The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power introduced viewers to the great Elven smith Celebrimbor (Charles Edwards), but his depiction in the show was quite different from J.R.R. Tolkien’s original description of the character. The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power delved deeper into Tolkien’s mythology of the Second Age of Middle-Earth, including the build-up to the forging of the infamous Rings of Power and Sauron’s (Charlie Vickers) hand in their creation. Celebrimbor was one of Middle-Earth’s most prominent figures, descendant from a line of incredibly powerful and noteworthy Elves harkening back to the First Age.
Celebrimbor’s ancestor Fëanor was also a great Elven smith, the one responsible for creating the Silmarils. Many were obsessed with the light of the Silmarils, even Middle-Earth’s greatest enemy Morgoth, and Fëanor became fanatical about protecting his creation. Fëanor’s fierce temperament and ionate hatred of Morgoth were legendary, which made it all the more interesting that Tolkien described his descendant Celebrimbor as specifically not having inherited those same intense qualities. The Rings of Power altered its depiction of Celebrimbor quite drastically, but this change will likely answer one of the show’s biggest Sauron-related mysteries.
Celebrimbor's Rings Of Power Change Makes Sense
The Rings of Power’s Celebrimbor had a dark streak within him. He was frantically ambitious and obsessed with matching Fëanor’s legacy and skill. That kind of jealousy is more akin to how Tolkien described the race of Men, not the Elves. Though Tolkien never took the time to provide a history outlining Celebrimbor’s true importance in Middle-Earth lore, he stated that Celebrimbor did not inherit Fëanor’s darker qualities. The Rings of Power’s change to Celebrimbor’s character was a necessary choice, however, as it can explain how and why he might allow himself to be fooled by Sauron’s Annatar disguise in The Rings of Power season 2.
The forging of the Rings was one of the most pivotal moments in Middle-Earth’s history. In Tolkien's books, Sauron donned the disguise of Annatar and tricked the Elves of Eregion into forging the rings so that he may secretly imbue them with his malice and create the One Ring. In The Rings of Power, however, Galadriel, Elrond, and potentially Celebrimbor were aware that Sauron had infiltrated Eregion, even helping them figure out how to mold Mithril. This historical change necessitated a darker version of Celebrimbor to allow Sauron as Annatar to return in season 2 to Eregion. Celebrimbor’s ruthless determination can blind him to Annatar’s true intentions.
Celebrimbor's Rings Of Power S2 Arc Could Change Him Further
The relationship between Celebrimbor and Annatar/Sauron is not thoroughly explored in Tolkien’s work, so The Rings of Power has an opportunity to explore its darker version of Celebrimbor. If The Rings of Power's Celebrimbor inherited Fëanor’s darker ambitions, this would make for interesting parallels between Sauron and the Elven smith in The Rings of Power season 2. In season 1, both were incredibly skilled craftsmen and cunning inventors trying to free break free from the legacy of those who came before them. Celebrimbor wants to sur Fëanor, and Sauron wants to sur Morgoth.
The relationship between Celebrimbor and Sauron can even shed more light on the hateful dynamic between Fëanor and Morgoth, which would give the writers of The Rings of Power room to explore Middle-Earth’s First Age further without overstepping the bounds of the rights that Amazon bought from the Tolkien estate. Celebrimbor’s morally ambiguous personality makes for compelling storytelling and allows for The Rings of Power’s narrative to be more surprising than perhaps initially anticipated. Celebrimbor and Sauron’s relationship may yet represent the most important storyline in The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power season 2 and beyond.