The Rings of Power: A Creative Twist on Tolkien's Second Age

The Compressed Timeline of the Second Age

The events of the Second Age of Middle-earth spanned over 3,000 years in Tolkien canon.

Rings of Power Middle-earth

The Second Age of Middle-earth was 3,441 years long, and the important events that took place during this time period were spread out across these years. For Elves like Galadriel and Elrond, this was nothing, but countless generations of Men, Hobbits, and Dwarves came and went during the canon Second Age. For this reason, Prime Video's The Rings of Power had no choice but to compress the timeline. This way, mortal characters like Prince Durin IV, Isildur, and Nori could be part of the action from beginning to end rather than audiences getting to know new Dwarves, Harfoots, and Men every episode.

Rings of power Gil Galad mithril

The Origin of Mithril: A Unique Twist

Mithril isn't a byproduct of the Silmarils in Tolkien canon.

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Mithril was a precious and coveted ore in Lord of the Rings canon and is ultimately why the Dwarves of Khazad-dûm met their downfall. This has been set up in The Rings of Power season 1 (though far sooner than it should be, thanks to the condensed timeline), but the origin of Mithril, as described by the series, is entirely unique. In season 1, the ore is said to be the byproduct of a battle between an Elf and a Balrog over a Silmaril that got caught in a tree. This makes Mithril nearly as valuable as the Silmarils themselves in Rings of Power's version of Second Age Middle-earth.

Elrond holding mithril in The Rings of Power.

Galadriel, Halbrand, and the Arrival of the Istari

Sauron most famously took the form of the Elf Annatar in the Second Age.

Rings of Power Elf Balrog Tree Silmaril Mithril Retcon

Leading up to the release of Rings of Power season 1, Halbrand was thought to be a brand new Human character, and given the vast number of Men that would have lived and died during the Second Age, this wasn't too major an addition to Middle-earth. Of course, it was revealed in the season 1 finale that Halbrand is actually a Human form of the Dark Lord Sauron, and this was never a feature of Tolkien's works. Still, Sauron could indeed shapeshift into virtually anything he wanted during this point of the Second Age, so there are worse changes Rings of Power could have made. The problem only comes if Halbrand is Prime Video's version of the fair-form Annatar.

A Balrog with his mouth open in The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the RIng.

Gandalf didn't arrive in Middle-earth until the beginning of the Third Age. Rings of Power season 1 never fully nailed down the identity of The Stranger, but it's heavily implied that he is meant to be Gandalf. If this is the case, then the wizard's arrival in Middle-earth has been changed from how Tolkien originally intended in both the means and the time period. According to canon, Gandalf came to Middle-earth at the beginning of the Third Age, not during the Second, and he arrived in the Gray Havens like most beings from Valinor. There were Istari that arrived in Middle-earth during the Second Age, but they were the Blue Wizards and should have had no connection with Hobbits (or Rings of Power's Harfoots).

Custom image of Halbrand with Sauron in the background from The Lord of the Rings The Rings of Power season 1