Warning: The following article contains potential spoilers for The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Season 2.
The latest trailer for The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Season 2 shows Celebrimbor pushed to the brink. Indeed, this could be the end for the legendary Elf-smith’s TV incarnation, but how does Celebrimbor die in J.R.R. Tolkien’s original Lord of the Rings canon?
How Does Celebrimbor Die in The Lord of the Rings Canon?
According to Tolkien, Celebrimbor was tortured to death by Sauron’s forces. Why does the Dark Lord of Morder order his orc minions to kill Celebrimbor (apart from general villainy)? Because Celebrimbor won’t share the whereabouts of the three Elven Rings of Power. See, Celebrimbor and the elf-smiths of Eregion forged all the Rings (except the One Ring) using techniques learned from Sauron while he was disguised as the benevolent Annatar. So, once Celebrimbor wises up to “Annatar’s” true nature, he sends two of the Elven rings to High King Gil-galad and the other to Galadriel. He also ships the most powerful of the seven Dwarven rings to his pal Durin III, for good measure.
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This turns out to be a smart move, as Sauron, miffed that his “conquer Middle-earth through ring control” scheme isn’t going as planned, rocks up in Eregion with an army. They trash the place, and Sauron demands that Celebrimbor give him every ring (or intel on where to find them). To his credit, the Elven craftsman clams up, so out come the Barad-dûr pliers. But even then, Celebrimbor only spills the beans about the non-Elven rings before he (eventually) dies. Sauron’s not done with him yet, though. The dark lord has his orcs pump Celebrimbor’s body full of arrows and parade it around during their assault on the Grey Havens (bleak).
Does Sauron Corrupt Celebrimbor in Tolkien’s Books?
Not really, no. Whereas The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Season 2’s trailers suggest that Sauron will at least partly corrupt Celebrimbor as he did the men who became the Ringwraiths, that doesn’t happen in Tolkien’s OG lore. In the books, Celebrimbor fights back against “Annatar” the minute he clocks his true identity. Heck, as noted above, Celebrimbor gives up his life rather than reveal the Elven rings’ location! He wasn’t exactly keen to cough up the other rings, either.
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In fairness, at least some of this will seemingly apply to Celebrimbor’s Rings of Power counterpart, as well. Notably, Season 2’s San Diego Comic-Con 2024 trailer includes a scene in which Sauron demands the Nine Rings from Celebrimbor. This suggests that, no matter how deeply this version of Celebrimbor falls under the dark lord’s spell, he ultimately rebels against his one-time teacher.
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Season 2 premieres on Prime Video on August 29, 2024.
Published: Aug 16, 2024 10:49 am