The first two episodes of “The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power” have already arrived on Prime Video, but what are the differences between the series and the work of author JRR Tolkien?
Despite the title, the series takes place millennia before the events that are at the heart of “The Lord of the Rings”, and is not a new adaptation of the work. Instead, showrunners JD Payne and Patrick McKay brought together various works of Tolkien’s work, such as “The Silmarillion” and the Appendices to “The Lord of the Rings” to create something entirely new.
Therefore, “The Rings of Power” brings several changes to the work and creates much in addition to the great events in Middle-earth.
The series is based on which book?
The answer to this question may be “none”, but the most certain would be “different”. There is not a single book that tells the story of the series, which takes place in the Second Age of Middle-earth. The history of the period is scattered throughout many of Tolkien’s works.
The period includes the rise and fall of the kingdom of Númenor and, of course, the Forge of the Great Rings, which includes the One Ring made famous in “The Lord of the Rings”. But not everything is written in detail and in an organized way in Tolkien’s work. A condensed chronology of these events can be found in Appendix B of “The Lord of the Rings”, entitled “The Tale of the Years”.
So McKay and Payne basically rely on this and other Appendices of “The Lord of the Rings”, which allows them to detail the landmarks of Middle-earth that Tolkien could not with a single timeline. But the series shouldn’t stick entirely to this timeline and should alter the periods to bring together certain characters and events.
In addition to “The Lord of the Rings”, the showrunner duo sifted through Tolkien’s other works for clues to “The Rings of Power”, especially looking for Second Age events. Some of these clues have been found by them in songs and stories that the characters sing and tell each other.
Furthermore, “The Silmarillion” must also have references in the series, after all it describes in detail the creation of Middle-earth and the events of the First Age. The fourth part of the book, by the way, takes place in the Second Age, and a version of what has been described must be in the series, especially in the events of Númenor.
new characters
This may give some of JRR Tolkien’s most loyal fans goosebumps, but several new characters have been created for the series. However, this would really be necessary to tell a story from an era that Tolkien hasn’t quite described.
Among them are Nori Brandyfoot, a hairy foot who likes adventure played by Markella Kavenagh, the elf Arondir played by Ismael Cruz Córdova and the human she falls in love with, Bronwyn played by Nazanin Boniadi, as well as the human Halbrand by Charlie Vickers.
But, although they never appeared in Tolkien’s work, these characters fit well into Tolkien’s stories. Nori, for example, is part of the Hairy Feet, an ancestral people of hobbits mentioned in “The Lord of the Rings”.
In turn, others may not like the relationship created between Arrondir and Bronwyn. But, although the romantic relationship between the characters is a creation of the series, there are records in Tolkien’s oeuvre of love affairs between elves and humans. An example of this is the relationship between Arwen and Aragorn in “The Lord of the Rings”, but there are other cases.
These examples indicate one thing: although the characters are new, they derive from Tolkien’s work and help fill in the gaps in Tolkien’s timeline.
new stories
In addition to new characters, we also have new or changed stories. The main change is the centralization of Galadriel, experienced by Morfydd Clark, and his mission to destroy Sauron. “The Rings of Power” provide Galadriel with a role she had never played before, emphasizing her role as commander and leader before she became the Lady of Lórien.
The change provides a new origin story for a character already known in the “Lord of the Rings” trilogy, which will change dramatically over time to become what we know in the trilogy. Furthermore, Galadriel’s insistence on fighting evil, her courage and her heroic ways make her a good place among the other great leaders in Tolkien’s stories.
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Additionally, other stories take Tolkien’s readers to previously unexplored areas of Middle-earth, such as the Southern Lands, where Bronwyn and Arondir are located. Nori’s hairy feet lead us to Rhovanion, and Elrond (Robert Aramayo) and Celebrimbor (Charles Edwards) place us within the dwarven kingdom of Khazad-dum at the height of his power.
The next episodes of “The Rings of Power” arrive on Prime Video on Fridays. The first two episodes of the series are now available on the platform.
The post “The Rings of Power”: what are the differences between the series and Tolkien’s work? first appeared on Digital Look.
Source: Olhar Digital
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