How, why and when it happens

Warning! Includes potential spoilers for The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Season 2.

The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power will inevitably lead to the fall of Númenor. Amazon’s latest fantasy TV series is set thousands of years before JRR Tolkien The Lord of the Ringsduring which he called the “second age“of Middle-earth. The Middle-earth of.” The rings of power is very different, and one of the most notable differences is the depicted island of Númenor. The location played a major role in seasons 1 and 2 but will really take center stage in season 3.

Viewers only familiar with Peter Jackson’s film trilogy may recognize the name of Númenor, but the location itself will have come as something of a surprise. One of the greatest civilizations in the history of Middle-earth, it was settled by the Edain – Middle-earth’s first humans, who sided with the Valar in the battle against Morgoth, the first Dark Lord. The Valar raised the island from the depths as a reward for the Edith’s loyalty, and the Numen were originally ruled by Elrond’s brother Elros. But there were already hints about Númenor’s fate.

Númenor’s feud between Farazon and the Faithful declared

There was a schism in Numener

The rings of power shows a divided Númenor, but this schism began quite some time before the events of the show. in The rings of powerMíriel rules Númenor and represents the dying embers of a group of Númenóreans called the Faithful. On the other hand, Pharazôn represents an opposing group of Númenóreans. The faithful adhere to the ancient and traditional Númenórean values Of friendship with the elves and loyalty to Tolkien’s demigods, the 15 Valar, who live with many elves on the continent west of Númenor. Pharazôn doesn’t even believe in the Valar.

Númenor was actually a gift from the Valar and the Valar did nothing to justify the Númenórean hatred. However, that was so long ago, and the Valar interfere in human affairs so little, that belief in the mythical beings is all but dead on the island kingdom in the show. Opposition to the Valar and Elves began with envy of their immortalityBreeding resentment and distrust. Elendil and his family are not only members of the Faithful, but are descended from the line of Elros, making them Númenórean royalty, despite being far from in line to the throne.

Pharazôn leads his army to Middle-earth and fights against Sauron

Sauron feared Númenor

Pharazôn will soon be subject to a conflicting storyline in The rings of powerIf lore is anything to go by. Sauron commented in Rings of power That he feared Númenor, and according to his manipulative ways, it was no lie. In JRR Tolkien The Silmarillion, Sauron and Númenor both reached a high point in their power at around the same time And started hearing about each other’s success. This was emphasized in Sauron’s fall in The rings of powerBecause he came there in vain after being taken up at sea, and was impressed.

Hearing of Sauron’s plans to attack, Pharazôn thought to make the first move The Silmarillion And he sailed to Middle-earth and ordered Sauron to come and swear to him. Sauron was no match for Pharazôn’s army and wanted to rule Númenor with wit, not with force. So, Sauron willingly went with Pharazôn. In three years, he was the king’s close counselor. This was a testament to Sauron’s incredible intelligence and wisdom, gained over tens of thousands of years.

When the fall of Númenor happens

Númenor falls at the end of the Second Age, around when Sauron is defeated

The fall of Númenor is one of the most important events in the history of Middle-earth, A cataclysm that marks the end of the second era. It is difficult to place it in relation to the current events of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of PowerSimply because the timeline is clearly adjusted. Showrunner Patrick McKay recently addressed this, explaining that the Tolkien estate is concerned with “The principle of the narrative flow and the sequence of events, not the dates.“(by New York Times)

The rings of powers timeline is compressed, meaning everything is happening much faster than JRR Tolkien intended. Nevertheless, according to McKay, the course of events will be the same: “The Rings are made here, there is a war between Sauron and the Elves after this, Sauron is taken to Númenor, Númenor Falls, Gondor is founded… Does it matter if a hundred or 500 years passed between the events? No.“

The Lord of the Rings is supposed to take place over 3,000 years after the fall of NúmenorAnd it runs until the end of Middle-earth’s third age. Again, it’s hard to say whether the timeline imagined matches JRR Tolkien’s intentions. Events may continue to run at an accelerated rate in Amazon Lord of the Rings timeline, meaning there may be less dramatic gaps between The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power And the War of the Rings seen in Peter Jackson’s movies.

How & Why Pharazôn causes the fall of Númenor

Farazon was tricked by Sauron into traveling against Valinor

Ar-Pharazôn, an elder statesman on Númenor, is destined to bring about the fall of Númenor. In Tolkien’s lore, he burned with a hunger for wealth and glory, and he became a skilled and capable war leader. Ar-Pharazôn maneuvered his way into position as ruler of NúmenorAnd under his rule, Númenor became increasingly hostile to elves and the faithful who remained loyal to them. He challenged Sauron and his armies for the lordship of Middle-earth, but Sauron tricked him into bringing him back to Númenor by playing into his ego, pretending to be cowed by Ar-Pharazôn’s power.

According to Tolkien, Ar-Pharazon became obsessed with the idea of ​​immortality. Sauron convinced him that this could be gained through the worship of Morgoth, leading to the construction of a temple dedicated to the first Dark Lord and the destruction of the White Tree of Númenor. None of Ar-Pharazôn’s sacrifices earned him immortality, of course, and finally Sauron tricks him into leading a fleet to the west in an attempt to invade the eternal lands of Valinor. Such an act was strictly forbidden by the Valar, and they responded by destroying Ar-Parazon’s fleet and drowning the entire island of Numinur.

It is unclear how close The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Will align with the events described in Tolkien’s notes. It is important to note that McKay’s comments suggest that the Tolkien estate wants the heart of the story to be preserved for Sauron to be simply defeated and taken to Númenor, and for Númenor to fall as a result. It seems likely that the main story will match up closely, although Tolkien’s outline leaves a lot of room for creativity when it comes to the details.

How The Rings of Power Adapts The Fall of Númenor (And What Will Happen in Season 3)

Rings of Power Season 2 sets up the fall of Númenor

The rings of power Season 1’s ending set Númenor up for its eventual downfall through a political power struggle and visions foreshadowing its watery doom, which season 2 continued. The Old King, Tar-Palantir, spent much of Season 1 Bedridan and after his death, Pharazôn has increasingly destabilized his daughter, Míriel, to make way for his takeover. Míriel and Elendil are the heroes in Rings of power Now is the plot, but Míriel is weakened by her blindness. In season 2, Pharazôn plots with Eärien and other allies to expose Míriel’s Palantir use.

Palantíri are Elvish creations, and this turned many Númenóreans against Míriel. Pharazôn stepped in to gain control of the kingdom, forcing the faithful to give up their military stations and arms. By the end of season 2, Pharazôn had fully grasped the scepter and was trying Elendil for treason for refusing to swear loyalty to him as king. Pharazôn’s speech about life and death in season 1 suggests his interest in immortality, foreshadowing his doom. Hypocritically, Pharazôn looked into the Palantir in season 2 and saw Sauron, proving that The Silmarillion The plot of Sauron is about to pass in season 3.

What happens to the Numenoreans after the fall

The legacy and impact of Númenor lives on to defeat Sauron

The great island of Númenor is destined to die, but it will have a legacy. Survivors of Númenor will be scattered across Middle-earth, their bloodlines mixing with those of the humans who remained there. They would establish important kingdoms of the Third Age, such as Gondor, which explains why Gondor’s Minas Tirith looks similar to Númenor. Indeed, this is already effectively foreshadowed in The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Season 1, with discussion of Numenorean riders bonding with their steeds in a manner reminiscent of the famous riders of Gondor.

Númenor may be ill-fated, but this kingdom will have a legacy that outlives Sauron himself – for without Aragorn, it is difficult to imagine a scenario where Sauron was finally defeated. The light of Númenor would continue to shine over Middle-earth, even when the island itself was swallowed up by the seas. It’s one of the most poignant and poetic ideas in JRR Tolkien’s writings, and it’s thrilling to see it brought to life in The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power.

Sources: New York Times