In its first two seasons, Rings of Power effectively presented us with a Middle-earth in which Elves are thriving. We’ve seen Lindon, Eregion, Mithlond, and other beautiful kingdoms and cities of legend. Now, however, it’s time to see them all begin to crumble. The ball officially got rolling at the end of Rings of Power season 2 when Sauron (through Adar) sacked Eregion, bringing it and its lord, Celebrimbor, to their knees. Still, that was just one battle in what will be a world-shattering war between the Dark Lord Sauron and the Elves of Middle-earth.
It’s War In The Rings Of Power Season 3
The Lord of the Rings trilogy had its fair share of battles, and the conflicts within are often referred to as “The War of the Ring.” However, this was nothing compared to the true wars of the Second Age of Middle-earth. The War of the Elves and Sauron and the War of the Last Alliance were what characters like Elrond, Galadriel, and Gandalf were afraid would be repeated if Sauron reclaimed his One Ring. While they were ultimately victorious over the Dark Lord, the war cost the Elves just about everything. They never truly recovered, and the hope was that Men wouldn’t suffer the same fate.
Thanks to Frodo, things never got that far, and those final conflicts of the Fourth Age were rather tame by comparison. True war hasn’t been seen in the on-screen adaptations of The Lord of the Rings, but now that Eregion has fallen, the War of the Elves and Sauron has officially begun.
Rings of Power has already made a lot of changes to the timeline of this great war, so the way forward isn’t entirely clear. Still, the Sack of Eregion is the official first battle of the War of the Elves and Sauron, and since this was the grand finale of season 2, we know that the rest of the war is set to follow. Sauron now has an army, and the Elves are painfully aware of the threat he poses. So, let the true fantasy violence begin.
What We Know About The Second Age’s War Between Sauron & The Elves
As previously stated, Rings of Power has made some significant changes to the canon timeline. This means that just about anything could happen in season 3. Still, the show is on track for a more or less faithful adaptation to at least the middle portion of the War of the Elves and Sauron. It’s really the beginning and the end that stand as significant question marks.
First things first—the cause of the war. In canon, Sauron initially left Eregion unharmed after tricking Celebrimbor and the smiths into making the Rings of Power. He returned to Mordor and made his One Ring (about 100 years later) while the Elves made their Three Elven Rings in secret. Then, Sauron raised an army and returned to Eregion to retrieve his Rings of Power. In both Tolkien’s and The Rings of Power‘s version of the story, the Dark Lord left Eregion in ruins with the Nine and Seven in tow. Still, the Three remained hidden by the Elves.
All the Elves in Eregion likely would have died if it weren’t for the last-minute arrival of the Dwarves of Khazad-dûm (in Rings of Power and canon, both). Because of them, Elrond was able to lead the survivors to what would eventually become Rivendell. This is where Rings of Power season 2 left off.
Over the next years, as Elrond built Rivendell as a safe haven for the Elves, Sauron and his armies of Orcs and Easterlings (Men) moved west through Eriador. There, they laid claim to every settlement aside from Rivendell and Gil-galad’s realm of Lindon, though, after years of devastation, the king’s hold on his territory was weak. As Sauron aimed his sights on the Grey Havens, it seemed all was lost. However, once again, the Elves were saved in the nick of time.
Ships from Númenor arrived, and the armies of Men forced the Dark Lord to retreat. Sauron did great damage on his way back through Eriador, but by the end of the Battle of the Gwathló—the last battle of the War of Elves and Sauron—he had hardly any forces left. Sauron had no choice but to retreat to Mordor to rebuild his strength, marking the tumultuous period of silence between the end of this war and the start of the War of the Last Alliance.
The Rings Of Power Will Feel More Like The Lord Of The Rings In Season 3
Rings of Power may have a difficult time pulling off a canon version of the War of the Elves and Men. The changed timeline presents a bit of a problem, since the king of Númenor during the events of the show, Ar-Pharazôn, is no friend to the Elves and most certainly won’t sail to Mithlond to join the fight against Sauron. More than likely, it will be Elendil and his own men who show up, thus establishing what will eventually become the Last Alliance of Elves and Men. Regardless, the bulk of this canon Lord of the Rings war will play out in Rings of Power season 3.
The War of the Elves and Sauron ended in SA 1701, while Ar-Pharazôn wasn’t born until SA 3118. Rings of Power shifted and condensed the timeline so that Pharazôn, Elendil, and Isildur’s (as well as other mortals’) lifetimes lined up with the action.
The first two seasons of this prequel show have largely shown the Elves oblivious to Sauron’s threat. Additionally, Sauron himself has been pretending to be things he is not. This allowed for the impression of peace in Middle-earth. As things change in Rings of Power season 3, it will feel like that dark shift between Fellowship of the Ring and The Two Towers—just with even higher stakes. Of course, it wouldn’t be The Lord of the Rings without those slivers of light and hope piercing through the darkness. Canon may still be flexible, but we should at least get that LOTR feel in season 3.
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- Movie(s)
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The Lord of the Rings (1978), The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies, The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim
- Created by
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J.R.R. Tolkien
- First Film
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The Lord of the Rings (1978)
- Cast
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Norman Bird, Anthony Daniels, Elijah Wood, Ian McKellen, Liv Tyler, Viggo Mortensen, Sean Astin, Cate Blanchett, John Rhys-Davies, Billy Boyd, Dominic Monaghan, Orlando Bloom, Christopher Lee, Hugo Weaving, Sean Bean, Ian Holm, Andy Serkis, Brad Dourif, Karl Urban, Martin Freeman, Richard Armitage, James Nesbitt, Ken Stott, Benedict Cumberbatch, Evangeline Lilly, Lee Pace, Luke Evans, Morfydd Clark, Mike Wood, Ismael Cruz Cordova, Charlie Vickers, Markella Kavenagh, Megan Richards, Sara Zwangobani, Daniel Weyman, Cynthia Addai-Robinson, Lenny Henry, Brian Cox, Shaun Dooley, Miranda Otto, Bilal Hasna, Benjamin Wainwright, Luke Pasqualino, Christopher Guard, William Squire, Michael Scholes, John Hurt
- TV Show(s)
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The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power
- Character(s)
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Frodo Baggins, Gandalf, Legolas, Boromir, Sauron, Gollum, Samwise Gamgee, Pippin Took, Celeborn, Aragorn, Galadriel, Bilbo Baggins, Saruman, Aldor, Wormtongue, Thorin Oakenshield, Balin Dwalin, Bifur, Bofur, Bombur, Fili, Kili, Oin, Gloin, Nori, Dori, Ori, Tauriel, King Thranduil, Smaug, Radagast, Arondir, Nori Brandyfoot, Poppy Proudfellow, Marigold Brandyfoot, Queen Regent Míriel, Sadoc Burrows
The Lord of the Rings is a multimedia franchise consisting of several movies and a TV show released by Amazon titled The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power. The franchise is based on J.R.R. Tolkien’s book series that began in 1954 with The Fellowship of the Ring. The Lord of the Rings saw mainstream popularity with Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit trilogies.
