Amazon Studios is wetting fans’ whistles for the next season of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, revealing new details and teases in advance of the show’s San Diego Comic-Con panel this weekend. Which is why Polygon is happy to exclusively reveal some details on one new addition to the sprawling cast of the J.R.R. Tolkien adaptation: Mirdania, played by Amelia Kenworthy.
“Mirdania,” according to Amazon Studios, “is a protégé of master craftsman Celebrimbor.” Played by Charles Edwards in season 1, Celebrimbor is Tolkien’s master elven smith, whom we saw — along with Galadriel, Elrond, and (secretly) Sauron — forge the three elven rings of power in the season finale.
“But,” Amazon’s statement continued, Mirdania’s “loyalty will be tested when an unexpected visitor arrives in Eregion, with the potential to alter the destiny of the Elven-smiths forever.”
That’s keeping it pretty vague, but given Lord of the Rings lore, there’s plenty to read between the lines. As Tolkien wrote it, the three elven rings were forged by Celebrimbor, and the One Ring was forged by Sauron — but the seven rings of the dwarves and the nine rings of men were a joint project by both of them. After being tossed out of proper Elven society for his bad vibes, Sauron put on a helpful guise and approached the elven-smiths in the region of Eregion, whose judgement was clouded by their ambition to create great works of craft. Celebrimbor, in particular, wanted to live up to the legacy of his grandfather, Fëanor, the best elven-smith (and worst person) to ever walk Middle-earth.
Earlier trailers for Rings of Power season 2 have offered plenty of evidence that we’re approaching this period in the story of the forging of the rings, in which a disguised Sauron has ingratiated himself with the smiths of Eregion, and, as he oversees their forging of the seven and nine rings, weaves his own controlling magic into the jewelry.
Eventually, Sauron was discovered and run out of Eregion, only to return with an army, razing the place, capturing Celebrimbor, torturing him until he gave up the location of the dwarven and human rings, and then executing him. Amazon’s first trailer for season 2 certainly seems to feature plenty of spooky stuff happening in Celebrimbor’s forge, as well as some shots of the famed smith under duress. It seems possible that we’ve even already heard Mirdania’s voice, gasping “I think he’s been here among us all along.”
So, while Kenworthy’s character is an original creation for the show, not a named Tolkinian figure, she seems to have a front-row seat for one of the biggest boondoggles in later elven history.
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