Approaching 'The Rings of Power' as a New Interpretation of Tolkien’s Myth
“Why, to think of it, we're in the same tale still! It's going on.
Don't the great tales never end?'
'No, they never end as tales,' said Frodo. '
But the people in them come, and go when their part's ended.
Our part will end later – or sooner.” - The Return of the King
The Rings of Power tells a story rooted in the legendarium of Tolkien which has now been given a life of its own; I would not call it an adaptation strictly speaking, but rather an interpretation, a new take on Tolkien’s Myth.
I think this needs to be made clear, first and foremost: Tolkien fans expecting The Rings of Power to be a direct and perfect translation of Tolkien’s written works onto the screen will be disoriented to say the very least.
Personally I would argue that holding any television adaptation of a written work to such a standard is unreasonable, as these two different mediums of storytelling are so different. However, even after accepting the limitations faced by the showrunners, I still have my quarrels with many of the differences seen within this version of Middle-earth so far.
I’m sure some choices will make more sense as we see the story coming together, and I’m also sure that I’ll continue to disagree with others well past the series’ finale.
It would seem that these differences are due to a combination of factors: legal issues (Amazon Studios does not have the rights to draw directly from The Silmarillion or Unfinished Tales), the desire of the showrunners to tell a story which fills in the gaps where there is scare source material, creative license and personal interpretation, and the usage of ‘time compression’ within the narrative.
In the months leading up to the series’ premiere, the knowledge of these factors has been a cause for concern as I’ve anxiously anticipated what The Rings of Power may come to be as it unfolds.
I would also mention here that the manner in which the series has been marketed has been misleading, in my opinion. The showrunners have insisted over and over that it’s always “back to the book, back to the book, back to the book” -- and yet even the first three episodes have presented major deviations from Tolkien’s narrative. For example, the omission of Galadriel’s husband Celeborn from her storyline is baffling and I’m unaware of any version of Tolkien’s texts which brings Galadriel to Númenor.
The promotion of the series as something which directly corresponds to The Lord of the Rings books (as demonstrated by the series poster tie-in covers) also implies an adherence to and inclusion of this storyline that simply is not there and does not seem to have been intended in the first place.
But regardless of how it has been promoted, I feel it’s best to approach the series for what I believe it truly is and was meant to be: a story inspired by and rooted in Tolkien; a story which lies somewhere between direct adaptation and fan-fiction, a new version or perspective on Tolkien’s Myth. If The Rings of Power would have been presented this way from the beginning, I believe it would’ve been more warmly received by many devoted Tolkien readers. (Or maybe this is what they meant by “this isn’t your dad’s Middle-earth”?)
With this perspective, I’ve enjoyed the series thus far so much more as I’ve been able to disconnect it from the original legendarium and welcome its twists and turns. As I’ve said before, some elements of the storyline make little sense to me and of course I have my own complaints about certain moments, aspects of the writing, and the changes made to canon characters. But despite my qualms, I’m over the moon and slightly obsessed with The Rings of Power.
(For more of my specific opinions, tune in to The Secrets of Middle-earth podcast or join my discord community.)
The very existence of The Rings of Power as a series feels like evidence that Tolkien truly succeeded in his creation of a Myth for England and for our ‘primary world’ as he would call it. A story may die with its author, but the Great Tales live on well beyond their lifetime and with that comes the inevitability of change as they are passed down from generation to generation.
We are very fortunate, in the case of Tolkien’s legendarium, because we still do and always will have the original tales written by Tolkien himself and completed by his son Christopher. We will always have the books. I repeat, the books are not going anywhere (minus the ugly book covers)!
But I think we are also fortunate because we are living through a vibrant period of time where we are seeing so many “other minds and hands” at work which Tolkien wrote about in The Waldman Letter:
“I had a mind to make a body of more or less connected legend, ranging from the large and cosmogonic, to the level of romantic fairy-story - the larger founded on the lesser in contact with the earth, the lesser drawing splendour from the vast backcloths - which I could dedicate simply to: to England; to my country. ... I would draw some of the great tales in fullness, and leave many only placed in the scheme, and sketched. The cycles should be linked to a majestic whole, and yet leave scope for other minds and hands, wielding paint and music and drama.”
Read the full letter here on the Tolkien Estate’s website
Now, Tolkien’s original mythology is being told anew; gaps left in the narrative are being filled in by this new generation of writers. The way I see it, The Rings of Power is not purely Tolkien as we may have initially expected or hoped it would be, but instead it’s an expansive new version of the myth he created.
This is the natural progression of myth; mythology is malleable and transforms over generations. Tolkien himself did something similar with his Tale of Kullervo, which was his own take on the Finnish Kalevala and later became the source for the tragic story of Túrin Turambar we see in The Silmarillion.
“But the beginning of the legendarium… was in an attempt to reorganize some of the Kalevala, especially the tale of Kullervo the hapless, into a form of my own.”
- JRR Tolkien, Letter 163
Granted, this is an imperfect comparison because Tolkien presented his new version as his own (with new character names etc.) whereas The Rings of Power relies on its audience's familiarity with Tolkien’s characters, world, and general storyline. However, I do feel the general principal still stands.
We might also look at the various artistic representations of Tolkien’s world for a comparison. Artists such as Ted Nasmith, Alan Lee, and John Howe have crafted very different representations of the legendarium through their work, but the work of all three are regarded and praised as meaningful interpretations. None of their art has the authority to change or add to Tolkien, but it enriches our understanding and experience with his world.
I would never want to speak on Tolkien’s behalf or say that I think he would be pleased with the series itself; I don’t believe anyone’s interpretation of Middle-earth could match his own understanding or fulfill his entire purpose for it. But I do think he would be contented by the idea of its existence: the fact that his tales are living on.
The Rings of Power is a new story set within an interpretation of Tolkien’s universe. It is not authoritative or canonical. It does not seek to change or replace Tolkien. By no means is anyone improving on Tolkien, and I would hope the series’ creators would not be so bold as to think they are.
Instead, The Rings of Power stands to draw a new generation of readers into Tolkien’s immersive world; it’s my hope that fans of the series will seek out the original works this show is ‘inspired by’ and in doing so, discover Tolkien himself. Just as I was first introduced to Middle-earth through the Peter Jackson films, it brings me so much joy to think of how many people may find Tolkien through this new series.
Whether the show succeeds in this, we will see, but as it stands now I am very grateful to be able to go back to Middle-earth in this way and hopeful for the future of Tolkien’s Myth as it lives on.
