While episode 8 of season 2 of Rings of Power finally proposes a confrontation between Galadriel and Sauron, it is time to ask ourselves if their relationship in the books had the same relationship of ambiguity…
Warning, the rest of this article contains numerous spoilers concerning episode 8 of season 2 of Rings of Power. The grand finale of the second salvo of the series Lord of the Rings offered many twists and turns to fans. While in the region of Rhûn, the true identity of the Stranger has been revealed, the dwarves face the return of an immense threat with the balrog, freed by King Durin from the depths of Khazad-dûm. But the main event remains the battle raging in Eregion, where elves and orcs clash. And as the twists and turns continue, the toll of losses turns out to be rather heavy with the – expected – death of Celebrimbor – and the – unexpected – murder of Adar, by his own orcs, on Sauron’s orders. And it is only after this series of dramas that the finale offers the confrontation that rumbled throughout the eight episodes: the one between Sauron and Galadriel. A tension at the top, in particular because in season 1, the series established a certain relationship of seduction between Galadriel and Halbrand, the human form of Sauron. An idea widely discussed by fans and confirmed in one of the dialogues of this final episode…
The Rings of Power : the meeting of Sauron and Galadriel in the books has nothing to do with that of the series
During this last episode, Sauron surprises Galadriel to try to take back the “Nine” rings dedicated to men. It’s time for big explanations, everyone apparently having a lot on their hearts. Sauron, or Annatar, notably indulges in some romantic confidences, explaining to Galadriel that if she had joined his cause, he would have “makes his Queen“and would have put”Middle Earth on its knees for her“. A statement which leaves little room for interpretation on what Sauron hoped from Galadriel. It must be said, that in season 1, the latter allowed herself to be charmed by Halbrand… But in JRR Tolkien’s books, the meeting between these two super-powerful beings does not take place like this. To begin with, Halbrand does not exist there. Sauron presents himself to Galadriel directly in the form of Annatar. welcome This is where the story intersects with the series because, after being rejected, Annatar joins the blacksmiths’ guild and begins his manipulation of Celebrimbor.
Lord of the Rings : the series The Rings of Power ignores Galadriel’s husband
The other explanation which supports the fact that a romance was not possible in the books is the fact that Galadriel is very married. Indeed, in the writings of JRR Tolkien, Galadriel is married to an elf named Celeborn, whom she marries in the First Age of Middle-earth with whom she has a daughter, Celebrían, at the beginning of the Second Age, even before the making Rings of Power. And when Annatar presents herself to Galadriel, she is accompanied by Celeborn. A family dimension hidden in the Prime Video series, vaguely mentioned at the end of season 1, when Galadriel briefly mentions Celeborn and the fact that he would never have returned from the War of the Jewels. A plot twist to move away from the books and leave the field open to the Galadriel-Sauron opposition. Viewers of Peter Jackson’s films will remember Celeborn’s appearance alongside his wife in The Fellowship of the Ring.
