Lord of the Rings Series Title Reveal Brings Us Back To Middle-Earth

We’ve seen very little regarding Amazon’s Lord of the Rings series, except a picture and casting updates. And one or two rumors here and there. But now, we have a teaser, and it is already setting the internet aflame. So, what do we get from this new trailer? What plot points are revealed, action sequences do they tease? Well, none, actually. But we do get the official title reveal of The Lord of the Rings series: The Rings of Power. What does this mean? Well, it means we’re less than a year away from the series. It also means that we’re only going to see more as the year goes on. So, it begins—one advertising campaign to rule them all.

Why the Title Reveal is so Exciting Despite the Lack of Footage

(Image: New Line Cinemas. Text added)

The Lord of the Rings series title reveal opens with one of the most famous passages in literary history, seen above. In the films, Galadriel recited the epitaph. We have a similar voice here, but definitely not Cate Blanchette’s. The other key difference is how the two recitals sound. When we first heard Blanchette say these words, they had a soft, ethereal quality. Even when she gets to the “One Ring” segment, her voice carries more weight but stays regal.

In the Rings of Power series title reveal trailer, the actress reciting the passage takes a different approach. There’s more anger and an underlining ferocious quality to the words. Instead of a regal declaration, it sounds more like a harsh whisper. Is this mysterious woman the new Galadriel? We don’t know yet – as we don’t know much of anything – but regardless, it won’t be easy following Blanchette’s iconic performance.

However, what’s notable with this passage is how firmly it sets us in “the Second Age,” the time when Sauron forged the Rings of Power, long after his master, Morgoth, was banished to the void. While this clarifies the time period, it also tells us some of the stories we were eager to see won’t happen.

We Won’t See Much of the Silmarillion in The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Series

(Image: Amazon Studios)

For a while, even though we knew that the series would focus on the Second Age, Lord of the Rings fans started speculating which of their favorite First Age characters we might see. Some characters were born in the First Age and lived into the Fourth Age, such as Elrond, Galadriel, Gandalf, and Treebeard. Sadly, Gandalf didn’t go to Middle-Earth until the Third Age. So, unless we visit the Undying Lands a few times, we probably won’t see Old Greybeard.

Likewise, since most of The Silmarillion takes place in the First Age, we’re probably not going to see Beren and Lúthien, the man and elf who fell in love (and that Tolkien wrote for his wife). These two were the parents of Elrond and Elros. Because of their mixed heritage, the two sons had to choose between immortality or eventual death. Elrond chose immortality. Elros chose to be mortal and began a line of kings that would eventually lead to Aragorn. Now, if you know a little about the Lord of the Rings, you’re going “um…wait….” Yes. Elrond is Arwen’s father. Elros was Arwen’s uncle. Aragorn married Arwen; his several hundred times removed cousin. But it’s probably unlikely that The Rings of Power would get into that convoluted bloodline, or maybe they’re saving that for the trailer.

More Stories We Won’t See in the Lord of the Rings Series, Based on the Title Reveal

(Image via Harper Collins)

Others? Húrin and his children, Túrin and Niënor. Told in The Children of Húrin, the story of this family is like a Greek tragedy on steroids. It’s painful, beautiful, epic, and we’re not going to see it just yet.

Most of all, we won’t see the Fall of Gondolin, which was one of the biggest battles in the history of Middle-Earth. If we do, it will be a very brief prologue scene, like the Final Alliance of Men and Elves in Fellowship of the Ring. However, while we don’t see it in the trailer, there’s a better chance we’ll see Morgoth’s last battle, when the Valar finally go to Middle-Earth to end Morgoth’s tyranny. This was the biggest battle of Middle-Earth. Armies of Balrogs and beings just as or more powerful than Gandalf just bashing each other up left and right.

Seriously, we better see that.

How Does The Rings of Power Fit With Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings – the Title Itself in the Reveal Tells Us

(Image: Amazon Prime Studios)

There has been some speculation about this series being a departure from Peter Jackson’s movies or if it will be a direct prequel. The first image looks 100% Peter Jackson’s Middle-Earth. But there is also the fact that every aspect of this series must be approved by the Tolkien estate, and they hated the movies. Well, they apparently didn’t hate them so much that they didn’t want to turn away a Lonely Mountain-sized pile of cash.

The music includes callbacks to Howard Shore’s score. Shore is composing the series with another great score composer, Bear McCreary. Their styles blend beautifully here. And then there’s the font of the Lord of the Rings title reveal itself, seen above. It’s similar to the fonts used for both the movies and the games:

(Image: Warner Bros Interactive Content)

So, in a sense, this is the best of both worlds. Fans of the movie will find themselves in a familiar world, like going home. But Fans who want the show as faithful to Tolkien as possible can rest assured that nothing we see on The Rings of Power would be something Tolkien wouldn’t have considered for his own books. Yes, that means nudity and Black Hobbits.

It might just be a series title reveal for The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, but it’s very exciting. Are you ready to return to Middle-Earth?

(Featured Image: Amazon Prime Studios)

Roman Colombo finished his MFA in 2010 and now teaches writing and graphic novel literature at various Philadelphia colleges. His first novel, Trading Saints for Sinners, was published in 2014. He's currently working on his next novel and hoping to find an agent soon.