Summary
- The Rings of Power follows a compressed timeline, adding connective tissue and subplots that fit within Tolkien’s Middle-earth canon.
- The series reveals the origin of Mordor, showing that it was initially a kingdom known as Angband before being rebuilt by Sauron after its fall.
- Season 2 of The Rings of Power will focus on completing Mordor’s transformation, including the creation of iconic landmarks like Barad-dur and exploring the power dynamics between Morgoth, Sauron, and Adar.
Amazon’s The Rings of Power has created a new origin story for Mordor, but it actually fits into what J.R.R. Tolkien already created with Lord of the Rings. The high fantasy series takes place primarily in the Second Age and follows younger versions of Galadriel and Elrond, as well as the Moria dwarves and a group of early Halflings, all of whom become part of cataclysmic events — like the forging of the Rings of Power — that ultimately lead to the events surrounding the destruction of the One Ring by Frodo and the Fellowship chronicled in The Lord of the Rings.
The first season followed the machinations of Sauron the Deceiver who, posing as a deposed King of the Southlands, befriended Galadriel before both the immortals were taken into the custody of the Numenoreans. They sailed together to reclaim his homelands in an Aragorn-esque story, with no one the wiser that the Southlands were being usurped by one of his allies. While Elves, Men, and other races struggled to defend their lands from Orcs and other dark forces, the season ended with the first signs of activity in the history of Mordor since the time of Morgoth.
The Rings Of Power’s Mordor Origin Doesn’t Actually Contradict Tolkien
The Rings of Power follows a compressed timeline, meaning that it knits events that happened over several hundreds of years into a tighter narrative so that it’s easier to follow. It also adds connective tissue with a few subplots that could have conceivably happened within the canon of Middle-earth. One of the most momentous events to occur in The Lord of the Rings timeline happened in The Rings of Power episode 6 when one of the villagers activated a mystery sword while everyone else was fighting with the Orcs in the Southland, resulting in a volcanic eruption from Mount Doom that had ripple effects throughout the terrain.
Long before Mordor developed as the main base of operations for Sauron and the rest of The Lord of the Rings’ villains, they dwelled in a kingdom known as Angband. There Sauron’s predecessor Morgoth reigned over the land and created volcanos and dangerous mountain ranges to protect himself from anyone looking to invade. After Angband fell in the First Age in the War of Wrath, Morgoth was forced to rebuild somewhere else, and the Dark Lord used his unholy powers to conjure Mount Doom, but it wasn’t an active volcano initially and didn’t awaken until many years later.
The Rings Of Power Adds A LOT Of New Mordor Details
Sauron and Adar have a complicated plan to build Mordor in The Rings of Power, including but not limited to; creating a magic indestructible sword to act as a key to a mechanism that controls a dam, having hundreds of minions dig miles of trenches, relying on the Elves in their nearby watchtowers to ignore any iconography devoted to Sauron, and finally wait until the mechanism releases the flood gates that lead straight to the volcano where Mount Doom will erupt. Suffice it to say, the Amazon series adds a lot of details about Mordor that never actually happened in Tolkien’s lore.
While it might seem like it hinges on a great deal of coincidence and convenience to be achieved, the origins of Mount Doom actually cement a recurring theme in The Rings of Power; Evil can’t create, it can only corrupt. Sauron, Adar, and their underlings are sending a shockwave of devastation through Middle-earth to create their shadow realm as a way to remake Middle-earth according to Sauron’s terms of order. While the order and nature of events have been changed, the impetus remains the same.
Rings Of Power Season 2 Must Complete Mordor’s Transformation
Rings of Power season 2 will need to complete Mordor’s transformation after the eruption of Mount Doom. There are still plenty of pieces of the puzzle to add, including the iconic gate that features so prominently in the War of the Ring, Barad-dur, and the series might even choose to go into detail about who actually chose Mordor as a target in the first place between Morgoth, Sauron, and Adar. If Adar can change form and has the ability to shape-shift like Sauron, it’s possible fans have only seen a taste of his power going into the second season.
The origin of Mordor is an exciting event in Tolkien’s canon, and watching it happen in real-time adds to the inventive and dramatic world-building happening in The Rings of Power. The ruination of the lush natural environment as well as the corruption of those who follow Sauron and Adar offer a dynamic commentary on the destructive forces of industrialization and avarice, themes Tolkien did not take lightly. Going into the second season, Mordor’s transformation will probably be one of the most compelling plots as Sauron’s evil continues to warp and twist all who come in contact with it.