Amazon's upcoming Lord of the Rings prequel is set to take place in Middle-Earth's Second
Age, thousands of years before the movies take place. But just what does that mean for
the series? Here are a few things that fans want to see in Amazon's Lord of the Rings
prequel.
One of the most tantalizing facets of Middle-Earth's Second Age is the constant presence of the
story's most iconic villain: Sauron. Sauron is actually a corrupted Maiar, a kind of angelic
spirit that existed long before the beginning of time itself. Early on in the history of
Middle-earth, Sauron, then known as Mairon, was lured to the dark side by the first Dark
Lord, Morgoth. During Morgoth's reign on Middle-Earth, Sauron acted as his chief lieutenant. At the
end of the First Age, however, Morgoth was defeated and banished from the world. After
this, Sauron fled and hid for several centuries. It wasn't until around 500 years later that
Sauron's spirit began to stir.
First, Sauron established his new stronghold on Middle-Earth. By that point, there were
still many nations of men far away in the east and south that had been corrupted by
Morgoth back in the day. Hoping to utilize this power, Sauron chose Mordor as his new
stomping ground, and work soon began on the Dark Tower of Barad-dûr. Considering how
important Mordor is to the Lord of the Rings trilogy's story, it's pretty much a dead certainty
that the region will make an appearance in Amazon's new series.
One element of Sauron's story that's going to be fascinating to see is how he is portrayed
earlier on in the Second Age. That's because Sauron wasn't always Sauron "the great and
terrible." Sure, the Dark Lord is most well-known for being the terrifying spectre of death
and destruction that appears throughout the Hobbit and Lord of the Rings movies, but that
isn't what Sauron looks like for most of the Second Age, not by a long shot.
In fact, when Sauron first appears on the scene, he takes on the appearance of a beautiful
elf named Annatar, the Lord of Gifts. And this isn't just a flash-in-the-pan disguise
Sauron uses to trick the other elves, he actually keeps up his Annatar masquerade for 400 years.
So it's quite clear that, when Sauron appears in the Amazon series, he's probably not going
to look how you'd expect him to.
Okay, so this bit isn't too hard, everyone knows what the One Ring is. It's the fancy
piece of jewelry that whispers at its owner, turns them invisible, and subtly tries to
corrupt them to do evil deeds. It plays a key role in The Hobbit, and it's the central
focus of the entire Lord of the Rings trilogy.
"They are one, the ring and the Dark Lord. Frodo, he must never find it."
But where did the Ring come from? Well, long before the events of The Hobbit or The Lord
of the Rings took place, and long before Smeagol got his hands on it, the Ring was forged in
Mordor by the Dark Lord Sauron. Putting a long story short, Sauron crafted the Ring
in order to try to gain control over the elves. And although his plan backfired, the forging
of the One Ring is still a momentous event in Middle-earth history, as a massive portion
of Sauron's power was poured into that little golden ring. But how is this relevant to Amazon's
Lord of the Rings series? Well, guess when the One Ring was forged. Yeah, that's right:
slap-bang in the middle of the world's Second Age.
So how did the One Ring actually work? How was Sauron hoping to control the people of
Middle-Earth through a tiny little trinket? Here's how it started: During the Second Age,
Sauron actually spent a good chunk of his time helping the elves forge their own rings
of power. Disguised as an elf named Annatar, the Dark Lord hooked up with a group of particularly
talented elvish craftsmen, who were led by an elf named Celebrimbor.
Under Annatar's guidance, Celebrimbor and his elves forged sixteen rings. Then, using
what they had learned from the disguised Dark Lord, they forged for themselves three greater
Rings of Power: Vilya, Narya, and Nenya. Once the great elves of Middle-Earth were suitably
bejewelled, Sauron returned to Mordor to forge the One Ring, into which he poured a great
deal of his own strength. After the Ring was finished, he tried to use it to exert his
will over all the other Rings of Power. Unfortunately for him, Sauron was unable to control these
other rings, and as soon as he put on the One Ring, the elves realized that they had
been betrayed. Enraged, the Dark Lord launched an attack on the elves, beginning what's known
as the War of the Elves and Sauron.
Over the course of this war, Celebrimbor is killed, all but the three rings are reclaimed
by Sauron, and Mordor's armies overrun practically every corner of Middle-Earth. The entire story
is dripping with drama, and could easily take up a season or more of Amazon's new show.
Most of The Lord of the Rings centers around Sauron's attempt to gain control of Middle-earth
by force. Even his pursuit of the One Ring is centered around the Ring's ability to dominate
the will of others and accelerate his ambitious conquests. But the War of the Ring wasn't
Sauron's first taste of conquest. In fact, during the main trilogy, the Dark Lord is
simply trying to regain what he controlled during the Second Age.
After Sauron's attempt to conquer the elves via the One Ring failed, he gathered an army
of orcs, trolls, and other evil creatures and waged war against the elvish kingdoms.
He mostly succeeded too, and drove the elves back against the western coasts. Just before
he gained complete victory, though, a powerful race of men known as the Númenóreans showed
up, and saved their elvish allies from total annihilation.
While he didn't quite succeed in annihilating his enemies, once the war was finished, Sauron
controlled practically all of Middle-earth, as is reflected in his self-appointed title
"Lord of the Earth." It's at this point that he became widely known as the Dark Lord. He
ruled by force and fear and dominated the realms of men that lived in the eastern and
southern regions of the continent. In fact, they soon came to look at him as both a lord
and a god.
"Not only orcs, but men as well. Legions of Haradrun from the south. Mercenaries from
the coast."
These times are known as "the Black Years," and it should go without saying that they'd
be a fascinating setting for a portion of the show's story.
While a lot of interesting stuff goes on during the Black Years, there's one particular aspect
of that era that is really worth exploring. After Sauron defeated Celebrimbor and seized
most of the Ring of Power, he began to distribute them to various other people that he wanted
to dominate. He gave some to the dwarven lords, but they were stubborn and uncooperative to
Sauron's will, and simply became obsessed with their treasure hoards.
But men turned out quite easy to control. Sauron gave out nine rings to a group of men
who became rich and powerful kings, warriors, and sorcerers. On top of that, they also appeared
to receive the gift of unending life. Unfortunately, what didn't work on the elves worked all too
easily on men. Before long, they began to feel the corrupting power of their rings…and
their intimate connection with the dominant One Ring.
Over time, these nine men became permanently invisible, living in a shadow realm in which
only the Dark Lord could see them. Like the living dead, they persisted in an unending
life in which they only existed to serve their master. If this all sounds familiar, it's
because you've seen these demonic servants before. They are the Nazgûl, the Black Riders
that chase Frodo and his friends out of the Shire and across Middle-Earth. The Second
Age is basically an origin story for these terrifying villains, and it'd be a real shame
not to include them in the upcoming series.
The Second Age isn't just the cradle of Middle-Earth's evil, though, it's also the time in which
some of the world's most important elvish settlements were established. Right from the
get-go, literally in year one of the Second Age, the elvish dwelling of Mithlond was settled
on the northwestern shores of Middle-earth. This harbor is the continent's primary connection
to the other-worldly Blessed Realm of Aman. In practice, Mithlond provides the elves with
an opportunity to escape and join their kindred in the west, should they want to leave Middle-Earth
for good. The harbor is also known as the Grey Havens, and makes an appearance at the
very end of The Return of the King.
The other elvish town worthy of note is Rivendell. The stronghold that plays a key role in both
The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings stories was initially founded partway through the
Second Age. Elrond founded Rivendell as a refuge for his elves after he retreated from
Sauron's armies during the War of the Elves and Sauron. Considering its importance throughout
Middle-earth history, it would be a fine treat for fans to glimpse an earlier inception of
this powerful elvish settlement.
"You are very welcome to stay here, if that is your wish."
Few faces are as familiar to Lord of the Rings fans as Galadriel's. The elvish leader is
instrumental in helping the Fellowship during The Lord of the Rings, and she gets in on
the action in Peter Jackson's adaptation of The Hobbit, too. But fans will know that,
by that point in the story, Galadriel has had a hand in Middle-earth's fate for thousands
of years.
By the beginning of the Second Age, Galadriel had already married her husband, Celeborn,
and the elvish couple spent most of the age slowly moving around Middle-earth. Wherever
they went, they usually ended up helping to lead some group of wandering elves or another.
They also spent time with Celebrimbor, visited Rivendell, and got caught up in elvish politics
from time to time.
It's also around this point that Galadriel was given Nenya, one of the three elven rings
that Celebrimbor hid from Sauron. She also gave birth to her daughter, Celebrían, who
went on to become the wife of Elrond and the mother of Arwen. Needless to say, it wouldn't
be surprising if, at some point, Galadriel or Celeborn make an appearance or two on the
show.
Gandalf's duel against the Balrog in The Fellowship of the Ring is one of the story's most iconic
moments. That confrontation takes place in the dusty remains of Moria, but, as you'd
expect, there was a time at which Moria was populated. If you wind things back to the
Second Age, this kingdom, known as Khazad-dûm, has already been around for a very long time,
and it's still filled with dwarves that are alive and well.
"Roaring fires, malt beer, red meat off the bone!"
And when the elves, led by Celebrimbor, settled down in the next-door region of Eregion, they
struck up a harmonious friendship with their dwarven neighbors, something that's all too
rare in Tolkien's mythology. Overlooking their racial prejudices, the smithcraft-focused
elves of Celebrimbor and the dwarves of Khazad-dûm enjoyed a fabulous trading partnership throughout
the first half of the Second Age. However, this came to an abrupt end when Sauron attacked
Celebrimbor's people, and the dwarves were forced to shut their gates. They didn't do
much after this until the very end of the Second Age, when they came back out to help
in the War of the Last Alliance.
By the time of The Lord of the Rings, few relics remain from the alliance between the
elves of Eregion and the dwarves of Khazad-dûm. One of them, however, could make a surprising
cameo during Amazon's upcoming series: the Doors of Durin. At its height, Khazad-dûm
stretched from one side of the Misty Mountains to the other, and on the western side of the
mountain range, it had one primary entrance, known as the Doors of Durin. Fans of the Peter
Jackson films will recognize these glowing doors from one of The Fellowship of the Ring's
most famous scenes.
Granted, the Fellowship's encounter with the doors ends…pretty badly. But in the Second
Age, the gateway was a much happier place, and the doors themselves are usually left
open, with elves and dwarves passing through with impunity. The gates themselves were designed
and built through an extremely rare cooperative effort between the ring-forger Celebrimbor
and the dwarven craftsman Narvi, both of whom were recognized as the two greatest artisans
of the age. Seeing these gates being built, and ultimately sealed shut, would be a welcome
nod to the events of The Lord of the Rings.
One of the most important facets of Amazon's Lord of the Rings prequel can be found off
the mainland of Middle-Earth, out in the western seas. Here, you'll find one of the iconic
geographic locations of the Second Age: the island of Númenor, also known as Westernesse.
This island ends up playing a critical role in the later events of the age. As the Second
Age kicks off, though, the landmass doesn't yet exist.
The First Age ended with the catastrophic War of Wrath, which led to a large chunk of
western Middle-earth being sunk beneath the ocean. In the aftermath of this cataclysmic
event, the angelic stewards of the Earth, known as the Valar, raised up a star-shaped
island continent. They also placed it far enough from the shores of Middle-earth to
keep its inhabitants safe from the evils of the mainland. The Valar blessed the island
themselves, making it extremely fertile, and offered it as a land of refuge to the men
who fought on their side during the War of Wrath. The island is technically called Andor,
the Land of Gift, but it ultimately becomes known as Númenor, named after the people
that dwell there. The group of men that ultimately found the
island of Númenor is led by a guy named Elros, who happens to be Elrond's brother. Due to
some complicated family history, the brothers and their children are given the option to
live as either mortal men or immortal elves. While Elrond chooses the latter, Elros becomes
a mortal king, although he still goes on to live for almost 500 years. The line of kings
that come from Elros ultimately leads to none other than Aragorn himself, and it would be
a cool throughline to follow in the Prime series.
"A descendent of Numenor, blessed with long life."
"It was said that your race had passed into legend."
"There are few of us left."
It was only the timely intervention of the Numenoreans that put a stop to Sauron's onslaught
against the elves of Middle-Earth. Now on the back foot and facing defeat, the Dark
Lord willingly surrendered to the Numenorean armies, who took him back to their island
as a prisoner. Once Sauron arrived on Númenor, however, it didn't take long for him to begin
working his charm. Over time, Sauron weaseled his way up from prisoner status to that of
an advisor to the Númenórean kings, the last of whom was Ar-Pharazôn, one of the
Second Age's most important players.
During his time on the island, Sauron set up a cult and convinced the Numenoreans to
worship Morgoth as their god. Just for kicks, he also threw in a little human sacrifice,
too. But his greatest victory came when he convinced Ar-Pharazôn to attack the Valar
themselves, in a foolish attempt to claim their immortality from them. Just as Sauron
had planned it, the invasion backfired, and Ar-Pharazôn and his army were ruthlessly
destroyed.
But here's what Sauron didn't see coming. Startled by the Numenorean invasion of their
land, the Valar appealed to Eru Iluvatar, the omnipotent god of the universe, and asked
for his help. Iluvatar agreed, and decided to intervene, something that only ever happened
a handful of times during Middle-Earth's history. Iluvatar sunk Numenor beneath the ocean, turned
the flat world into a round planet, and separated Valinor from Middle-Earth forever. Only a
few Numenoreans, who had been faithful to the Valar, escaped back to their colonies
on Middle-Earth. Sauron, meanwhile, had his spirit torn from his physical body, and fled
back to Middle-Earth himself. It's a heck of a story, and there's pretty much no chance
it won't make up a significant part of Amazon's Lord of the Rings series.
After Númenor sinks beneath the waves, the narrative of the Second Age shifts back to
the mainland. Sauron, having lost his physical form in the chaos, fled back to Mordor, where
he slowly began to rebuild his power. In the meantime, the few surviving Númenóreans
also arrived on the mainland. The refugees set about building a new life for themselves,
and in the process, they settled two kingdoms, each of which would become vital to the fate
of Middle-Earth: Gondor and Arnor.
It was these two nations that began to build and establish a number of landmarks that Lord
of the Rings fans should recognize pretty easily. For instance, they built the tower
of Orthanc, which the wizard Saruman eventually uses as his headquarters. They also built
the white city of Minas Tirith, although initially, Minas Tirith is little more than a guard tower
for a larger city. The capital of Gondor at this time was Osgiliath, which is the ruined
city visited by Faramir and his hobbit captives at the end of the film version of The Two
Towers. The Númenórean refugees also brought with them the seeing stones that Saruman and
Denethor would use centuries later, as well as the White Tree at Minas Tirith's summit.
Here's hoping Amazon Studios capitalizes on all these connections to the Peter Jackson
films.
Seeing that their enemy followed them back to Middle-earth, the Númenóreans joined
up with the elves and dwarves and founded the Last Alliance. They took the fight to
Sauron himself, laying siege to Mordor and fighting the deadly Battle of Dagorlad in
the process.
Eventually, the Last Alliance defeated Sauron and routed his armies from Mordor. Over the
ensuing years, the battlefield at Dagorlad slowly became the swampland known as the Dead
Marshes, a terrifying land haunted by the spirits of the soldiers who fell during the battle.
Now, the War of the Last Alliance and its long-lasting effects on Middle-Earth have
been well-portrayed in Peter Jackson's film trilogy. But with their new series, Amazon
has a chance to tell the whole story, from its dramatic beginning to its tragic end.
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