Top 10 Rings of Power Moments That Werent in the Books
Top 10 Rings of Power Moments That Weren’t in the Books
Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re talking about scenes in the “Rings of Power” series that either did not originate from J.R.R. Tolkien’s source material or were significantly expanded upon through creative liberties.
#10: Galadriel’s Lost Brother
In “The Rings of Power”, one of Galadriel’s motivations is vengeance for the death of her brother, Finrod. As her early voiceover dictates, Finrod lost his life while fighting the war against Sauron and Morgoth. The tragedy fuels Galadriel’s resounding hatred for Sauron. As told by “The Silmarillion”, though, Finrod’s fall is much more elaborate. In text, Finrod made an alliance with early Men–ancestors of Aragorn, in fact–and this kinship inadvertently contributed to Finrod’s demise. While Finrod was murdered by Sauron in both versions, Galadriel’s direct desire for retaliation is embellished on the show. The series also has Galadriel believing that her husband, Celeborn, perished in battles against Sauron.
#9: The Rite of Sigin-tarâg
Tolkien never explicitly wrote about a friendship between Elrond and Prince Durin, but it's certainly a significant part of both the TV characters. It’s in the spirit of the Elven and Dwarven bond shared by Legolas and Gimli. Their kinship is best represented by the challenge of Sigin-tarâg, the Dwarven tradition of strength. Elrond uses it as a means to converse with Durin, in the midst of a politically complicated Middle-Earth. Elrond admirably holds his own, but his forfeit ultimately allows for dialogue that aims to establish a major alliance between dwarves and elves.
#8: Míriel as the Queen Regent
As daughter of Númenor’s king Tar-Palantir, Míriel is Queen-Regent of the Númenórean people when we first meet her. And when Galadriel and Halbrand end up here, the Queen-Regent makes certain to establish her authority. In “Silmarillion” history, though, Míriel holds no such command. The scene in which she shows Galadriel the Palantír never happens either, though it does foreshadow a great catastrophe that is consistent with Tolkien’s writing. Adding to Míriel's character development includes a desire to reconnect the relationship between Elves and Men, another conflict which has been dramatized in the adaptation.
#7: Gil-galad Explains the Divinity of Mithril
We’ve got a lot of love for mithril, since it saved Frodo’s life in “The Fellowship of the Ring”. But Amazon’s series grants a further level of divinity to the metal that’s “as hard as dragon scales.” Elf king Gil-Galad expresses his belief, to Elrond, that there’s an existential design behind this enigmatic material. As Gil-galad sees it, the light of the heavenly Valar is present in mithril, and the possession of that substance’s power will rescue all of elf-kind. Since the show also indicates the presence of mithril in the dwarven mines, this is a setup for interaction and…hopefully…cooperation between elves and dwarves.
#6: Introducing the Harfoots
While “The Lord of the Rings” prologue does make a mention of harfoots, “The Rings of Power” lets us really get to know them. They are ancestors of the hobbits that we know from the Third Age, and this introductory scene emphasizes their sense of community and resourcefulness. It also lets audiences meet a few protagonists that the Tolkien prologue would not have otherwise allowed, most notably the Sadoc Burrows and Nori Brandyfoot. Some of their communal traditions, such as the trailfinders and use of star-books, were also invented for the show. It adds to the history of their race, albeit with particulars that have been newly developed for the series.
#5: Meeting Tom Bombadil
Tom Bombadil is one of the most talked-about Tolkien characters: one that’s only now making an on-screen appearance. In “The Lord of the Rings”, he saves Frodo and the gang in the Old Forest, and he makes comments suggesting that he may be one of the oldest folks in all of Middle-Earth. We get to see him meet the Stranger here, and he offers possibly important advice about heavy tasks that still need to be done. His playful magical powers make him eccentric and enigmatic, trying to capture the essence of his character from the book. And his tendency to save people from unruly trees is still ever-present!
#4: Forging the Elven Rings
In Season One’s finale, Halbrand unlocks the riddle that ultimately allows successful forging of the Elven rings. While Sauron certainly influenced their creation in Tolkien’s words, that didn’t happen quite the same way. In the show, the Elven rings were the first to be created, despite being chronologically last in the books. Tolkien also writes specifically that they were “unsullied” for having never been directly touched by Sauron. “The Rings of Power” isn’t exactly contradicting Tolkien’s story, but the idea of using alloy, along with Halbrand-slash-Sauron’s direct participation in molding the Three, provides a brand new scene. The use of Finrod’s dagger as material was also added, though that story element does strengthen Galadriel’s bond with the rings and the optimistic potential that they represent.
#3: The Creation of Mordor
Tolkien never specifically described the exact creation of Mordor, but “The Rings of Power” writers have inferred their own version. During a consequential battle between humans and orcs, a follower of Sauron’s evil servant Adar uses a magical sword to cast a wicked spell on the surrounding land. What follows is flooding, blackened skies, and a volcanic explosion that births Mount Doom and the land where shadows lie. Analyzing the text suggests that the eruption of Mount Doom took much longer, and Sauron chose his realm in the Southlands more for its geographic isolation than for a “fiery” and “scary” appearance. However, shortening the timeline of Mordor's creation helped the seventh episode's narrative reach a speedier climax.
#2: Halbrand the Deceiver
Introducing Halbrand may be one of the most controversial decisions that “The Rings of Power” showrunners have yet made. His story sort of follows the model of Tolkien’s writing, as book-Sauron embodies a false form that ultimately manipulates the elves. He’s a prominent cast member here, though, and his journey with Galadriel is a unique creation. Halbrand’s cunning friendship with her is new, and it ultimately leads to this pivotal moment when Galadriel deduces that her “ally” is not who he seems. It seems the show writers wanted us to first meet Sauron with a human-like personality, perhaps in hopes of making the Dark Lord even more detestable as the story develops.
#1: The Stranger’s Identity
Back when “The Rings of Power” was just a trailer, one of its biggest mysteries was the astral meteorite that carried the Stranger. There’s been plenty of uncertainty amongst fans about his identity, but Season Two’s finale let us know. And it did so with one notable callback. Though Tolkien's “Unfinished Tales” has Gandalf arriving in Middle-earth during the Third Age, there are hints in other texts that suggest he may have visited at earlier times. The writers ran with that idea and told an unexplored origin story for the emblematic wizard. Awakening the Balrog of Moria was another unwritten moment that we see. The presence of both in one episode is darkly poetic, since Gandalf is ultimately the one that slays Durin’s Bane.
What was your favorite “Rings of Power” scene that didn’t come from the books!?
