Warning! This article contains spoilers for The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power.The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power is already foreshadowing the events of The Lord of the Rings, with episode 2 containing a hint to Sauron's human army in Return of the King. The Rings of Power is set in the Second Age of Middle-earth, thousands of years before the events of the original Lord of the Rings trilogy. Despite this, the show features links to Jackson's films, in more overt ways such as including characters like Galadriel and Elrond, and more subtly by featuring hints to the dark forces Sauron employs in the Third Age.
In The Rings of Power episode 2, Galadriel is alone at sea after abandoning the ship that was to take her home to Valinor at the end of the series premiere. During her swim back to Middle-earth, she encounters a group of humans adrift on a makeshift raft who initially offer to help her. However, after the survivors try to flag down what they think is a ship to save them, one of the human characters implores his comrades to wait until they can see the ship's sails. Herein lies the link to Sauron's human army seen in The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King.
The human character, Eamon, warns his company that Corsairs prowl the waters in which they are adrift. The Corsairs could be a reference to the Corsairs of Umbar. The Corsairs of Umbar are seen in Return of the King, traveling to Gondor and Minas Tirith by river with a huge fleet in order to aid Mordor's invasion of the Gondorian capital. The Corsairs are subsequently defeated by Aragorn, Legolas, Gimli, and the Army of the Dead under Aragorn's command.
The Corsairs In Lord Of The Rings Explained
The Corsairs of Umbar, in Middle-earth mythology, are a race of Men, more specifically corrupted Númenóreans. The Corsairs are notorious for their naval piracy along the shores of Gondor, as evident by their fleet seen in Return of the King. After the kingdom of Númenor fell, the settlers of Umbar became increasingly evil until they became known as the Black Númenóreans. The final shot of The Rings of Power episode 2 sees Galadriel and Halbrand finding another boat, which could turn out to be the Corsairs.
However, as the Kingdom of Númenor still stands at the time of The Rings of Power in the Second Age, it is unlikely the Corsairs are at the strength shown in The Lord of the Rings trilogy. It is more likely that the boat that Galadriel and Halbrand encounter is Númenórean, as Isildur, the future King of Men and Aragorn's distant ancestor, is confirmed to be in the series. That being said, The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power could continue to flesh out the Corsairs as a struggle for Isildur to overcome, as episode 2 established their piracy already taking place, further foreshadowing their turn to evil and allegiance to Sauron that comes to fruition in the Third Age of Middle-earth.
New episodes of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power release every Friday on Amazon Prime.
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