Warning! This article contains spoilers for The Rings of Power season 2, episode 7.
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Powerseason 2’s main set-piece is the Siege of Eregion, a battle that features several changes from J.R.R. Tolkien’s books. Despite manyTolkien characters being involved inThe Rings of Power,the show is not afraid to make changes to the source material where necessary. Although many will use book deviations as a reason to label the Prime Video adaptation as a failure, thechanges toThe Rings of Power’s Second Ageare mostly needed to suit the medium of television while staying true to the spirit of Tolkien.
As it turns out,The Rings of Powerseason 2’s major action sequence, the Siege of Eregion, contains several of these changes. From the members ofThe Rings of Powerseason 2’s castthat fight in the battle to those absent from the books, the Siege of Eregion is full of equal amounts of spectacle, excitement, and alterations. AsThe Rings of Powerseason 3’s storylooms large in the aftermath of Eregion’s destruction, it is worth exploring each way the massive event of the Second Age was different between Tolkien’s books and the Prime Video adaptation.
8Sauron Leads The Siege Of Eregion In The Books, Not Adar
The Machinations Of Eregion’s Assault Are Altered In The Rings Of Power
Perhaps the most overt difference concerning the Siege of Eregion betweenThe Rings of Powerand Tolkien’s books is the motivations behind the assault.In the books, Sauron leads the attack against Eregion himself, determined to claim the Rings of Powerbelonging to men and dwarves, as well as learn the location of the three Elven Rings of Power. InThe Rings of Power, this is slightly different, yet still remains truthful to Sauron’s overall plan as written by Tolkien.
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The Rings of Powerseason 2 instead has Adar lead the Siege of Eregion. Adar and his orcs attack the city as they know Sauron is inside; if they can kill him, they can live in peace in the land of Mordor. This is a big difference from Tolkien’s books, though in both mediums Sauron is responsible. InThe Rings of Power, it is Sauron - under the guise of Halbrand - who plants the idea in Adar’s mind to attack Eregion, proving the dark lord to be the manipulative, tricky, deceitful mastermind he is described as in Tolkien’s works.
7The Rings Of Power Should Already Be Complete When The Siege Of Eregion Happens
The Rings of Power’s Timeline Is Slightly Different Concerning Eregion’s Attack
Another of the primary differences of the Siege of Eregion inThe Rings of Powerseason 2 is the timelineof events. In the source material, the Siege of Eregion does not take place until after the crafting of the Rings of Power. Sauron, using his Annatar disguise, had already been to Eregion to manipulate Celebrimbor into constructing the Rings. It was only after Celebrimbor began defying Sauron by not divulging the location of the Rings for dwarves and men that Sauron decided to invade Eregion and claim them for himself.
Sauron arrives at Eregion as Annatar
Annatar & Celebrimbor craft the Rings of Power
Sauron invades Eriador (& Eregion)
S.A. 1697
Eregion falls, Celebrimbor is defeated, and Sauron gains the Rings of Power
This timeline looks somewhat different inThe Rings of Powerseason 2, however. In the Prime Video show,Lord of the Rings'19 Rings of Powerare being crafted as the Siege of Eregion begins. The elven Rings were crafted inThe Rings of Powerseason 1’s finale, and the dwarven pieces of jewelry were completed midway through season 2. The Rings of men, though, are still being crafted by Celebrimbor as the Siege of Eregion rages around him, with Sauron using the assault as a distraction. This change was made to condense the show’s timeline while increasing tension.
6Galadriel Did Not Fight In The Siege Of Eregion
Galadriel’s Whereabouts Are Not Entirely Clear In The Books
Although many will claim that Galadriel’s Amazonian depiction inThe Rings of Powergoes against Tolkien’s writings, the author depicted her as one of the primary foes of Sauron inMiddle-earth’s Second and Third Ages. That said, her appearance in some key battles was never outright mentioned by Tolkien, including the Siege of Eregion. It is only mentioned that Sauron eventually deduces from Celebrimbor that one of the elven Rings of Power was given to Galadriel.
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Naturally,given thatThe Rings of Power’s main character is Galadriel, she is present during the Siege of Eregion. Her presence at first is as a prisoner of Adar, yet she eventually escapes with the help of Arondir before making her way into the city. There, she finds Celebrimbor who gives her the nine rings of men so that she can smuggle them away from Sauron. This is an addition to the story inThe Rings of Power,made to further establish Galadriel and Sauron’s rivalry in the show.
5The Books Depict Celeborn Aiding Eregion In The Siege
Galadriel’s Husband Is Yet To Appear In The Rings Of Power
One of the main characters tied to Galadriel who is yet to appear inThe Rings of Poweris Celeborn. Celeborn was mentioned inThe Rings of Powerseason 1 as Galadriel’s husband who fought alongside her in the War of Wrath, only to go missing in the battle. Celeborn has since been assumed dead, despite his confirmed survival in the books of Tolkien.
The Rings of Power’s creators have confirmed Celeborn could appear in the show’s future, as has Galadriel actor Morfydd Clark.
The Rings of Powerseason 2 is continuing the idea of Celeborn being dead so that future installments of the show can build up to his and Galadriel’s reunion. In doing so, Celeborn’s involvement in the Siege of Eregion has been removed fromThe Rings of Power. In the books, Celeborn leads an attack against Sauron’s host alongside Elrond, resulting in the two being defeated and subsequently retreating north to the valley of Imladris, where the latter builds the stronghold of Rivendell.
4The Siege Of Eregion Happens 10 Years After The Construction Of The One Ring
The Lesser Rings Were Not The Only Objects Crafted Before The Siege Of Eregion
As alluded to, the Siege of Eregion takes place long after the crafting of the Rings of Power in Tolkien’s works. This is changed forThe Rings of Powerseason 2, as is another major element of Sauron’s plan. In the books, Sauron constructsThe Lord of the Rings’One Ring a decade after the completion of the lesser rings, almost 100 years before the Siege of Eregion.
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As the Siege of Eregion gets underway inThe Rings of Powerseason 2, the One Ring is still likely only a plan in Sauron’s mind.The Rings of Power’s creators have teased the One Ring, specifically stating that how Sauron crafts it without Celebrimbor will be a story worthy of"dramatic exploration.“This likely means that the One Ring will be created inThe Rings of Powerseason 3, after the Siege of Eregion, unlike in Tolkien’s books.
Durin III Leads A Counter Attack Against Sauron’s Invading Orcs In The Books
One of the elements of the book Siege of Eregion that was teased to be part ofThe Rings of Powerwas the involvement of the dwarves of Khazad-dûm. InThe Rings of Powerseason 2, episode 7, Elrond visits Durin IV before setting out to Eregion, trusting that his friend will rally the dwarves and aid the elves in pushing back Adar’s orcs. However, by the end of the episode, Durin III puts an end to his son’s plans, leaving Elrond and Gil-galad to face the overwhelming might of Adar’s army alone.
Durin IV is a much bigger character in The Rings of Power than he was in Tolkien’s books.
In the books, the dwarves of Khazad-dûm come to Eregion’s aid. While Elrond and Celeborn fight Sauron’s army on one side, the dwarves attack from the rear, giving Elrond and his forces time to retreat. While this could still happen inThe Rings of Powerseason 2’s finale, episode 7 seemed to hint that the dwarves will not play a part in the Siege of Eregion, marking a fairly significant change from Tolkien’s works.
2The Rings Of Power Has Several Original Characters Involved In The Siege Of Eregion
The Rings Of Power Has Characters That Did Not Exist In The Source Material
While not a drastic difference to the Siege of Eregion regarding huge events happening around them,The Rings of Power’s original characters being involved in the conflict is a departure from the books. Adar’s inclusion as an original character has already been outlined, but others are present during the battle too, including Arondir and Damrod the Troll. This leads to some fantastic action sequences involving the two and Adar that were naturally not present in Tolkien’s books as the characters did not exist.
1Amroth & The Galadhrim Fought In The Siege Of Eregion In The Books
A Final Faction In Tolkien’s Books Was Removed From The Rings Of Power
The last major alteration from the books inThe Rings of Power’s Siege of Eregion is the absence of Amroth. In the books, Amroth was a noble elf of the Galadhrim, the elves from which Arondir hails that reside in Middle-earth’s woodlands.The books mention that Amroth and a host of the Galadhrim rushed to the aid of Eregion, attacking the flank of Sauron’s army alongside the dwarves led by Durin III.
Introducing the character of Amroth would take time thatThe Rings of Powerseason 2 did not have, and another army of elves would take attention away from Elrond, his army, Arondir, and the elves of Eregion…
InThe Rings of Powerseason 2, Amroth and the Galadhrim are nowhere to be seen during the battle. The reason for this change is likely one of clarity and conciseness. Introducing the character of Amroth would take time thatThe Rings of Powerseason 2 did not have, and another army of elves would take attention away from Elrond, his army, Arondir, and the elves of Eregion. As such,The Rings of Powerseason 2 made this change, among many others, to Tolkien’s Siege of Eregion.
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power
Cast
Set in the Second Age of Middle-earth, The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power explores the forging of the iconic rings, the rise of the Dark Lord Sauron, and the epic events leading up to the stories in J.R.R. Tolkien’s classic novels. The series chronicles the creation of legendary characters and the historic alliances and rivalries that shape the fate of Middle-earth.
