Warning! Spoilers for Rings of Power Season 2, Episode 6 ahead!
A flashback in The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Season 2, Episode 1 saw Adar kill Sauron, and it makes a lot more sense after Episode 6’s big Morgoth reveal. The Dark Lord Morgoth, who was Sauron’s master, was the first villain of Middle-earth. He initially helped create Arda (the world) but eventually turned down the path of evil instead. Morgoth became the self-proclaimed mighty king of the universe, but after his fall, Sauron tried to take that role instead. in Rings of powers version of events, it was not particularly good.
The beginning of Rings of power Season 2 revealed that after Morgoth lost his war and was locked away by the Valar, Sauron stood before the Orcs and announced that he would be the Dark Lord instead. He demanded that Adar crown him, however The Dark Elf used a spiked iron crown to kill Sauron instead – literally stabbing him in the back. Sauron’s dark essence leaks from his body into the earth until centuries later, when he can finally take physical form. now, Rings of power revealed why Adar’s murder weapon was so effective.
This wasn’t just any crown Adar used to kill Sauron in the Rings of Power flashback
Season 2 reveals that it was Morgoth’s Iron Crown
During Adar and Galadriel’s meeting in Rings of power Season 2, Episode 6, it is revealed that the crown that Sauron intends to wear is none other than Morgoth’s Iron Crown. This is a key artifact in Tolkien’s legendarium. Morgoth, an expert craftsman, forged the crown when he named himself supreme ruler of all things and placed the three steelmails on each of its spikes. The stones were considered the most beautiful objects in all of Middle-earth, and, combined with Morgoth’s iron crown, the Dark Lord became a terrifying and beautiful sight to behold.
It is now clear how big a deal this crown is in Rings of power. Sauron was not only following in Morgoth’s footsteps – by taking the Iron Crown as his own, he tried to step into his master’s shoes completely. This also means that Sauron’s death was even more bitter and personal than it initially seemed. Being killed by the Iron Crown would have felt almost like a rejection of Morgoth himself. This was likely the only way that Adar could have actually done so much damage to Sauron since there was much more to the crown than meets the eye.
Surviving Morgoth’s crown shows how powerful Sauron really is
The Iron Crown represents Morgoth’s own power
… a creator always puts some of themselves into their creation.
Adar says in The rings of power Season 2 that Morgoth’s crown carries a certain kind of power. This was true of basically everything made by the Valar in The Lord of the Rings Study. The Iron Crown may not have given Morgoth any additional powers, but it was forged by his own hand, and a creator always puts a part of themselves into their creation. The Iron Crown was resistant to types of magic, as demonstrated with Beren’s knife, Angrist, in Burn and Luthian. By surviving Morgoth’s crown, Sauron has proven his immense strength and determination in Rings of power.
Why didn’t anyone use Morgoth’s crown against Sauron in the books
Morgoth’s crown has a different (equally ironic) fate in the Tolkien canon
Morgoth’s crown being used as a weapon against Sauron certainly sounds like the type of story that would be found in Tolkien’s. Lord of the Rings Books. There is a kind of dark irony in it, and this was among the legendary author’s favorite literary devices. However, Tolkien took a different route instead. After Morgoth was defeated by the Valar, His iron crown is melted down and reforged into the chains used to imprison the villain (See the dark irony?). This means that Morgoth’s crown is no longer in Middle-earth due to the events of Rings of power–But the Prime Video series made a creative change.