Warning: Spoilers for The Lord of the Rings: Ring of Power Season 2, Episode 8!The Lord of the Rings: The Ring of Power The Season 2 finale contains a major reveal that Tolkien expert Dr. Corey Olson says does not violate the original author’s guidelines. ring of power Season 2 ended with The Stranger (Daniel Wayman) meeting Tom Bombadil (Rory Kinnear) and revealing that he understood he was supposed to save him from the Dark Wizard (Ciaran Hinds) Harford and Stoll friends. During their conversation, he decides that his name will be Gandalf, whereas the Storrs called him “The Great Elf” earlier in the episode.
in the posted video Lord of the Rings on PrimeOlsen explains how just because the stranger is Gandalf doesn’t mean ring of power Breaking the original setting and explaining why. Professor Tolkien and President of Signum University elaborated on how Tolkien said wizards arrived in Middle-earth during the Third Age, but later entertained the idea that some of those wizards had participated in the Second Age. He also explained Gandalf’s history in Middle-earth and how the many names he went by affected his longevity there. Check out what Olson had to say below:
The first thing to be clear about is that there really is no such thing as canon in Tolkien. Tolkien’s ideas continued to evolve. in text
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we learn that Gandalf and other wizards arrived around the year 1000 of the Third Age. In his later years, he kept thinking that maybe Gandalf would arrive sooner, and maybe some wizards would arrive in the Second Age and take part in the Battle of the Ring of Power.
He was known as Mithrandir among the Elves and Gondor. He was known as Gandalf in the North and Tarquin among the dwarves. He was known as “Incanus” in the South. When he dwelt among the gods of Valinor his name was Aurolan. So this shows that he traveled to many places and impacted many different communities and many different peoples who knew him by many different names. In the same passage where he talks about his different names, he says, “I will not go east.” When we look at this statement in context, he is talking to a guy from Gondor, and Gondor’s People, they call Mordor “the East.” What he meant was, “Don’t expect me to fall with the Dark Lord at the gates of Barad-du.
Dr. Corey Olson explains what the Ring of Power means
Gandalf may appear in the Second Age
every character in it ring of power The Stranger is the most mysterious of Season 2, and for much of the season he gathers very little concrete information about his purpose. It wasn’t until he was forced to confront the Dark Wizard, saving the Storrs in the process, that he finally understood his destiny was to protect Middle-earth. Adopting the name Gandalf marks a slight change from Tolkien’s original work, but according to Olson, it doesn’t necessarily result in a break from the canon of his work.
Gandalf’s many names also played into the idea, as he was well known throughout Middle-earth, meaning he would need plenty of time to reveal himself to elves, dwarves, and men. Since the Prime Video show compresses many of the events of the Second Age into a smaller time frame, it would make sense for Gandalf to arrive earlier in their setting. This could mean he plays a bigger role in potential competition ring of power In Season 3, he may help multiple games around the world and become known as their ally.
What we thought of Gandalf the Stranger in Ring of Power
His identity was obvious from the start
Customized images by Ana Nieves
It was obvious to me since the Stranger first fell from the sky that he would eventually become Gandalf. As his power grows, so does this feeling, making it feel like a unique twist on Tolkien’s work. However, hearing from Olson that this doesn’t actually violate the code ring of power Even if they condensed and changed other parts of his original work, it gave more reason for this distortion. It also makes me interested to see where they will take his character, since he and Tom live in Loon.
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The third season has not yet been officially renewed, but Amazon has plans to renew the fantasy series for a fifth season.
Source: Lord of the Rings on Prime/Twitter