

Viewers will also catch references to The Silmarillion, which charts Middle-earth's creation and the events of the First Age.

They found some of these hints in songs characters sing and tales they tell each other, which just goes to show how deeply connected Tolkien's entire mythology is. Don't expect the show to adhere strictly to the timeline presented in Appendix B - it's certain that The Rings of Power will play with time in order to bring certain characters and events together.Īccording to an interview in Vulture (opens in a new tab), McKay and Payne also scoured Tolkien's other books for hints about what may have happened during the Second Age.

This allows them to flesh out the key milestones of Middle-earth in a way that Tolkien couldn't with just a timeline. McKay and Payne are primarily drawing from the "Tale of Years" and the other Appendices in The Rings of Power. However, not a lot of it is written out in detail - you can find a condensed timeline of these events in Appendix B of The Lord of the Rings, also known as the "Tale of Years." Quite a bit happens during this age, including the rise and fall of the kingdom of Númenor and the Forging of the Great Rings. The Rings of Power takes place during the Second Age of Middle-earth. Here are the three biggest ways The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power is different from Tolkien's work.Ī pinch of "The Silmarillion," a dash of the Appendices. We'd be here all week! Instead, I'll be looking at these massive structural changes, why Payne and McKay may have made them, and whether or not they work. Because of this, I won't be examining the most granular book-to-show differences. However, its changes - including creating entire characters from scratch - are on a much bigger scale. As with any adaptation, The Rings of Power makes several changes between page and screen. Payne and Patrick McKay actually pull from a variety of Tolkien's work, like The Silmarillion and the Appendices of The Lord of the Rings, to create something new.

The Rings of Power doesn't re-adapt The Lord of the Rings. You also won't find that most devilish piece of jewelry, the One Ring. You'll find no Frodo, no Gandalf, and no Fellowship. However, contrary to what the title would suggest, the story of this series is not, in fact, that of J.R.R. The first two episodes of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power are here, and they are nothing short of spectacular.
