The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power takes place in the Second Age of Middle-earth. And those familiar with the lore will know that sometime during that time period of Middle-earth, the elf Elrond founds a now iconic Middle-earth location, The Lord of the Rings‘ Rivendell. But could we start to see the first hints of Rivendell coming onto the scene in The Rings of Power season two? When Nerdist asked this question of The Rings of Power Showrunner Patrick McKay, he offered, “Oh gosh… No comment.”
Below, we discuss the finer points Tolkien shares about the founding of Rivendell in the Second Age and how they might relate to The Rings of Power season two. We’ve put up a spoiler warning out of an abundance of caution.
McKay‘s answer regarding The Rings of Power‘s Rivendell is fair enough. After all, season two of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power has not yet even released. But one thing we do know about season two of The Rings of Power is that it will feature the Siege of Eregion. This siege is a famous Second Age battle in The Lord of the Rings world. It takes place because after the elven smith, Celebrimbor, who is Lord of Eregion, learns of Sauron’s evil, he seeks to deny Sauron the Rings of Power they forged together in the realm. Sauron, of course, does not like that and attacks Eregion. And it’s this Seige of Eregion that led us to think of Rivendell’s emergence on The Rings of Power in the first place.
According to The Silmarillion, “From that time (after the forging of the rings) war never ceased between Sauron and the Elves; and Eregion was laid waste… In that time the stronghold and refuge of Imladris, that Men called Rivendell, was founded by Elrond Half-elven.” The siege of Eregion seems to lead right into the founding of Rivendell, according to The Lord of the Rings‘ lore.
Tolkien speaks of this time with a little more detail in the Unfinished Tales. He notes, “Elrond was able to extricate himself (from the siege of Eregion), but he was forced away northwards, and it was at that time [in the year 1697, according to the Tale of Years] that he established a refuge and stronghold at Imladris (Rivendell).” Of course, in Tolkien’s writings, the siege of Eregion began in 1695, and Elrond founded Rivendell in 1697. However, in The Rings of Power, the siege of Eregion is unlikely to take two years to finish, at least, not without a time skip. So, although it’s not certain, and timelines could always change or evolve on the series, it does look like there is some chance that Rivendell will begin to emerge in season two of The Rings of Power; especially if the series doesn’t want to end the season on a wholly dour note.
After all, we do see Elrond heading into battle this season on The Rings of Power, which, as The Lord of the Rings‘ texts share, is the step that comes before he founds Rivendell. The Rings of Power‘s Elrond does seem like he still has some growing up to do before he assumes major power. That much feels true. But the coming of evil will certainly speed up the process of his maturing. If nothing else, it would be nice for Elrond to found Rivendell in season two of The Rings of Power as a source of light in the darkness. With so many villains rising and wickedness taking hold across Middle-earth, a stronghold of light and hope would be a welcome sight indeed. And if The Rings of Power season two wanted to end the season on a hopeful note instead of a dour one, concluding with the founding of Rivendell would certainly leave us and Middle-earth with a little light.