Lord of the Rings series!?

For discussion of Amazon's new television show "The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power"
Post Reply
User avatar
Voronwë the Faithful
At the intersection of here and now
Posts: 45926
Joined: Mon Nov 21, 2005 1:41 am
Contact:

Re: Lord of the Rings series!?

Post by Voronwë the Faithful »

In The Silmarillion, of course, it is Maglor that adopts Elrond and Elros and comes to love them, not Maedhros.
Great was the sorrow of Eärendil and Elwing for the ruin of the havens of Sirion, and the captivity of their sons, and they feared that they would be slain; but it was not so. For Maglor took pity upon Elros and Elrond, and he cherished them, and love grew after between them, as little might be thought; but Maglor's heart was sick and weary with the burden of the dreadful oath.
At the moment I am not recalling whether there was an alternative story in which it was Maedhros who fostered Elrond and Elros. My brain is over full.
"Spirits in the shape of hawks and eagles flew ever to and from his halls; and their eyes could see to the depths of the seas, and pierce the hidden caverns beneath the world."
User avatar
Stranger Wings
Posts: 537
Joined: Mon Nov 19, 2012 6:00 pm

Re: Lord of the Rings series!?

Post by Stranger Wings »

Voronwë the Faithful wrote: Fri Aug 12, 2022 7:51 pm In The Silmarillion, of course, it is Maglor that adopts Elrond and Elros and comes to love them, not Maedhros.
Great was the sorrow of Eärendil and Elwing for the ruin of the havens of Sirion, and the captivity of their sons, and they feared that they would be slain; but it was not so. For Maglor took pity upon Elros and Elrond, and he cherished them, and love grew after between them, as little might be thought; but Maglor's heart was sick and weary with the burden of the dreadful oath.
At the moment I am not recalling whether there was an alternative story in which it was Maedhros who fostered Elrond and Elros. My brain is over full.
Oops. Got my wires crossed there. And I knew that was the case in the published Silmarillion, as I had previously gotten excited about the possibility of Adar being Maglor, and there thus being father-son drama between him and Elrond in the show. Still hoping for that, though I know that not all are on board with Maglor going from wandering one-handed bard singing laments to leading orcs in assaults on elven towers!

ETA: But Maedhros being their foster father was somewhere in my brain, and I just realized that in the earliest version of the story, that was the case. From HoMe, vol. IV, ‘Quenta Noldorinwa (Q1)”:

“But Maidros took pity upon her child Elrond, and took him with him, and harboured and nurtured him, for his heart was sick and weary with the burden of the dreadful oath…”

This is very intriguing, then. Given that Aramayo mentioned Maedhros, seemingly in reference to his life after being orphaned, could the showrunners be going with a version of the story that’s not in the Silmarillion, but in HoME? If so, why?
Last edited by Stranger Wings on Sat Aug 13, 2022 11:36 am, edited 5 times in total.
“He went alone to look in Mirrormere.” - The Book of Mazarbul
User avatar
Voronwë the Faithful
At the intersection of here and now
Posts: 45926
Joined: Mon Nov 21, 2005 1:41 am
Contact:

Re: Lord of the Rings series!?

Post by Voronwë the Faithful »

New posters?
Image
ImageImage
Image
Image

Sent from my SM-G998U using Tapatalk


"Spirits in the shape of hawks and eagles flew ever to and from his halls; and their eyes could see to the depths of the seas, and pierce the hidden caverns beneath the world."
User avatar
Voronwë the Faithful
At the intersection of here and now
Posts: 45926
Joined: Mon Nov 21, 2005 1:41 am
Contact:

Re: Lord of the Rings series!?

Post by Voronwë the Faithful »

Stranger Wings wrote: Fri Aug 12, 2022 10:26 pmETA: But Maedhros being their foster father was somewhere in my brain, and I just realized that in the earliest version of the story, that was the case. From HoMe, vol. IV, ‘Quenta Noldorinwa (Q1)”:

“But Maidros took pity upon her child Elrond, and took him with him, and harboured and nurtured him, for his heart was sick and weary with the burden of the dreadful oath…”

This is very intriguing, then. Given that Aramayo mentioned Maedhros, seemingly in reference to his life after being orphaned, could the showrunners be going with a version of the story that’s not in the Silmarillion, but in HoME? If so, why?
Thanks for pointing that out, SW. I had a niggling memory that was the case, but I didn't have the bandwidth to check at that moment.

However, I am doubtful that it will turn out to be something that they portray in the show. Most likely, it was just Aramayo talking about reading that he has done. We'll see though.
"Spirits in the shape of hawks and eagles flew ever to and from his halls; and their eyes could see to the depths of the seas, and pierce the hidden caverns beneath the world."
User avatar
Voronwë the Faithful
At the intersection of here and now
Posts: 45926
Joined: Mon Nov 21, 2005 1:41 am
Contact:

Re: Lord of the Rings series!?

Post by Voronwë the Faithful »

Saw this on Facebook. There was no link and no original French text, so I have no idea whether it is real, or accurate. Seems to be, though. ETA: Here's the original: https://image.noelshack.com/fichiers/20 ... 061125.jpg
French interview with John Howe about his work on the series .
What did your work consist of?
Imagining the world in which we would evolve. I mainly worked on the settings. We would start by discussing a subject, I would go off and make a series of sketches, and then we would have a long discussion, through drawings, to come up with something that not only suited us aesthetically but also met the requirements of the shoot.

Númenor?
I began by designing the map of Númenor, which is going to be of significant importance in the series: a vast island located off the coast of Middle-earth. Tolkien drew a lot of maps in his lifetime, but not this one. So we had to visualize what this world was like before the cataclysm that brought it down. We proceeded by doing a lot of research in the texts, grabbing a word here, an indication there... We had to locate it, check its size, set up the cities and different places. We spent a lot of time to know who could have built such road and when...

Confronting the fans?
And at some point, we put this map online. Twenty minutes later, a fan sent us a message to tell us that we had made two mistakes: a city and an estuary were wrong!

A dwarf with no beard?
On the lack of beard of the dwarf princess Disa: You have to accept that passionate people consider themselves the guardians of the temple. They are formidable and have encyclopedic knowledge. Some of them even speak the Elvish language invented by Tolkien. It is both frightening and exciting. So yes, we know that the slightest mistake will be blamed on us, but they are also a great source of information and their sites have always helped me a lot.

A Balrog with wings? Blasphemy!
Some of them have been with us since the first Peter Jackson movie. I've also been fiercely criticized for putting wings on the Balrog, when today the concept is part of the populare culture...

Remaining faithful?
In the end, only one thing is important: to go back to Tolkien's texts, keeping in mind that it is above all their spirit that we must illustrate.

How many drawings?
I made 1500 sketches for the first season. And I'm already at 450 for the next one. I try to produce between five and ten sketches a day.

Real world references
Unlike LOTR, which was a world in decline, the equivalent of Rome in the 17th century, with great empires that left nothing but ruins, here everything is alive, vigorous and populated... It's really going to be exciting. I only have one regret with the work done: not being able to discover it with a new look, like a regular spectator.
"Spirits in the shape of hawks and eagles flew ever to and from his halls; and their eyes could see to the depths of the seas, and pierce the hidden caverns beneath the world."
User avatar
Stranger Wings
Posts: 537
Joined: Mon Nov 19, 2012 6:00 pm

Re: Lord of the Rings series!?

Post by Stranger Wings »

It’s real - I read it a few days ago. The neat thing is that it implies we’re going to be seeing a lot more than just Armenelos - as some feared that Númenor would get compressed into one big location. Lloyd Owen previously hinted at seeing Andúnië too. I think the show runners aren’t interesting in simplifying the geography of Númenor, and I think we’ll see a lot of it.
“He went alone to look in Mirrormere.” - The Book of Mazarbul
User avatar
Voronwë the Faithful
At the intersection of here and now
Posts: 45926
Joined: Mon Nov 21, 2005 1:41 am
Contact:

Re: Lord of the Rings series!?

Post by Voronwë the Faithful »

Stranger Wings wrote: Sat Aug 13, 2022 11:10 pm It’s real - I read it a few days ago.
Is the translation fairly accurate?
"Spirits in the shape of hawks and eagles flew ever to and from his halls; and their eyes could see to the depths of the seas, and pierce the hidden caverns beneath the world."
User avatar
Stranger Wings
Posts: 537
Joined: Mon Nov 19, 2012 6:00 pm

Re: Lord of the Rings series!?

Post by Stranger Wings »

Voronwë the Faithful wrote: Sat Aug 13, 2022 11:25 pm
Stranger Wings wrote: Sat Aug 13, 2022 11:10 pm It’s real - I read it a few days ago.
Is the translation fairly accurate?
Seems so. Though my French isn’t great, so don’t hang your hat on that. Ask me about a future interview in Italian. :)
“He went alone to look in Mirrormere.” - The Book of Mazarbul
User avatar
Voronwë the Faithful
At the intersection of here and now
Posts: 45926
Joined: Mon Nov 21, 2005 1:41 am
Contact:

Re: Lord of the Rings series!?

Post by Voronwë the Faithful »

Not a big fan of this particular promo, I'm afraid.

"Spirits in the shape of hawks and eagles flew ever to and from his halls; and their eyes could see to the depths of the seas, and pierce the hidden caverns beneath the world."
User avatar
Voronwë the Faithful
At the intersection of here and now
Posts: 45926
Joined: Mon Nov 21, 2005 1:41 am
Contact:

Re: Lord of the Rings series!?

Post by Voronwë the Faithful »

I like this one better, however.

"Spirits in the shape of hawks and eagles flew ever to and from his halls; and their eyes could see to the depths of the seas, and pierce the hidden caverns beneath the world."
User avatar
Stranger Wings
Posts: 537
Joined: Mon Nov 19, 2012 6:00 pm

Re: Lord of the Rings series!?

Post by Stranger Wings »

Voronwë the Faithful wrote: Mon Aug 15, 2022 6:30 pm I like this one better, however.

Notice at 0:57, Galadriel is sneaking out of a window while a Númenórean palace guard below her is presumably looking for her (and looking quite angry). I imagine she's in some kind of house arrest and she's slipping away? Interesting.

Unlike some, I like the potential for the Galadriel-goes-to-Númenor plot to serve as a dramatic way to expose Númenórean internal social conflict at the outset. Despite there being no indication by Tolkien that Galadriel every visited.
“He went alone to look in Mirrormere.” - The Book of Mazarbul
User avatar
Voronwë the Faithful
At the intersection of here and now
Posts: 45926
Joined: Mon Nov 21, 2005 1:41 am
Contact:

Re: Lord of the Rings series!?

Post by Voronwë the Faithful »

Voronwë the Faithful wrote: Mon Aug 15, 2022 5:48 pm Not a big fan of this particular promo, I'm afraid.

SW, do you agree that the dialogue in this promo is less promising than in some that we have seen?
"Spirits in the shape of hawks and eagles flew ever to and from his halls; and their eyes could see to the depths of the seas, and pierce the hidden caverns beneath the world."
User avatar
Stranger Wings
Posts: 537
Joined: Mon Nov 19, 2012 6:00 pm

Re: Lord of the Rings series!?

Post by Stranger Wings »

Voronwë the Faithful wrote: Tue Aug 16, 2022 3:21 pm
Voronwë the Faithful wrote: Mon Aug 15, 2022 5:48 pm Not a big fan of this particular promo, I'm afraid.

SW, do you agree that the dialogue in this promo is less promising than in some that we have seen?
I have no ability to judge, really, as they are all very basic questions and answers given by the characters. And sliced up into a rapid fire promo clip. That’s a very different form than the continuous scene we saw of Galadriel in (Gundabad? Utumno?) and the less frenetic pace of the Númenor promo.
“He went alone to look in Mirrormere.” - The Book of Mazarbul
User avatar
Voronwë the Faithful
At the intersection of here and now
Posts: 45926
Joined: Mon Nov 21, 2005 1:41 am
Contact:

Re: Lord of the Rings series!?

Post by Voronwë the Faithful »

I hope you're right. I particularly dislike the juxtaposition of Galadriel's and Halbrand's responses to the "name thyself" but I suspect that is a product of the marketing department's editing. I don't love the "daughter of the Golden House" but I don't mind it nearly as much as "Commander of armies of Gil-galad" because is not a product of editing and shows a very different picture of the standing of Galadriel and Gil-galad vis-a-vis each other. But the worst by far is the throaty-sounding "fight with me" that deliberately evokes Éowyn and Merry in the Jackson films. Yuck!
"Spirits in the shape of hawks and eagles flew ever to and from his halls; and their eyes could see to the depths of the seas, and pierce the hidden caverns beneath the world."
User avatar
Stranger Wings
Posts: 537
Joined: Mon Nov 19, 2012 6:00 pm

Re: Lord of the Rings series!?

Post by Stranger Wings »

I don’t know. It’s all out of context with only melodramatic moments in quick succession. Remember that the first season is 8 hours long. That’s almost as long as the entire LOTR trilogy. We’re seeing 10-second clips that likely feel nothing like how the scenes play out on screen.

ETA: Here’s a less frenetic succession of clips from the Forodwaith scenes, for example, and how different this feels from the other quick promos. Also, what stunning cinematography (and score) in those clips. Haunting.

https://www.adobe.com/creativecloud/des ... #Watch-now
Last edited by Stranger Wings on Tue Aug 16, 2022 10:07 pm, edited 1 time in total.
“He went alone to look in Mirrormere.” - The Book of Mazarbul
User avatar
Voronwë the Faithful
At the intersection of here and now
Posts: 45926
Joined: Mon Nov 21, 2005 1:41 am
Contact:

Re: Lord of the Rings series!?

Post by Voronwë the Faithful »

It's really only that one promo that has given me a bad feeling, so I'm still cautiously optimistic that I'll like it. Assuming that I ever see it.
"Spirits in the shape of hawks and eagles flew ever to and from his halls; and their eyes could see to the depths of the seas, and pierce the hidden caverns beneath the world."
User avatar
Stranger Wings
Posts: 537
Joined: Mon Nov 19, 2012 6:00 pm

Re: Lord of the Rings series!?

Post by Stranger Wings »

Voronwë the Faithful wrote: Tue Aug 16, 2022 9:55 pm It's really only that one promo that has given me a bad feeling, so I'm still cautiously optimistic that I'll like it. Assuming that I ever see it.
Wait. You might opt not to see it?
“He went alone to look in Mirrormere.” - The Book of Mazarbul
User avatar
Voronwë the Faithful
At the intersection of here and now
Posts: 45926
Joined: Mon Nov 21, 2005 1:41 am
Contact:

Re: Lord of the Rings series!?

Post by Voronwë the Faithful »

I cancelled my Amazon Prime account years ago, and I'm not inclined to renew it for five years. But there doesn't seem to be any other way to watch the show. Apparently, you can't just rent or buy their original shows like you can other stuff that they have on Prime Video. So I'm not sure what will happen at this point.
"Spirits in the shape of hawks and eagles flew ever to and from his halls; and their eyes could see to the depths of the seas, and pierce the hidden caverns beneath the world."
User avatar
Stranger Wings
Posts: 537
Joined: Mon Nov 19, 2012 6:00 pm

Re: Lord of the Rings series!?

Post by Stranger Wings »

Voronwë the Faithful wrote: Tue Aug 16, 2022 10:36 pm I cancelled my Amazon Prime account years ago, and I'm not inclined to renew it for five years. But there doesn't seem to be any other way to watch the show. Apparently, you can't just rent or buy their original shows like you can other stuff that they have on Prime Video. So I'm not sure what will happen at this point.
Can you subscribe, watch the show, and then unsubscribe?
“He went alone to look in Mirrormere.” - The Book of Mazarbul
User avatar
Voronwë the Faithful
At the intersection of here and now
Posts: 45926
Joined: Mon Nov 21, 2005 1:41 am
Contact:

Re: Lord of the Rings series!?

Post by Voronwë the Faithful »

There are three different ways to interpret that suggestion.

1. Subscribe, watch the show for the full 5-10 years that it lasts, and then unsubscribe. I'm sure that I could do that, but I'm not sure I would want to.

2. Subscribe, watch the first season, then unsubscribe. Resubscribe for the second season, then unsubscribe. Rinse and repeat. I don't know whether I could -- or would want to -- do that.

3. Subscribe, watch the first episode(s). Unsubscribe. Resubscribe for the next episode, then unsubscribe. Repeat ad nauseum. I'm pretty sure that I either could not - or would not - do that.
"Spirits in the shape of hawks and eagles flew ever to and from his halls; and their eyes could see to the depths of the seas, and pierce the hidden caverns beneath the world."
Post Reply