In January 2021, the Tolkien fan-site TheOneRing.net leaked the synopsis for Amazon's upcoming
Lord of the Rings series.
Soon after, Amazon confirmed it was real.
But what does it tell us about the show and its setting?
Here's what we learned from the Lord of the Rings synopsis leak.
It's been pretty obvious for a while now that the new series will be set during Middle-Earth's
Second Age.
In March 2019, Amazon Studios released a series of increasingly detailed maps on the show's
Twitter page, culminating with a final image that clearly showed Middle-earth during the
Second Age of Tolkien's writings.
The accompanying tweet read:
"Welcome to the Second Age."
This got most Tolkien fans pretty excited, and with good reason, too.
Despite being filled with great stories, the Second Age is a largely under-explored area
of Tolkien's legendarium.
Because that era spans some 3,500 years, however, it was still pretty tough to nail down just
when exactly during the Second Age the show is going to be set.
Now, however, things are a little clearer.
Along with reconfirming the Second Age setting, the synopsis also mentions that the show will
begin, quote, "in a time of relative peace."
This is important, as the latter half of the Second Age, in particular, is anything but
peaceful.
Chances are, this means that the show is due to begin sometime between the fall of the
original Dark Lord Morgoth and the re-emergence of his chief lieutenant, Sauron.
One thing the leaked synopsis mentions is that the show will "take viewers back to an
era in which great powers were forged."
Sound familiar?
Yes, there's a good chance Amazon is here referring to the forging of the One Ring — as
well as the other Rings of Power, which are crucial to the tale of the Second Age.
All of the major Rings of Power were forged roughly halfway through the Second Age.
This includes three for the Elves, seven for the Dwarves, nine for the great Lords of Men,
and one for the Dark Lord himself.
"One Ring to bring them all, and in the darkness bind them."
The Rings are originally forged and owned solely by the Elves, who create them under
the guidance of a disguised Sauron.
Later, when war breaks out between the Elves and Sauron, the Dark Lord gathers all but
three of them up and redistributes them to Middle-Earth's more easily-conquered races.
While it's almost certain that the Rings are the "great powers" mentioned here, it should
also be pointed out that the Amazon synopsis could be talking about something else: specifically,
Middle-Earth's great alliances.
The Third Age is largely defined by the Free Peoples of Middle-earth fighting Sauron in
isolated pockets, but the Second Age actually features several major unions — particularly
between the races of Elves, Men, and Dwarves.
The age even ends with the famous "Last Alliance," which takes the battle to Mordor and defeats
Sauron during the Siege of Barad-dûr.
One phrase from the synopsis that jumps out is the suggestion that, during the Second
Age, "kingdoms rose to glory."
While there are many strange new places that the Amazon show will doubtless spend time
exploring, several of these rising kingdoms will be quite familiar — or familiar in
name, at least.
During this period, Galadriel visits her future kingdom in Lorien for the first time, while
Legolas' grandfather, Oropher, establishes a refugee Elven Kingdom in the heart of the
Greenwood.
The Dwarven kingdom of Khazad-dûm is already ancient when the Second Age begins, and it
plays a vital role in the politics of western Middle-Earth.
Gondor is founded toward the end of the Second Age too, and Elrond establishes Rivendell
around halfway through, in direct defiance of an all-powerful Sauron.
And as for the Dark Lord himself?
In need of a home after his return to Middle-Earth, he carves out a corner of the map for himself
— in the dark and terrible land known as Mordor.
Amazon's synopsis mentions that the Second Age is a time in which "unlikely heroes were
tested."
This is a vague yet tantalizing glimpse into the show's cast of characters, which, for
now, remains largely shrouded in mystery.
Sure, a few hints have come out here and there.
For instance, Ian McKellen has said he's up for reprising his role as Gandalf, even though
the character doesn't arrive in Middle-Earth until the Third Age.
On the flip side, Elrond actor Hugo Weaving has made it abundantly clear he has no plans
to come back to Tolkien's world.
And although many of the show's cast members have already been announced, for the most
part, we don't yet know for sure who's playing who, or if the characters they're playing
have any relation to heroes and villains we've already seen on screen before.
The most solid actor-to-character connection that has leaked so far is that Welsh actress
Morfydd Clark will be playing a younger Galadriel.
Other casting leaks have only added to the confusion by throwing around brand new character
names with no obvious relation to established Tolkien texts.
According to an October 2019 report by Deadline, English actor Joseph Mawle will be playing
a character named Oren, who was intriguingly described as being the lead villain of the
series.
Other new characters reportedly include the heroic Beldor, and a female lead named Tyra,
played by Markella Kavenagh.
It was initially supposed by fans that these were fake names disguising well-known characters.
However, the synopsis states that "the series follows an ensemble cast of characters, both
familiar and new..."
So these could well be the actual names of brand new characters that have been made up
for the show.
Unfortunately, the new synopsis doesn't offer up any kind of definitive answer regarding
which heroes will be taking on the Dark Lord.
It does, however, suggest that the show will be bringing in some genuinely fresh faces
with no obvious roots in Lord of the Rings lore — whether the fans like it or not.
In The Lord of the Rings, Gandalf implies that Sauron's potential return wouldn't be
the first time Middle-Earth has been dominated by the Dark Lord.
"Sauron needs only this Ring to cover all the lands in a second darkness."
So if that's the second darkness that he's talking about, when exactly was the first?
Why, in the Second Age, of course.
The Amazon synopsis mentions that, at this time,
"...hope hung by the finest of threads, and the greatest villain that ever flowed from
Tolkien's pen threatened to cover all the world in darkness."
These words suggest that the Amazon series will portray Sauron's initial rise to power,
including his greatest victories and near-total conquest of all of Middle-Earth.
Of course, this doesn't just give Amazon the opportunity to put the show's heroes through
the ringer.
It also allows the studio to divest him of the one-dimensional persona that defines him
throughout The Lord of the Rings.
Instead, the show is likely to introduce fans to a much more interesting version of Tolkien's
iconic villain.
Sauron's key role in the synopsis suggests what fans have believed for a long time — that
the show will depict the Dark Lord in his fairer form.
While the Sauron of The Lord of the Rings is a hideous, monstrous figure — or a giant
eye, if you're watching the movies — he was once able to make himself appear, well,
pretty darn sexy.
More specifically, Sauron spends much of the Second Age masquerading as Annatar, the Lord
of Gifts.
This charismatic disguise allows the Dark Lord to mingle with the Elves and, for a while,
gain their trust.
Sauron remains in his fair form for much of this time, and only loses the ability to look
like this when Númenor is destroyed towards the end of the Second Age.
Obviously, Sauron's prettier persona doesn't make him trustworthy by any means — as the
Elves soon discover for themselves.
Nonetheless, the chance to portray the Dark Lord in this way will likely add another fascinating
layer to a villain not often associated with nuance or depth.
There's no question that Sauron is the biggest threat to Middle-Earth during the Second and
Third Ages — but that doesn't mean he's the only monster hiding in the shadows.
Notably, the final sentence of the leaked synopsis begins with the line "From the darkest
depths of the Misty Mountains..."
This line has some fascinating implications for the direction the show might take.
It suggests that viewers will be taken deeper than the thriving halls of Khazad-dûm, to
explore the terrible, unexplored spaces beneath the dwarven kingdom.
So what's actually down there?
Well, for one, there's the Balrog known as Durin's Bane.
"You know what they awoke in the darkness of Khazad-dûm.
Shadow and flame."
This fiery demon isn't just a terror to all and sundry; it's also fiercely independent,
having found itself without a master after the destruction of Morgoth.
As such, although Durin's Bane is supposed to be asleep for much of the Second Age, it
could still turn out to be an important part of the Amazon series.
But the Balrog isn't the only thing living beneath the Misty Mountains.
When Gandalf discusses his battle under Moria in The Two Towers, he mentions that:
"Far, far below the deepest delvings of the Dwarves, the world is gnawed by nameless things.
Even Sauron knows them not.
They are older than he."
Considering Sauron and the Balrogs fought together in the First Age, it's clear that
Gandalf is referring to something altogether more horrifying than Durin's Bane.
And while Tolkien never elaborated on what creatures lurk in those darkest depths, it
seems that the show may just tackle that question for itself.
One of the more specific lines in the synopsis is the brief mention that the story will span
"to the majestic forests of the elf-capital of Lindon."
This naturally leads to the question: what and where is Lindon?
The short answer is that Lindon is an important Elven nation that exists throughout the Second
Age.
More than that, though, Lindon is a very complex and important place that plays a vital role
in many of Middle-Earth's stories.
It sits in the western reaches of the continent, right next to the area that eventually becomes
the Shire.
It's also the place where the Grey Havens are located, which is where Frodo and Bilbo
sail from, into the West, at the end of Return of the King.
In the Second Age, Lindon is one of the most powerful kingdoms in Middle-Earth.
As Sauron's darkness spreads across the world, it becomes a beacon of hope to the Free Peoples
who stand against the Dark Lord.
Ruled by the Elven King Gil-galad, Lindon also plays a key role in forging crucial alliances
with Men and other Elves, and ultimately provides much of the muscle needed to topple Sauron
at the end of the age.
The last sentence of the synopsis states that the show will also take viewers "to the breathtaking
island kingdom of Númenor."
The involvement of this island nation of Men was a forgone conclusion from the first moment
the Second Age was confirmed.
Nevertheless, knowing that Númenor will get its fair share of the spotlight is exciting
news for fans of Tolkien's legendarium.
The godlike beings known as the Valar gift the island to its inhabitants early in the
Second Age, and the Men of Númenor continue to flourish there for centuries.
The Men of Númenor eventually get tangled up with events on the mainland and, for a
while, become the focus of Sauron's obsession.
Unfortunately, the Dark Lord's machinations ultimately lead to the total destruction of
the island and the near-extinction of its people.
One of the final lines in the synopsis reveals that the show's characters will go "to the
furthest reaches of the map."
This is a particularly interesting statement, as it can basically mean one of two things.
On one hand, this could be a veiled reference to the Blessed Realm of Aman, the land that
lies hidden in the West.
This is where the Valar and the Elves live in blissful harmony, and it's also where Middle-Earth's
Elves sail after their time on the continent comes to an end.
Otherwise known as the Undying Lands, this continent and its blessed dwellings are focal
points of the First Age of Middle-Earth.
However, Valinor also plays a role in the events of the Second Age; most notably with
regards to the eventual downfall of Númenor.
On the other hand, the synopsis could be referring to the eastern regions of Middle-earth.
These are areas of the map that were hardly ever explored, even by Tolkien himself.
However, Sauron's influence is particularly strong in these lands, and the Dark Lord recruits
many of his soldiers from their inhabitants.
If the Amazon show does head in this direction, it's likely that Tolkien fans will get to
experience a side of Middle-Earth they've never seen before.
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