I like rings of power – I still have questions! #2

I’ve just watched the fourth episode of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power and to be honest I found it a bit tame compared to the previous episodes which raised a lot of questions for me. That doesn’t mean I don’t have one though! However, I want to look after the questions I still have Question #1 on Rings of Power work up a few more issues left over from the first three episodes… and that includes…

What time are we in now?!

The question about the Black Speech (aka Black Speech) came up in the first part of this series, Syntax00Error asked it. The question goes something like this, I’ve adjusted it a bit for context: How is it possible that Galadriel recognizes the Black Speech in Episode 3? My note on that scene went like this: “LOL 1. Black Speech, 2. Rune is Mordor, when are we here?!”

Again to the Black Speech: Sauron is said to have developed them in Mordor to give the orcs a basis for exchange. The Black Speech consists of the Ur-Elvish, Orc languages ​​and the language of Aman, the Valarin. Basically, this language is a mix of everything Sauron himself knows, for as most have now understood, he is himself a Maiar of Aman who followed the “fallen” Morgoth.

However, the Black Speech was used less by the Orcs, who communicated in the common language, the Westron, and more by Sauron’s higher dignitaries. Take the Nazgûl, for example. That Sauron would use the Black Speech to show his sinister followers the way to Mordor, in a language not many others know and definitely not with a symbolism that would show even the dumbest idiot the way to Mordor, is the narrative of the series makes sense.

However, the question still arises as to which period of the Second Age we are in, for: Galadriel comes upon the Black Speech funnel in the Halls of History (probably in the west of the island in Andunie) after studying the papers whose Collection once started by Elros (Elrond’s brother and founding father of Númenor btw).

The timing

Sauron founded Mordor around the year 1000 of the Second Age. Númenor, on the other hand, was settled in the year 32 of the Second Age; Elros crowned as a Tar miniature. We’ll talk about Ar-Pharazôn, one thing at a time, in a moment. But Pharazôn was born in the third millennium of the Second Age (3118 ZZ) and crowned in the year 3255. Since Pharazôn has already appeared in the series, it can be assumed that Sauron has already become active in Mordor, only nobody has really noticed it – which makes absolutely no sense from the actual canon, because Celebrimbor is already around the year 1500 ZZ started forging the rings… but as we said before, time and Amazon are two things with a lot of room for interpretation. At this point it is really very important to emphasize: the showrunners squeeze events from 1,500 to 2,000 years into five seasons!

However, does it make sense that Galadriel is able to speak the Black Speech? As mentioned, the language also consists in parts of the languages ​​of the Valar, the Maiar and the Elves. I wouldn’t be surprised if she could understand that, especially since she reads an agent’s report in the series. Stupid, however, that she only understands in such a strikingly arranged scene that the rune is actually a “map” that shows Sauron’s followers the way in the simplest way. Galadriel is pretty blind, as she says herself.

Pharazôn hates elves and Valar and doesn’t need to bother to hide it in any way.

Source: Prime Video/Amazon Studios

Pharazôn is a chancellor?!?!?!!!?!?!?

I’ve already hinted that Pharazôn’s appearance as Chancellor of the Regent Míriel isn’t particularly…well, I find that funny, but there’s room in canon for handy interpretation. Ar-Pharazôn is actually called Tar-Calion and was the 25th and last king of Númenor. How he will get to this post in the series can already be guessed in the fourth episode of Rings of Power: Númenoreans consider themselves to be quite infallible anyway, suppressed the other people on Middle-earth’s coasts from the year 1800 ZZ and at some point owned (thanks Sauron) the deluded belief that they deserved the immortality of the Elves.

The impending civil war between the faithful of the Eldar (Elendil and other houses that are friendly to the Elves) and the Númenóreans, who are hostile to the Valar and already hinted at in the market place scene, is a deep glimpse.

Míriel is the rightful heir to the throne and is canonically forced into marriage to Pharazôn – I suspect it won’t be that different in the series.

Source: Prime Video/Amazon Studios

This also allows for a chronological classification, for in Tolkien’s lore, Míriel is the daughter of Tar-Palantir, the repentant king who attempted to resume and strengthen ties with the Eldar and Valar. Tar-Míriel was supposed to succeed him as regent, just as the royal office has always passed to the offspring. But Tar-Palantir’s nephew, the son of his brother Gimilkhâd, the same Pharazôn, took Míriel as his wife against her will and thus seized the ruler’s scepter – and with his Eldar hostility sealed the prophesied downfall of Númenor.

Whether Tar-Palantir really had a palantír is unclear. Canonically, the king foretold the fall of Númenor when the White Tree would come to an end. Probably for clarity, the showrunners linked his divination to the palantír. You always need your mallet in this series, it seems to me (see Galadriel’s insight above).

Exemplary for reservedness: Disa, which in my opinion is a good compromise for “beard or not beard”.

Source: Prime Video/Amazon Studios

Are the showrunners politically correct?

I know political correctness and wokeness are hornet’s nest issues, and this isn’t the place for us to talk about skin color or beards or the moral ideal of the template. Middle-earth itself is already a place of racism and casteism – I’m sure I’ll go into that later in this series of articles. I don’t find any character in the series particularly negative or positive – even if I don’t understand why Isildur and Anárion had to be attributed a sister.

On the other hand, what strikes me is that all the characters, simple extras as well as important characters, walk around absolutely buttoned up. There you can see the most beautiful robes and pieces of jewellery, maybe a few shoulders, but no décolleté.

Yes, okay, maybe our world is overly sexualized, but get this: men and women sometimes dress a little more body-hugging, simply because they feel like it. The series shows Halbard breaking a dude’s arm in a brawl, but heaven forbid there’s no permissiveness? Especially not on Númenor? I think that’s a bad joke.