‘The Rings of Power’: The Tolkien Terminology Explained

The Lord of the Rings lore could be a little complicated. This goes double for the brand new Amazon sequence The Rings of Energy. There is a motive people who research JRR Tolkien’s novels are also known as students. 

However do not panic! You need not learn an epic tome or watch 20 hours of Prolonged Editions to understand this new sequence. Armed with no matter you keep in mind from the final time you watched The Lord of the Rings and this fast terminology information, you will be ready to get pleasure from this sequence with out feeling terribly misplaced at these phrases you’ve got by no means heard used within the films earlier than.

The Second Age

The Rings of Energy takes place earlier than what you’ve got seen in The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit, however not like 10 years again such as you may see in plenty of different prequel tales. The Rings of Energy takes place 1000’s of years earlier than the occasions of The Hobbit, throughout a time frame known as the Second Age. On this world, giant segments of time are separated by main international occasions. For instance, the scene on the finish of The Lord of the Rings the place everybody will get on these boats and sails away marks the top of The Third Age.

One of many cool issues about The Rings of Energy telling a narrative within the Second Age is that we’ll get to see characters we have solely beforehand skilled via legend and flashback, in addition to historic characters from the films after they have been younger. Elves dwell impossibly lengthy lives except they’re murdered, so on this sequence there will likely be character names we have heard earlier than like Galadriel and Elrond and Isildur however a lot, a lot youthful variations of the individuals we have already met. 

Harfoots (pronounced har-foots)

You’ll have observed in all the trailers for The Rings of Energy there are not any Hobbits, at the least not as you’d acknowledge them from the films. There’s an excellent motive for this: Hobbits do not exist but! The place Elves, Dwarves, and even Males of The Second Age dwell lengthy lives and attain nice deeds, the ancestors of Hobbits have lifespans a lot nearer to a mean human right here in the true world. Which means their evolution occurs a lot sooner than the opposite races of Center-earth, and what we are going to see in The Rings of Energy are one of many ancestors of Third Age Hobbits, recognized on this time as Harfoots. 

Not like the Stoors and Fallohides, that are different races that ultimately come along with Harfoots to develop into Hobbits, the little people we are going to see in Rings of Energy are nomadic gatherers. They dwell off the land, with a extra earthy and pure look to their clothes and conduct. Just a few of those Harfoots have been noticed within the trailers already, full with the tell-tale bushy toes and shorter stature. Not like Third Age Hobbits, Tolkien described many Harfoots as being darker skinned and are on common smaller than the characters you already know. 

Anticipate Harfoots to play a pivotal position on this sequence, even when they do not get as a lot display time because the movies’ Hobbits.

Silvan Elves (pronounced sil-vn)

One of many coolest costumes seen in trailers for The Rings of Energy to this point belongs to the character Arondir, who is just not talked about in any of JRR Tolkien’s works. Arondir was created as a brand new character out of necessity; the race he represents is talked about a number of instances throughout Tolkien’s works however by no means given the identical form of consideration as lots of the different races in Center-earth. 

Arondir is a Silvan Elf, and in keeping with Tolkien these elves are separated from the others and scattered throughout a number of worlds. Those that made it to Center-earth have a deep connection to nature, which is why you see Arondir in a picket breastplate with a tree spirit or Inexperienced Man carved into it. What survives of Silvan Elves within the Second Age develop into a part of Lorien, the realm of Center-earth we see Galadriel as ruler of in The Lord of the Rings. 

Exterior of wanting very cool, Arondir and different Silvan Elves we see will likely be distinctive and stand out fairly a bit from the Elves of this time.

Valinor (pronounced vali-nor)

The Elves you might have seen throughout all of Tolkien’s films — and shortly this TV sequence — dwell in Center-earth, however they don’t seem to be from Center-earth. The Elves as we see them migrated to Center-earth from a spot referred to as Valinor, a large land with a number of cities and its personal separate constructs of time and life. The best way Elves and different creatures of Valinor lived whereas there may be wildly totally different from the best way they dwell in Center-earth. 

Elves left Valinor and got here to Center-earth as a result of they’d no alternative: The 2 bushes that allowed life to exist in Valinor have been destroyed by an enormous spider referred to as Ungoliant and one other being referred to as Morgoth. Ungoliant would later give delivery to the large spider Shelob, who almost kills Bilbo and Frodo of their respective tales. Morgoth passes his darkness to his pupil Sauron, who adjustments his title to Annatar when he went into hiding from these chasing the remnants of Morgoths military.

Valinor would ultimately develop into a spot Elves want to return to, which you see on the finish of The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King. The ships Bilbo, Frodo and different board on the finish of the film are touring again to Valinor. Being allowed to return dwelling earlier than that time was thought of a fantastic honor, so when it is talked about you’ll normally hear it in a grand context.

Númenor (pronounced noo-menor)

We have seen the huge white metropolis of Gondor and the far-reaching lands of the horse lords referred to as Rohan, however there was one other Kingdom of Males the place Aragorn’s ancestors got here from referred to as Númenor. This large star-shaped island was dwelling to Males who lived for much longer than most of their contemporaries and will construct lasting relationships with Elves and Dwarves. Like Aragorn, lots of the individuals from this island have been gifted fighters and nice leaders.

The Males of Númenor aren’t fairly like the boys of the remainder of Center-Earth. They dwell fairly a bit longer due to their ancestry, which continuously results in them being handled as one thing totally different from somebody you’d meet in Center-earth correct. Most Males of this period have by no means been to Númenor, not to mention acknowledge it as by some means ruling all Males of the period. 

Since that is the largest kingdom of Males within the Second Age, there is a good probability a major quantity of this present will happen in Númenor. 

Khazad-dûm (pronounced ok’hah-zahd-doom)

Most people solely know the dominion of the Dwarves as a tomb and residential to an offended Balrog who loses a battle with Gandalf. In The Lord of the Rings, we all know this large underground metropolis as Moria, however within the Second Age it was also called Khazad-dûm. 

Not like the scattered, separated model of the Dwarves we see in The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, we will see Dwarves of their prime all through The Rings of Energy. That is earlier than the Arkenstone and the incident with Smaug, and earlier than the Balrog is woke up in Moria. (All of that occurs within the Third Age.) As an alternative, we will see Durin and his kin as grasp crafters with political company and hopefully a will to work with the opposite peoples of Center-earth. 

And, sadly, we are going to in all probability additionally see no matter leads these proud individuals to retreat absolutely into their mountain. 

Lindon (pronounced lin-don)

Center-earth is a giant place, and at this level on this planet’s historical past there are numerous Elvish territories that at present do not seem like the ethereal land Galadriel guidelines or the civilized kingdom Elrond presides over within the films. Earlier than Lothlorien and Rivendell there was Lindon, dominated by Excessive King Gil-galad. Throughout many of the Second Age, Elrond truly works for Gil-galad as his herald as a result of he isn’t but thought of a high-ranking Elf.

Lindon is, for many Elves, the harbor used to journey to both Númenor or Valinor relying in your function. It is a protected harbor and in some ways the area used for the military Gil-galad sends to battle Morgoth. For the aim of this sequence, it is seemingly Lindon will likely be thought of the political seat of energy for the Elves. And since it is an Elven metropolis, you’ll be able to anticipate it to be staggeringly lovely.

Eregion (pronounced eh-reh-gee-on)

Whereas Lindon is the seat of political energy for the Elves, it is not the place the motion will seemingly happen throughout The Rings of Energy. That honor will virtually assuredly go to the Elf-controlled area within the western a part of Center-earth referred to as Eregion at the moment. Eregion is situated a brief distance from each Khazad-dûm and what’s going to later be often called Mordor, which suggests it is near our cool Dwarven characters and properly situated for battle scenes towards Sauron’s military of orcs. 

Whereas Gil-galad is Excessive King of all Elves, Eregion is led by Celebrimbor. As a descendant of Feanor, creator of the Silmarils (we’ll get into these subsequent), Celebrimbor has an unceasing want to create one thing of actual worth for the peoples of Center-earth. Within the books, Celebrimbor and the opposite artists of his realm are guided by Annatar to make The Nice Rings for all of the kingdoms of Center-earth. 

As you in all probability know, that does not go tremendous nicely for everybody and takes just a few thousand years plus a few Hobbits to totally cope with.

Aulë’s Beard

When Elrond is begrudgingly invited into Durin and Disa’s dwelling beneath the mountain, you hear an exclamation a number of instances which hasn’t actually been part of Tolkien’s works prior to now. Nevertheless it’s truly a reasonably important factor to exclaim, particularly within the context of the Second Age. 

The place most sentient beings we come throughout in Tolkien’s works have a single creation deity in Ilúvatar, Dwarves of Center-earth are an essential exception. Earlier than the creation of Elves, the deity Aule determined to create his personal offspring to move his data to. Of the various god-like beings on this world, Aule is called The Smith as a result of it was his job to create the whole lot from highly effective instruments to total land lots. It was essential to him to have beings whose function was to understand the world and use the weather of the world to create new issues. 

As a result of Aulë didn’t have entry to The Flame Imperishable within the creation of the Dwarves, they don’t seem to be immortal like Elves. So on this Second Age, the Dwarves are nonetheless fairly near their creation story as it has been simply over 1,000 years that Dwarves have existed at this level.

Silmarils (pronounced sil-mar-ils)

A typical misunderstanding about The Rings of Energy is that will probably be based mostly on tales instructed in The Silmarillion. As Amazon was unable to safe the rights to make use of The Silmarillion to craft the tales in The Rings of Energy, the precise supply materials getting used will as a substitute be the Appendices in The Lord of The Rings. It is price noting these pages comprise a ton of the timeline elaborated upon in The Silmarillion, together with three jewels referred to as the Silmarils. These are highly effective magic stones created from the ability inside the two bushes that stored Valinor alive. As an alternative of utilizing these stones to revive the bushes that Ungoliant and Morgoth destroyed, the stones have been stolen by Morgoth and embedded in his crown to make him extra highly effective. 

When Morgoth is ultimately defeated throughout The First Age, the Silmarils remained behind whereas the Elves traveled to Center-earth as a result of they have been too highly effective to carry and drove in any other case cheap individuals to lust for energy. You may see a nod to the three Silmarils on Galadriel’s decorative dagger, and it’ll seemingly be a serious level of debate earlier than Annatar turns into Sauron and forges the rings of energy to present to all of the leaders of Center-earth.

Whereas the creation of the rings will clearly be the main target of this sequence, the Silmarils which got here earlier than them are prone to be talked about fairly a bit on this sequence. 

The Unseen World

As Galadriel and her firm make their means via a frozen former fort, a number of Elves come throughout a workshop the place a lifeless Orc is plastered towards the wall in a reasonably grotesque scene. Galadriel remarks that Orcs will need to have been experimenting with outdated energy to entry The Unseen World. This may occasionally appear to be a brand new factor, however when you’ve watched The Lord of the Rings you’ve got truly seen this place earlier than. 

This scene is actually displaying how Sauron was experimenting with energy that will permit somebody to securely enter and go away The Unseen World, which we see absolutely realized within the movies. 

The Unseen World refers to a kind of parallel magic place, and beings from that place will be invisible to those that aren’t magic. When Frodo places on The One Ring, he disappears and is out of the blue seen in The Unseen World. Beings of this place can see Frodo extra clearly and work together with him. It is why Sauron and the Ringwraiths may at all times see Frodo when he put the One Ring on.