this early on are notable in that it deviates slightly from Tolkien’s writing.
Episode 6: Where is He?
Darkness descends on Eregion as Annatar pushed Celebrimbor to finish the Nine Rings, the Dwarves of Khazad-dum are fighting, and The Stranger is presented an ultimatum by Tom Bombadil.
Celebrimbor’s decline
In an attempt to “atone” for greed creeping into the seven rings given to the Dwarf lords, Celebrimbor and his Gwaith-i-Mirdain work through their entire supply of Mithril attempting to make the nine rings for Men of Middle-earth. This exhaustion and disarray creates space for Annatar to separate Celebrimbor from his most trusted smiths, ensuring he is the only one whispering in the Elf lord’s ear. Meanwhile, Eregion is facing an army and it appears this is also part of Annatar’s plan.
While Tolkien did not write about the sacking of Eregion as a story with a beginning, middle and end, there’s plenty we do know about the events leading up to the fall of this great city. Most of what you see of Annatar manipulating Celebrimbor in this episode is entirely plausible when compared to Tolkien’s description of these events. That said, because this show has tweaked the order and reasons Celebrimbor created the rings, Annatar is in the city already when the attack begins. As Tolkien wrote it, Annatar had left Eregion after the rings for Dwarves and Men were created, then he resumed his appearance as Sauron to create the One Ring. He then led his army from Mordor to Eregion and led the attack.
It becomes clear by the end of the episode that Annatar has orchestrated this whole conclusion and manipulated everyone involved to ensure his army arrives to take the city. So while the details may have been altered to fit the drama on screen, it seems like the end result will be close to what Tolkien wrote.
King Durin’s might
In addition to the ring offering Durin III the ability to “see” where precious deposits are in his underground realm, we see in this episode a great increase in strength as he flings his son back a great distance with little effort. This move further convinces Durin IV and Disa that the rings has corrupted their father, leaving them with little choice other than to physically stop their people from delving deeper into the mines and possible waking up a Balrog.
The Ring of Thror, which was gifted to During III by Celebrimbor, is described by Tolkien as useful almost entirely for multiplying wealth and amplifying the natural skills. The major drawback to wearing these rings is an increased desire for dominance, which led to the Dwarf lords discovering lasting consequences for their newly enhanced greed. Tolkien never describes these rings specifically as strength enhancers, and that’s what we see happening in this scene. It’s not immediately clear where deviation from Tolkien’s lore is headed, as he never wrote about infighting between King Durin and his son, but it’s fun to watch all the same.
Tom Bombadil’s ultimatum
The Stranger is seeing visions of his friend Nori in deep trouble with the Dark Wizard, and he struggles to follow Tom Bombadil’s advice. This leads Tom to offer an ultimatum, stay here and find your staff so you can help way more people or try to save Nori and risk all of Middle-earth falling to Sauron and the Dark Wizard.
Just about every time we see or hear about The Stranger in this season, there’s another easter egg pointing at him being Olorin, more commonly known as Gandalf. This episode’s Easter egg is from Tom Bombadil, who refers to this Wizard as a servant of the secret fire — something Gandalf claims to be right before his most famous line in the Peter Jackson films. It’s worth repeating that this character being Gandalf would be a significant and egregious deviation from Tolkien’s writings on the subject, and that goes double for the possibility of the Dark Wizard being the Wizard Saruman.
As Tolkien never wrote about Tom Bombadil taking up residence in Rhun or sending Wizards on quests, most of what we see in this part of the show is new material.
Miriel and the Abyss
In an effort to save Elendil from being made example of by the newly anointed Ar-Pharazon, Miriel takes his place in an ancient judgement ceremony designed to ensure death unless the Valar themselves intervene. She faces a great wyrm, and when she returns to the surface unharmed Elendil celebrates her as Queen of the Sea and drives Ar-Pharazon to consult the same Palantir used to oust Miriel from her position.
We’ve discussed before how this show has altered the relationship between Pharazon and Miriel, as well as the acceleration of the abuse visited upon the Faithful in Numenor. Nothing about what we’ve seen in this episode lines up with Tolkien’s writing, but it does create space for Pharazon to send troops to Eregion to find Halbrand and possibly the forced marriage between Pharazon and Miriel. If that happens, this will be another instance of the showrunners adding dramatic scenes to get the viewer to the ending Tolkien intended.
