The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of PowerIt showed how the peaceful, sleepy region of Middle-earth known as the Southlands became Mordor, the seat of power for the great evil that defined the Third Age. JRR Tolkien never offered much insight into Mordor before Sauron turned the region into a smoking hotbed of evil, and while The rings of power Trying valiantly to hide his big twist, many viewers quickly deduced the Southlands was actually Second Age Mordor. After several episodes of narrative foreshadowing and underground construction, that Transformation finally begins The rings of power Season 1, Episode 6 (“Udûn”) After Adr outsmarts Galadriel and Halbrand.
Essentially, an ancient key switches on a dormant Southlands volcano. The resulting cataclysm brings forth ash, steam, fire, rock, water and, most of all, misery, and through The rings of power Season 2, the transformation of the Southlands is well underway. However, even for a being as powerful as Sauron, morphing a relatively pleasant land of plains and mountains into hell on Middle-earth is no mean feat. You don’t simply make the Southlands into Mordor – it’s a process of epic proportions that begins with a disgruntled innkeeper and ends with a permanent scar on the map.
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The Black Sword Key – Who Created It and Why?
Sauron may be the chief architect
The—quite literally— Key to turning the Southlands into Mordor proves to be the broken black sword kept hidden by Morgoth loyalist Waldreg. The weapon slams into an ornate hole in the elven watchtower of Ostirit and begins a chain of events that lead to Mordor – but who constructed the mechanism, and for what purpose?
Although Ostirith is occupied by elves when The rings of power It begins, the magical black sword and skull mechanism obviously are not their doing. The Southlands fought for Morgoth during the War of Wrath, so Ostirit was once under the control of the dark forces of Middle-earth, Meaning the evil key and its corresponding doom switch are likely forged During this period.
It can also be assumed that the dark machinery built into the mountain was not just for a mundane purpose like opening the dam or changing water levels. Not even a showman like Sauron would make a magical black sword with a giant skull lock for such a simple reason. Whoever made the lock-and-key combo apparently had the formation of Mordor in mind from the start.
The rings of power has not yet offered enough information to say from whose mind the Mordor master plan originated. The Black Sword dates back to Morgoth, but Morgoth is not the type to plan for his own downfall, Which belongs more to Sauron than the chief architect. The Southland-shaped seal on Finrod’s corpse proves that Sauron had an interest in the area for centuries, and the Lord of the Rings Villain may have carried out his designs in secret.
The influence of ADR cannot be discounted either. Motivated to find a permanent home for his orcs, Moriondor may have laid the foundations of his plan while serving Morgoth, and finally enacted them during the Second Age (though you might question whether Adar is powerful enough to make such a cursed sword).
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As the Southlands’ transformation into Mordor begins
The terraforming of Moror was a plan with many phases
The rings of power‘s Ostirit tower is located on the eastern side of the Ephel Dúath mountain range (red circle on the map above), meaning The offending waterway could be either the Poros, or some tributary of Middle-earth’s huge river Anduin. Regardless, the black sword lowers the wall holding the water back, and the course cascades down the rocky cliff, destroying some of Ostirit’s battlements on its way (further proof that the release system was not designed for regular dam control).
Once the water hits the bottom level, it flows into a cavern and through a system of tunnels and trenches. These are the same tunnels and trenches that Adar’s orcs have been digging since their Southland invasion began. their purpose, The rings of power Season 1, episode 6 confirmed, was to direct the flow of river water on a specific course through the Southlands.
Thanks to the scenes of destruction witnessed by Galadriel and the other victorious warriors, it is known that the water passes through the village of Tirharad (yellow circle), as well as Hordern (green circle), which was excavated by orcs earlier in The rings of power. All the various underground tunnels feed into a central above-ground trench dug by Orandir and the other prisoners, which carries the water north to an inactive volcano – the future Mount Doom.
The volcano explosion from the Rings of Power is (mostly) accurate
Scientific eruption with magical elements
Strange for a world that boasts immortal wizards and ghost armies, The rings of powers volcanic eruption is more or less plausible, scientifically speaking. The meeting of cool water released from osterite with the magma bubbles peacefully under the Southlands Kingdom of Halbrand creates a massive amount of steam in a confined space, which in turn leads to a violent phreatomagmatic eruption churning out magma, ash and pyroclastic fragments, as well as generating. Extraordinary heat.
Even the thunderstorms triggered in the eruption’s ash cloud are semi-based in scientific fact, Since such weather typically occurs due to warm air and water particles rising. Warm air and water is exactly what’s rising in The rings of powers explosive episode 6 ending, so even though the thunderstorms could happen very quickly, they didn’t Only Present for dramatic flair.
It is also important to remember that this particular eruption was triggered by a magical black sword, so it is very likely an element of witchcraft. The rings of powers volcano compared against real-world phreatomagmatic eruptions. Mount Doom is, after all, where Sauron’s One Ring will be crafted, making it special even in the context of Middle-earth. The eruption itself may have been triggered by science, but Morgoth or Sauron cannot be ruled out. Weaving a touch of dark magic into the process. In JRR
Tolkien’s original books, the sorry state of Mordor is not only the result of volcanic activity (natural or otherwise), but also the evil presence of Sauron and his minions – A factor The rings of power Prior started with his black cow goo. This would explain why the consequences of the phreatomagmatic eruption continued for thousands of years The Lord of the RingsPeriod.
How the southlands of the rings of power will change
The eruption in the rings of power will change Southlands in various ways
The main purpose of The rings of powerS eruption – at least for ADR – is Generating a massive plume of steam and ash that covers the sky, thus blocking all sunlight, Which orcs have a bad allergic reaction to. Even during Frodo’s journey, Mordor is known as a realm shrouded in darkness, and those days begin when Waldreg turns the sword key into The rings of power.
Darkness isn’t the only result of Adar’s Southlands transformation project, however. Where orcs tunneled upwards into settlements such as Tirharad and Hordern, water now burst through the cavities, turning the Southlands’ smooth plains into Mordor’s craggy landscape. The trench cut by Adar’s captives did not soon disappear either, Leaving a huge permanent gash all the way from Ostirit to Mount Doom. Any Southlanders who think they can put up with a few potholes and a surprise river should think again.
The flying rocks and steam clouds that come out of the eruption of Mount Doom will destroy settlements, while the oppressive heat will make living and farming in the area all but impossible. Even during the War of the Ring, Mordor was largely inhospitable to any race but orcs, and intense heat wasn’t the only factor behind the Southlands’ newly barren landscape – The volcanic activity may produce sulfur dioxide, stunting nearby plant growth.
How much of the Southlands will be affected by the eruption of Mount Doom
The north-west valley of Udûn will be heavily impacted
JRR Tolkien’s mythology can provide some idea of ​​how far the Southlands’ ruin in The rings of power Episode 6 will spread. The effects of the eruptions of Mount Dum (red circle) will extend from the north-western valley of Udûn and Sauron’s Black Gate south to Tirharad and southeast to the plateau of Gorgoroth.
Beyond Gorgoroth, however, is Núrn (blue cross) – an area of ​​Mordor less battered by Mount Doom’s assault and hospitable to a small population of humans (who were enslaved by Sauron, of course). Núrn is described as a partially fertile region compared to Mordor’s northern lands, suggesting it may remain unchanged when The rings of powerS Southlands transforms (or, at least, recovers). The evil geographical influence on Mordor must gradually disappear from Núrn and beyond.
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The visual changes of the Southlands when it becomes Mordor
From rugged desert to barren wasteland
JRR Tolkien didn’t actually write that much on the Southlands before it became Mordor. Unlike some other regions that were lost before the Third Age like the island kingdom of Númenor, there is little to suggest that the Southlands had anything particularly unique about them before the volcanic eruption seen in The rings of power. Given its proximity to the regions that would eventually become Gondor and Rohan, it is safe to assume that the geography and wildlife in the Southlands was similar to the other human regions seen in Middle-earth.
The exception may have been the most southern part of the southern country, which borders the regions of Khand and Harad. The regions of Middle Earth are where the Haraders originate from, and have a much more Mediterranean climate to their north, and a wide desert in their eastern regions. Since The rings of power Did not show all of the Southlands, it is possible that the areas bordering Khand and Harad are much more worldly and tropical compared to the other regions of Middle-earth. Seen in the Amazon series or Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings Movies.
Of course, all of this is rendered irrelevant once Sauron creates Mordor. The landscape of the Southlands becomes a barren, ash-covered wasteland where almost nothing can survive, much less thrive. It remains in this state for thousands of years, right up to the destruction of Sauron at the end of the Third Age. It is not known whether Mordur will ever recover thanks to what little is known of Middle-earth yet lord of the rings, But it seems safe to assume that the process will take centuries, if not longer.
The role creatures play in the transformation of the Southlands
Mordor becomes the realm of the orcs
Of course, it’s not just the landscape of the Southlands that changes dramatically when it becomes Mordor. The local wildlife and inhabitants also change, as the area is no longer suitable for humans, elves, or any of the wildlife from other regions of Middle-earth. like The rings of power Apparently, the Orcs of Middle-earth did not have a land to call their own after the death of Morgoth. Although it is a land of evil and darkness, a silver lining of the transformation of the Southlands into Mordor was that it was a homeland for the Orcs.
With the orcs arriving in Mordor in their thousands, they brought with them many types of wildlife that would become synonymous with the area. Wargs, for example, and trolls (who could survive in Mordor without risk of being turned to stone because of the permanent clouds of ash blocking the sun). The ruined structures built by the orcs over the centuries that followed added to the overall foreboding aesthetic of Mordor, and increased its stark contrast to the other regions of Middle-earth.
Why the transformation of the Southlands into Mordor is important
The eruption created a permanent threat
In many ways it is obvious why the Southlands are becoming Mordor The rings of power is important. Mordor is, after all, the final destination of Frodo’s quest the lord of the rings And where the final battle against Sauron takes place in both wars against him. However, there are some important points to consider when it comes to the impact this change has in the universe for the citizens of Middle-earth that exists beyond the Southlands itself.
Thanks to Morgoth, the races of Middle-earth are no strangers to danger. However, once Mordor was created, danger was right on their doorstep in a way it had never been before. Perhaps only the dwarves, whose digging beneath their strongholds forever brought them to some of the more dangerous creatures of Middle-earth, knew how to exist with evil so close and (literally) on the horizon.
To be able to see the fiery Mount Doom on the skyline would bring evil closer to the hearts and homes of most of the inhabitants of Middle-earth in a way that few would have known before (especially humanity). For those living during the creation of Mordor in The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of PowerThe time before the eruption of Mount Doom would likely come to be known as an era of, if not literal peace, but peace of mind at least, and one that would not be seen again for many, many millennia.