The synopsis for Amazon Prime's Lord of the Rings series was recently revealed by The One Ring. It teases a globetrotting adventure set in the Second Age, thousands of years before the events of The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings trilogy. The synopsis promises an epic adventure that brings the characters to various locations, including "the darkest depths of the Misty Mountains" and "the majestic forests of the elf-capital of Lindon." Among the named areas, the summary also includes "the breathtaking island kingdom of Númenor."
Númenor is not mentioned in the Lord of the Rings trilogy films, and for a good reason. The island's dramatic rise and fall condemned it to a fate similar to the fictional lost city of Atlantis. Nonetheless, Númenor played an essential role during the Second Age. Without it, some of the great kingdoms of Men would not exist.
Located on an island in the Great Sea, Númenor was brought up out of the waters by the Valar as a gift to Men. Númenor rose to greatness under its first king, Elros son of Eärendil. Thanks to Elros, Men became a powerful race. Soon, the first ships sailed from the island to Middle-Earth, despite being forbidden by the Valar to travel westward.
Over time, the Númenóreans rebelled against the Valar's authority, hoping to obtain the everlasting life they believed they deserved. As a result, they moved eastward, colonizing sections of Middle-Earth along the way. The Númenóreans peaceful takeovers soon turned tyrannical, which ultimately resulted in their downfall.
As the Dark Lord Sauron forged the master ring, a struggle ensued between the Elves and Sauron. Númenor also took up forces against the Dark Lord. But it wasn't long before the final King of Númenor, Ar-Pharazôn, was corrupted by Sauron who promised the Númenóreans eternal life if they worshiped Morgoth. With his poisoned mind, Ar-Pharazôn erected a temple for Morgoth where he offered human sacrifices.
Prompted by Sauron, Ar-Pharazôn marched against the Valar in an attempt to seize the Undying Lands. The king was eventually trapped by the supreme deity of Arda and the single creator above the Valar, Ilúvatar, who changed the world's shape from flat to round and ultimately sunk the island of Númenor, killing all of its people.
Before the fall of Númenor, Elendil, son of the leader of the Faithful (the group loyal to the Valar), was warned of the disaster said to strike the island. Elendil and his followers set sail before Númenor sunk and took refuge in Middle-Earth. There, they founded the kingdoms of Arnor and Gondor.
The White Tree of Gondor also stems back to Númenor. During Ar-Pharazôn's alliance with Sauron, the White Tree of Númenor was said to be tied to the kings' line and was subsequently cut down and burned. Isildur, a distant relative of Aragorn, rescued a fruit from the tree, which he later planted in Gondor, the land he founded.
Although details regarding the Amazon Prime Lord of the Rings series are still limited, it might explore the rise and fall of Númenor and the establishment of Arnor and Gondor. Considering Aragorn is the rightful king of these two kingdoms, the series may act as a prequel of sorts. However, since the Lord of the Rings series is confirmed to occur during the Second Age, the protagonist will most likely be a distant ancestor of Aragorn and not the ranger himself.
Produced by Amazon Studios, The Lord of the Rings stars Robert Aramayo, Owain Arthur, Nazanin Boniadi, Tom Budge, Morfydd Clark, Ismael Cruz Córdova, Ema Horvath, Markella Kavenagh, Joseph Mawle, Tyroe Muhafidin, Sophia Nomvete, Megan Richards, Dylan Smith, Charlie Vickers, Daniel Weyman, Cynthia Addai-Robinson, Maxim Baldry, Ian Blackburn, Kip Chapman, Anthony Crum, Maxine Cunliffe, Trystan Gravelle, Sir Lenny Henry, Thusitha Jayasundera, Fabian McCallum, Simon Merrells, Geoff Morrell, Peter Mullan, Lloyd Owen, Augustus Prew, Peter Tait, Alex Tarrant, Leon Wadham, Benjamin Walker and Sara Zwangobani. The series is expected to premiere on Amazon Prime Video in 2021.
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