Amazon promises iconic moments from the Appendages for Season 2 of Rings of Power. These are the avenues that seem to us the most plausible.
Season 2 of rings of power is not to be expected before 2024 on Prime Video, the subscription video on demand (SVOD) service which broadcasts the series derived from the Lord of the Rings. But little by little, Amazon distills some clues about what will be told in the next episodes. This was still the case on December 19.
During an interview granted to Deadline, Vernon Sanders, head of television for Amazon Studios worldwide, slipped an indication of the direction that season 2 is supposed to take. rings of power : “ I can say you’ll see some bigger battles in the second season, including some iconic moments from the Appendices and the Books. »
Of course, the person concerned obviously does not say what are these iconic moments from the texts of JRR Tolkien. But, based on the state of the story at the end of the first season, but also on what we know of the Second Age (the era in which the story is set), we can throw some hypotheses on these events.
The sequel contains spoilers.
So far it is known that season 2 of rings of power must introduce a new character.
This is Círdan, an Elf who exists in Tolkien’s story. This shipbuilder — his nickname is Shipwright — is known for having worn one of the elven rings (Narya) and for having founded the Gray Havens, a port city that allows the crossing of the sea between Middle-earth and Valinor, the sacred continent where the deities of the world reside.
When it comes to iconic moments, Amazon remains silent as a grave. But the appendices give some indications: if the studio does not deviate (too much) from the path traced by the British writer, seven major events could take place during season 2. Events that span almost a century, according to Tolkien’s chronology.
Creation of the One Ring
It is the artifact that is literally at the heart of the story of the Lord of the Rings. In the year 1600, Sauron forged the One Ring in the bowels of Mount Doom, formerly called Orodruin. This ring is able to enslave all the others except the three belonging to the Elves. That is to say, the seven rings of the Dwarfs and the nine of Men.
Season one ends when Mordor replaces the Southern Lands, the name given to the region before evil moved there. We saw Halbrand, who turns out to be Sauron, heading towards Mount Doom, with his Machiavellian plan in mind to enslave the peoples of Middle-earth, which he has obviously begun to carry out.
Death of Celebrimbor
The Elven master craftsman, to whom we owe the three Elven rings, and who had the good taste to hide them from Sauron’s sight, will meet a tragic fate during the Second Age. Season one already showed Sauron’s influence on Celebrimbor’s mind. Unlike other rings, Celebrimbor forged those of the Elves alone, saving them from being touched by darkness.
After being tricked by the Lord of Evil into forging the human and dwarven rings, he will be killed at the hands of Sauron himself in the year 1697, during a great battle. His body will hardly be spared by the forces of evil: it will be hung at the top of a mast and will serve as a banner during a battle targeting the Gray Havens.
Construction of Barad-dûr
According to the appendices of Lord of the Rings, it was in the year 1000 of the Second Age that Sauron undertook the construction of Barad-dûr, his fortress in the heart of Mordor. However, he will have to wait nearly six hundred years to complete this titanic project. It is there that, much later, he will materialize in the form of a giant eye relentlessly scanning the surroundings.
Appearance of Sauron in his true form
Except in the prologue, where we can see the silhouette of Sauron in the backlight, the lord of Evil never appears in his true form during the first season. His identity having been uncovered by Galadriel, perhaps the evil wizard will roam Middle-earth in his true guise, instead of disguising himself as Halbrand…unless he chooses the Annatar option?
Manufacture of the other rings
The first season showed the making of the three Elvish rings, but not the Dwarven and Human rings. Perhaps season two will take the time to say a word about them, perhaps in a flashback—after all, they’re supposed to have been crafted with Narya, Nenya, and Vilya. We would then also see the beginning of the corruption of the human lords, future Nazgûl.
Great war between Sauron and the Elves
Sauron’s machinations will eventually spark open conflict with the Elves. In 1693 begins a battle that will last almost ten years. The Elves are going to be roughed up by the Orcs led by Sauron. The whole region of Eriador will be ravaged, and in particular the domain of the Elves, Eregion. It is on this occasion that Celebrimbor is killed.
Eventually, the Elves gain the upper hand with the welcome help of the city-state of Númenor. An imposing fleet is dispatched by Tar-Minastir to come to the aid of the peoples of Middle-earth. Sauron is defeated for the first time, but the damage is considerable. Eregion, in particular, is neglected by the Elves
founding of Rivendell
The defeat suffered by the Elves against Sauron will be the trigger for the foundation of Rivendell (Imladris, in Elvish), a domain belonging to the Elves and which serves as a refuge. Founded and ruled by Elrond, this place located in the Misty Mountains has also welcomed Humans, Dwarves and Hobbits. It is here that the Fellowship of the Ring will be founded much later.
These seven events are hypotheses that take into account the end of season one and the comments made by Vernon Sanders. Nothing says that they will all appear from season two, or will appear at all – Amazon having shown its propensity to invent new things for the needs of its story and to rearrange the chronological thread of the story as it pleases.
The appendices to The Lord of the Rings obviously have other great events worth mentioning, but these take place much later in the Second Age. We can reasonably think that they will take place rather for seasons three, four and five of rings of power. But for that, it will be necessary to wait for their diffusion.
On the other hand, it is impossible to know what will happen to certain characters like Adar or the Stranger, since they are new characters who do not exist in the appendices – nor elsewhere in Tolkien’s texts. Maybe Amazon has some standout moments in mind with these characters — or others — but it’s impossible to guess anything in advance.
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