LOTR Rings Of Power S2 Brings Its Action To Future Gondor

Contains potential spoilers for "The Rings of Power" Season 2

Despite the fact that J. R. R. Tolkien's world is laced with fantastical elements, "The Lord of the Rings" is a story largely about the race of Men and the transitional phase in Middle-earth history when the Age of Men begins. A major part of the Mannish elements in "The Lord of the Rings" has to do with Gondor. The southern Human kingdom is one of the primary forces of resistance against the forces of the re-emergent Sauron, which are about to be unleashed on Middle-earth when the story begins.

The thing is, "The Lord of the Rings" story isn't the first time Sauron has tried to conquer Middle-earth. The Dark Lord makes a similar, much more successful attempt to do so several thousand years earlier in the Second Age of Middle-earth history. At that point, Gondor doesn't exist yet. However, the ancestors of its people — the Men of the island nation of Númenor — do, and they're at their zenith. They end up playing a crucial role in overthrowing Sauron during his first rise to power — and they even found Gondor in the process of that struggle.

Amazon Studios is adapting this ancient Middle-earth chronicle in its five-season show "The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power." In Season 1, we met the Númenóreans long before they establish Gondor. Now, a new rumor from the fan site Fellowship of Fans indicates that they may take one step closer to creating Gondor in Season 2. The exclusive scoop claims, "PELARGIR is a location that will be visited in The Rings of Power season 2. Soldiers will arrive to Pelargir on boat, row to shore and be in the village streets in episode 8 of 'The Rings of Power' season 2."

Pelargir is a coastal city of Men that was founded by the Númenóreans in the Second Age. It was briefly mentioned in Season 1 of "The Rings of Power" when Bronwyn (Nazanin Boniadi) declared that the Southlanders who survived the eruption of Mount Doom would head that way for refuge. While a passing mention at the time, it seems likely that the story will follow the group to their new home, where it likely won't take long for things to heat up again.

One interesting tidbit about Pelargir is that the group of Númenóreans who dwell there in Tolkien's texts are known as "the Faithful." They are the people of Númenor who refuse to turn their backs on the Elves, even when the rest of their people, who are called the King's Men, decide to turn to darkness. Eventually, the political and cultural divide lead to tension and even persecution, and many of the Faithful come to live in Pelargir, which becomes one of their primary strongholds.

In the meantime, the King's Men spread out along the southern coast, colonizing everywhere they go. They set up their own fortresses and conquer the local peoples, stripping their land of resources and even taking some as slaves and sacrifices. The fact that soldiers are specifically called out in the new rumor is unsettling. Could this be Númenórean foot soldiers arriving to protect the city, or could it be the King's Men flexing their muscles on the Faithful as they wage war on the continent?

While Pelargir looks like it's going to be an important name and place on "The Rings of Power," it actually isn't a new location for those familiar with Middle-earth. The city still exists as a major port city in Gondor thousands of years later during "The Lord of the Rings" story. Most Gondorian urban references are connected with Minas Tirith, but we do get a couple of mentions and even an indirect glimpse of Pelargir at a couple of points.

For instance, in "The Return of the King" movie, we see a region in flames as Elrond (Hugo Weaving) tells Aragorn (Viggo Mortensen) that a fleet of Corsair Ships is attacking Gondor. While it isn't explicitly stated, the burning landscape behind the vessels is either Pelargir or the country surrounding it. When Aragorn, Legolas (Orlando Bloom), and Gimli (John Rhys-Davies) take the paths of the dead and recruit a ghostly army, they re-emerge from the mountains and confront the Black Ships of the Corsairs of Umbar right after they've finished attacking Pelargir.

The books go into even more detail. They describe how Aragorn saves the people of the coastal region with his ghastly army. He then dismisses the Army of the Dead and gathers up the locals around Pelargir, using the captured Black Ships to sail up the nearby river and save Minas Tirith in the nick of time. (In the source material, Aragorn doesn't bring the green ghouls to the Battle of the Pelennor fields.) While it may not be at the center of the action, the coastal city plays a really important role in the outcome of the War of the Ring.

Throughout the epic narrative of the War of the Ring, Pelargir is there, quietly playing a critical role on the edge of the story. In "The Rings of Power," though, it is positioned to have more of a central role in the proceedings.

While it doesn't explicitly name the city in the passage, "The Silmarillion" summarizes the importance of the haven of Pelargir thusly. When Isildur and his brother, Anarion, arrive in the area after fleeing their homeland, the book says, "They established a realm in those lands that were after called Gondor," adding that "Long before in the days of their power the mariners of Númenor had established a haven and strong places about the mouths of Anduin, in despite of Sauron in the Black Land that lay nigh upon the east." The text also describes the importance of Pelargir as a haven of the Faithful by saying, "In the later days to this haven came only the Faithful of Númenor, and many therefore of the folk of the coastlands in that region were in whole or in part akin to the Elf-friends and the people of Elendil, and they welcomed his sons."

Factoring Pelargir into the "Rings of Power" story makes sense. This is one of the most important points in the city's history, and it is the perfect place to set the stage for the dramatic events that are about to follow. Here's hoping the latest rumor is true and that it points to more Pelargir-focused drama in Season 2.