Lord Of The Rings: 10 Canon Events Fans Need To See On-Screen
There is a lot more to Tolkien's works than audiences have ever seen on-screen, but Prime Video's The Rings Of Power might remedy that.
J.R.R. Tolkien created a rich fantasy world full of in-depth history and lore that has become beloved by fans for generations. This has allowed for the creation of several movies based on his work like The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings trilogies, as well as the upcoming series The Rings of Power, which is scheduled to begin streaming in September of 2022.
This series will take place thousands of years before Bilbo ever found the One Ring, in a time known as the Second Age. The Second Age (out of the three Ages Tolkien outlines in his works) spans 3,441 years on its own, so the events that could potentially find their way into the show are almost innumerable. Between these Second Age events that may be seen in The Rings of Power, and other canon events from Tolkien's lore, there are plenty of scenes that fans would love to one day see on-screen.
Tolkien describes the creation of his fictional world, Arda, which is where Valinor, Númenor, and Middle-earth all are. He attributes this creation to a being known as Eru Ilúvatar, or "the One." This being spoke existence into the universe and created other angelic beings known as Aunur, who would sing a harmonious tune that would shape and form Arda.
The music that created Tolkien's world is said to have been beautiful, but one of the Aunur added dissonant notes, that created the evil of the world. This scene would be interesting to see on-screen since so much of it is unclear. But it has the potential to be truly beautiful and would explain a lot to viewers who have not read Tolkien's works.
Beren and Lúthien are mentioned in The Lord of the Rings and have a story very similar to Aragorn and Arwen's. Lúthien was an elf, and Beren was a man, and the two had to overcome countless odds to be together. However, their story ends in sacrifice and tragedy, as Lúthien chose mortality to never be apart from her love.
The story of Beren and Lúthien takes place during the First Age, and will therefore be an unlikely addition to The Rings of Power. However, since they are part of Elrond and Galadriel's Elven family tree, it would be interesting to hear them referenced, or perhaps to see their whole story on-screen in a future adaptation.
Eärendil and Elwing are the two parts of another beautiful love story. While a majority of their tale takes place during the First Age, they are Elrond's parents, and could therefore easily be referenced in The Rings of Power.
Eärendil and Elwing put themselves in grave danger by traveling to Valinor to beg the help of the Valar in their war against the evil being Morgoth (at that point Sauron's master) after the elves had been banned from ever setting foot there. Their bravery was recognized, however, and the Valar agreed to help. They also granted them and their descendants the choice of being an elf or a man (which was why Arwen was able to make that choice in the Third Age).
Back in the First Age, the elves that lived in Valinor rebelled, wishing to travel to Middle-earth to claim the Silmarils. Among the rebels was Galadriel, who wished above all else to rule in Middle-earth. As a result of this rebellion, the elves were forbidden from returning to Middle-earth, until Eärendil and Elwing demonstrated bravery when the elves were invited back.
Galadriel, who still wished to rule, did not return, so her ban remained in place. Since it can be surmised from the Rings of Power trailer that Galadriel will be a main character, fans can hope that the rebellions will be seen on-screen, even if it is only through flashbacks.
After Eärendil and Elwing impressed the Valinor, they were given, along with their descendants, the chance to choose to live as elves or men. Their son, Elrond, chose to remain an elf, but Elros, became a man. The Valar granted him the city of Númenor, and he ruled this city as King.
The rise and fall of Númenor all take place during the Second Age, so fans are all but guaranteed to see these events play out on-screen. Elros and his line live much longer than regular men, but he was still long gone by the events of LotR, so it will be exciting to see hopefully see Elrond's twin brother for the first time.
In LotR, Gandalf leads the fellowship through the mines of Moria, which had once been a busy city of Dwarves, led by the famed Dwarven king, Durin. The Dwarves of Moria were known to mine Mithril, but due to the influence of the Rings of Power that were given to them by Sauron, the Dwarves dug too deep and uncovered the very same Balrog that would later lead Gandalf the Grey to his doom.
Since the Dwarves will play an integral part in the story of The Rings of Power, fans can predict that Moria will be a part of the show's plot. Since these events have only been described and never seen on-screen, it could potentially fill in a lot of gaps and answer some long-awaited questions about the Dwarves of Moria.
Barad-dûr, the tower that is topped with the flaming eye of Sauron in LotRs, is a staple image of the series. The end of Return of the King sees the tower comes toppling down after the Ring is destroyed, but Rings of Power may give audiences a chance to see the tower built.
Sauron builds Barad-dûr in the Second Age. While the book never describes the tower as being topped with a literal eye (the eye is discussed more figuratively), the tower as it is seen in LotR being built before audiences' eyes will be sure to send chills through every fan of Tolkien canon.
Once Sauron had built Barad-dûr, book fans know that he helped the elves forge the Rings of Power. After dispersing them to the races of Middle-earth, he went back to Mordor and created his One Ring that would have the power to influence and control the rest.
While the beginning of The Fellowship of the Ring described this plot, the process itself is never shown. Rings of Power may allow audiences to see the Ring forged, and allow them to understand the power that Sauron funneled into it.
Rivendell is one of the most breathtaking locations in Middle-earth. The LotRs trilogy went all out in creating what fans had only ever read about, and it went above and beyond their imaginations. The valley is full of beautiful elven architecture, and cascading waterfalls; a city that any Tolkien fan would love to visit in real life.
Elrond himself established Rivendell during the Second Age as a stronghold against Sauron after a nearby Elven city had been destroyed. Rivendell might have looked different under constant siege from Sauron's army, but seeing the iconic location established on-screen would excite any fan.
The Nazgúl are an integral part of Frodo's story, and every fan knows the iconic moment the Witch King of the Nazgúl was destroyed by not a man, but Éowyn of Rohan. Before these events, Aragorn explains briefly that the Nazgúl were the Lords of Men that were given the Rings of Power from Sauron, and were slowly bent into monsters only capable of following his will.
Audiences have never seen these events on-screen, however, and the process could make an interesting plot point in The Rings of Power. Sauron grants these rings as a gift but watching these men, who could have started as good and just, slowly turn into the creatures audiences are familiar with, would be very exciting.