In the closing moments of last week's episode of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, we were introduced (via a blurry final shot) to Adar, and this Friday's instalment reveals a little more about the mysterious new villain.
Though Adar is a little rough around the edges, he is clearly an Elf, so what on Middle Earth is one of the Children of Ilúvatar doing leading an army of Orcs? Arondir wonders the same thing, but his captor is not exactly forthcoming with information about himself. Nevertheless, we can hazard a pretty good guess based in the information at hand.
"Adar" is the Sindarin word for father, which suggests that the Orcs look at their leader as more of a paternal figure. Why could this be? Well, J.R.R. Tolkien's original history of Middle Earth claimed that Morgoth captured some Elves right after their "awakening" and used dark magic and other twisted means to create a new form of life that would be loyal only to him. Tolkien would later revise this part of the lore (Elves were now incorruptible), so there could be another explanation.
Interestingly, Adar also tells Arondir that he is "no god... at least, not yet." Is it possible that this wretched being is simply an ancient Sindarin Elf Morgoth or Sauron promised to grant even greater power if he betrayed his own kind and became his servant?
Adar ultimately releases Arondir and sends him back to the watchtower of Ostirith to give Bronwyn and her people a message: surrender or die. We know the Elf is searching for the sinister sword hilt Bronwyn's son Theo is carrying, so perhaps we'll get some more answers when he finally gets his hands on it.
What did you guys think of the fourth episode of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power?