The first two episodes of The Ring of Power, titled “A Shadow of the Past” and “Adrift,” respectively, made us privy to an array of characters. We got to know about their little secrets, their motivations, and the relationships they shared. Things were changing at a rapid pace in the Middle Earth. The roles of the Elves, the Dwarfs, the Men, and the Harfoots were also changing with time. Elrond had a new role that was assigned to him by the High King, Gil-galad. He got an opportunity to work with someone he had always admired since his childhood. His new role also took him to a kingdom that lay beneath the Misty Mountains and made him meet an old friend with whom he had lost touch.
Why Did Celebrimbor Want To Make A Forge Tower?
High King Gil-galad desperately wanted to believe in the fact that no evil existed in the world, though Galadriel, time and again, had provided him with enough evidence. Elrond knew that Galadriel was not somebody who would act preposterously, and it was probable that there could be some truth to what she was saying, but he wanted to obey the commands of his King and do as was asked of him. The High King had approached Elrond earlier, and he had reminded him of his duty. He had told Elrond that it was best for Galadriel, and also for Middle Earth, that she goes to the undying land of Valinor. Elrond tells him upfront that he doesn’t know if he did the right thing. He chose duty over friendship only because he believed that it would be in the best interest of Galadriel. Gil-galad made Elrond meet one of the greatest Elven-Smiths to have ever lived. Lord Celebrimbor was not an ordinary man. Since time immemorial, Elrond has admired his work and his craftsmanship. The High King told Elrond that Celebrimbor was going to embark on a new project, and he wanted him to assist the great artisan.
Elrond followed Celebrimbor to Eregion, the realm of the Elven Smiths. Celebrimbor expressed his desire to do something so impactful, to create something of such importance that his name is also etched in history like the great Feanor. Feanor had created the jewels known as silmarils, that even the Evil Lord Morgoth couldn’t help but get captivated by. Celebrimbor didn’t just want to limit himself to jewel craft. He wanted to make something that had real power. He had an idea of what he wanted to achieve, but he had no clue how to go about it. He wanted Elrond’s help to create a tower that could host a forge that would have a flame as fierce as the dragon tongue and as pure as the starlight itself. The forge would create one of the greatest marvels that ever existed in the realm. Celebrimbor says that the things he could create in the tower could help them transform Middle Earth. As if this in itself wasn’t challenging enough, Celebrimbor added another condition to it. He wanted to get it done by spring. They knew that it would require a workforce far greater than what was available to them. Elrond had an idea. He wanted to ask for help from Prince Durin IV, an old friend and the son of the ruler of Khazad-Dum, the Realm of the Dwarfs.
Celebrimbor was actually the creator of the Rings of Power, which included nine rings for men, seven for the dwarfs, and three for the elves. One ring was forged by Sauron in the lands of Mordor to rule over all the others. Celebrimbor didn’t know how to make the rings, but Sauron, disguised as Annatar, The Lord of Gifts, met him and imparted to him the knowledge he required to forge them. It was said that the three rings that he made for the elves were unscathed by the corruption and evilness of Sauron. The upcoming episodes will probably delve more into the matter.
Why Did Elrond Visit Khazad-dum?
Elrond took Celebrimbor to Khazad-dum; in order to get that workforce, they needed to build the tower, where the rings could be forged. It has to be taken into account that Celebrimbor didn’t know exactly what he wanted to make. He only knew that he wanted to create something so powerful that it would shape the future of Middle Earth. So, in the hope of finding a workforce to initiate proceedings, Elrond knocked on the West Gate of Khazad-dum, behind which there was an intricately built labyrinth of tunnels and mines. To his surprise, he wasn’t welcomed inside, as he had expected. Prince Durin IV was angry at Elrond. He had considered him his best friend, but Elrond hadn’t turned up for more than 20 years. Elrond was an elf, and for him, 20 years was like the wink of an eye, but in the same amount of time, Durin had lived a complete life. Things had changed so much for him. He was a married man, and he had children. Elrond couldn’t even make it to his marriage and had missed out on all the other important events in his life. Elrond evoked his rite of Sigin-Tarag, which was basically a competition of strength and endurance. That was the only way Elrond and Celebrimbor could enter the realm of the dwarves. Prince Durin competed against Elrond and won. Elrond begged him to at least tell him why he was being so cold, because he still wasn’t able to fathom the rationale behind such behavior by the prince. Durin told him the grievances he had, and he told him that he felt discarded. Elrond finally met Durin’s wife, Princess Disa, who told both of them to shed off the bitterness and once again be the friends they were always destined to be.
Was King Durin Hiding Mithril In The Chest?
Durin takes Elrond’s request to his father, King Durin III. That’s when we came to know that there was some secret that the dwarf King was hiding. He suspected that Elrond had come to know of it, and that was why he had come to spy on their realm. Prince Durin says that he had known Elrond for half a century, and if the elf had had some hidden agenda, then he would have come to know. The thing inside the chest could possibly be Mithril, and it could be possible that the realm of dwarfs discovered it for the very first time in the second age of Middle Earth. In Peter Jackson’s “Lord of the Rings” trilogy, we saw that Frodo was saved from an attack because of a shirt made of Mithril. Bilbo said that Mithril was as hard as dragon scales and as light as feathers. It was said that the wealth of Moria was not in gold and silver, but in this unique element. King Durin did not believe the fact that it was a mere coincidence that Elrond had turned up at the opportune moment. Maybe King Durin III knew that if known, everybody would want it, and that is why he wanted to protect their secret from the world. Everybody was fending for their own interests. They were looking out for their own realms. But little did they know that soon they would have to join forces if they wanted to survive an onslaught by the dark lord, and the petty games they were trying to play wouldn’t matter. We will get to know in the upcoming episodes if King Durin III is able to hide his secret for long or not and whether Celebrimbor is successfully able to achieve what he had set out for and achieve greatness just the way Feanor did.
