The Rings of Power: These are Pharazon’s dark plans for Middle-earth

• Pharazon is the Chancellor of Númenor and serves alongside Queen Regent Míriel.
• He is hostile to the Elves, but still supports Míriel in her plan to fight alongside the Elves in Middle-earth.
• The power-hungry politician has a sinister plan for Middle-earth.

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“The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power” features a lot of interesting characters. The Chancellor of Númenor, Pharazon, is one of the most mysterious yet. His role in the series is to take many turns and seal the fate of the island kingdom.

So far, Pharazon has been seen as a calculating politician and devoted servant of the people of Númenor. Besides Queen Regent Míriel, he is the most powerful man on the island through the office of Chancellor. The striving for even more power, but also the envy of the elves and their immortality should determine his further path.

In episode 5 of “The Rings of Power” the chancellor shows his true face. Númenor goes to war! Galadriel was able to convince Míriel to sail to Middle-earth together and face the rise of the Dark Lord and his troops. Pharazon, pragmatic enough to heed popular sentiment, supports the campaign for now. During a conversation with his son Kemen, he reveals his motives and great plans for Middle-earth.

It is not without reason that he follows “the stream” at the moment and lets Míriel do as he pleases, even if he himself has completely different visions and plans. He foresees an aggressive, expansive policy for the future of Númenor. He wants to free and “elevate” the people of Middle-earth and place them above the elves.

Under the dominance of the island kingdom and with the reinstated Halbrand as a puppet, the human race is to spread across Middle-earth and Númenor become even more powerful. In particular, Pharazon is after the raw materials and riches of Middle-earth.

In the long term, Pharazon plans to surpass and oppose the Elves and Valar, as also reported in the books. Gradually, like the Eldar once did, he wants to spread throughout Middle-earth, but not to protect the country, but out of greed and envy. Episode by episode we get to know Pharazon’s motives better and he becomes more and more the great antagonist of “The Rings of Power”.

This is known from Tolkien’s books on Pharazon

As a noble scion, Pharazon grew up to be a strong and determined soldier of Númenor. As a captain at sea and on land, he was instrumental in the expansion of Númenor along the shores of Middle-earth. In doing so, he amassed a great deal of wealth. After his return to Númenor, he generously distributed these and thus secured the approval of the people. This at least was Pharazon’s youth in the books. In the series “The Rings of Power” we see him as an older, established politician.

As for Pharazon’s beliefs, he was significantly influenced by his father. This irreversibly led to him becoming one of “the loyalists”. This faction within the Númenorean Society rejected the teachings of the Valar and no longer considered themselves friends of the Elven.

Pharazon’s rise to power

After the death of King Tar-Palantir, Míriel’s father, something yet to come in the series, Pharazon’s time had come. He seized power and consolidated it by marrying his cousin, Míriel, against her will. Because he despised the Elves and their Quenya language, he gave Míriel a new Queen’s name, Ar-Zimraphel.

Meanwhile, when Sauron waged war on Middle-earth with his hosts of Orcs, Pharazon sensed a rival. Along with his most loyal followers and a mighty armada, he sailed to Middle-earth and confronted Sauron. Fearful of the arrival of the mighty, glorious Númenorean host, Sauron’s forces fled and the Dark Lord was forced to surrender. Now the Maia was a prisoner of Pharazon. He should never forget this disgrace by the people.

Pharazon’s decline under the influence of Sauron

However, through a trick Sauron secured the trust of Pharazon on Númenor. From the king’s prisoner, he quickly rose to become his most powerful adviser and gradually took control of the mind of Pharazon. Sauron knew the Númenóreans’ fear of death and the envy they had of the Elves and their immortality.

So he had an easy time seducing the humans and getting them to finally betray the Valar. He made them worship the one Dark God Melkor/Morgoth instead, even building a massive temple for him where human sacrifices were made. The fall of the once glorious human empire at the hands of the corrupted Maias was imminent.

Succumbing to the insinuations of Sauron, Pharazon had the largest fleet the world has ever seen built. Their destination was the distant Elvish kingdom of Valinor, which humans were strictly forbidden to invade. Despite the Valar’s warnings, Pharazon’s fleet left Númenor and sailed to the Undying Lands.

She was never seen again. A mighty storm wave engulfed the entire army of the corrupted king. Then the transformation of the world began and the star island of Númenor sank into the sea. This was Sauron’s plan from the beginning, for while his physical form was annihilated, his spirit was freed. Pharazon’s reign was over and he would go down in history as the last king of Númenor.

A small band of believing Númenóreans, called the Faithful, who did not betray the Elves, escaped the sinking. Led by Elendil and his sons Anárion and Isildur, they sailed to Middle-earth and founded the two kingdoms of Gondor and Arnor.

They carried on the legacy of the great human realm and the White Tree until the return of King Aragorn/Elessar. For all time, however, Pharazon served as a cautionary tale for those who succumbed to the influence of evil and their own lust for power.