doRings of Power going to make his worst plot mistake? The question is inevitable after its fifth chapter, which announced opposition of darkness, embodied by Sauron, and Galadriel. The last one at the head of an army from Numenor is about to cross the Encircling Sea. Which would presumably lead her to defeating the threat of shadows in the Southlands and an important victory.
The intervention of the people of the west in the battle against Sauron is an event that marks the future of this place. In fact, the argument has already given some hints of the catastrophe that is about to happen. In addition to introducing characters that will be at the center of what will be an all-out cataclysm. The Fall of Numenor is not only a turning point in the myths of Tolk. It is also a milestone that divides his stories into several fragments, interconnected by their consequences.
At the same time, in the elven kingdom of Lindon, the blacksmith Celebrimbor is shown in the script as a figure of no small importance. And that means that sooner or later will play an important role in the creation of the Rings of Power and the fateful One Ring.. A major event that will forever change the history of Middle-earth, the relationship between the races inhabiting it, and the sense of primordial evil.
Creative licenses or something else?
Now, in Tolkien’s stories, both events are separated by centuries of distance. However, the series seems to have made the decision to make them concurrent, or at least chronologically close. What could be the worst plot mistake Rings of Power. As the first content that does not adapt a work written by the British, Prime Video’s production takes all sorts of liberties with its storytelling.
However, the possibility of synthesizing beyond recognition the most transcendent moments of a very broad history is alarming. Especially for the thematic block of the rest of the series, which, according to its producers, will run for at least five more seasons. Thus, the big question is inevitable, how LRings of Power overcome the stumbling block of distorting Tolk’s exact mythology?
Rings of Power and the problem of time
Rings of Power it is established in the Second Age of Tolkien’s work. This is a fictional historical period told in referential form. Something that writers have insisted on over and over again to explain the vast creative freedoms that original mythology has.
The writers and crew also have to face copyright restrictions with the material they own. According to Prime Video, the studio has acquired licenses related to the One Ring trilogy and hobbit. So there are characters, places and events that they won’t be able to mention because they belong to Tolkien’s legacy.
The series could tell about the Second Age only from what is mentioned in the available materials and appendices to them. Period covers from the founding of Lindon and the Gray Havens to the last alliance of humans and elves that defeated Sauron. It also includes the moment when Isildur, Aragorn’s direct ancestor, took the Ring of Omnipotence and refused to destroy it. According to British texts, 3441 years elapsed between all these events.
Too long period
To Rings of Power he had to choose which story to tell among the huge variety covering such a wide period. According to Tolkien’s chronology, Numenor was destroyed in 3319 of the Second Age, twenty-two years before the Last Alliance. If the series had been limited to the story of the destruction of the island, the events shown in its premiere episodes would have been consistent. In addition, they will talk about a period that is often mentioned in the One Ring trilogy.
But the argument also seems to have the intention of talking about what is connected with the Rings of Power. which, in fact, gave the series its name. However, according to Tolkien’s timeline, Sauron began forging magical items around 1500 of the Second Age. Three elven rings, the work of Celebrimbor, were built 90 years later. In the end, ten years later, the corrupted Maya herself gave birth to the Ring of Omnipotence. This links the story to a mythical event around 1600 of the Second Age.
The fall of Númenor and the creation of the rings are separated by at least a century. As well as dozens of different events. From the war of the elves against Sauron to the founding of Rivendell by Elrond. Events of paramount importance for understanding the full meaning of the conflict that the script intends to tell.
map of middle earth Rings of Power
And if that wasn’t enough Rings of Power completely ignores facts of significant interestlike the relationship between Galadriel and Celeborn. The marriage between them was to take place in 1350 of the Second Age. So, the image of a lonely Elf sent into exile in the middle of an uncertain situation is wrong. At least in the context of Numenor in which it is located.
The timeline distorts the story that Galadriel tells in the Prime Video story. The character is currently roaming Middle-earth possessed by Sauron. In the available material and in the hands of research, one can tell about the union of the Elven Lady with the one who will henceforth be her companion. And also the founding of Lothlórien. But the staging not only does not do this, but shows her as a figure on the periphery of facts that have value.
This is not an error of interpretation. Despite writers’ insistence on the gaps they need to fill, they have enough information. The main source of argumentation are applications to Lord of the Rings. These are extremely detailed texts, covering everything from individuals to places. pedigrees, calendars, spelling and spelling as well as languages and peoplessome of the texts Tolkien wrote to contextualize his work.
The production also has data provided by the book Unfinished Tales of Numenor and Middle-earth, published posthumously. The collection is the least reliable source of information, especially as editor Christopher Tolkien included various notes and drafts from his father. At some points the material adds information, but at others it contradicts elements that are consistent and taken for granted in previous reports.
Confusion in the mythical realm
Isn’t this the reason for the possible merging of major events on a single timeline? Despite their inconsistency, the ambiguous data in Tolkien’s posthumous texts can be analyzed in order.. How, then, to explain the long periods of time through which the narrative will pass? The production will most likely use the warning about elf longevity to explain a long story with hundreds of different details.
However, none of the above seems to be sufficient evidence to support a story that hints that events, separated by centuries, occur at the same time. With a big fight on the horizon it looks like Rings of Power about to make the worst mistake in a narrative that is already controversial. It is a complete distortion of a larger story that depends on the integrity of its mythology to maintain its power and allegorical ability.