The Lord of the Rings: Does ‘The Rings of Power’ Show the Origins of These 4 Locations?

• The Lord of the Rings series is set more than 3000 years before Peter Jackson’s films.
• So some kingdoms from the movies are still far away from what we know in the series.
• Amazon has a chance to tell the origin stories of Mordor, Rivendell, Gondor and the Shire!

On September 2, 2022, we will be whisked away to Middle-earth again when The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power begins streaming on Amazon Prime Video. Even though the story takes place over 3,000 years before The Lord of the Rings movies, there are a few characters that appear in the LOTR movies and series, as well as locations whose origins we can finally learn about!

The map of Middle-earth looks different in the Second Age, in which “The Rings of Power” takes place, than in the Third Age, in which the films take place. We are shown new places like Valinor or Númenor, which we haven’t seen in the movies before, but also well-known places like the dwarven kingdom of Khazad-dum.

The “Lord of the Rings” series has a special chance at the locations of Mordor, Bruchtal, Gondor and the Shire. In the Second Age, these 4 locations in Middle-earth are still a long way from becoming what we see in Peter Jackson’s “The Lord of the Rings” films.

mordor

Mount Doom, Sauron’s fortress of Barad-dur, Wasteland and Rock – and lots of Orcs! The Mordor we know is home to all evil. Sauron is assembling his forces there, but making Mordor a suitable place for his machinations would take a great deal of time and work.

As late as the First Age of Middle-earth, Sauron fled from the Elves and hid in Mordor. There he then gathered his forces for 500 years, built his stronghold and regained his strength. Coincidentally, these 500 years coincide with the period in which the series is set.

The Rings of Power is about the rise of Sauron, so it would be a missed opportunity for Amazon not to include the origins of Mordor as well.

Rivendell

Elrond is the Lord of Rivendell at the time of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings films. His home is in a valley and offers shelter to those seeking protection. In the Second Age, Rivendell served as a refuge for Elrond himself when the Elven kingdom of Eregion was attacked by Sauron’s forces.

Elrond and the Elves have to flee and find refuge and Elrond a home in Rivendell, also known as Imladris. Elrond builds his house in Rivendell, which we know from the movies. The rest of the Second Age as well as the Third he lives there.