When Does The Rings of Power Take Place on the Lord of the Rings Timeline?

J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings chronology is famously detailed – and Prime Video adaptation The Rings of Power mines it for all it’s worth! So, when does The Rings of Power take place on the Lord of the Rings timeline, and does this line up with Tolkien’s books?

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The Rings of Power’s Place on the Lord of the Rings Timeline, Explained

The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power is set during Middle-earth’s Second Age. Don’t know what that means? Basically, it’s the 3,441-year period immediately prior to The Lord of the Rings proper (which takes place in the Third Age). The Second Age ends and the Third Age begins pretty much the moment Isildur lops off Sauron’s ring finger, as seen in The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring‘s prologue. Technically, The Rings of Power Seasons 1 and 2 go down much earlier – as in “thousands of years” earlier – than this. But in practice, the show positions itself quite a bit later on the timeline (more on that later).

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The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power also occasionally dips into the First Age. Season 1’s prologue recounting the war with Sauron’s former boss, Morgoth, depicts this earlier era. What’s more, Season 2 will kick off with an extended flashback sequence that – spoiler warning! – chronicles the First Age falling out between Sauron and his right-hand man (or rather, proto-Orc), Adar. But for the most part, The Rings of Power limits its narrative to the Second Age. That said, the adaptation’s planned fifth and final season could conceivably spill over into the Third Age. It just depends on whether Season 5 runs back Sauron’s downfall!

Does The Rings of Power’s Chronology Align with Tolkien’s Timeline?

Yes and no. Yes, in that most of The Rings of Power‘s story material cribbed directly from The Lord of the Rings novels (and associated works) is indeed tied to the Second Age. No, in that the specific dates don’t sync up with Tolkien’s OG timeline (like, at all). There’s a lot of compression at play in the show. Events that unfold years (or even centuries!) apart on the page are separated by weeks or months on the screen. This is nothing new for Middle-earth adaptations; Peter Jackson’s films likewise condensed Tolkien’s sweeping saga.

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The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power reshuffles the established timeline, as well. In the show, the Elven Rings are forged first, not last. Wizards start arriving far sooner than Tolkien described, too (depending on your source). As a result, certain characters such as Elendil and Isildur are present (or at least, alive) for events that pre-date their birth in the books!

The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Season 1 is currently streaming on Prime Video. Season 2 premieres on Aug. 29, 2024.