[+] The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power - SPOILERS ALLOWED

[Hriston]

Which was why I pointed out the translation of his name. Whilst "Halbrand" would normally refer to a sword with a single cutting edge, I believe an alternative, more literal, translation could be "half of a sword". Which implies the existence of the other half...

Ah yes, I hadn't considered the meaning of his name! That ties him not only to the evil sword of evil, but is also yet another way that he's an antitype of Aragorn who also had a broken sword. Maybe the remaining shards are what's in the pouch he wears around his neck.

But linguistically, the name ties him to the Rohirrim.

I'm not sure how much to make of this. The show writers could be just aping Tolkien's use of OE names for the non-Dúnedain men we've seen in the LotR movies, but having the people of Tirharad driven out of Mordor could serve to explain why the Rohirrim were in need of lands later granted them by the king of Gondor. However, I'm not seeing much in the way of Rohirric material culture.

I would like a closer look at his symbol though. It's clearly meant to resemble Aragorn's at first glance, but I suspect there is something else hidden there. Suspiciously, all the publicity shots of Halbrand are cropped or otherwise conceal his necklace.

Another parallel with Aragorn would be the hint of a green stone at the top of the talisman.

 

[Hriston]

If Sauron's sigil is meant to be a pictograph of Mordor (which it most certainly is), then why did he mark the body of Finrod Felagund with it? Surely, if the message carried by the sigil is for his followers to gather in Mordor and await his return in the event of Morgoth's defeat, the decomposing body of a slain elf is a rather unfitting vehicle!

 

[Hriston]

I think it's a nice bit of a nod to fans of the Silmarillion and other accounts of the Elder Days that the far northern fortress where they fought the ice troll might have been Utumno.

 

[Hussar]

Can I just say thank you to @Morrus for turning this into a plus thread? THIS is what fandom should look like.

 

[Zaukrie]

Really liking this show a lot. I'm no Tolkien junky, so to be it's just good fantasy. And beautiful to boot.

 

[Zardnaar]

Really liking this show a lot. I'm no Tolkien junky, so to be it's just good fantasy. And beautiful to boot.

It's the prettiest one definitely.

We've got 5 or 6 fantasy shows atm I haven't seen Sandman.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

If Sauron's sigil is meant to be a pictograph of Mordor (which it most certainly is), then why did he mark the body of Finrod Felagund with it? Surely, if the message carried by the sigil is for his followers to gather in Mordor and await his return in the event of Morgoth's defeat, the decomposing body of a slain elf is a rather unfitting vehicle!

A taunt. An angry Galadriel is off balance and isn't thinking clearly.

Also, if @MarkB is correct, Mordor and Adar is a Phantom Menace. Sauron wants the forces of good focused there whilst he enacts his real scheme behind the scenes.

 

[Hriston]

A taunt. An angry Galadriel is off balance and isn't thinking clearly.

Ah, so you’re imagining that Sauron allowed Finrod’s body to be recovered or even had it delivered to Galadriel in order to set her in motion following his trail. Hmm.

Also, if @MarkB is correct, Mordor and Adar is a Phantom Menace. Sauron wants the forces of good focused there whilst he enacts his real scheme behind the scenes.

Considering that the keystone of his “real scheme” is to forge the One Ring in the fires of Mt. Doom, I would think he’d want the establishment of his strength in Mordor enacted too.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

Ah, so you’re imagining that Sauron allowed Finrod’s body to be recovered or even had it delivered to Galadriel in order to set her in motion following his trail. Hmm.

Seems likely.

Considering that the keystone of his “real scheme” is to forge the One Ring in the fires of Mt. Doom, I would think he’d want the establishment of his strength in Mordor enacted too.

In the source material Sauron's forces are defeated by the Numenorians (and it is implied that it was a ploy). It seems likely this will also happen in the TV series. No reason that should prevent him accessing Mt. Doom if he is in the guise of a good guy.

 

[Hriston]

Seems likely.

In the source material Sauron's forces are defeated by the Numenorians (and it is implied that it was a ploy). It seems likely this will also happen in the TV series. No reason that should prevent him accessing Mt. Doom if he is in the guise of a good guy.

In the source material, he already has the ring at that point.