Season 3 Rings of Power: Skipping Tolkien’s Darkest Moment?

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Summary

  • Season 3 of The Rings of Power will feature a time jump, potentially avoiding the darkest moments from Tolkien’s lore.
  • Celebrimbor’s fate in the show was dark but less gruesome than in the books, sparing viewers from a more horrifying depiction.
  • Despite the time jump in season 3, flashbacks or visions could still revisit darker moments as Sauron’s power grows.

In its forthcoming Season 3, Amazon’s Prime Video series, “The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power,” is set to leap forward in time. Despite the ongoing conflict between the elves and the Dark Lord Sauron following the siege of Eregion and the demise of Lord Celebrimbor, viewers may avoid a chilling moment in the narrative that has historically sent shivers down the spines of Tolkien enthusiasts.

Following a moderately successful debut, The Rings of Power stepped up its game in season 2. The intricate depiction of Charlie Vickers’ Annatar (Sauron) and Charles Edwards’ elven smith Celebrimbor’s emotionally abusive relationship was particularly noteworthy. Despite the bleak and dismal tone of the season finale for the renowned smith of Eregion, book readers anticipate that Celebrimbor’s fate in the finale could have been even more dire than what was presented. However, with the timeline leap in season 3, this potentially grim outcome might be avoided.

What Did Sauron Do To Celebrimbor?

In the eighth episode of season 2 in “The Rings of Power”, titled “Shadow and Flame”, the city of Eregion is under attack by Adar (played by Sam Hazeldine) and his Orcs, even as High King Gil-galad’s (Benjamin Walker) army, headed by Elrond (Robert Aramayo), battles them. Galadriel (Morfydd Clark) attempts to save a wounded and weary Celebrimbor. Yet, he requests her to remove the nine rings from Annatar and remains in Eregion as its ruler.

Upon returning to his forge with soldiers, Celebrimbor confronts Annatar. However, Annatar, revealing his true self, slays the guards and torments Celebrimbor in an attempt to learn the whereabouts of the nine rings. As he pierces Celebrimbor’s body with arrows, Sauron mercilessly mocks him, manipulating his mind by making him think that his own actions led to this torture. To add to his torment, Sauron even threatens to employ dark magic and necromancy to keep Celebrimbor hovering near death until he discloses all the knowledge Sauron desires.

There are ways of keeping you alive, mellon. Must I show you my mastery of that craft as well?

When Celebrimbor stands firm against Sauron’s provocation, and his ominous words strike a chord, the Dark Lord ultimately takes his life by piercing him with a spear in the series. In the books, Tolkien extends an even more dreadful outcome for the most skilled elven blacksmith since Fëanor. In his narrative, Celebrimbor’s death is followed by a ghastly scene that would send shivers down the spines of the elves and leave them heartbroken upon witnessing it.

Celebrimbor’s Fate In The Books

As per a passage in the book “Unfinished Tales of Númenor & Middle-earth” (wherein the series diverges), following Sauron’s attack on Eregion and his acquisition of the Nine Rings intended for men, he is unsuccessful in locating the remaining rings – the Seven and the Three. To discover their whereabouts, Sauron resorts to torturing Celebrimbor (likely by Orcs), but gains no information about the elven rings. Eventually, Celebrimbor discloses the location of the dwarven rings, however, he remains silent on the matter of the three elven rings.

After Sauron learns that Celebrimbor likely gave away the three Elven rings to Galadriel and Gil-galad, he orders his death in anger. This act enrages him even further, and he takes to the battlefield against Elrond’s army, with Celebrimbor’s body, riddled by arrows and left as a grisly trophy, hung up like a gory flag. The exact response of the elves to this gruesome spectacle isn’t detailed, but it’s easy to imagine that even the bravest among them would find such a sight demoralizing. This scene bears a chilling resemblance to the moment in The Return of the King, where the Orcs launch the severed heads of Gondor’s fallen soldiers over the walls of Minas Tirith, aiming to discourage their enemies.

As a film enthusiast, I’d put it this way: Fueled by fury, I [Sauron] returned to the battlefield, the lifeless form of Celebrimbor dangling from a pole, riddled with Orc arrows, serving as my flag. With renewed vigor, I charged against Elrond’s forces.

As the second season finale of “The Rings of Power” approached, fans who were aware of Celebrimbor’s eventual fate pondered if the series would delve into it. Some felt that such a grim scene might be too graphic, particularly for those who have only watched the films and are unaware of the darker aspects of Tolkien’s tales from the First and Second Ages. On social media, fans referred to this potential scene using the term ‘Celebrimbanner.’ Fortunately, the ‘Celebrimbanner’ scenario did not materialize, and Charles Edwards’ final portrayal of Celebrimbor remained the impactful moment where he labels Sauron as a prisoner of the rings and names him “The Lord of the Rings.” This seemed like a fitting conclusion to the character.

In the third season of “The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power,” it seems that events might leap forward from those in season 2. This could potentially shield fans from a grim situation. However, given the series’ penchant for flashbacks and vision sequences (such as Galadriel’s glimpses of her brother and Celebrimbor), this ominous moment may yet surface as a flashback or poignant memory for one of the elves. This could serve to underscore Sauron’s capabilities, fueling their resolve to stand against him. As Sauron now targets the realm of Númenor, there’s much darkness awaiting us to uncover.

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2025-05-03 23:08