No doubt about it, shoehorning Celeborn (the Wise) into The Rings of Power storyline is one of the trickiest problems that the show must navigate. Importantly, for it to matter, I feel the show has to do it soon — this coming season, even.
But as my TORn Discord colleague, Webcrawler, points out, this is a self-inflicted challenge — the showrunners did this to themselves. They consciously chose to absent Celeborn from the story (a story where, by some of Tolkien’s drafts, he plays more than a minor part in events). Thus, I would assert (I would hope) that they must have some clever idea or resolution in mind.
Once you grasp this rather important fact, it also prompts the question: “Why did they choose to do this?”.
Hold that thought, we’ll return to it later. First, I’d like to posit four different scenarios for finally bringing Celeborn into the story.
Of course, keep in mind this is my own theory-crafting, not set rumours.
THEORY ONE: Re-embodiment in Valinor
This is the most straightforward solution I can think of right now. Per Laws and Customs Among the Eldar (sometimes abbreviated to LACE) in HOME Volume X, it is possible for elves to re-embody post-death after a time spent in the Halls of Mandos.
Tolkien Gateway has an excellent and succinct summarisation of the process Tolkien outlined in LACE:
A houseless fëa that chose or was permitted to return to life was typically only able to be reembodied through childbirth. The reborn fëa would experience childhood again, but would only remember its previous life upon achieving mastery of its body. Through the joy of this second childhood, the griefs of the fëa’s previous life could be redressed.
The most well-known instance is that of Glorfindel, re-embodied after his death in the Fall of Gondolin and subsequently sent back to Middle-earth by the Valar to assist with the Second and Third Age struggle against Sauron. (Aside: arguably, if the show had been going to introduce Glorfindel, then S2 and the destruction of Eregion would have been the ideal time since as Tolkien outlines in HOME XII: Last Writings, assisting survivors out of the destruction and pairing up with Elrond and Gil-galad against Sauron’s war in Eriador is his big Second Age moment.)
What if the show were to, instead, apply this re-embodiment to Celeborn?
What if Celeborn had, in fact, perished on the field of … the Nirnaeth, I guess, that we saw in the S1 prologue, and his spirit was summoned to the Halls of Mandos.
It would provide a thoroughly logical explanation for exactly what Celeborn has been doing for the last 1,000 years and more: he’s been stuck in the Halls of Mandos, and then, quite literally, growing up all over again – and for an elf to grow to adulthood is around 100 years, minimum — in Valinor.
It would fit with Galadriel’s words to Theo in S1: “When he went to [the war], I chided him. His armour didn’t fit properly. I called him a silver clam. I never saw him again after that.”
Now, at the right time, he might return to Middle-earth either of his own volition, or at the behest of the Valar. That’s right, kindasorta stealing Glorfindel’s role.
This is a complete invention at odds with, well, every variation of the Galadriel and Celeborn story. But given the many unresolved contradictions within Celeborn’s (and Galadriel’s) textual history, it’s probably better for The Rings of Power to strive for its own internal consistency.
Re-embodied Celeborn might actually offer the cleanest resolution.
A re-embodied Celeborn could also be an interesting boost to his character — LACE states that “the Re-born (they say) are stronger, having greater mastery of their bodies and being more patient of griefs.” Galadriel, in LOTR, tells the members of the Fellowship that “…the Lord of the Galadhrim is accounted the wisest of the Elves of Middle-earth, and a giver of gifts beyond the power of kings.”
Re-embodiment could help make him less anodyne than the “Cele-boring” we see in PJ’s rendition.
THEORY TWO: Imprisoned by Thranduil
This idea is, I think, kinda cracked, but it’s inspired by recently re-reading The Hobbit. What if Thranduil* had imprisoned Celeborn at the turn of the Second Age, and simply not informed anyone?
Just riffing off what occurs with Thorin in Mirkwood:
“Very well!” said the [elven]-king. “Take him away and keep him safe, until he feels inclined to tell the truth, even if he waits a hundred years [emphasis mine].'”
Then the elves put thongs on him, and shut him in one of the inmost caves with strong wooden doors, and left him.
Flies and Spiders, The Hobbit
But what could even prompt Thranduil to imprison Celeborn — a fellow Sindar — for more than 1,000 years, and not tell anyone? Simple trespassing seems an enormous stretch.
One explanation that comes to mind from The Silmarillion is Thingol’s choice to not join Maedhros and Fingon’s assault on Angband that becomes the Nirnaeth Arnoediad, and his reluctant assent for Mablung and Beleg to join Fingon’s force.
This feels a bit of a reach, but, what if Celeborn (a kinsman of Thingol according to the Silmarillion tale) had also gone to the battle, but without Thingol’s permission? Galadriel does state in The Rings of Power that she “chided him”, and that his armour did not fit. This sounds tender, but could also hint at some underlying “sneaking away” subterfuge — if the writers chose to interpret it like that.
Further, what if, much, much later, he somehow, ended up in Thranduil’s realm. Might Thranduil (also a Sindar elf of the former realm of Doriath) imprison him, exactly like with Thorin, as a long-delayed punishment for such an disobedience.
Like I said, it does feel a crack theory. Holding a continuing (well-documented) grudge against dwarves for perceived ancient wrongs is one thing; holding one against one of your own folk over someone else’s ban on consorting with the Noldor seems quite another. More, you have to set against that the technicality that Thranduil and Oropher spent much of the early Second Age in Lindon and did not migrate to Greenwood, east of the Misty Mountains until at least SA750.
* I’ve written Thranduil here since I feel for the sake of story simplification, we’ll never see his father Oropher in The Rings of Power. Simple as that.
THEORY THREE: Lost in the woods
Consider, first, the situation of Thingol and Melian, lost in each other’s eyes in the deep woods of Nan Elmoth for a vast stretch of time.
Alternatively, consider how Old Man Willow trapped Pippin and Merry by the Withywindle, or how Nimrodel goes missing for a long time after being separated from Amroth on the long journey from then-Lorinand to Edhellond in Gondor’s south.
Or consider how Morwen goes conveniently missing between Glaurung’s assault on Nargothrond, and the end of the Narn i Hîn Húrintale where she meets Húrinat Cabed-en-Aras.
I think it’s fair to conclude from these handful of examples that folks get lost or trapped (in the woods) in Middle-earth now and then.
I want to pair this observation with Celeborn’s curious warning to the members of the Fellowship against Fangorn.
‘Yet [the Fellowship] should not go too far up that stream, nor risk becoming entangled in the Forest of Fangorn. That is a strange land, and is now little known. But Boromir and Aragorn doubtless do not need this warning.’
Farewell to Lórien, The Lord of the Rings
Aragorn also says in LOTR in an exchange with Legolas:
‘Yes, it is old,’ said Aragorn, ‘as old as the forest by the Barrow-downs, and it is far greater. Elrond says that the two are akin, the last strongholds of the mighty woods of the Elder Days, in which the Firstborn roamed while Men still slept. Yet Fangorn holds some secret of its own. [emphasis mine]’
The Riders of Rohan, The Lord of the Rings
What if Celeborn’s long disappearance involved Fangorn? Might he have been trapped there somehow — long-captured by some angry Huorn in an episode resembling what happened to Pippin and Merry in the Old Forest? Even if something like that occurred though, there’s the challenge of elegantly explaining how Celeborn got all the way from Beleriand to Fangorn (or even to the Old Forest if you used that area).
Perhaps the best option here is actually the old lost-my-memory-and-ran-away trick (similar to Nienor’s experience) as the consequence of some significant battlefield trauma. Perhaps even as the result of a confrontation with Glaurung. I’m pretty sure the showrunners did at one point say at an event or convention that they wanted a dragon, and there’s been discussion of the possiblity since.
Bringing him all the way to Fangorn (a place that, despite the “strangeness” Celeborn describes, does not seem hostile towards elves) might be a little hard to convincingly sustain, but it is usefully close to Lorien — a location we will hopefully be introduced to in Season 3.
I’m worried that amnesia is a little too much like what happened with Gandalf. I’m not sure I like that. Convenient amnesia is one of the Celeborn theories that Cliff and Justin considered on TORn Tuesday a while back as well. If you want to listen in, the discussion starts around 25 minutes into the VOD.
THEORY FOUR: Shamed thrall of Morgoth
Alternatively, Morgoth might have imprisoned Celeborn. Angband contained many elven thralls during the First Age. We could see a scenario where Celeborn was captured in the aftermath of the battle Galadriel refers to in The Rings of Power and forced to labour for the Enemy until the War of Wrath and Morgoth’s overthrow.
Many of the Noldor and the Sindar they took captive and led to Angband, and made them thralls, forcing them to use their skill and their knowledge in the service of Morgoth.
Of the Ruin of Beleriand and the Fall of Fingolfin, The Silmarillion
Alone that’s insufficient to explain Celeborn’s thousand-year absence. But consider also the experience of the vast majority of escaped elven thralls…
…ever the Noldor feared most the treachery of those of their own kin, who had been thralls in Angband; for Morgoth used some of these for his evil purposes, and feigning to give them liberty sent them abroad, but their wills were chained to his, and they strayed only to come back to him again. Therefore if any of his captives escaped in truth, and returned to their own people, they had little welcome, and wandered alone outlawed and desperate[emphasis mine].
Of the Ruin of Beleriand and the Fall of Fingolfin, The Silmarillion
Yes, there are exceptions such as the ease with which Gwindor son of Guilin slots back into the hierarchy of Nargothrond. Yet Húrin Thalion is shunned by his folk — and Turgon — after his release from Angband. Even once he realises he is no longer Morgoth’s thrall, “he wanders out of all knowledge” and supposedly throws himself into the sea.
Similarly, even if the source of the angst is different, Maglor commits himself to a perpetual exile of regret, wandering the shores of Middle-earth after he and Maedhros take the remaining Silmarils from Eönwë by force in the wake of the War of Wrath.
What if, in The Rings of Power, after the overthrow of Angband, Celeborn was one of the “multitude of slaves” who came forth from its deep prisons, “looked upon a world that was changed” and, whether through shame or PTSD, turned away to become a solitary recluse who avoids all society.
One might protest that this overlaps Adar’s background. But Adar’s corruption is a bit different. He has become an Uruk. In this instance the thrall concept is not a rerun; it’s exploring a different phenomenon entirely.
Where would Celeborn be, though? Well, there’s an awful lot of Middle-earth coastline that hermit!Celeborn could share with Maglor. A lot of dense, unexplored forest, too, especially around Eryn Vorn given that during the Second Age much of southern Eriador was still heavily forested.
…in the earlier days, at the time of the first explorations of the Númenóreans… Minhiriath and Enedwaith were occupied by vast and almost continuous forests, except in the central region of the Great Fens.
The History of Galadriel & Celeborn, Unfinished Tales of Númenor & Middle-earth
There’s something appealing, to me at least, about the thought of the Telerin/Sindar Celeborn hiding out (maybe even with a handful of Ents or some of the Drúedain) somewhere around Drúwaith Iaur, or even the Belfalas coast and spending S3 raging against the rapacious logging efforts of Kemen and friends. It’d be a nice nod to the temporary Third Age sojourn of Galadriel and Celeborn in that area that Tolkien described in his initial iteration of their story.
Where is less important than why
The reality is that it doesn’t really matter where Celeborn actually is in this scenario — the showrunners will manufacture a way and a reason for Galadriel to find him.
What is more important, I think, is why Celeborn exists — the role he’ll play in the drama.
Of course, Celeborn is a box that The Rings of Power needs to tick if only for continuity. Mechanically, to not have Celeborn co-ruling Lorien with Galadriel so that together through ages of the world they can fight “the long defeat” would be, well, outrageous.
And that need to ultimately match both the book text and PJ’s LOTR is why I’ve always thought it was a bit mad to insist “Celeborn is dead”, and should stay that way.
Who dis?
But the showrunners have always stated that The Rings of Power is about the characters becoming the individuals we know at the end of the Third Age.
Right now, Galadriel’s personality flips between “Artanis” and “Nerwen”: she’s very capable of being the lady of the court — the noble woman of her father-name — but undeniably The Rings of Power has leaned heavily into the “man-maiden” warrior nature of her mother-name.
Still in Season 2 she regularly wears her hair in some sort of crown. It’s surely a nod to “Galadriel” — the epessë (a nickname or honorific) given to her by none other than Celeborn. What better way for Galadriel to rediscover her true self (and stop being torn every which way) than by finding the lover who gave her that name in the first place?
This does not have to be boring.
In the first instance there’s the fact that, in-show, Galadriel seems to have blithely assumed that Celeborn perished in the Nirnaeth yet spent 1,000 years obsessively criss-crossing Middle-earth trying to hunt down Sauron.
Depending on Celeborn’s recent history, the obverse could apply, too — especially if he’s hidden himself away. The text of LACE mentions that elven couples “do not necessarily dwell or house together at all times” despite remaining wedded forever, so the passage of time should not be an insurmountable barrier to the pair reconnecting. Still, they must decide if (and why) it’s worth resurrecting their relationship in such circumstances.
What if Celeborn is mentally, or physically, scarred from his experiences? Consider Gwindor’s return to Nargothrond:
At first his own people did not know Gwindor, who went out young and strong, and returned now seeming as one of the aged among mortal Men, because of his torments and his labours…
Of Túrin Turambar, The Silmarillion
It feels reductive to say this a “she can fix him” situation, but there’s a precedent with what happened with Nenya and Adar in the final episode of S2. It could help bring a blighted Celeborn back to himself. More prosaically, Galadriel also (inadvertently) uses Nenya to heal a fellow elf in S2 E4.
In “fixing” Celeborn (props to Webcrawler for pointing this out), Galadriel can also heal herself. It’s a chance to recognise a healthy partnership and true love — as opposed to the poisonous, controlling version that Sauron/Halbrand keeps trying to offer. One with things like not using each other for personal gain, and not flipping out when you get corrected. Simple stuff!
It’s still going to be a long journey for Galadriel to reach that point where she has the strength to reject the One Ring when Frodo finally offers it. But, for The Rings of Power, accepting Celeborn should be the start.
About the author:Staffer Demosthenes has been involved with TheOneRing.net since 2001, serving first as an Associate News Editor, then as Chief News Editor during the making of the Hobbit films. Now he focuses on features and analysis. The opinions in this article are his own and do not necessarily represent those of TheOneRing.net and other staff.
If you have a Tolkien/Middle-earth inspired poem you’d like to share, then send it to poetry@theonering.net. One poem per person may be submitted each month. Please make sure to proofread your work before sending it in. TheOneRing.net is not responsible for poems posting with spelling or grammatical errors.
This week in Reflections from the Shire we have a guest post from Tolkien lover, and Tiktok and Threads regular, Lea/Silmarilleanne about The Shibboleth of Fëanor and it’s appearance in The Rings of Power episode four. Enjoy!
~ Staffer Kelvarhin
Reflections from the Shire – The Shibboleth of Fëanor
Guest post by: Lea/Silmarilleanne
Keen-eared Tolkien fans may have noticed an interesting linguistic quirk spoken by Adar at the end of episode four of The Rings of Power. He greets Galadriel with a familiar Quenyan phrase – one used by Frodo to greet Gildor Ingolrion in The Lord of the Rings: “elen síla lúmenn omentielvo”, to quote Frodo. But Adar’s is slightly different, raising some interesting possibilities about his original elven identity.
Firstly, there’s the fact that Adar is speaking Quenya at all. This suggests he is a Noldo of Valinor – just as Galadriel is; Quenya the language originated in Valinor and is the the language of the High Elves. It was dropped in favour of Sindarin shortly after the exiled Noldor arrived in Middle-earth, thanks to the ban placed upon it being spoken by the Sindar King, Elu Thingol, after he was informed of the Kinslaying at Alqualondë, the victims of which were his own people, the Teleri. It was never spoken by any of the other elves of Middle-earth, becoming something of an archaic language of lore. Furthermore, Adar calls Galadriel “Altáriel”, the Quenyan form of the name Galadriel – an epessë (a kind of nickname) she was given in Valinor, and which was Sindarised to Galadriel in Middle-earth. This is all to say, were he anything other than a Noldo, it is extremely unlikely he would have spoken Quenya and known Galadriel’s Quenyan epessë.
The most intriguing part of all this though is instead of síla, Adar pronounces the word as thíla – or, more accurately þíla. This usage of the thorn in place of s suggests he is not only speaking Quenya, but a very specific dialect of Quenya – Fëanorian Quenya, known amongst many fans as ‘the Fëanorian lisp’ (indeed, those who spoke this way were dubbed ‘the Lispers’).
In The Shibboleth of Fëanor, published in The Peoples of Middle-earth, volume 12 of the History of Middle-earth, Tolkien at his philological best describes how sociopolitical matters affect language and vice versa. As the Shibboleth explains, the Noldor and the Vanyar, two of the three tribes of elves, once lived together in the city of Tirion in Valinor and shared a language, Quenya. The Vanyar relocated to the city of Valmar to be closer to the Valar, and as a result of this distancing, dialectical shifts occurred between the two peoples. The Vanyar retained the þ in their language, but amongst the Noldor there was a “conscious and deliberate change…based primarily on phonetic ‘taste’ and theory” to s.
The change was attacked and opposed by loremasters, who believed it would cause damage “in confusing stems and their derivatives that had been distinct in sound and sense”. The chief linguistic loremaster at this time was Fëanor, who as well as being a fastidious loremaster also had a very personal reason for objecting to the change. Fëanor’s mother, and first queen of the Noldor, was Míriel Þerinde. While the linguistic shift is said to have happened (or at least began) within her lifetime, Míriel herself adhered to the pronunciation þ, and “desired that all her kin should adhere to it also, at least in the pronunciation of her name”, therefore Þerindë as opposed to Serindë.
However, unprecedented amongst the elves of this time, Míriel died, and refused to be re-embodied. Embittered by this, her husband Finwë himself switched away from þ in favour of s, which had at this point become almost universal amongst the Noldor bar Míriel’s kin. Matters were worsened further when his second wife, Indis of the Vanyar, followed suit. As a Vanya, Indis had hitherto retained the þ in her speech, but she declared, “I have joined the people of the Noldor, and I will speak as they do”. Fëanor, hating Indis and seeing her as somewhat of a usurper in his mother’s rightful place, believed her switch to be a grave insult and belittlement of his mother, and came to view the rejection of Þ as a symbol of rejection of both his mother Míriel, and by extension himself, her son, as the chief of the Noldor next to Finwë.
Thus, he became yet more vehement in his objection of the shift, even while his behaviour turned those who had previously agreed with him to the opposing side:
“Had peace been maintained there can be no doubt that the advice of Fëanor, with which all the other loremasters privately or openly agreed, would have prevailed. But an opinion in which he was surely right was rejected because of the follies and evil deeds into which he was later led.”
Fëanor remained steadfast in his opposition, pointedly calling himself ‘Son of Þerinde’ and telling his sons, when they queried the difference in their speech from that of their kin, that they “speak as is right, and as King Finwë did before he was led astray”.
So even before the Rebellion of the Noldor and their exodus to Middle-earth, s in place of þ had become dominant, and this was further cemented in exile: “The s was certainly used in Beleriand by almost all the Noldor,” Tolkien writes, and this is followed by the note “It is not even certain that all Fëanor’s sons continued to use Þ after his death and the healing of the feud” between the Fëanorians and the family of Fingolfin, though it seems almost certain any elf who did retain the thorn would have been counted amongst the Fëanorian followers – thus is raised the question of Adar’s identity.
But Adar saying it to Galadriel adds yet another layer of significance. The Shibboleth of Fëanor further details how Finarfin, Galadriel’s father “loved the Vanyar (his mother’s people)” and that because of this love in his house, þ remained in standard use and he was moved neither one way nor the other by Fëanor’s shibboleth, acting purely as he wished. Galadriel therefore grew up in a household that retained the þ. However:
“opposition to Fëanor,” Tolkien writes, “soon became a dominant motive with Galadriel… so while she knew well the history of their tongue and all the reasons of the loremasters, she certainly used s in her own daily speech.”
In other words, she purposely transitioned to using s to spite Fëanor. Adar’s own usage of it then could also be retaliative or in a similar vein: he is aware of its import and meaning to Galadriel and could potentially be purposely using it as a means of aggravating her.
Certainly, the implications of him speaking Quenya – and specifically the Fëanorian dialect of Quenya – seems to contradict earlier indications in the show about him being one of the first orcs; the first orcs were made from elves taken during the days at Cuiviénen, long before the elves went to Valinor and Quenya the language even existed; at this time, they spoke only Primitive Quendian. It would also seem odd if Quenya is his mother tongue, why his name is Adar, the Sindarin word for father, as opposed to Atar as it is in Quenya. But how deep does the show want to delve? It could be a lot more straightforward – the show is going on the simplified premise of Quenya having been spoken by the elves since those early days, and the dialectical shift having happened since then simply being indicative of Adar’s extreme age. But if Adar is from amongst those first elves, as Galadriel claimed in the first series, that would put him of an age, older even, than Círdan, and yet Adar is very noticeably lacking the beard that is illustrative of Círdan’s long lifespan. On the other hand, if the show really is going this deep on the lore, exactly who is he? Theories of Adar being Maglor abound, since it would tick many of the boxes: Fëanorian speech, Noldo, dark hair, familiarity with the name Altáriel… But surely, even with a multitude of scars on his face, Galadriel would recognise her cousin? There is also, and perhaps most fundamentally, the issue of rights. While the Tolkien Estate has afforded Amazon some leniency and granted access to certain items outside the rights they own – most notably, the name “Annatar”, a word which does not appear in the Lord of the Rings and its appendices, which Amazon owns the rights to – it is another level entirely to grant them access to an entire character.
Regardless of whether Adar’s use of the “Fëanorian lisp” becomes significant and plot-relevant, or remains a little easter egg for keen-eared viewers, it has certainly conjured a lot of discussion, and a wonderful new level of interest in more casual fans, who have begun seeking out a once fairly obscure text like The Shibboleth of Fëanor.
About the author:Lea aka Silmarilleanne is a long-time lover of Tolkien’s works with a penchant for his languages and the House of Finwë. When her nose isn’t buried in a book or a PlayStation controller in her hands, she can most often be found talking Tolkien on Tiktok and Threads.
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This week, TORn Discord moderator Webcrawler returns with a new article delving into a concept that Tolkien developed called Ósanwe (a Quenya word meaning “interchange of thought”), and how the showrunnners have used it for various story purposes in Season 1 of The Rings of Power.
Examining The Rings of Power through Tolkien’s Concept of Ósanwe
by TORn Discord moderator Webcrawler
Much has been said about what the showrunners of The Rings of Power have access to in regard to the source material. For those who think the showrunners are not allowed anything beyond the appendices, or are not digging deep into the text, let me introduce the concept of “Ósanwe” as outlined by Tolkien in an essay titled “Ósanwe-kenta”, or “Enquiry into the Communication of Thought”, and show how it applies to many of Halbrand’s (aka Sauron’s) actions in S1 of The Rings of Power.
Hall of Lore has a great thread that covers the concept in detail from the text.
A superior mind (like Sauron) could communicate a desired vision direct into another person’s mind, who would then see it as something external. There are limitations to the solidity of the vision if the recipient is a mind of less power (which probably means men).
But for our purposes we’ll simplify it to apply it to what we are seeing in The Rings of Power. The most basic concept is that all minds are equal and open.
All minds (sáma, pl. sámar) are equal in status, though they differ in capacity in strength. A mind by its nature perceives another mind directly. But it cannot perceive more than the existence of another mind (as something other than itself, though of the same order) except by the will of both parties.
Ósanwe-kenta, Enquiry into the Communication of Thought
Another important idea is that conversation is necessary to gain access to the mind. The use of language can only be done in person. To gain access to someone’s mind, you first must meet them and start speaking in person. And that’s what we see Halbrand/Sauron do in S1.
For, as the Ósanwe-kenta essay states, “the will to converse in lambe [Quenya meaning “tongue, language”] is a will to communicate thought and lays the minds open”.
Knowledge may be gained or imparted by what the text calls a Guest (someone seeking to communicate), even when the Host (the person receiving the communication) is not seeking or intending to impart or learn information.
The act of G will be effective, if H is simply ‘open’ (láta; látie ‘openness’). This distinction, he says, is of the greatest importance.
Ósanwe-kenta, Enquiry into the Communication of Thought
[Editor’s note: to avoid confusion, the “he” in the above means the elven scholar/historian, Pengolodh. The entire essay is a commentary on Pengolodh’s thoughts about how Ósanwe function. If you’re interested in learning more, it’s easiest to find this essay in The Nature of Middle-earth.]
During my rewatch of Season 1 of The Rings of Power, I noticed that Galadriel is at first unwilling to talk to Halbrand. He tells her, “you needn’t keep your distance”. As the previous tweet implies, speech is needed for ósanwe to “link”. He’s trying to get her to open her mind.
It’s only when Halbrand tells her that “It was Orcs” that attacked his homeland, that she opens to communicating back with him, seeking information. That is all he needed to start “worming” his way into her mind. She wanted something, and here only he could give it to her.
Habrand: it was orcs. Galadriel: your home. Where was it?
The Rings of Power. S1, E1: Adrift.
In the Ósanwe-kenta essay, Pengolodh outlines how by making himself seem useful, helpful, even friendly, Melkor could trick others into trusting him; Halbrand does the same with Galadriel here; she has been searching for proof of the return of the enemy, and he has just proved himself useful and being able to get that proof.
[Morgoth] would come by stealth to a mind open and unwary, hoping to learn some part of its thought before it closed… he was above all benevolent; he was rich and could give any gift that they desired to his friends; he had a special love for the one he addressed; but he must be trusted [emphasis mine].
In this way he won entry into many minds, removing their unwill [emphasis mine], and unlocking the door by the only key, though his key was counterfeit.
Ósanwe-kenta, Enquiry into the Communication of Thought
Halbrand hints at doing this: “Identify what your opponent most fears. Give them a means of mastering it. So that you can master them”. Halbrand’s gift to Galadriel is “knowledge”. By offering this gift, he gains Galadriel’s trust, and thus enter her mind.
He does this with Míriel and Pharazôn as well; When he appeals to Míriel to let them stay a few days, and when he offers to give Pharazôn intel on where Galadriel is going (Palantir’s Tower). Being willing to listen to him was enough to allow Halbrand into their minds; acceptance of advice creates a small enough amount of trust for Halbrand to create an opening.
Halbrand: Guards! My friends. [crowd silences] Halbrand: It seems to me that our leaving presents some complications. Perhaps it’d be better if we stayed… Míriel: Stayed? Halbrand: Long enough, good Queen, to give you and your advisors adequate time to weigh our request.
The Rings of Power. S1, E3: Adar
Halbrand: I wouldn’t advise that. Pharazôn: I can’t very well let her leave. Halbrand: You could. If you knew exactly where she was going.
The Rings of Power. S1, E4: The Great Wave
And this explains why Celebrimbor became ensnared in Episode 8 of S1. Here, Halbrand puts his powers of manipulation on full display: flattery, humility, advice and gratitude. “Call it a gift” he says of the knowledge he shared, giving him access to Celebrimbor’s mind. The hands touching represent the ósanwe connection being made.
Halbrand: Might there not be some alloy to amplify the qualities of your ore. Celebrimbor: Well, that is… an intriguing suggestion. Halbrand: Call it… a gift.
The Rings of Power: S1, E8: Alloyed
Later in this same episode, we get evidence of this mind infiltration: an image of Celebrimbor with a shadow of “chains” over him, while he speaks of using the mithril to craft a crown for Gil-Galad to wear to heal the elves.
Compare the dialogue and you see the Celebrimbor speaks the exact words that Adar spoke to Galadriel, yet he was not there in The Southlands to have heard it. He also says the words “over flesh” which Adar had told Galadriel about back in Episode 6: Udûn, when explaining to her why he killed Sauron. Galadriel most certainly did not tell Celebrimbor; so it must have been Halbrand. And yet, when asked, Celebrimbor “believes” those were his own words.
Lastly, when the spell is broken, and Galadriel realises Halbrand is not who she thought, she realises how much he planted ideas in her mind; wanting to get an army, and convincing Míriel to sail to Middle-earth. We are presented it as always having been her idea, but it’s not true.
Galadriel: There is no King of the South lands. The line was broken. The last man to bear your crest died over a thousand years ago. He had no heir. Halbrand: I told you I found it on a dead man. Galadriel: No. No, on the raft, you saved me… Halbrand: On the raft, you saved me. Galadriel: You convinced Míriel to save the Men of Middle-earth. Halbrand: You convinced her. I wanted to remain in Númenor. Galadriel: You fought beside me. Halbrand: Against your enemy. And mine.
The Rings of Power. S1, E8: Alloyed
As shown by Beyond Darkness here, Halbrand was one who initially planted the idea within Galadriel that she needed an army. And he continually reinforced it throughout the Season 1, subtly pushing her towards this goal that she thought was hers at first.
And so, we can see that Sauron has been using Ósanwe to influence Galadriel and others throughout Season 1 whenever he needed; and then Celebrimbor when he got to Eregion. And, based on some of the trailers, we can see that in Season 2 he will continue to do this with Celebrimbor, until the reverie is broken for him as well, and Celebrimbor, along with the other elves, will realise that they have been deceived.
About the author: Webcrawler is a full-time data analyst and a part-time Tolkien aficionado and moderator on TheOneRing.net’s Discord Server.When he’s not working or in the discord, Webcrawler is horsing around on Twitter.
On March 18 this year we began Middle-earth March Madness 2024: Magical Moments. TORn staffers had been working behind the scenes to choose and then vote on a plethora of happenings from The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings trilogy, which could be considered magical events. We whittled that number down to 64, and created seeding based on the staffer votes, and back in March we opened the contest to YOUR votes.
Now, after six rounds and thousands of votes cast, we have a winner. Of all the moments when magical powers are used in Middle-earth, one has been chosen as the ‘most magical’. If you watched TORn Tuesday last night, you saw the winner revealed there. But if you’ve stayed ‘spoiler free’, we can now reveal the Middle-earth March Madness Champion for 2024 is…
We come to it at last – the great battle of our time… Well, at least of this year’s Middle-earth March Madness 2024: Magical Moments. TORn staffers picked 64 happenings from The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings trilogy, which could be considered magical events. (Though what exactly counts as ‘magic’ in Middle-earth is, of course, up for debate!) These moments were seeded based on staffer’s votes, divided into four bracket (one for each book), and so it began. Now, three weeks later and with thousands of votes cast, we are down to the final two. Let’s see how the Semi-finals played out:
The Hobbit Division vs The Two Towers Division
The first time Bilbo experiences the power of the Ring, becoming invisible when seeking to escape Gollum, deep under the Misty Mountains, was the winning moment of The Hobbit bracket. It faced the victor from The Two Towers region, no less a moment than the return from the dead of Mithrandir, coming back to Middle-earth as Gandalf the White. Two absolutely iconic moments – and you might have expected a tight battle. In fact, the power of the Ring was no match for the wizard; The Two Towers contestant took 70% more votes than its opponent. So Gandalf the White strides into the final. Who or what will be his adversary?
The Fellowship of the Ring Division vs The Return of the King Division
This showdown was a much tighter contest then the other Semi-final. Just SIX votes made the difference between the contenders during much of this round – even as the numbers rose, that margin stayed more or less the same. It’s a duel between the defeat of the Witch-king by ‘No Man’ and Gandalf’s overthrowing of the Balrog. Will we have an all Gandalf championship battle?
The answer is … yes! At the last moment, coming in just under the wire, and having been trailing for most of this round, the wizard won by ONE VOTE. Eowyn overcame the Lord of the Nazgul, but could not defeat the Maiar. And so an event which started off seeded all the way down at #6 in its bracket confronts a #1 seeded event in the Final. It’s The Fellowship of the Ring vs The Two Towers, a kind of ‘before and after’ – the battle against the Balrog, and the return thereafter:
Gandalf Confronts the Balrog with Glamdring and the Flame of Anor (6)
VS
Gandalf the White Returns from the Dead (1)
Staffer Madeye Gamgee was excited by this nail-biting thriller of a Semi-final:
What a magical finish for our penultimate round! I cannot recall ever having such a tight matchup in the history of Middle-earth March Madness. The Witch-king’s Fall to “No Man” had led during the entirety of its Final Four Round, but the lead was always “walking on the edge of a knife”, hardly ever more than 10 votes. And in perhaps the upset of the tournament, the FotR champion, only the number six seed in its own region, pulls off the last second victory, squeaking by the iconic moment on the Pelennor Field by a single vote. Sadly perhaps for Éowyn and Merry fans (and possibly a ‘crushing blow’ for Witch-king fans…), our March Madness tournament officials have yet to figure out instant replay technology. What a Balrog Burner of a match!
The return of Gandalf the White from his journeys beyond thought and time easily handled the contest with Bilbo’s Ring of Invisibility, despite its darker Power lurking in the background. At least for this tournament, the One Ring will not rule them all.
Which leads us to a dream matchup between two versions of possibly the most magical icon of the Third Age: Gandalf. Can Gandalf the Grey keep his momentum going? Slaying a Balrog is no small thing. Or will Gandalf’s resurrection as an Istari more evenly matched against Sauron prove that he has brought more than just a fool’s hope to this magical tournament?
It should be very clear by now that the ultimate tournament outcome lies in the hands of the fans. And even the smallest single vote can change the course of the future.
Place your votes! As with the Semi-final, we just have one bracket to vote. Use the embedded experience below, or click here. Then click the ‘Vote Now’ option that appears at the top left of the page. Let’s get voting!
Which Magical Moment will be the Champion for Middle-earth March Madness 2024? You decide! Would you like to see the wielding of Glamdring and the flame of Anor sweep to victory? Or is Gandalf’s return from the dead unbeatable magic? Rally the troops and place your votes! Voting will be open until the start of TORn Tuesday on Tuesday April 9th; we’ll take a look back over the contest and reveal this year’s Grand Winner during the show. But which moment will it be? That’s up to YOU – vote now!
And then there were four… It is semi-final time in Middle-earth March Madness 2024: Magical Moments – from 64 starters, we’re down to just our bracket winners remaining. Which magical happening has emerged triumphant from each division? Let’s take a look:
The Hobbit Division
Alas! Speaking personally, I (staffer greendragon) was really hoping the Moon Runes would win this bracket. TORn staffers had voted those glowing, secret runes the #1 seed in this group; but the power of the Ring is of course not easily overcome, and the #2 seed took the lead and held on to it. The margin wasn’t huge – this was the closest contest across all the brackets this round, and only a little over 50 votes came between them – but Bilbo’s disappearing act is the winner here.
Bilbo’s Ring Turns Him Invisible (2)
The Fellowship of the Ring Division
We saw the widest margin of the Elite Eight in this bracket; no amount of saying ‘Mellon’ could overcome Gandalf’s epic conquest of the Balrog. The last act of Gandalf the Grey (seeded #6) garnered twice as many votes as Durin’s magical doors (which were actually seeded higher, at #5), so the wizard goes through to the Final Four.
Gandalf Confronts the Balrog with Glamdring and the Flame of Anor (6)
The Two Towers Division
Gandalf on Gandalf action was the order of the day in this regional final! These moments are two kinds of resurrections – Mithrandir’s own, returning as Gandalf the White; and the rediscovery of his strength by Theoden, as Gandalf releases him from Saruman’s spell. The choice was pretty clear right from the start of voting, with the wizard’s return from the dead taking the lead and keeping it. Gandalf the White goes through to face an invisible Bilbo.
Gandalf the White Returns from the Dead (1)
The Return of the King Division
It looked like those Riders of Rohan might sweep all the way to ultimate victory, repeating their 2020 glory, when they were Champions in the battle amongst scenes from Peter Jackson’s Middle-earth movies. But it was not to be. By a larger margin than might have been expected, taking 1.5 times as many votes, the triumph of ‘No man’ over the Witch-king won this regional final.
The Witch-king Is Destroyed by “No Man” (1)
Eowyn slays the Witch-king, by Stephen Walsh
Staffer Madeye Gamgee had these thoughts on what we’ve seen so far – and what is to come!
Other than the FotR region, the OneRing staff ended up forecasting our final seeds fairly well, with two # 1 seeds (the Resurrection of Gandalf the White and the Death of the Witch King), and one #2 (Bilbo’s Discovery of the One Ring). The lowest seed left in the tournament comes from the FotR Region, the epic battle between the Flame of Udûn and the Flame of Anor wielded by Gandalf.
We’re left with some truly epic magic in the Final Four, and it’s really anybody’s tournament to win:
The first appearance of the One Ring, its true power still largely veiled
One of the most epic Maiar battles in the entire legendarium, as Gandalf and the Balrog face off on the Bridge of Khazad-dûm
The return from death by the super-charged Gandalf the White as he replaces Saruman as the true leader of powerful resistance against the reign of Sauron
The fulfillment of long prophecy of the fall of the Witch King of Angmar, a combination of a humble hobbit wielding a spell-lace Númenórean blade, and desperate Dernhelm revealed to deliver her final coup de grâce to destroy Sauron’s chief lieutenant
Will it be a Gandalf vs. Gandalf finale? Only if his White-robed persona can overcome the Power of the Ring, and his Balrog-battered bridge match can move past the crowd favorite, a climactic contest between Éowyn and the Lord of the Nazgûl. Could we see Gandalf the White versus Gandalf the Grey in the championship match?
Will the One Ring prove its Power at last, with the Black Speech echoing across Middle-earth? Ash nazg durbatulûk indeed!
Will we see one of Tolkien’s most beloved scenes and themes, the triumph of the weak over seemingly insurmountable strength, embodied by a Shieldmaiden of Rohan, resound in victory even as her opponent wails and fades, powerless before her?
Only the magical Tolkien fandom can tell.
Place your votes! Now that we are down to the Final Four, we’ll just have one bracket to vote. Use the embedded experience below, or click here. Then click the ‘Vote Now’ option that appears at the top left of the page. Let’s get voting!
You have until the end of the day Saturday April 6th to vote in Round Five; Sunday 7th we’ll open voting for the Championship round. And then join us for TORn Tuesday on April 9th, when we’ll reveal this year’s Grand Winner! But which moment will it be? That’s up to YOU – vote now!
