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The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power is the most anticipated addition to the Lord of the Rings franchise. The series, which is all set to be released on September 2, 2022, on Prime Video, is a prequel set centuries before the events of The Hobbit and LOTR movies.
The show has created a buzz owing to its extensive production and breathtaking graphics. The official trailer for the series has fans waiting with bated breath.
Created by JD Payne and Patrick McKay, The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power is set in the Second-Age of Middle-earth, which dates back a few thousand years prior to the events of the LOTR movies.
The creators of the series have experimented with the legacy of LOTR and brought new never-seen-before characters to the Tolkien mythos. One such character in the upcoming series is Arondir.
Read on to learn startling things about this mystery character.
Origin, residence and more: Things to know about Arondir from the upcoming The Lord of The Rings series
1) Created just for the show
One of the most exciting twists apart from the grand production of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, is that it will feature characters that have never been seen in the LOTR universe before. Arondir is also a non-canonical, original character who did not appear in books or previous LOTR movies.
While it is hard to say how this role in the storyline will pan out, Arondir seems like a headstrong and interesting character who will bend the plot's arc significantly. In the trailer, Arondir can be seen lurking in deep, dark caves to solve mysteries.
2) Lives in the Southlands
In The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, Arondir is a soldier who lives in the Southlands to keep an eye on humans. Although the actual spot where he will be seen - Tirharad - has been made up just for the show, its location in the Southlands is of utmost importance.
The Southlands, also known as the Dark Land, is a continent that is situated south of the location where the events of the Lord of The Rings unfold. Not much is written about this place, which is why it will be interesting to explore the land in the upcoming series.
The Dark Land was a result of the War for the Sake of the Elves.
Earlier, Middle-earth was a large chunk of land situated between the western sea of Belegaer and the East Sea. During the war, the geography of the continent changed significantly as the inland Sea of Ringol grew in size, dividing the Middle-earth into two separate land masses - one to the south and the other to the east of the former Sea of Ringil, which ultimately became known as the Dark Land.
3) Involved in a forbidden relationship
Forbidden romances are always an exciting element, and the creators have incorporated this to make things spicier in the storyline. In The Lord of The Rings: The Rings of Power, Arondir is involved in a romantic relationship with a human named Bronwyn (played by Nazanin Boniadi). It is a classic tale of forbidden love between a mere mortal and an immortal being.
Such forbidden romances have been seen previously in The Hobbit when Silvan Elf Tauriel falls in love with Dwarf Kíli. Even Elrond and his twin brother, Elros, were born out of one such forbidden relationship between a mortal and an immortal.
However, Arondir and Bronwyn are a more traditional pair, with one of them being an elf and the other a human. Only The Lord of The Rings: The Rings of Power will be able to shed light on this passionate romance in Middle-earth.
4) First elf in the universe to be played by a person of colour
Arondir is played by Ismael Cruz Córdova who was born and raised in Aguas Buenas, Puerto Rico. Córdova is an Afro-Latine actor who was one of the first people of color to be cast in the series.
In fact, he is the first person of color ever to portray an elf in a Tolkien project. Other than Córdova, Sophia Nomvete will be seen playing Disa, the first female-dwarf in the series.
Diversifying the characters in the LOTR universe is a step in the right direction. Unfortunately,, the news of Córdova's casting was not taken well by internet users.
A section of LOTR fans were upset that not all the characters in the series are as white as Galadriel. However, the makers of The Lord of The Rings: The Rings of Power stand by their casting decision. In an interview with Vanity Fair, Lindsey Weber, a co-executive producer of the series, said:
“It felt only natural to us that an adaptation of [author J.R.R.] Tolkien’s work would reflect what the world actually looks like. Tolkien is for everyone. His stories are about his fictional races doing their best work when they leave the isolation of their own cultures and come together.”
5) Arondir is a Silvan Elf
Silvan Elves, also known as Woodland Elves, are of Nandori descent who were eager to explore the east of the Misty Mountains but were too afraid to cross it. Thus, they decided to stay back in the forests and didn't go forward with the Great Journey. This made them a scarce group of Elves scattered all over the sprawling forest, hardly distinguishable from the Avari.
As is the case with most Elves, the Silvan Elves are also described as great archers in the the Middle-earth universe. This is captured even in the trailer for The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, where Arondir is seen shooting an arrow skillfully.
The first two episodes of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power will air on September 2, 2022 on Prime Video. The remaining episodes will air on a weekly basis.
