The Rings of Power takes place in the Second Age of Middle Earth, thousands of years before the events of The Lord of the Rings. There are few connections between the two stories. Elves like Galadriel and Elrond, who are immortal, appear in both. A wizard – who is most likely Gandalf – also plays a key role in The Rings of Power. But humans are mortal, so there’s no chance we’ll see Aragorn or Boromir.
However, there is one man who The Lord of the Rings Fans may recognize in The Rings of Power: Isildur, Aragorn’s ancestor and the man who was to cut the Ring from Sauron’s finger. But Isildur is no hero. He cannot destroy the One Ring and is corrupted by its power. When we meet Aragorn, he is ashamed of being descended from Isildur.
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In Season 1, Isildur was a relatively minor character, largely overshadowed by his father Elendil. In Season 2, he finally comes to the fore. The Rings of Power will try to clarify his character and explain how he came to a tragic decision that would resonate in Middle Earth for millennia. Here is everything you need to know about Isildur from The Lord of the Rings and season 1 of The Rings of Power.
Isildur is the son of Elendil
Isildur (Maxim Baldry) is not a prince, but a sailor and the rebellious son of Elendil (Lloyd Owen), a captain loyal to the Queen Regent Míriel. He wants to prove himself in battle. His wish comes true when he and his father set sail with the Queen Regent Míriel (Cynthia Addai-Robinson) and the elf Galadriel (Morfydd Clark) to fight the Orcs in the Southlands. Although the humans and elves win this battle, Mount Doom erupts and kills dozens of people.
Isildur is believed dead in The Rings of Power
We last saw Isildur in The Rings of Powerhe was trapped in a burning building after the villain Adar caused fire to pour down from Mount Doom and turned the Southlands into Mordor. Elendil assumes that Isildur is dead and sails back to Númenor without him.
But we, the audience, know that Isildur must have survived, given the role he will play in JRR Tolkien’s story. And he can be seen in the trailers for Season 2, battling giant spiders in the borderlands of Mordor.
In Tolkien’s lore, Isildur performs some great deeds that we will not reveal here, except that he plants the White Tree of Gondor, which in The Lord of the RingsAt the end of the Second Age, Isildur’s father Elendil and the Elven-King Gil-Galad form the Last Alliance of Elves and Men to challenge Sauron, and Isildur fights at their side.
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Isildur defeats Sauron
The army of Elves and Men laid siege to Barad-dûr, Suaron’s central fortress in Mordor. The battle lasted seven years. Many Elves and Men died. Finally, Sauron himself fought against Elendil and Gil-galad, who both died in battle.
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As shown in The CompanionsIsildur takes the hilt of his father’s sword, Narsil, and is able to cut the Ring from Sauron’s hand. Sauron essentially leaves his body, but his soul remains intact as long as the Ring exists. Sauron is defeated – for now.
Isildur is unable to destroy the One Ring
As we see in the first minutes of Peter Jackson’s film, The CompanionsThe elf Elrond encourages Isildur to throw the ring into the fire of Mount Doom. This would have prevented any chance of Sauron’s return.
But Isildur argues that the Ring’s power can be used for the good of mankind. (Boromir will make the same argument thousands of years later.) Isildur refuses to destroy the Ring, becomes corrupted by it, and seeks power for himself.
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In fairness to Isildur, the hobbit Frodo Baggins almost makes the same mistake. The only reason the One Ring ends up in the fires of Mount Doom is because Gollum attacks Frodo, bites off his ring finger, and falls into the lava with the Ring and dies.
Aragorn is Isildur’s heir
After Isildur receives the ring, he unites the kingdoms of Andor and Gondor. He rules over them until he is attacked and killed by orcs while riding with his sons. The ring is lost in the battle and sinks to the bottom of a river, where it is only found by Sméagol (aka Gollum).
Aragorn is Isildur’s descendant, 39 generations later. Aragorn grows up in Rivendell with the elves because Aragorn’s mother Gilraen feared for his safety as Isildur’s heir: Aragorn’s father was killed when Aragorn was two years old. Elrond raises Aragorn, who grows up to be a ranger and keeps his identity as a future king secret from strangers.
The Rings of Power points to the parallels between Aragorn and Isildur in Season 1. Isildur develops an intense bond with his horse Berek. When Isildur disappears, Berek refuses to sail back to Númenor and runs away to look for the owner, who he knows is still alive. Aragorn is also something of a horse whisperer. In fact, Aragorn’s horse saves his life in The two towers.
Nevertheless, Aragorn spends a lot of time The Lord of the Rings He hides the fact that he is Isildur’s heir and refuses to take the mantle of King of Gondor. He is ashamed of Isildur and fears that he too could fall for the Ring. However, Aragorn is able to resist this urge. And he ends up carrying a sword called Andúril, forged by the Elves of Rivendell from the shards of Elendil’s sword Narsil, thus honoring his lineage.
