The Lord of The Rings: The Rings of Power gets its fair share of criticism for deviating from J.R.R. Tolkien’s timeline of the Second Age, or the behavior of fan favorite characters. But many forget that Peter Jackson’s trilogy also took liberties, such as the omission of Glorfindel.
There are two things that any Tolkien nerd worth their salt will surely speak up about when you’re watching the movies with them. One is that trivia about Viggo Mortensen’s toe when he kicks the helmet in The Two Towers, and the other is that it wasn’t Arwen, but another elf who saved Frodo’s life at the Ford of Bruinen outside Rivendell, and this was changed in The Fellowship of the Ring movie. His name was Glorfindel.
This elf’s erasure is such a touchy topic because Glorfindel isn’t just any elf; he is a legendary hero who shares a similarity with Gandalf. He too died and then was sent back to Middle-earth by the gods because there was work to do. And the reason we’re talking about him now is because he has been spotted in The Rings of Power, and his return to Middle-earth happened during the Second Age, the very time period that The Rings of Power is set in.
Who is Glorfindel?
Glorfindel is an elf born possibly during the years of the Two Trees. He was tall, statuesque, and had golden hair. In the First Age, during the Flight of the Noldor from Valinor to Middle-earth, he followed the House of Fingolfin. He was with King Turgon in the hidden elven city of Gondolin, where he became one of the king’s commanders and was named the Lord of the House of the Golden Flower.
During the fall of Gondolin, Glorfindel took on a Balrog solo. It was an epic battle of wills and might atop a cliff in the Misty Mountains, just like Gandalf fought his Balrog. Glorfindel was able to mortally wound the Balrog by slashing his belly, but as the beast was falling off the cliff backwards, it grabbed the elf by his hair and yanked him down with him, to both their deaths. Thorondor, the King of the Eagles, brought Glorfindel’s broken and lifeless body back to his people, who then laid him to rest atop the mountains surrounding Gondolin.
After his valorous death, Glorfindel’s spirit went to the hall of Mandos (the Valar of Doom) in Valinor, where it rested for a while. The norm was that when someone died, their spirit would enter the hall of Mandos, and after a long time, the Valar would choose to reanimate it and send it back. In Glorfindel’s case, however, due to the noble and courageous manner in which he lived his life, the Valar kind of fast-tracked this process for his soul.
A thousand years later, in the Second Age, Glorfindel returned to Middle-earth. He stayed for some time in Lindon, where the other high elves like Gil-galad, Elrond, and Círdan dwelt. When Elrond found the refuge of Imladris a.k.a. Rivendell, Glorfindel began living there. In the Third Age, Glorfindel was instrumental in the Angmar wars against the Witch King, and it was he who made the prophecy that no mortal man could kill him, which then was proven right when the Witch King died at the hands of Éowyn and the hobbit Merry.
During the War of the Ring, Glorfindel was the one who was sent by Elrond to find Frodo and company, and it was he who saved Frodo from the Nazgûl at the Ford of Bruinen, because he alone (other than Gandalf) was unafraid of the Ringwraiths. In fact, there were five of them and they were afraid of him! And rightly so, because it was said that when Glorfindel was sent back to life, the Valar Manwë had given him powers on par with a Maiar (a lesser class of angels to which Sauron and the wizards belong).
Amongst his powers was his rather angelic presence and great knowledge of medicine and healing. As for weapons, he carried a sword and a dagger of sorts. In fact, it is believed that this was the dagger that Bilbo Baggins found in the troll’s cave and named Sting!
The Song of The Roots of Hithaeglir in The Rings of Power
If Glorfindel’s story sounds familiar to you even if you haven’t read the books, then it’s because you’ve watched The Rings of Power and it was shown during season 1. Do you remember the post-dinner scene between High King Gil-galad and Elrond, where he asks the herald to recall The Song of The Roots of Hithaeglir?
Hithaeglir is the Sindarin name for the mountainous range known as the Misty Mountains which is the sight of several important locations from Tolkien’s works, such as Khazad-dûm or Moria. And so the animated story that plays out—of a legendary elven warrior who battled a Balrog atop the Hithaeglir over a tree that was said to house a Silmaril—is actually talking about Glorfindel’s battle with the Balrog!
It’s interesting how they’ve altered it into a credible history of the origins of mithril, a covetous metal that has gone into the making of the rings of power. Because as per the story, mithril is a product of the forces of good battling the forces of evil, and struck by lightning, which is a device of the gods. It plays well into how capricious the power of these rings is—starts off with good but can be easily corrupted, as well.
Will Glorfindel appear in The Rings of Power season 2?
The fact that The Rings of Power has subtly name-dropped Glorfindel has gotten fans excited about the possibility of this legendary Tolkien hero showing up in the series. It just makes sense, with mithril being such an important part of this story, that the elf responsible for it, in part, should appear.
But another reason is that the lore demands it, too. It’s almost time. According to the timeline of the Second Age, Glorfindel returns to Middle-earth in SA 1600, the same year when two more important things happen. One, Sauron forges the One Ring and completes building his fortress of Barad-dûr, and two, the Blue Wizards—two of the Istari—come to Middle-earth.
In The Rings of Power season 1, the Istari have already begun arriving, and no matter who The Stranger is, we know that he is an Istar, and not the only one possibly. Season 2 promos have shown as that a Dark Wizard played by Ciarán Hinds is already in Rhûn. And by the end of season 2, Sauron will have gotten all the other rings, so he can move on to forge the One Ring.
So if Glorfindel is to arrive, the anvil is hot and the time is now!
There’s also a third reason we can be so positive that he might just show up in the Prime Video series. You see, during the Rings of Power SDCC 2024 Hall H panel, showrunners J.D. Payne and Patrick McKay hinted at it, after a volunteer specifically asked about the possibility for the elven hero to exist in the show.
Okay, I’ve got my fingers crossed and prayers going out to Eru that Glorfindel (and Celeborn, where IS he?) shows up on the show soon!
The Lord of The Rings: The Rings of Power season 2 returns on August 29, 2024, on Prime Video.
Published: Aug 26, 2024 10:41 am