Spoilers – Warning, the article below contains potential spoilers. If you do not want to understand the content, please do not read the following…
Particularly rich and abundant, the giant world created by Tolkien sometimes requires a certain knowledge to understand all the subtleties. Thus, in episode 5 of The Rings of Power series (released on Amazon Prime Video) this Friday, some characters use terms like elven ears.
Let’s go back to the 4 words or proper nouns that might cause some problems for the less informed viewer.
“Aule with a beard!”, Durin exclaims at the end of the episode, speaking to Elrond. Dwarf here refers to one of the most powerful Valar, the supreme beings created by Eru Ill.wherevatar (the equivalent of God in Tolkien’s universe) even before the birth of earth, elves, and humans.
Associated with the element of earth, Aula is the Vala who himself created the dwarven people. Therefore, it is quite logical that the latter refers to it in his everyday language.
Note: We say vala (masculine), valer (feminine) and valar (plural)
Although these legendary artifacts have been mentioned several times in the series, their true nature may still elude some. These three shining jewels (which gave their name The Silmarillion) was forged in the First Age by the elf Fëanor and shaped by the precious light of the two trees of Valinor.
The stones stolen by the Fallen Vala Morgoth and placed on his crown were the source of terrible wars in Middle-earth, especially those started by the descendants of Fëanor, who swore to fight anyone who tried to appropriate the jewels. After many battles over the centuries, the Silmarians finally disappeared: one was taken to the depths of the earth, another was thrown to the bottom of the sea, and the third ascended to the sky to become a star.
In episode 5 of the series, Gil-galad tells Elrond that one of the lost Silmarils, buried at the center of the Earth, offered its shard to the familiar. MithrilA precious ore that the dwarves wanted.
When he recounts the birth Mithril In Elrond, Gil-galad is especially noted “An elven warrior with a heart as pure as his own”. This is again a reference to one of the Valar, the first and most powerful of them all: Manve Sulimo, associated with air and wind.
Considered a favorite of his creator Ilúvatar, and as the chief of the Valar, he is also the one on whom Gandalf is somewhat dependent, which explains the latter’s relationship with the eagles, which are also associated with the air.
It is at this place that the battle between the war elf and the Balrog of Morgoth takes place, according to the story told by Gil-galad. The mountain barrier called Hithaglir simply refers to the Misty Mountains, the famous Middle-earth massif beneath which we find the city of Khazad-dum.
Were there any other slightly technical terms that tripped you up in Episode 5 of The Rings of Power?
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Source: allocine
Camila Luna is a writer at Gossipify, where she covers the latest movies and television series. With a passion for all things entertainment, Camila brings her unique perspective to her writing and offers readers an inside look at the industry. Camila is a graduate from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) with a degree in English and is also a avid movie watcher.
