A guide to all the new and familiar characters on The Rings of Power
Isildur
- Actor: Maxim Baldry
- Films: The Fellowship of the Ring
- Books: The Silmarillion; The History of Middle Earth; The Lord of the Rings Appendix B; The Return of the King; Unfinished Tales; The Fellowship of the Ring
In The Lord of the Rings, Isildur is known as the man who took on Sauron alone and defeated the dark lord during the War of the Last Alliance. He successfully cuts off Sauron’s finger with the One Ring on it, but shortly after refuses to destroy the ring by casting it into the fires of Mount Doom. He carries the One Ring for a time, corrupted by its promise of power until he is killed by Orcs and the Ring is lost for more than 2,000 years.
Isildur is still a legendary figure in Middle-earth, having helped found and rule the kingdom of Gondor with his brother. In The Rings of Power, Isildur is a young Númenorean who actor Maxim Baldry described as “at a crossroads.”
“There’s something new out there. There’s an emptiness in him, and he’s grieving his mother. He wants to find himself, and it’s a beautiful story of a young man trying to find his way in life,” Baldry told Entertainment Weekly.
In Tolkien’s lore, Isildur leaves Númenor before the island is sunk and remains a part of the Faithful group of Númenorean who still believe in and worshipped the god Eru Ilúvatar and the lesser Valar. In establishing kingdoms of men on Middle-earth, Isildur builds Minas Ithil near the border of Mordor to ward off the evil of the land. He also plants the first White Tree of Gondor, a sacred flora and symbol of the kingdom.
Celebrimbor
- Actor: Charles Edwards
- Books: The Lord of the Rings Appendix B; The History of Middle Earth; The Silmarillion; The Fellowship of the Ring
In The Rings of Power, Celebrimbor is a master artisan and metalsmith who enlists Elrond’s help to find a forge powerful enough for his latest project, making the rings of power. In the second episode, we see that Celebrimbor possesses the hammer of Fëanor, his ancestor from Valinor who used that hammer to craft the Silmarils. These gems were imbued with the light of the two sacred trees of Valinor, which were destroyed by Morgoth before the rising of the sun and moon.
In the lore, Celebrimbor lived and worked in the elven kingdom Eregion and became friendly with the dwarves of Khazad-dûm. After Annatar (Sauron) tries and failed to trick Gil-galad, he befriends the elves of Eregion and deceives the metalsmiths into forging powerful rings.
Celebrimbor forges three rings without Sauron’s help — Vilya, Narya, and Nenya, representing air, fire, and water. These three rings were never corrupted by Sauron even as they still answered to the One Ring he forged. Eventually, Celebrimbor sends these rings to Gil-galad and Galadriel for safekeeping.