Even though we firstlearned about it in 2017 , we just know anything about Amazon ’s plan for its Lord of the Rings series . One matter we do know — other than that abucketload of talentis run allaround New Zealandto make it — is that it’sset in the Second Ageof center - dry land ’s long history . But what even is that ?
My Bagginses and Boffins , Tooks and Brandybucks , Grubbs , Chubbs , Hornblowers , Bolgers , Bracegirdles , and Proudfoots ( Proudfeet ) , pull up a chairperson and allow us to explain .
The Four Ages of Middle-Earth
If you watched Peter Jackson ’s Lord of the Rings and Hobbit motion-picture show , you might be jumble as to just when all this fits in — specially as Amazon has madea large to - doabout how this new show can apply visual speech and elements fromthe director ’s dear sagaas connective tissue . The events of The Hobbit take place around 60 geezerhood before The Lord of the Rings , the events of which score the last days of the Third Age of Middle - world — which officially fare to an last with Sauron ’s destruction and the end of the War of the Ring , come out the Fourth Age , the Age of Man .
The thing is though , the Third Age itself survive 3,000 yr , so the prequel show we ’re suffer is already eons and eon apart from the events of J.R.R. Tolkien ’s Lord of the Rings .
https://gizmodo.com/amazons-lord-of-the-rings-show-is-about-the-return-of-s-1846049314

The map of Middle-earth revealed by Amazon to declare its journey into the Second Age.Image: Amazon Studios
The Third Age began , as in brief glimpsed in the opening of The Fellowship of the Ring . This was after the seeming licking of Sauron by the force of the Last Alliance — the Dúnedain , or the Men of the West , lead by high-pitched King Elendil , the Elves , principal by Gil - Galad and Elrond , and a detail of Dwarves place by the King of Khazad - dûm , Durin IV — ended the Second Age , a period of time that hold out even longer , about 3,400 year to the just - over-3,000 of the Third Age .
Into the West
So what do we sleep together about the Second long time then ? It started after the War of Wrath . The climactic event of the First Age , the War of Wrath saw the divine beings of the Valar — alongside hosts of Noldor Elves and Men of Beleriand — combat the forcefulness of the Dark Lord . That ’s not Sauron , by the way , but his maestro , the fallen Vala , Melkor , now known as Morgoth . For those not conversant , the Valar are , essentially , angelic godlike beings : the 14 immortal steward of Captial - G - God Eru , alongside the Maiar ( primordial John Barleycorn who put to work in tandem with the Valar as shapers of the world ) . The Valar and Maiar alike , together with known as the Holy Ones , could subsist as spirit being without physical form , but they do have strong-arm forms — like how Sauron could subsist as a intimidating figure in spiky armor and a giant flaming eyeball .
The War of Wrath resolve with Morgoth ’s ostracism to the Void ( the metaphysical sheet Gandalf in brief describes see after his end and renascence ) , contribute about the end of his dark threat . But it came at a great cost . Beleriand and its mass were shatter by the events of the war , almost exclusively sinking into the ocean in the process .
What was left became what we would finally know as halfway - earth — that ’s not the name of the earthly concern Lord of the Rings is ready on , but the continent on the actual major planet , Arda , that was left after Beleriand ’s wipeout . passably much the only moment of Beleriand that was relatively unscathed by the cataclysm was the land of Lindon to the northwestward — which became the Kingdom of Lindon for the Noldor Elves and other live Elven clans , ruled over by Gil - Galad , in the earliest daytime of the Second Age . But many more Elves left the area all , return with the Valar across the ocean to the Undying Lands on the West of Arda to live their privy , immortal life history .

Screenshot: Warner Bros.
The Men of Beleriand , collectively known as the Edain , were … less prosperous . All but decimate by Morgoth ’s forces , what was left of the Edain were elevated by Eönwë , an angelic spirit of the Maia , and given theisland of Númenor , risen out of the sea from Beleriand ’s ruin , to form a new guild on .
The Rise of Sauron
For a good few hundred years or so , there was proportional public security . The Elves of Arda tardily but surely began emigrating westwards , whether across center - ground from its eastern lands or to Valinor itself . The Númenoreans established a thriving society and finally get down demonstrate settlement along the shores of midway - earth . But 500 long time into the Second Age , Sauron , Morgoth ’s lieutenant ( who , unlike his captain , was a fallen Maia ) task with wage his war for control over the Elves , returned . After being vote down by the Elves in the War of Wrath , Sauron fled , biding his time as the First Age kick the bucket into the Second . When he returned during the Second Age , he began by spending the next few centuries install a world power base of his own in Mordor , constructing the gilded tower of Barad - dûr , raising armies of orcs and troll , and tardily but surely corrupting pocket of humanity and Elf - kind to his cause .
The putrefaction of the Elves come first — having established his authorization over Celebrimbor and the Elves of Eregion , about 1,500 years into the Second Age , Sauron ( disguised as the Maia Annatar ) commanded them to start forging the Great Rings of Power while he forge the One Ring in arcanum . When his treachery was exposed , it kicked off a conflict between the Elves that Sauron had ensorcelled and those who had seen through his deception . Eregion was all but destroyed over the track of the conflict — with Elrond establishing Rivendell out of the pull round Elves of the region — but the arrival of an army of Númenoreans help the Elves resoundingly overcome Sauron ’s forces , sternly belittle him in the operation as he retrograde back to Mordor .
https://gizmodo.com/amazons-lord-of-the-rings-series-confirms-its-setting-1833126609

Screenshot: Warner Bros.
But it was an bond that was not to last . Over time , as the Númenoreans institute more and more footholds in Middle - dry land , they became mistrust of the Elves , with Kings and Queens taking their names in their own tongue rather than Elvish , and eventually forbidding the teaching and speaking of Elvish in their lands . About 500 years after the war between Sauron and the Elves , the Númenorean King Ar - Pharazôn edge a grand master of ceremonies into Mordor and took Sauron prisoner , take back him to Númenor where , well … Sauron did what Sauron does . Quickly defile Ar - Pharazôn just as he had Celebrimbor one C prior , becoming the King ’s advisor , establishing his own coloured religion in serve of his master Morgoth , and win over the Númenoreans to work up a terrific force to invade Valinor , snipe the Valar themselves , and take the Elves ’ immortality for their own . Whew !
Just shy of a 100 after he arrive in Númenor in chains , Sauron watch Ar - Pharazôn lead his great host to the shore of Valinor . The Valar were so shocked that men had travel to their shore that they call down their god , the god above even the most powerful divine being of Arda , like the Valar and the Maiar : Eru . And so pissed was he , Eru promptly smash Ar - Pharazôn and his fleet , cut the Undying Lands off from the respite of Arda to all but the Elves , bury Númenor ( greatly diminishing Sauron once more ) , and , uh made the satellite a sphere .
Did we observe the world was prostrate up to this point ? No ? Well , it was , and now it is n’t .

Screenshot: Warner Bros.
With Númenor bury and its multitude broken , the survivors came to Middle - dry land and formed the duplicate Kingdoms of Gondor and Arnor , united under the first High King of the Dúnedain , Elendil . As Sauron rebuilt his forcible form over a few more centuries , he made plans to crush the remainder of the Númenoreans and land up what he ’d start out with the Elves once more : beginning what would be know as the War of the Last Alliance . And , well , you know how that bit ends , do n’t you ?
The Great Unknown
Here ’s the real thing though : for all that we ’ve just gone through , we do n’t really have it off a bunch about the Second Age . It ’s such a vast , vast period of time , and detail only in footnotes and in the backstory of Tolkien ’s posthumous works . We bang a bit of how it started , we know the thing we ask to bed about its end with the seeming frustration of Sauron — whose boost to bump we at least be intimate will form one narrative thread in Amazon ’s new show .
But those are just a few arcs — very important ones , for sure , but still just a few , and they take place over century and 1000 of years . There ’s so much potency for Amazon ’s Lord of the Rings show to show us firearm of Middle - Earth we ’ve never even imagine before , building up the Second Age to be something unlike any other tale in this world could be so far .
https://gizmodo.com/who-is-the-lord-of-the-rings-exactly-1845131474

For more , make certain you ’re keep an eye on us on our Instagram @io9dotcom .
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