If prop replicas are your thing, and I know many a collector who that is their focus, then these awesome pieces by the folks at United Cutlery just might be what you’re looking for.
One of my favourite replica weapons I’ve owned was the original Anduril. Now almost 25 years later if you missed out on that version you can snag this beautiful Museum Collection version. This version of Anduril comes with a beautiful plaque, Gondorian banner, and a certificate of authenticity. This awesome piece by UC is in-stock and ready to ship! You can snag it for $599.
If you’re looking to add to your Legolas collection, you can now add his Lothlorien bow. This is very much one of those pieces I think needs to be in a Legolas themed collection and will really pop once it’s in yours. The Lothlorien bow of Legolas is also in-stock and can be snagged for $469.
Now, if bad guys are your thing. Especially a certain dark lord who may have a thing for one rings then this next piece is for you. This is another museum collection piece so you’re getting all the similar goodies you would get with the Andruil sword only themed for Sauron himself. Sauron’s helm is in-stock as well and ready to ship for $499. Fun note this helm is leather lined so you just might be able to wear it.
No doubt about it, shoehorning Celeborn (the Wise) into The Rings of Power storyline is one of the trickiest problems that the show must navigate. Importantly, for it to matter, I feel the show has to do it soon — this coming season, even.
But as my TORn Discord colleague, Webcrawler, points out, this is a self-inflicted challenge — the showrunners did this to themselves. They consciously chose to absent Celeborn from the story (a story where, by some of Tolkien’s drafts, he plays more than a minor part in events). Thus, I would assert (I would hope) that they must have some clever idea or resolution in mind.
Once you grasp this rather important fact, it also prompts the question: “Why did they choose to do this?”.
Hold that thought, we’ll return to it later. First, I’d like to posit four different scenarios for finally bringing Celeborn into the story.
Of course, keep in mind this is my own theory-crafting, not set rumours.
THEORY ONE: Re-embodiment in Valinor
This is the most straightforward solution I can think of right now. Per Laws and Customs Among the Eldar (sometimes abbreviated to LACE) in HOME Volume X, it is possible for elves to re-embody post-death after a time spent in the Halls of Mandos.
Tolkien Gateway has an excellent and succinct summarisation of the process Tolkien outlined in LACE:
A houseless fëa that chose or was permitted to return to life was typically only able to be reembodied through childbirth. The reborn fëa would experience childhood again, but would only remember its previous life upon achieving mastery of its body. Through the joy of this second childhood, the griefs of the fëa’s previous life could be redressed.
The most well-known instance is that of Glorfindel, re-embodied after his death in the Fall of Gondolin and subsequently sent back to Middle-earth by the Valar to assist with the Second and Third Age struggle against Sauron. (Aside: arguably, if the show had been going to introduce Glorfindel, then S2 and the destruction of Eregion would have been the ideal time since as Tolkien outlines in HOME XII: Last Writings, assisting survivors out of the destruction and pairing up with Elrond and Gil-galad against Sauron’s war in Eriador is his big Second Age moment.)
What if the show were to, instead, apply this re-embodiment to Celeborn?
What if Celeborn had, in fact, perished on the field of … the Nirnaeth, I guess, that we saw in the S1 prologue, and his spirit was summoned to the Halls of Mandos.
It would provide a thoroughly logical explanation for exactly what Celeborn has been doing for the last 1,000 years and more: he’s been stuck in the Halls of Mandos, and then, quite literally, growing up all over again – and for an elf to grow to adulthood is around 100 years, minimum — in Valinor.
It would fit with Galadriel’s words to Theo in S1: “When he went to [the war], I chided him. His armour didn’t fit properly. I called him a silver clam. I never saw him again after that.”
Now, at the right time, he might return to Middle-earth either of his own volition, or at the behest of the Valar. That’s right, kindasorta stealing Glorfindel’s role.
This is a complete invention at odds with, well, every variation of the Galadriel and Celeborn story. But given the many unresolved contradictions within Celeborn’s (and Galadriel’s) textual history, it’s probably better for The Rings of Power to strive for its own internal consistency.
Re-embodied Celeborn might actually offer the cleanest resolution.
A re-embodied Celeborn could also be an interesting boost to his character — LACE states that “the Re-born (they say) are stronger, having greater mastery of their bodies and being more patient of griefs.” Galadriel, in LOTR, tells the members of the Fellowship that “…the Lord of the Galadhrim is accounted the wisest of the Elves of Middle-earth, and a giver of gifts beyond the power of kings.”
Re-embodiment could help make him less anodyne than the “Cele-boring” we see in PJ’s rendition.
THEORY TWO: Imprisoned by Thranduil
This idea is, I think, kinda cracked, but it’s inspired by recently re-reading The Hobbit. What if Thranduil* had imprisoned Celeborn at the turn of the Second Age, and simply not informed anyone?
Just riffing off what occurs with Thorin in Mirkwood:
“Very well!” said the [elven]-king. “Take him away and keep him safe, until he feels inclined to tell the truth, even if he waits a hundred years [emphasis mine].'”
Then the elves put thongs on him, and shut him in one of the inmost caves with strong wooden doors, and left him.
Flies and Spiders, The Hobbit
But what could even prompt Thranduil to imprison Celeborn — a fellow Sindar — for more than 1,000 years, and not tell anyone? Simple trespassing seems an enormous stretch.
One explanation that comes to mind from The Silmarillion is Thingol’s choice to not join Maedhros and Fingon’s assault on Angband that becomes the Nirnaeth Arnoediad, and his reluctant assent for Mablung and Beleg to join Fingon’s force.
This feels a bit of a reach, but, what if Celeborn (a kinsman of Thingol according to the Silmarillion tale) had also gone to the battle, but without Thingol’s permission? Galadriel does state in The Rings of Power that she “chided him”, and that his armour did not fit. This sounds tender, but could also hint at some underlying “sneaking away” subterfuge — if the writers chose to interpret it like that.
Further, what if, much, much later, he somehow, ended up in Thranduil’s realm. Might Thranduil (also a Sindar elf of the former realm of Doriath) imprison him, exactly like with Thorin, as a long-delayed punishment for such an disobedience.
Like I said, it does feel a crack theory. Holding a continuing (well-documented) grudge against dwarves for perceived ancient wrongs is one thing; holding one against one of your own folk over someone else’s ban on consorting with the Noldor seems quite another. More, you have to set against that the technicality that Thranduil and Oropher spent much of the early Second Age in Lindon and did not migrate to Greenwood, east of the Misty Mountains until at least SA750.
* I’ve written Thranduil here since I feel for the sake of story simplification, we’ll never see his father Oropher in The Rings of Power. Simple as that.
THEORY THREE: Lost in the woods
Consider, first, the situation of Thingol and Melian, lost in each other’s eyes in the deep woods of Nan Elmoth for a vast stretch of time.
Alternatively, consider how Old Man Willow trapped Pippin and Merry by the Withywindle, or how Nimrodel goes missing for a long time after being separated from Amroth on the long journey from then-Lorinand to Edhellond in Gondor’s south.
Or consider how Morwen goes conveniently missing between Glaurung’s assault on Nargothrond, and the end of the Narn i Hîn Húrintale where she meets Húrinat Cabed-en-Aras.
I think it’s fair to conclude from these handful of examples that folks get lost or trapped (in the woods) in Middle-earth now and then.
I want to pair this observation with Celeborn’s curious warning to the members of the Fellowship against Fangorn.
‘Yet [the Fellowship] should not go too far up that stream, nor risk becoming entangled in the Forest of Fangorn. That is a strange land, and is now little known. But Boromir and Aragorn doubtless do not need this warning.’
Farewell to Lórien, The Lord of the Rings
Aragorn also says in LOTR in an exchange with Legolas:
‘Yes, it is old,’ said Aragorn, ‘as old as the forest by the Barrow-downs, and it is far greater. Elrond says that the two are akin, the last strongholds of the mighty woods of the Elder Days, in which the Firstborn roamed while Men still slept. Yet Fangorn holds some secret of its own. [emphasis mine]’
The Riders of Rohan, The Lord of the Rings
What if Celeborn’s long disappearance involved Fangorn? Might he have been trapped there somehow — long-captured by some angry Huorn in an episode resembling what happened to Pippin and Merry in the Old Forest? Even if something like that occurred though, there’s the challenge of elegantly explaining how Celeborn got all the way from Beleriand to Fangorn (or even to the Old Forest if you used that area).
Perhaps the best option here is actually the old lost-my-memory-and-ran-away trick (similar to Nienor’s experience) as the consequence of some significant battlefield trauma. Perhaps even as the result of a confrontation with Glaurung. I’m pretty sure the showrunners did at one point say at an event or convention that they wanted a dragon, and there’s been discussion of the possiblity since.
Bringing him all the way to Fangorn (a place that, despite the “strangeness” Celeborn describes, does not seem hostile towards elves) might be a little hard to convincingly sustain, but it is usefully close to Lorien — a location we will hopefully be introduced to in Season 3.
I’m worried that amnesia is a little too much like what happened with Gandalf. I’m not sure I like that. Convenient amnesia is one of the Celeborn theories that Cliff and Justin considered on TORn Tuesday a while back as well. If you want to listen in, the discussion starts around 25 minutes into the VOD.
THEORY FOUR: Shamed thrall of Morgoth
Alternatively, Morgoth might have imprisoned Celeborn. Angband contained many elven thralls during the First Age. We could see a scenario where Celeborn was captured in the aftermath of the battle Galadriel refers to in The Rings of Power and forced to labour for the Enemy until the War of Wrath and Morgoth’s overthrow.
Many of the Noldor and the Sindar they took captive and led to Angband, and made them thralls, forcing them to use their skill and their knowledge in the service of Morgoth.
Of the Ruin of Beleriand and the Fall of Fingolfin, The Silmarillion
Alone that’s insufficient to explain Celeborn’s thousand-year absence. But consider also the experience of the vast majority of escaped elven thralls…
…ever the Noldor feared most the treachery of those of their own kin, who had been thralls in Angband; for Morgoth used some of these for his evil purposes, and feigning to give them liberty sent them abroad, but their wills were chained to his, and they strayed only to come back to him again. Therefore if any of his captives escaped in truth, and returned to their own people, they had little welcome, and wandered alone outlawed and desperate[emphasis mine].
Of the Ruin of Beleriand and the Fall of Fingolfin, The Silmarillion
Yes, there are exceptions such as the ease with which Gwindor son of Guilin slots back into the hierarchy of Nargothrond. Yet Húrin Thalion is shunned by his folk — and Turgon — after his release from Angband. Even once he realises he is no longer Morgoth’s thrall, “he wanders out of all knowledge” and supposedly throws himself into the sea.
Similarly, even if the source of the angst is different, Maglor commits himself to a perpetual exile of regret, wandering the shores of Middle-earth after he and Maedhros take the remaining Silmarils from Eönwë by force in the wake of the War of Wrath.
What if, in The Rings of Power, after the overthrow of Angband, Celeborn was one of the “multitude of slaves” who came forth from its deep prisons, “looked upon a world that was changed” and, whether through shame or PTSD, turned away to become a solitary recluse who avoids all society.
One might protest that this overlaps Adar’s background. But Adar’s corruption is a bit different. He has become an Uruk. In this instance the thrall concept is not a rerun; it’s exploring a different phenomenon entirely.
Where would Celeborn be, though? Well, there’s an awful lot of Middle-earth coastline that hermit!Celeborn could share with Maglor. A lot of dense, unexplored forest, too, especially around Eryn Vorn given that during the Second Age much of southern Eriador was still heavily forested.
…in the earlier days, at the time of the first explorations of the Númenóreans… Minhiriath and Enedwaith were occupied by vast and almost continuous forests, except in the central region of the Great Fens.
The History of Galadriel & Celeborn, Unfinished Tales of Númenor & Middle-earth
There’s something appealing, to me at least, about the thought of the Telerin/Sindar Celeborn hiding out (maybe even with a handful of Ents or some of the Drúedain) somewhere around Drúwaith Iaur, or even the Belfalas coast and spending S3 raging against the rapacious logging efforts of Kemen and friends. It’d be a nice nod to the temporary Third Age sojourn of Galadriel and Celeborn in that area that Tolkien described in his initial iteration of their story.
Where is less important than why
The reality is that it doesn’t really matter where Celeborn actually is in this scenario — the showrunners will manufacture a way and a reason for Galadriel to find him.
What is more important, I think, is why Celeborn exists — the role he’ll play in the drama.
Of course, Celeborn is a box that The Rings of Power needs to tick if only for continuity. Mechanically, to not have Celeborn co-ruling Lorien with Galadriel so that together through ages of the world they can fight “the long defeat” would be, well, outrageous.
And that need to ultimately match both the book text and PJ’s LOTR is why I’ve always thought it was a bit mad to insist “Celeborn is dead”, and should stay that way.
Who dis?
But the showrunners have always stated that The Rings of Power is about the characters becoming the individuals we know at the end of the Third Age.
Right now, Galadriel’s personality flips between “Artanis” and “Nerwen”: she’s very capable of being the lady of the court — the noble woman of her father-name — but undeniably The Rings of Power has leaned heavily into the “man-maiden” warrior nature of her mother-name.
Still in Season 2 she regularly wears her hair in some sort of crown. It’s surely a nod to “Galadriel” — the epessë (a nickname or honorific) given to her by none other than Celeborn. What better way for Galadriel to rediscover her true self (and stop being torn every which way) than by finding the lover who gave her that name in the first place?
This does not have to be boring.
In the first instance there’s the fact that, in-show, Galadriel seems to have blithely assumed that Celeborn perished in the Nirnaeth yet spent 1,000 years obsessively criss-crossing Middle-earth trying to hunt down Sauron.
Depending on Celeborn’s recent history, the obverse could apply, too — especially if he’s hidden himself away. The text of LACE mentions that elven couples “do not necessarily dwell or house together at all times” despite remaining wedded forever, so the passage of time should not be an insurmountable barrier to the pair reconnecting. Still, they must decide if (and why) it’s worth resurrecting their relationship in such circumstances.
What if Celeborn is mentally, or physically, scarred from his experiences? Consider Gwindor’s return to Nargothrond:
At first his own people did not know Gwindor, who went out young and strong, and returned now seeming as one of the aged among mortal Men, because of his torments and his labours…
Of Túrin Turambar, The Silmarillion
It feels reductive to say this a “she can fix him” situation, but there’s a precedent with what happened with Nenya and Adar in the final episode of S2. It could help bring a blighted Celeborn back to himself. More prosaically, Galadriel also (inadvertently) uses Nenya to heal a fellow elf in S2 E4.
In “fixing” Celeborn (props to Webcrawler for pointing this out), Galadriel can also heal herself. It’s a chance to recognise a healthy partnership and true love — as opposed to the poisonous, controlling version that Sauron/Halbrand keeps trying to offer. One with things like not using each other for personal gain, and not flipping out when you get corrected. Simple stuff!
It’s still going to be a long journey for Galadriel to reach that point where she has the strength to reject the One Ring when Frodo finally offers it. But, for The Rings of Power, accepting Celeborn should be the start.
About the author:Staffer Demosthenes has been involved with TheOneRing.net since 2001, serving first as an Associate News Editor, then as Chief News Editor during the making of the Hobbit films. Now he focuses on features and analysis. The opinions in this article are his own and do not necessarily represent those of TheOneRing.net and other staff.
If you have a Tolkien/Middle-earth inspired poem you’d like to share, then send it to poetry@theonering.net. One poem per person may be submitted each month. Please make sure to proofread your work before sending it in. TheOneRing.net is not responsible for poems posting with spelling or grammatical errors.
Oaths hold an astonishing power in Tolkien’s Middle-earth. Here, TORn Discord member Narrative Epicure explores how Sauron and Elrond’s understanding of this fact drives each to behave very differently toward others.
~ Staffer Demosthenes
Concerning Oaths in Middle-earth
by TORn Discord member Narrative Epicure
In December 3018 of the Third Age, everybody’s lucky number was nine. After an involuntary white-water rafting trip down the Bruinen, Sauron’s Nazgûl returned to Mordor. These servants, so long bound to him by works he wrought in ages past, gathered once more in the dark shadow of Barad-dûr. In the Elven realm of Rivendell, Lord Elrond prepared a Fellowship whose journey would determine the fate of Middle-earth.
“The Company of the Ring shall be Nine;”1 he declared, “and the Nine Walkers shall be set against the Nine Riders that are evil.”2
Contrasts between the Ringwraiths and the Fellowship are legion, but in their preparations, one particular distinction reveals the nature of the hands that send them: while Sauron insists on sending servants bound to him by rings of power, Elrond demands nothing of anyone but Frodo (to not cast away the ring or deliver it to an Enemy). To the fellowship, he says, “no oath or bond is laid upon you.”3
As they depart on their journey south, he demands no promise from the nine he sent.
This difference between Elrond and Sauron is illustrative of each lord’s perspective on oaths and—to a larger degree—of the way each lord interacts with and treats the people of Middle-earth.
Concerning Oaths
Oaths and promises are fascinating subjects that could fill volumes on their own. On a surface level, an oath is a set of words promising some conduct or restraint. Yet, the way we treat an oath transforms it from a set of words to a power. In our own world, this power is usually subtle, intangible, and typically confined to the effects on psyche, trust, or the occasional legal ramification. In large part, oaths have over us what power we give them. In Middle-earth, this intangible power becomes tangible. Tolkien writes of oaths not only as if they have power, but as if they behave.
Oaths are living things that bless those who honor them, and occasionally impose consequences on oathbreakers. Tolkien describes the Oath of Fëanor (an oath that drives much of the action and conflict of the First Age) as “ever at work,”4 and on other occasions he says it has “slept now for a time.”5
In The Lord of the Rings, we see the terrible result of going back on your word when the Men of Dunharrow break oaths to fight Sauron and Isildur curses them to “rest never until [their] oath is fulfilled.”6
Tolkien’s writing ascribes another unique trait to oaths: they bind people to each other. Tolkien’s Legendarium offers many examples of this: the Oath of Eorl bound Rohan and Gondor together, the Oath of Finrod bound him to aid the kin of Barahir (at the cost of his life), and the sons of Fëanor were “bound by the oath”7 they swore.
But the people of Middle-earth can be bound even without oaths. When Melkor darkened the two Trees of Valinor, the Valar determined that the light of the Silmarils could restore the trees if Fëanor allowed their use. Fëanor refused. The Silmarillion describes him as “fast bound” to the Silmarils. Long before his oath, the love of his crafts bound him.
It was this binding power that Sauron would seek to replicate. In the Second Age, he bent the power of oaths back on itself, twisting it into the shape of rings, “for his desire was to set a bond upon the Elves.”8
Bound by Oaths
In Season 1 of the Rings of Power, young Elrond describes his outlook on oaths. “To some, [oaths] may now hold little weight, but in my esteem, it is by such things our very souls are bound.”9
He sees oaths as Tolkien wrote of them, and he uses them to build a web of collective strength. Elrond gives oaths. He enters them freely as a show of loyalty to those he cares about. Some may argue he enters them too freely.
Yet, despite the impetuous manner in which he binds himself to others, he’s hesitant to let others make oaths to him. When the Fellowship departs, and he asks no oath or bond, he explains some of his reasoning (paraphrased to just dialogue):
Gimli: “Faithless is he that says farewell when the road darkens.” Elrond: “Maybe, but let him not vow to walk in the dark who has not seen the nightfall.” Gimli: “Yet sworn word may strengthen quaking heart.” Elrond: “Or break it.”10
He’s cautious to hold others to promises made without all facts. We see this again in the mines when he stops Durin from sharing his true name—an act that, while not an overt oath, would have bound the two together. And while he freely binds himself, he’s cautious with whom he makes such promises. Note that in Season 2, when Galadriel asks, he immediately refuses to swear any promise “whose asking is born of that ring.”11
But seconds later, he swears exactly what she wishes, only this time to her. He will not suffer himself to be bound to or by her ring, but holds no qualms for his friend. And despite his fears that she is bound to Sauron through that ring, he demands no similar oath from her lips.
At his core, Elrond believes oaths are about people. He cares much more about binding himself to others than binding them to him. He cares deeply about them. When he stumbled into Durin’s Mithril mine in Season 1, he wasn’t looking for mithril itself like Durin suspected. He was looking for his friend. He worried about Durin’s secrets and went there to maintain trust between them.
After swearing an oath to Durin, he’s given a nugget of mithril, which he immediately offers to return. His king sought that ore, but to Elrond, this was always about his friend. Incidentally, this outlook works to his favor. Durin never would have given him the mithril if it were why he came lurking.
Bound in Darkness
If Elrond is the give, Sauron is the take. Elrond builds strength, Sauron builds power. To the dark lord, the purpose of oaths is to ensure those beneath him remain subservient. We see this in the very terminology he uses. He almost always eschews the word “oaths” in favor of “binding.” He doesn’t want to forge webs like Elrond; he wants to forge chains.
Sauron is cautious about oaths he swears. When faced with no alternative, he tries to manipulate them in his favor. “I swear to serve the lord of Mordor”12 is the juicy example that springs to mind. He’s there to bind others to him, not the other way around. Oaths don’t show loyalty or closeness, they keep others in line.
In the finale of Season 1, he asks Galadriel to bind herself to him. What he wants from Galadriel is a promise—an oath—so he can make her a queen, fair as the sea and the sun, stronger than the foundations of the earth. But notice again his subtlety. He offers her effectively nothing. “You bind me to light, and I bind you to power.”13
In exchange for her legitimizing his “healing” of Middle-earth, he binds her to power. But in Sauron’s estimation, he is that power. He binds her to him, and in exchange, she validates his rule. But as Gandalf famously warned Saruman, “he does not share power.”14
He’s promised her only chains.
Since he cannot elicit true loyalty, Sauron must demand it. He can deceive and win hearts, but he cannot keep them. It is this inability to earn true loyalty that—in part—drives Sauron’s need for the rings. Elrond cares for people while Sauron seeks only what he can use from them.
Each ring of power is a literal manifestation of that search for utility. If the people of Middle-earth will not swear to him, he will find some other way to bind them to him.
Frodo observed that “the Shadow . . . can only mock, it cannot make: not real new things of its own.”15
Unable to make bonds and elicit oaths, Sauron mocks, imitating the power of an oath’s bond with his rings. That involuntary bond shreds trust, but he doesn’t need trust when he has control. Dominate some creatures, bind others, make empty promises, and—when your army is threatening enough—maybe some people will swear with less coercion and deception.
And so, nine walkers set out from Rivendell, each a hero, while nine riders set out from Mordor, each a thrall. Sauron told us his plan from a prison cell in Númenor: “identify what it is that [a person] most fears . . . [and] give them a means of mastering it so you can master them.”16
Elrond’s line of thinking would likely be more along the lines of “identify what it is that a person most fears, and swear to protect them from it.”
With that contrast laid out, it’s clear in which fellowship you’d find better company.
About the author:Narrative Epicure is an aspiring loremaster and practicing attorney longing to read or write things that aren’t legal. When he’s not buried in Tolkien’s Legendarium, he enjoys books, board games, and other activities with his Fellowship, which includes his wife and three daughters.
If you have a Tolkien/Middle-earth inspired poem you’d like to share, then send it to poetry@theonering.net. One poem per person may be submitted each month. Please make sure to proofread your work before sending it in. TheOneRing.net is not responsible for poems posting with spelling or grammatical errors.
This week, TORn Discord moderator Webcrawler returns with a new article delving into a concept that Tolkien developed called Ósanwe (a Quenya word meaning “interchange of thought”), and how the showrunnners have used it for various story purposes in Season 1 of The Rings of Power.
Examining The Rings of Power through Tolkien’s Concept of Ósanwe
by TORn Discord moderator Webcrawler
Much has been said about what the showrunners of The Rings of Power have access to in regard to the source material. For those who think the showrunners are not allowed anything beyond the appendices, or are not digging deep into the text, let me introduce the concept of “Ósanwe” as outlined by Tolkien in an essay titled “Ósanwe-kenta”, or “Enquiry into the Communication of Thought”, and show how it applies to many of Halbrand’s (aka Sauron’s) actions in S1 of The Rings of Power.
Hall of Lore has a great thread that covers the concept in detail from the text.
A superior mind (like Sauron) could communicate a desired vision direct into another person’s mind, who would then see it as something external. There are limitations to the solidity of the vision if the recipient is a mind of less power (which probably means men).
But for our purposes we’ll simplify it to apply it to what we are seeing in The Rings of Power. The most basic concept is that all minds are equal and open.
All minds (sáma, pl. sámar) are equal in status, though they differ in capacity in strength. A mind by its nature perceives another mind directly. But it cannot perceive more than the existence of another mind (as something other than itself, though of the same order) except by the will of both parties.
Ósanwe-kenta, Enquiry into the Communication of Thought
Another important idea is that conversation is necessary to gain access to the mind. The use of language can only be done in person. To gain access to someone’s mind, you first must meet them and start speaking in person. And that’s what we see Halbrand/Sauron do in S1.
For, as the Ósanwe-kenta essay states, “the will to converse in lambe [Quenya meaning “tongue, language”] is a will to communicate thought and lays the minds open”.
Knowledge may be gained or imparted by what the text calls a Guest (someone seeking to communicate), even when the Host (the person receiving the communication) is not seeking or intending to impart or learn information.
The act of G will be effective, if H is simply ‘open’ (láta; látie ‘openness’). This distinction, he says, is of the greatest importance.
Ósanwe-kenta, Enquiry into the Communication of Thought
[Editor’s note: to avoid confusion, the “he” in the above means the elven scholar/historian, Pengolodh. The entire essay is a commentary on Pengolodh’s thoughts about how Ósanwe function. If you’re interested in learning more, it’s easiest to find this essay in The Nature of Middle-earth.]
During my rewatch of Season 1 of The Rings of Power, I noticed that Galadriel is at first unwilling to talk to Halbrand. He tells her, “you needn’t keep your distance”. As the previous tweet implies, speech is needed for ósanwe to “link”. He’s trying to get her to open her mind.
It’s only when Halbrand tells her that “It was Orcs” that attacked his homeland, that she opens to communicating back with him, seeking information. That is all he needed to start “worming” his way into her mind. She wanted something, and here only he could give it to her.
Habrand: it was orcs. Galadriel: your home. Where was it?
The Rings of Power. S1, E1: Adrift.
In the Ósanwe-kenta essay, Pengolodh outlines how by making himself seem useful, helpful, even friendly, Melkor could trick others into trusting him; Halbrand does the same with Galadriel here; she has been searching for proof of the return of the enemy, and he has just proved himself useful and being able to get that proof.
[Morgoth] would come by stealth to a mind open and unwary, hoping to learn some part of its thought before it closed… he was above all benevolent; he was rich and could give any gift that they desired to his friends; he had a special love for the one he addressed; but he must be trusted [emphasis mine].
In this way he won entry into many minds, removing their unwill [emphasis mine], and unlocking the door by the only key, though his key was counterfeit.
Ósanwe-kenta, Enquiry into the Communication of Thought
Halbrand hints at doing this: “Identify what your opponent most fears. Give them a means of mastering it. So that you can master them”. Halbrand’s gift to Galadriel is “knowledge”. By offering this gift, he gains Galadriel’s trust, and thus enter her mind.
He does this with Míriel and Pharazôn as well; When he appeals to Míriel to let them stay a few days, and when he offers to give Pharazôn intel on where Galadriel is going (Palantir’s Tower). Being willing to listen to him was enough to allow Halbrand into their minds; acceptance of advice creates a small enough amount of trust for Halbrand to create an opening.
Halbrand: Guards! My friends. [crowd silences] Halbrand: It seems to me that our leaving presents some complications. Perhaps it’d be better if we stayed… Míriel: Stayed? Halbrand: Long enough, good Queen, to give you and your advisors adequate time to weigh our request.
The Rings of Power. S1, E3: Adar
Halbrand: I wouldn’t advise that. Pharazôn: I can’t very well let her leave. Halbrand: You could. If you knew exactly where she was going.
The Rings of Power. S1, E4: The Great Wave
And this explains why Celebrimbor became ensnared in Episode 8 of S1. Here, Halbrand puts his powers of manipulation on full display: flattery, humility, advice and gratitude. “Call it a gift” he says of the knowledge he shared, giving him access to Celebrimbor’s mind. The hands touching represent the ósanwe connection being made.
Halbrand: Might there not be some alloy to amplify the qualities of your ore. Celebrimbor: Well, that is… an intriguing suggestion. Halbrand: Call it… a gift.
The Rings of Power: S1, E8: Alloyed
Later in this same episode, we get evidence of this mind infiltration: an image of Celebrimbor with a shadow of “chains” over him, while he speaks of using the mithril to craft a crown for Gil-Galad to wear to heal the elves.
Compare the dialogue and you see the Celebrimbor speaks the exact words that Adar spoke to Galadriel, yet he was not there in The Southlands to have heard it. He also says the words “over flesh” which Adar had told Galadriel about back in Episode 6: Udûn, when explaining to her why he killed Sauron. Galadriel most certainly did not tell Celebrimbor; so it must have been Halbrand. And yet, when asked, Celebrimbor “believes” those were his own words.
Lastly, when the spell is broken, and Galadriel realises Halbrand is not who she thought, she realises how much he planted ideas in her mind; wanting to get an army, and convincing Míriel to sail to Middle-earth. We are presented it as always having been her idea, but it’s not true.
Galadriel: There is no King of the South lands. The line was broken. The last man to bear your crest died over a thousand years ago. He had no heir. Halbrand: I told you I found it on a dead man. Galadriel: No. No, on the raft, you saved me… Halbrand: On the raft, you saved me. Galadriel: You convinced Míriel to save the Men of Middle-earth. Halbrand: You convinced her. I wanted to remain in Númenor. Galadriel: You fought beside me. Halbrand: Against your enemy. And mine.
The Rings of Power. S1, E8: Alloyed
As shown by Beyond Darkness here, Halbrand was one who initially planted the idea within Galadriel that she needed an army. And he continually reinforced it throughout the Season 1, subtly pushing her towards this goal that she thought was hers at first.
And so, we can see that Sauron has been using Ósanwe to influence Galadriel and others throughout Season 1 whenever he needed; and then Celebrimbor when he got to Eregion. And, based on some of the trailers, we can see that in Season 2 he will continue to do this with Celebrimbor, until the reverie is broken for him as well, and Celebrimbor, along with the other elves, will realise that they have been deceived.
About the author: Webcrawler is a full-time data analyst and a part-time Tolkien aficionado and moderator on TheOneRing.net’s Discord Server.When he’s not working or in the discord, Webcrawler is horsing around on Twitter.
TORn Discord Moderator DrNosy has the lowdown on what it all could mean.
———-
April showers bring May flowers and, with it, the much-awaited return of the second season of Amazon Prime’s The Rings of Power (TROP). The official marketing has kicked-off with an enticing teaser and a captivating behind-the-scenes look. Brace yourselves, as the series is set to return on August 29th of this year.
Stealing the spotlight and the most intriguing development is the return of our Lord-and-not-Savior, Sauron, portrayed by the talented Charlie Vickers. Sauron’s appearance in this teaser unveils Vickers in a dual role, as both Halbrand (Sauron disguised as a Man) and a character that die-hard Tolkien fans have long yearned for, the Annatar, where Sauron takes the form of an Elf and infiltrates Eregion.
The arrival of Annatar and his relationship to Celebrimbor is one of Tolkien’s greatest stories, but it was never entirely penned as a literary epic. The little we know of Annatar comes from the Letters of Tolkien, Unfinished Tales, and a short essay in The Silmarillion, “Of the Rings of Power.”
From today’s teaser, the Annatar makes his appearance after the events of “Alloyed” (S1.E8), where Sauron as Halbrand reveals himself to Galadriel. Though this encounter momentarily stifles Galadriel, she and the others proceed with the creation of the three Elven rings: Vilya, Nenya, and Narya.
Following the TROP storyline, Celebrimbor (Charles Edwards), the genius and talented maker of the Elven rings and the others (lesser) that followed, has now become Lord Sauron’s prime target. The threat he faces from Sauron is imminent. Unbeknownst to Celebrimbor, when Sauron comes knocking on your door, he always comes bearing gifts.
Knock, knock. Who’s there? Annatar. Annatar, who? Annatar. I am an emissary of the Valar. I have come bearing gifts.
(If you were expecting a knock-knock joke, I have deceived you. The Annatar on your doorstep is not a laughing matter.)
The siege of Eregion, led by Adar (Sam Hazeldine) and his army of Orcs, will be catastrophic to the city and its vast forests. Will Galadriel, Elrond (Robert Aramayo), and the other Elven warriors be able to defend this Elven kingdom? Will King Durin (Peter Mullan) and the Dwarven warriors of Khazad-dûm come to their aid? Well, those answers probably depend on whether or not the ring the Dwarves have received is already tainted with Sauron’s evil influence. Compared to what I expected the last season, there are now more rings to keep track of than ever before.
What I find pretty delightful to observe is the three Elven rings that have made their way onto the hands of the first-ever Ring-bearers: the High King of the Elves, Gil-galad (Benjamin Walker), Galadriel as the Commander of the Northern Armies, and the wisest Elf that ever Elfed and his lovely beard we have yet to witness, Círdan (who will be portrayed by Ben Daniels).
We also witness other moments with rings, particularly with King Durin caressing a massive blue-crystal jeweled gold ring that might rival the Arkenstone. Also, what appears to be a consequence of the siege’s mayhem, we are teased with a moment where Celebrimbor seems to be destroying rings in a furnace. We also see him missing a hand. (That probably has many Silmarillion fans wondering if this is something to do with the Silmaril-mithril connection (S1.E5), how Beren lost his hand, and… Alright, alright, I won’t go there!)
With these rings and the return of Sauron, now comes all the things I find myself scratching my head over. As a horror genre fan, I could not ignore the highly spooky vibes of this teaser. I’ve often said that to understand the eucatastrophe described by Tolkien, you must also (sometimes) recontextualize what he wrote in the framework of existential nihilism. For a Tolkien-inspired television series, this recontextualization can translate to the screen as (seemingly) unrelated horror moments. As far as this teaser goes, I have no Tolkienian clue what is happening with the tar creature, the Rhûn moth witch, the creeping vines, and the horrifying Cthulhu-shark. All I can say is that I’m disturbed, unnerved, and distressed, and this is precisely the feeling I want when Sauron comes to visit.
The image of an Orc-licking a blood-soaked dagger… BRING IT ON, HERUMOR! DEAAAAAAATTTTHHHH!
Finally, I would like to make a statement. Fans of fantasy television can debate ad nauseam about which show is better, The Rings of Power or The House of Dragon. Regardless, I would like it settled once and for all that there is only one Lord (of the Wigs), and he does not share fashion power!
An addendum. For the few who know me and my fondness for Númenor and Pharazôn (Trystan Gravelle). There is much I can speculate about Númenor, but I will not do so. (I’m still sore about Season 1.) What I do offer, however, is one hypothesis that Pharazôn will most definitely be riding an eagle this season. He absolutely has no ill intentions toward any of Manwë’s beloved creatures. Given his beard, I’m sure that makes him look ultra-friendly to the giant birds, who have always loved helping out other bearded dudes in the Third Age.
The artist behind Pharazôn Rides An Eagle is Stickybeebae. You can follow (and tip) her on Instagram.
About the author:
DrNosy is a scientist (physical science), scholar, and Tolkien enthusiast. Her primary interests lie in review and analysis of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power. She is an active contributor and Moderator on TheOneRing.net Discord where she also hosts live open-forum panel discussions on The Rings of Power, The Silmarillion, and a variety of Tolkien-related topics. You can reach her on Instagram.
If you have a Tolkien/Middle-earth inspired poem you’d like to share, then send it to poetry@theonering.net. One poem per person may be submitted each month. Please make sure to proofread your work before sending it in. TheOneRing.net is not responsible for poems posting with spelling or grammatical errors.
Recent SPY REPORTS for Season 2 of Prime Video’s The Rings of Power series sourced from anonymous but now-deleted posts on internet messageboard 4Chan are currently prompting a wave of discussion about their veracity and implications across Discord and Reddit .
WARNING: potential SPOILERS for Season 2 abound below.
.
.
.
.
Last chance to not be spoiled by significant story leaks for The Rings of Power.
Without further ado, here’s the potentially explosive leak about the story direction for Season 2 of The Rings of Power. While TheOneRing.net has no way of confirming this, the sources are allegedly people close to the series Producers.
If prop replicas are your thing, and I know many a collector who that is their focus, then these awesome pieces by the folks at United Cutlery just might be what you’re looking for.
