The 7th episode of the increasingly popular Amazon TV series Rings of Power created many tragedies, from the deaths of many Southlanders and Numenorean warriors to the believed demise of Isildur by his father Elendil. As such, the leader of the Numenorean army was very keen to leave Middle Earth, a place of such pain and sorrow. However, Queen Miriel vowed that they would return once they had gathered their strength, and help the Southlanders to defeat the orcs who have just stolen their land.
In the meantime, there are many wounded soldiers who need healing, and many villagers now without homes. Galadriel shows concern over their fate, feeling in part responsible for the devastation that has occurred there. Meanwhile, Bronwyn reveals plans for their people to travel to "Pelargir." But what is this unknown place, and how does it fit into the later story of the Lord of the Rings?
In the Sindarin language, ‘Pelargir’ means ‘place of royal ships.’ This alludes to the fact that it is a seaport where the great ships of Numenor once used to arrive and depart Middle Earth in their earliest expeditions to the mainland. Arondir calls it “A fresh start.” Bronwyn explains to Galadriel that it is:
“An old Numenorean colony, by the mouth of the Anduin. Pelargir they called it. They say there’s fresh land, fresh water.”
Unbeknownst to them at the time, Pelargir is actually just a small part of a much larger landscape, one that will be immediately recognizable to fans of the Peter Jackson movie adaptations, because it will soon house the mighty kingdom of Gondor.
It is well known that Elendil helps to establish the white city of Gondor, and became its first ruler, before he was succeeded by his son Isildur. According to the Lord of the Rings, it was Isildur who was tempted by the One Ring and let its evil endure. And it is Isildur’s line that results, many generations later, in Aragorn, who later takes the throne of Gondor back, and helps to build a better world in the Fourth Age.
But in terms of Rings of Power, there are three important possibilities for the next episode, and possible future seasons. The first is that Isildur is not dead as his father believes, because he will of course later take the throne and change the fate of the world with his weak-willed temptations. The second is that Miriel will keep her word and return to Middle Earth as promised, and that Elendil must come with her and travel to Pelargir, where he will help to found the kingdom of Gondor. And the third, and possibly most devastating inference from the future of this seaport, is that Miriel is likely to die before the kingdom is fully established.
Elendil is incredibly loyal to his queen. He would never usurp her, or even accept the power of a throne that he believed to be rightfully Miriel’s. And as it is known that Numenor falls in the flood of the Valar, Mirirel cannot stay queen there. However, she also does not become queen in Gondor, which suggests that she might meet a tragic demise before Rings of Power is over. Pelargir was established in Tolkien lore by humans who were still loyal to the alliance of elves, known as the ‘Faithful.’ This sounds very much like it could be Miriel, Elendil, and even Isildur, who are instrumental in this group. But Mirirel will not live to see the later forming of the kingdom, nor the Battle of the Last Alliance, which results in Isildur cutting the ring from Sauron’s finger. However, despite this still being roughly a thousand years away from the current Rings of Power storyline, it is clear that Pelargir will become an important location as the story progresses. It may become one of the main settings in Season 2.
Due to its strategic position near the Bay of Belfalas, along the river Anduin, and just down from the city of Minas Tirith and the outpost of Osgiliath, the port at Pelegir becomes a key land-mark in the later struggle for the War of the Ring. It is the port where Aragorn and the army of the dead sail through after taking the Cosair pirate ships. This of course is a turning point in the battle. Without this essential aid, it is highly possible that Gondor would have fallen, and the war would have turned out very differently. Subsequently, it will be interesting to see later series of Rings of Power explore this prominent place, and the building of the white city itself, one of the most iconic places in the Lord of the Rings.