The Secrets Of The Mountain - The Lord Of The Rings: The Rings Of Power OST

The power of the Ring allowed Sauron to link it with some of his works, such as Barad-dûr.[1] With the Ring he controlled the Nine Rings that were given to nine mortal Men, who were corrupted and turned into the Nazgûl, his chief servants. However, he was unable to control the Seven Rings of the Dwarf-lords, because of their different, more hearty nature, and natural resistance against domination by others--instead, the Rings increased the greed of the dwarves. [2]

Like all Rings of Power, the One Ring enhanced the natural powers of its bearer, and it could also be used to decelerate decay and change in the world.[5] But unlike the other rings, the One Ring was forged by Sauron alone without any Elvish assistance[2] and was entirely evil. A person who bore the Ring could more easily dominate and command others; for instance, Sauron used this power to help convince the Númenóreans to attack Valinor,[10] and Boromir desired to use this power to gain loyal subjects who would attack Mordor.[11] The Ring also allowed its bearer to see and control the thoughts of anyone who wore any other Ring of Power.[2]

After remaining hidden for five centuries, Sauron reappeared. With the intention of taking over Middle-earth, he named himself the next Dark Lord. By SA 1000, Sauron had established a stronghold in the land of Mordor in eastern Middle-earth. There, he began building the dark fortress Barad-dûr near Mount Doom. With his powers of manipulation and cunningness, Sauron quickly lured followers, soon amassing armies of Orcs and Trolls. He was also able to sway many nations of Men, such as the Easterlings and Haradrim, to his side. Next, Sauron sought to bring the Elves into his service, so he disguised himself as Annatar, Lord of Gifts, to seduce them. The Elves helped Sauron forge the Rings of Power. In secret, Sauron also forged the One Ring, to rule all other rings, in the fires of Mount Doom in Mordor. But when the Elves discovered the power of Sauron's One Ring, they removed their own Rings of Power. Sauron was enraged, and he initiated a war against the Elves. He demanded that all Rings of Power be given to him. The Elves were able to hide the three strongest rings from Sauron, but 16 other Rings of Power ended up in Sauron's hands. Sauron gave seven of the Rings to Dwarves, who remained resistant to their powers, but the Rings did foster in the Dwarves feelings of greed and an insatiable lust for gold. The nine other Rings went to Humans, who were indeed corrupted by the powers of the Rings. These nine Men became the Nazgûl, or Ringwraiths, Sauron's most dreaded servants. At the end of the Second Age, Sauron was defeated by Isildur, who was able to cut the Ring from Sauron's hand. Isildur was then urged to destroy the Ring by casting it into Mount Doom, which would have banished Sauron from Middle-earth forever. But charmed by the Ring's powers, Isildur was unable to destroy it, leaving a window for Sauron's return.

I was initially surprised by this scene largely because I'd never heard of this song being so deeply described on screen, and to the best of my research that's because it doesn't exist. Tolkien never wrote an official origin for Mithril and, as far as I can tell, never wrote about a powerful Elf warrior squaring off against a Balrog over a tree at the top of the mountains above Khazad-dûm. This origin, along with the urge to give Mithril to every Elf in order to maintain the light of the Valar and maintain their immortality, isn't a part of Tolkien's writing based on my research. Hunting for answers, I checked in with Don Marshall (The Obscure Lord of the Rings Facts Guy on TikTok) and confirmed this Mithril origin was created for the series.

Tolkien's writings on Rhûn, its peoples, and the general capabilities of the folks there are thin in the best of times. We know human sorcerers existed in Middle-earth, but they're not supposed to be as powerful as a Wizard. We know Sauron was experimenting with the Unseen World for centuries, so it's reasonable to infer there were beings touching that place before the Nine Kings of Men were corrupted by their rings and became Sauron's servants as Ringwraiths.

Celebrimbor and his smiths forged three rings of power for the Elves. Tolkien made it clear that Galadriel's was made of Mithril, but never explicitly said the same of the other two. So by taking the Mithril and combining it with Finrod's dagger, we get Mithril in all three rings even though they are different colors. This is overall a fine way to demonstrate the forging of these rings, because it's clear those three rings were made at roughly the same time.

Separately, the ring made for Gil-galad is supposed to be the most powerful of the three rings and had the ability to prevent decay and postpone the weariness of the world. This ring is called Vilya. Tolkien never wrote of the Elves fearing death in such an immediate fashion, or that the rings were made in a hurry to deal with that crisis, but Gil-galad's ring is supposed to do what the show claims it does.

Bardugo, Leigh Crooked Kingdom (2016)Kaz Brekker and his crew have just pulled off a heist so daring even they didn't think they'd survive. But instead of divvying up a fat reward, they're right back to fighting for their lives. Double-crossed and badly weakened, the crew is low on resources, allies, and hope. As powerful forces from around the world descend on Ketterdam to root out the secrets of the dangerous drug known as jurda parem, old rivals and new enemies emerge to challenge Kaz's cunning and test the team's fragile loyalties. A war will be waged on the city's dark and twisting streets--a battle for revenge and redemption that will decide the fate of the Grisha world.Young Adult Fiction

Kenyon, Sherrilyn Deadmen Walking (2017)A Deadman's Cross NovelDeadmen tell their tales . . . To catch evil, it takes evil. Enter Devyl Bane--an ancient dark warlord returned to the human realm as one of the most notorious pirates in the New World. A man of many secrets, Bane makes a pact with Thorn--an immortal charged with securing the worst creations the ancient gods ever released into our world. Those powers have been imprisoned for eons behind enchanted gates . . . gates that are beginning to buckle.Hardcover

Salvatore, R. A. Promise of the Witch King (2005)The Sellswords Book IIEntreri and Jarlaxle might be strangers in the rugged, unforgiving mountains of the Bloodstone Lands, but they have been in difficult places before. Caught between the ghost of a power-mad lich, and the righteous fury of an oath-bound knight, they have never felt more at home.Paperback

This semester at Bloor's Academy brings a few changes. There is a new art teacher, Mr. Boldova, and a new student, Belle, who lives with the Yewbeam aunts and seems to have a strange power over them. Emma and Charlie soon discover Mr. Boldova's secret identity: He is the older brother of Ollie Sparks, the boy who lives in the attic of Bloor's Academy. Ollie had always been prying into matters that didn't concern him, so Ezekiel Bloor made him invisible. When Charlie and his friends find him, Ollie is alone and hungry. They promise to make Ollie visible again with the aid of his brother, Mr. Boldova.Can Charlie and his friends save Ollie

Tom Camp's daughter wasnow in her sixteenth yearand as plump and winsome a lassie, her Scotch motherdeclared, as the Lord ever made. She was engaged tobe married to Hose Norman, a gallant poor white fromthe high hill country at the foot of the mountains. Hosecame to see her every Sunday riding a black mule, gailytrapped out in martingales with red rings, double girthsto his saddle and a flaming red tassel tied on each side ofthe bridle. Tom was not altogether pleased with hisfuture son-in-law. He was too wild, went to too manyfrolics, danced too much, drank too much whiskey andwas too handy with a revolver.

The scene that followed this triumph! Two stalwartmountain men snatched him from the rostrum and borehim on their shoulders through the shouting, weepingcrowd. Women pressed close and kissed his hands, andold men reached forward their hands to touch his garments.Ah! if he could inherit the power of this kingamong men! To-night as Gaston walked under that treewith his heart beating with the ecstasy of a new-foundsource of life, he felt that he could do, and that he woulddo, what the master had done before him!

He played with the heart-strings of his hearers in thisclose personal history as a great master touches the stringsof a harp. His voice was now low and quivering withthe music of passion, and then soft and caressing. Hewould swing them from laughter to tears in a singlesentence, and in the next, the lightning flash of a fierceinvective drove into their hearts its keen blade so suddenlythe vast crowd started as one man and winced atits power. 781b155fdc