During the penultimate episode of the first series ofRings of Power, there was much devastation after Adar and his band of orcsfinally brought Mordor to Middle Earth. Many good lives were lost, and the Southlanders were pushed out of their home. Galadriel’s mission to rid the lands of the evil that had so long kept her awake at night was weakened one step further. Even Elendil, the mighty captain of the Numenorian ships, left Middle Earth angry and distraught, believing his son Isildur had died after a burning building collapse engulfed him. In the final episode, whilst sailing back to their homeland, the captain and the queen shared a moment of grieving and loss. They both begin to question what it is that they are fighting for. It is at this moment that Miriel tells him:
“My father once told me, the way of the Faithful is committing to pay the price, […] and trusting that in the end, it will be worth it.”
It would be easy to think that she is referencing faith as in religion. Such would be the belief that everything has a reason, that an omnipotent god has already laid the path before their feet. Some could argue that to be true, due to the nature of Tolkien’s lore involving Eru Illuvatar, the creator of all things. But at this moment, Miriel is referencing The Faithful. This refers to a group of Numenorian people who choose to stay true to their origins and fight for what they believe is right, even when the odds seem stacked against them.
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This group of humans were so named because they remained faithful to their once-strong alliance with the elves, and all that the immortal race had given them. They also remained respectful of the Valar. They held true to the wishes of their creator Illuvatar: that his Children (elves and men) would live in harmony in the world they had been gifted.
There are manyValar references inRings of Power.However, they are usually only made by a select pool of believers who still value the ways of the old world. Among these characters are Miriel and Elendil, who will later become champions of the Faithful themselves, hence the significance of Elendil’s name meaning ‘Elf friend.’ Togetherm with the help of Galadriel, it looks as though the series is paving the way for the Faithful to come to fruition in Season 2. The Faithful are also the men on Middle Earth who took refuge inPelargir, which will later become the famous kingdomof Gondor. The Faithful in Tolkien’s original lore starts with Elendil. It is then handed down through his sons Isildur and Anarion, whose lineage will later give rise to Aragorn.
The Faithful sailed their ships to Middle Earth and established Gondor because the Valar warned them of the impending fall of Numenor. This is demonstrated in the first series by Miriel’s vision in the Palantir. There are many ways in whichfloods have changed the fate of Middle Earth across the ages, but Illuvatar’s utter annihilation of Numenor is probably one of the most shocking. It all happened due to the hubris and ignorance of PharAzon.
PharAzon is currently shown in the first series ofRings of Power, but later goes on to usurp the throne. He leads an army of men known as the Black Numenorians to Valinor, in order to demand the immortality of the elves that he believes is their birthright. Many believe this is a whispering that started through Sauron, and that over time, the dark lord managed to corrupt PharAzon into fearing death. He encouraged PharAzon to take an army of ships to attack the Undying Lands in order to lift the Ban of the Valar on humans entering Valinor.
In retaliation, the gods send a mighty wave to destroy the ships, subsequently flooding Numenor in the process. However, they first warned the Faithful, who had always respected and revered them, to go to Middle Earth and start afresh, away from their turbulent past. All of this looks as though it could be set to happen sooner rather than later. After all, it isthe death of the king that brings about Numenor’s downfall, by paving the way for PharAzon to seize the throne.
Ultimately, the Faithful face PharAzon’s persecution of the Faithful, Sauron’s involvement in bringing about the downfall of their once beloved home-land, and the many wars and atrocities that follow duringthe War of the Ring. However, it is the Faithful who eventually triumph. It is the alliance among men and elves, as well as wizards, dwarves, and hobbits, that rids their world of evil and places Aragorn on the throne. And this ushers in a new wave of peace unlike anything known since the golden days of Valinor, before the elves knew what death meant.
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