The Life of Isildur | Tolkien Explained

[@NerdoftheRings]

Check out Fellowship of Fan's video reveal of Isildur as the Main Character: kzbin.info/www/bejne/oGaxmamle5l7l8U And visit our sponsor LordofMaps.com - use the discount code NERDOFMAPS to save 15%!

[@johanabigasova6770]

I have one question. What about Elwë Singollo, Tuor, Saeros, Fingolfin, Beleg Cúthalion, Maglor, Maeglin, Oropher and other Silmarillion's characters? Would you make video about their life(if there is something to find out about some of them)?

[@NerdoftheRings]

Absolutely! I cover Beleg in my Túrin video, and Oropher in my Thranduil vid so you might be interested in those, but I’ve got most of those you listed on my to-do list! Turin: kzbin.info/www/bejne/o3PGpIqCd8Z0d8k Thranduil: kzbin.info/www/bejne/ZmTPYYVmnt6Xa5o

[@twitchEmailOkay]

I like your content you are an inspiration to creators like myself

[@JakeTheTrouserSnake]

My dude, I'm going to need you to slow down with the top quality content, there aren't enough hours in the day for me to consume it at a reasonable rate! Once again, an awesome deep-dive into another of my favourite characters guarantees that nothing productive is happening under MY roof today and I'm 100% down for that 😂

[@FellowshipofFans]

Thank you man, it was so much fun!

[@2TheFarWest]

Isildur did so many great things, founding Gondor and saving the White Tree twice. And yet, he will always be remembered for his great failure

[@valentinkambushev4968]

This only proofs that even if you've done countless of good things and one bad thing, people would only remember the one bad thing. It happens in real life all the time .

[@laura-bianca3130]

It was not a failure...he just did not know how bad it will be

[@riffsthatkill2180]

@@valentinkambushev4968 does it? I mean his failure was legitimately large enough to outweigh all the work he did. He had a huge responsibility or duty to destroy the ring, destroying Sauron forever. Knowing how sinister and resilient Sauron was, he still did not destroy the ring, changing the course of things and causing his family members to have died in vain. He caused a lot of damage. Of course, the ring corrupted him so there is that to consider. But, if you have the chance to save the world and don't do it, you're probably going to be remembered for It.

[@kaischuster3293]

@@riffsthatkill2180 except that he redeems himself in the end. In unfinished tales it explains that after he returned to his kingdom he realized his folly. He decided to take the Ring and give it to Elrond. It was on his way there that his group of 200 soldiers was ambushed. After several days of fighting he put on the ring to escape to Rivendell. He ran for days and arriving at the river and stripped his armor to cross. while crossing he lost this ring and when he arrived at the bank the orcs finally discovered and shot him.

[@laura-bianca3130]

Again, it was NOT a failure. He took it out of grief. He was not weak. People need to read the book and not watch the films

[@lopirobinson1991]

No one can blame anyone for not destroying the One Ring. No one could. It had to be destroyed by accident. Eru saw this. Sauron knew this.

[@Skabanis]

Sam could the purest heart…recognized master Sam

[@brunokagawa6287]

@@Skabanis so did Aragorn, at least in the movies.

[@avi6480]

Really? I never knew that. Where is that written?

[@willaince7382]

@@avi6480 In Tolkien letters

[@gucciak-4740]

@@avi6480 in the return of the king you can see it as well when Frodo will not drop the ring and it is only destroyed because of his skirmish with gollum

[@johnnyedelhoff5866]

Elendil: "We have to leave now! Only take essentials!" Isildur: *brings a giant black stone*

[@Crafty_Spirit]

Hehe Michael Martínez has an interesting article on the stone of Erech, he surmises that stones like these were used to establish a connection to Eru, they seem to be sacred artefacts By the way, it is unknown whether the stone was necessary to activate the curse once the Men of the Mountains broke their oath... but I noticed that many oaths are connected to a powerful artefact, such as the Silmarils or the Ring

[@MrSamulai]

"I like that boulder, that is a nice boulder."

[@MsStack42]

" No, Son, we've not got room for your entire Rock Collection !" " Can I just bring the Big One, Dad?" ".....sighs....."

[@fabiandonvil]

to be fair they also brought the giant palantir that was put in osgillliath.

[@SeraphimKappa]

@@fabiandonvil pretty sure that is he rock they are talking about

[@williamsorrell7792]

Tolkien wrote lsildur as the perfect example of even the the strongest of heros with the strongest of hearts can always fall to darkness if the let themselves

[@doc-uzziel-holiday6250]

Yes, and Frodo with another kind of strength, strength of spirit, was able to do what Isildur could not. Shalom.

[@Sinaxo]

@@doc-uzziel-holiday6250 Well Frodo didn't really. He took it all the way there yes, but he didn't throw it in

[@wickedcircle]

@@doc-uzziel-holiday6250 What nonsese are you talking about? Frodo didn't had the strength to destory the ring either. It is NOT destroyed intentionally by Frodo or anyone. ^^

[@Skabanis]

@@doc-uzziel-holiday6250 Frodo failed you mean Sam is the truest hobbit, he is the one that carried the ring and gave it back.

[@Skabanis]

Tolkien wrote the trust uncorrupted was Sam.

[@TheUrratha]

15:47 “No trace of his body was ever found by elves or men” The significance of this line is mind blowing because later Saruman acquires Isildur’s remains and brings them back to Orthanc for…purposes

[@valentinkambushev4968]

I doubt he found much. Probably only the skull and some parts of the skeleton and perhaps some clothing.

[@rockerboyrage1609]

Isildur's death is MUCH better here than what was seen in the film. I really like the part when the great burdon was lifted when he lost the One Ring and how the Orcs flee in fear whilst shooting Isildur with poison arrows.

[@laura-bianca3130]

Isildur's story is about a man who made a wrong choice *out of grief* he was not weak, or stupid. Nor did he immediately fall under the power of the ring. He continued living for a long while. Took over the responsibility of ruling two kingdoms. Isildur will always be a great man

[@laura-bianca3130]

@hunter christensen that is long. And proof he was not weak

[@adammitchell1290]

bcan't agree with this comment more. much brilliance in tolkien's stories shows how greatness is compromised on a lot of spirtual levels. absolutely much can be learned from his stories from when choices are made from emotion. ilsidur at the end recognized pride in keeping the ring for his family led to its downfall, which when looking at his dead father im sure was grief initially

[@dlevi67]

@@laura-bianca3130 mmm... considering it took ~500 years for the Nazgul to appear, I wouldn't say that 2 years is very long.

[@laura-bianca3130]

@@dlevi67 these 2 things have nothing to do with eath other. You cannot compare the One to the lesser rings

[@dlevi67]

@@laura-bianca3130 So, Gollum is totally extraordinary - after 500 years, a completely unmotivated murder to get the Ring and a life of perversion thereafter, he is _almost_ redeemed, and certainly redeemable. Bilbo and Frodo had the One for decades and didn't succumb. Please.

[@sweeperboy]

It's interesting, because Isildur is widely considered a failure as ultimately he took the Ring which he was advised not to and which betrayed him in the end. However, it is important to note that it is easy for us to judge in hindsight that what he did was a foolish thing. Remember that up until that point, no hand other than Sauron's had ever touched the One Ring to know what would happen, nor in all likelihood did anyone other than the Three Elven Ringbearers truly understand what the One Ring was for...and even they probably did not fully understand at that point what they would later come to know about it. Yes, Isildur "should" have listened to the likes of Elrond and Cirdan, who were Ringbearers themselves, but hindsight is a wonderful thing as they say. Isildur's judgment was perhaps affected also by the horrors of the war and the final fight with Sauron, including the death of his father and the previous death of his beloved younger brother. If you pay heed to the other deeds of this mighty man, you see that he was far from being "weak" as the LOTR films essentially portrayed him. Elrond of all people should have realised with the history of the Noldor being what it was, that it is not simple weakness to fall prey to such an allure. It is the entire reason that the Noldor came back to Middle Earth in the first place, and why ultimately he himself as born Peredhil rather than being a pure Elf. He cannot criticise Isildur in the way he did in the film, without essentially issuing the same critique against the likes of Feanor & his sons (who include his foster-father Maglor), his forefather Fingolfin, his mother-in-law Galadriel and others.

[@campion10]

Wow! I can’t say anything more than, “EXACTLY!”

[@akostarkanyi825]

And Fingolfin and Galadriel chose the right way in the end not like Feanor and his sons. Isildur - at least in this film - is shown like Boromir, choosing the right way in the end as a logical continuation of his life before this glitch of taking the One Ring inspite of the counsil of the wise.

[@DamonNomad82]

Isildur was no more of a failure than Frodo was. He just didn't have a convenient Gollum to steal the Ring from him and cast it into Mount Doom...

[@annaanisa7388]

You bring up an *incredible* point that I did not formerly consider. I initially thought, why were the Elves so passive in just letting Isildur “take the ring home” (despite the counsel to destroy it) rather than stepping in to destroy it themselves? I assumed they already knew the full power and affect the Ring had on people… but your explanation makes *complete* sense. I thank you for sharing your thoughts on this. 🙏🏻

[@akostarkanyi825]

@@DamonNomad82 Frodo was merciful with his enemy, Gollum when he could have killed him (just like his uncle, Bilbo, earlier). That is why he got, as a gift from the fate or from Eru, the special mercy of being deprived of the Ring when he could not resist the temptation pf power any more. "Blessed are the merciful for they shall obtain mercy", that is what Tolkien believed and what he described this way.

[@dorkbomb78]

I'm just sitting here waiting for an open world Middle Earth game that allows you to travel the map and find all the legendary and lost locations.

[@miguelpereira6782]

I played for some years lord of the rings online as it was and still is the best game for every lotr nerd like myself :D

[@dorkbomb78]

@shadowdragoon6 they aren't truly open world. I'm talking a fully explorable map like RDR 2

[@buddhad2150]

@@dorkbomb78 theres a minecraft project for that. Pretty impressive, gargantuan but fairly incomplete so far

[@caldooo]

@@miguelpereira6782 it sucks Bad

[@rburk854]

@@caldooo regardless LOTRO is the closest thing to what the commenter was asking for, and that is unlikely to change any time soon

[@rtmpregame1945]

Idk why Isildur’s story touches me so much, but just wow man! Absolutely amazing video! I’ve seen all your videos and this is you at your absolute best! Keep up the amazing work!

[@NerdoftheRings]

Glad you enjoyed it! Thanks so much!

[@themightylog2169]

It touches you? Do you need an adult?

[@acox1805]

This video, the story telling... It may be your very best yet. Parts of it hit me in the heart. From a long time viewer, just some random stranger out there in the world... Thank you so much for all the work and time and effort you put into your content. I'm so grateful for all you do for us, your viewers and ' friends' in lifes fellowship.

[@NerdoftheRings]

Thanks so much for your kind words! They are truly appreciated, Mellon!

[@ruwanthikulasinghe7918]

Yes. For me too

[@pscar1]

The breadth and depth of the history of Middle Earth always leaves me in awe. Just hearing the time that passed between when Isildur wrote down his account and when Gandalf read it sends chills through me.

[@AnimeBrosAMV]

This is one of the most awesome videos I've watched on this channel

[@Molimo95]

Isildur gets too much shit. No one could have thrown the ring into Mount Doom of their own free will.

[@sethbangard5194]

Especially not a human

[@dascalnad]

Just as Frodo years later.

[@MzShaybutta]

No one did🤷🏿

[@griexdast]

no one did, its needs to be an accident to be destroyed

[@Fcastlepunisher]

This episode brought tears to my eyes. How well you tell of Isildur's tragedy!

[@luudest]

6:58 Isildur safes a seedling of the White Tree from destruction. Safing heirlooms and preserving them: This seem to be a theme which spans all of Tolkien works. E.g. The Seedlings of the White tree, The Ring Of Barahir, The Shades of Narsil.

[@samuelspry6955]

The man who saved the white tree, the king who made the Legion of the damned, the founder of Gondor, and the man who died for his greed. So many great and terrible things, and only his failure is known.

[@AdeptKing]

The other things are known but of course his folly is the biggest one.

[@zacglover3345]

If only he could have fought off the Ring's influence for one more minute and he would've saved middle earth

[@KororaPenguin]

With apologies to Rankin and Bass: The bearer of the Ring, The wearer of the Ring Has seized the mighty Ring of Pow'r, Now to Mount Doom he goes, With friends; he means to throw It in the Sammath Naur. The bearer of the Ring, The wearer of the Ring, He hears a voice compelling him, It calls unto his mind With any hooks it finds, And his resolve is dimmed. Beware, the power is a power never known. Beware, the power that was simple now has grown. Beware, O bearer of the Ring, The final power has yet to be shown! The bearer of the Ring, The wearer of the Ring Had not the will-strength to resist. He holds on to the Ring, Which him to doom will bring. It's power still exists. The bearer of the Ring, the wearer of the Ring, Beware who wears the Ring!

[@MourningCoffeeMusic]

Nerd of the Rings: Isildur will be the main character of Rings of Power. Rings of Power: Hold my Galadriel

[@toshiroyamada2443]

Oh boy Rings of Power, what a mess that turned out to be.

[@silvermisst]

😭🤣

[@soggyscarecrow]

Good thing rings of power isn’t canon.

[@KororaPenguin]

Who is she, and what has she done with Artanis Nerwen!?

[@Shirohige4yonko]

​@toshiroyamada2443 tolkien Untangled said it best "the writers shot themselves in the foot when they decided to mess with the timeline already established" also they decided to change many of the things tolkien set in stone 😭😂

[@viggurumurthy5311]

Isildur saving Nimloth (indirectly) will always be one of my favourite moments in the entire series

[@themightylog2169]

Waddayatalkinabert¿

[@cleverclogs3972]

I can’t wait for the show to come out! Also I wish there was a show or a movie based off of the silmarillion with the story of Túrin and also the story of Beren and Lúthien

[@Wax_Man]

The movie did him dirty, to be fair they had to keep it short, he’s pretty cool

[@TheGalen62]

"Isildur will be the main character of Amazon's new series" Well, that didn't age very well.

[@economichitman]

He still could be in later seasons

[@zachluntsford]

setting it up perfectly for that to happen

[@thebrotherskrynn]

Love Isildur, love how high he rose and how low he fell, I'm a big fan of Isildur but think that the sad thing is that his death in all but a ditch was his own doing. The ultimate anti-hero, one who's ignominious end came just as he was trying to change, Tolkien was such a master-craft author.

[@NOIDEAIWILLJUSTUSEHAILEYIGUESS]

Isildur: "We must retreat to gather allies, we can't stand against sauron!" Anarion: "Go and warn our father! I'll hold them off!" Also Anarion: Somehow holds off Sauron's entire force for 5 years, pushing them back to the mountains and (assumably) retaking Minas ithil.

[@PleaseNThankYou]

But during that 5 years, did any allies arrive at the sole behest of Isildur?

[@Strider258]

I like to think Talion had a greater role to play in this.

[@NOIDEAIWILLJUSTUSEHAILEYIGUESS]

@@PleaseNThankYou They didn’t, the Alliance spent that time preparing to go to war. Gondor was alone until the alliance showed up at Dagorlad, but by that time Anarion had already driven Sauron’s forces to retreat back to Mordor and joined with the alliance ti besiege the morannon.

[@PleaseNThankYou]

@@NOIDEAIWILLJUSTUSEHAILEYIGUESS Thank you so much! I wish there were a save button for comments only so I could catalog them for reference during reading. HEY KZbin...Gotta another bright idea for ya!!

[@beren1898]

@@Strider258 Well the game Shadow of Mordor and Shadow of War were actually non-canon.

[@SoySantiScort]

I think Isildur is a perfect choice by Amazon to be a the show’s main character. His arch is beautifully tragic and directly connects with the movie trilogy. Super excited for the show!

[@adamfarmer915]

That would be an epic show! Sadly, I fear that it will not come to pass.

[@OneNidim]

@@adamfarmer915 yeah Amazon has chosen their path, one much more tragic and disappointing

[@Unbatedwharf23]

this comment didn’t age well sadly

[@GM-vt3tu]

@@Unbatedwharf23 huge missed opportunity not making Isildur the center of the narrative. They were too focused on telling their own story

[@davidbailey6397]

They chose Galadriel to be the focus , and it’s awful.

[@calumchamberlain2861]

Makes sense to have Isildur as the main character for amazon prime telly show , the 2nd age of middle earth history is some what defined by his actions and not just keeping the one ring . Looking forward to seeing more of Tolkien's work brought to life.

[@ninasingh298]

Using the Isildur painting of him with the fruit as the icon is apt bc it feels like he constantly has to carry around seedlings in case of a tree emergency.

[@NerdoftheRings]

Are you excited for Isildur in the Amazon series? How do you think the seasons will break down now that we know who one of the main characters is?

[@erikbender1967]

Just hope they do just Tolkien, and none of this political correct bs.

[@patg148]

Was isildur around during the two trees? I thought that was a leak?

I think the prime show will start of with an epilouge about the two trees, and then the main show will follow isildur and the sappling/fruit all the way into the start of the third age. It will be a nice tie into Jacksons adaptation..... .... This also means this video in 20 minutes summarize the entire 5 season show 😅 anyways love these videos you make NoTR, keep em coming👍

[@NerdoftheRings]

The Two Trees is likely a prologue/flashback moment, as that would be before even the first age.

[@chadalbaugh5337]

Surprised they went with isildur. Limits how much of the 2nd age they can actually work with. Elrond or even Isildurs father would have been a better choice in my opinion

[@TheDeadlyKnight]

Love this. This man is one of the greatest heroes of Men in the legendarium but gets a bad rap for his mistake w/the One Ring

[@patg148]

Well look what his weakness caised

[@PleaseNThankYou]

People can always name your failures but seldom your successes. True then as today.

[@patg148]

@@PleaseNThankYou well, yeah.

[@TheDeadlyKnight]

@@PleaseNThankYou I have a soft spot for well-meaning Men of Action, even when they screw up. No surprise, I’m a big fan of Turin Turambar also

[@ambrosiogiovanni6952]

@@patg148 Lol, Tolkien himself said that no one could throw the one ring in the fires of mount doom willingly. Isildur wasn't weak. For all his drama, even Elrond wouldn't be able to do that.

[@DamonNomad82]

I remember reading an amazing fanfic about the final years of Isildur's life. It was an older fanfic, predating the LOTR movie trilogy. It started with the oath breaking by the men of Dunharrow, which in the fanfic is encouraged by a servant of Sauron, hinted to be the future Mouth of Sauron. It then follows Isildur and other major characters from the War of the Last Alliance through the final confrontation with Sauron, Isildur's claiming of the One Ring, and his efforts to use it to rebuild what was destroyed in the war. The story concludes with the end of Isildur's life in the Disaster of the Gladden Fields.

[@quickbeam71]

I don’t think Isildur should be the main character. I think Elrond would be a better choice. His life would open up more storylines. JMO.

[@valentinkambushev4968]

For me this project was doomed in the moment when I heard those two words "black" and "hobbits".

[@enerlal2839]

@@valentinkambushev4968 You do realise that the Harfoots Hobbits are described in Tolkien’s work as having brown skin.

[@valentinkambushev4968]

@@enerlal2839 that's not the point. Hobbits don't appear until the Third age .

[@enerlal2839]

@@valentinkambushev4968 If it’s not the point why did you say that this project was doomed when you heard the word “black”. Also, we don’t know if Hobbits were in the 2nd Age. Tolkien’s works say their origins are unknown but they founded the Shire at the start of the third age. This would imply they existed before the third age. So you don’t need to be worried about there being black hobbits.

[@valentinkambushev4968]

@@enerlal2839 honestly what infuriates me the most is that the actor said that "there isn't enough black hobbits" why do we need black hobbits?!

[@GSS1Sirius]

Imagine the immense hero status Isildur would've had if he'd cast the ring into the fire.

[@itamarwjr92]

I don't believe that people would know. What we know about the ring was not a knowledge that they had, not even Elrond. They thought that by killing Sauron he had gone for good. Years late that they discovered that his spirit had endured. Isildur was a hero and a victim, by RPG standards he was the guy who took the cursed magic item without knowing that it was cursed, and paid the ultimate price for it. The movies make Isildur looks greedy and all, but in the truth he only knew that the ring was "evil" when the ring abandon him, like the guy on the video said.

[@doc-uzziel-holiday6250]

@@itamarwjr92 I agree with you, however, the story would have ended there, when Aragorn redeemed his father and his betrayal and the other races , once again joining to conquer the evil, was epic. The temptation of evil is something we all face, on a daily basis, and we all choose, in each moment of life, whom we truly serve. Shalom.

[@itamarwjr92]

@@doc-uzziel-holiday6250 Against that I can't say anything else. You are totally right. It's all about the decisions we make! Nice one.

[@dlevi67]

@@itamarwjr92 I'm not convinced that Elrond didn't know much about the Ring. He was a (distant) cousin of Celebrimbor, as was Gil-Galad, and both were well aware of the existence of the One and its dominion over the Three... which required the One to be exceedingly powerful.

[@ibarabandrak481]

@@doc-uzziel-holiday6250 What betrayal are you talking about?

[@wesleycanner8001]

This kind of narrative is exactly what makes Tolkien's writings so incredibly powerful. Such a deep exploration of how complicated historical figures can be, and how one failure can define the image of a ruler. Nothing is simple and no one is perfect in history, and Tolkien can't be touched depicting this principal.

[@ChiaraSiasat]

This is definitely an interesting making Isiludur the main character. But as I was listening to the FOF livestream, I have to agree with what you said about the fact that they can take the show through flashbacks in a few episodes instead of being stuck in a complete forward mode if they literally started at the beginning. I can see possibly the forging of the Rings of Power in the very beginning like in the first Episode etc or in flashbacks

[@buddabellyboom]

I'd really like to learn more about Cirdan, and he shows up in a lot of stories on your channel. What about a deep dive on him?

[@TheMarcHicks]

By the end of the 3rd age, Cirdan was the only person in Middle Earth who could probably have pointed out where Cuivienen had once been (ironically, I think it is somewhere pretty near to where Mordor would later be. As Mordor occupies the location where the inland sea of Helcar once was).

[@hadian2059]

@@TheMarcHicks Cirdan not alone in end of third age, there still legolas thranduil celeborn and other, and he sail to the west with celeborn, and they are the last ship who sail to the west

[@dumbb0i944]

@@TheMarcHicks I’m glad u brought this up, because there is something I’ve always thought about. Is it possible that Barad dur was built on the foundations of the lamp that was once located there? Or even that Mt doom took the lamps place? Those two are probably too far south, but I always thought it would be cool.

[@ofektsoref5143]

@@hadian2059 nope ... Legolas is pretty young for an elf. Thranduil is presumebly not even 5000 years old by the time of the war of the ring. By the start of the second age, Cirdan is already the oldest Elf to live in ME. Not even Elrond is as old as him

[@TheMarcHicks]

@@hadian2059 Nope. Both Thranduil & Celeborn were sired *after* the bulk of the elves originally headed to Valinor in the Ages of the Trees. Cirdan was with the elves who first reached the Western shores of Belariand.

[@pauljohnagustin4079]

Thank you for this Made me realize how great Isildur was Movie never did him justice

[@farhanmizra]

Isildur depicted in the fan art 0:20 and 18:28, is the most charming. Got that youth, bravery, and hotness blend in together. Am glad you chose this particular potrait as the 'avatar' whenever you want to feature Isildur's journey in the map. 👍🏻

[@sinasalehi2119]

Idk why but every time I watch one of ur videos it makes me cry and sentimental ❤️❤️❤️

[@theamazingbatboy]

This a great idea, they're going bigger than I thought. They should start when he was young, on Numenor, showing Sauron and chronicling the whole build-up to the fall of their civilization. Good meaty stuff.

[@waynepurcell6058]

I wish Jackson had put the battle between Gil-Galad, Elendil, and Sauron in the film prologue. That would have been so much cooler.

[@1747CT]

At least in the extended version

[@rburk854]

it would also make the part where Sauron is reaching for Isildur make more sense, because we would have just seen him do the same thing to Gil-galad and set him on fire

[@martyrobbins5241]

It certainly was filmed as some rare images confirm, just it seems never edited or included in any version. Such a shame

[@Dcuniverse60]

@@rburk854 we Migth see that the Amazon series

[@DragonKing19th]

I personally prefer how Isildur cut the ring from Sauron in the movies than how he took it from his dead body in the books because it show how Sauron caused his own downfall by underestimated the strength of men and that men are indeed strong but not perfect as it is shown when he refuses to destroy the ring (not that anyone could anyway). I also like it because it makes him more heroic and tragic.

[@angrypotato_fz]

8:40 3 years, whoa, I just realised there were large hosts of armies having to stay, sleep, eat and work around Rivendell for 3 years! (just imagine the trouble of whoever was responsible for food supplies of Imladris!) Similarly with a 7-years-long siege of Barad-Dur. In text these are just some numbers, one sentence, but in "reality" years of strange life in the field...

[@woodworkingphoto8083]

One of your best videos to date. You are a fantastic narrator, could listen to your videos all day, and I often do!!

[@NerdoftheRings]

Thanks so much!!

[@melkhiordarkfell4354]

Unlike the movies, Isildur in the books is more noble, he took the ring, but didn't climb all the way up Mount Doom only to turn back. And he planned to bring the Ring to Rivendell so they could keep it safe and get a better idea of it. In fact, it seems like he was never ensnared by it at all, this was after all the man so faithful that he stole the sapling of Nimloth before the Downfall of Numenor.

[@abhirai6124]

Thanks for this channel. Its very important for these beautiful stories to be kept for the coming generations ❤️🙋🏻‍♂️

[@jadonsmith3224]

Isildur was one of the greatest of all Men. The movies did him dirty but it was to create greater character development for Aragorn which I love. But I only found out this year after reading the books that Isildur was such a good dude. The only person to feel relief after being parted from the Ring InDeepGeek has a great study on him. Apparently, Isildur was going to use the Ring to better his people but eventually realized he could not master it so he was headed to Elrond to relinquish it.

[@docfada1701]

I have always held this view of yours about Isildur he is one of the greatest Numenoreans to ever live however you know how it goes like the saying"you do good twice nobody remembers but just do bad once noone forgets" great video as usual!

[@jamaicanprincess87630]

Love this video. However, I still believe Elrond should have been the main character. He has much more connections to people, he is older and they would have been able to connect it back to the main work of LOTR.

[@zizu274]

What a masterpiece of a video❤️❤️❤️ love it!!

[@BertoBerg]

This video is so good I watched it twice back-to-back!

[@NerdoftheRings]

That’s awesome! I appreciate the dedication! 😄

[@greendragonreprised6885]

If Isildur is the main character, they must be skipping a lot of the back story that happened before he was born. I'd prefer a first age story based around Feanor. That at least leaves the option for sequels that continue the tale.

[@waynepurcell6058]

They were absolutely forbidden to mess with the first age by the Tolkien Estate. They were only allowed the second age because Tolkien wrote the least about that time period, and even then (supposedly) they are not allowed to produce anything that contradicts Tolkien's actual written canon.

[@st0rm617]

Was hoping for morgoth and a generational story of the many things up to his defeat. Wouldn't feel predictable to most peoppe. And unique .

[@husnainahmed107]

@Babes & Board Games Harfoots are described as dark skin folks anyways, idk about Chinese though

[@husnainahmed107]

@Babes & Board Games well there are black people in modern Britain now, so I don't see why not?

[@husnainahmed107]

@Babes & Board Games I dont think black British citizens would like being called fake British lol

[@Teag_Brohman15]

thank you for posting this on my birthday

[@danseshat569]

I wonder about the lands of Forodwaith. I wonder if theres history there.

[@bradyweed4124]

There are people there I’m pretty sure. A lord of the Northmen once rode a ship through an icy bay up there and those natives told him how bad an idea it was. He went anyway and the ship sank, and with it that guy, and also 3 palantiri Edit: that is about it tho

[@mrmittenns5728]

@@bradyweed4124 icebay of forochel. And it was not a Northmen king but king Arvedui of arnor

[@Enerdhil]

I always imagined thepeople up there were like Eskimos.

[@jacktheomnithere2127]

i thought Forodwaith was where the dragons dwell. then i find out that they dwell in the Withered Heath, which i want to see now.

[@morpheussandman3984]

The Lossoth.

[@rafaelpereiradenovo]

By far the best Tolkien channel in KZbin! Great video!!👏👏👏 Keep up the good work!✌

[@AdeptKing]

It is nice to know that Isildur did intend to give the ring up and that he wasn't kind of weak like the movies portrayed him.

[@anakinskywalker8859]

He wasn't weak in the movies. Elrond brought Isildur into the Cracks of Doom, where Isildur would refuse to destroy the ring. No one was able to destroy the ring willingly.

[@behzadyaghmaeiansalmani5960]

love your videos and summaries of Tolkien's legendarium! keep up the good work!

[@KuLaydMahn]

You know... 3,000 years is really a very long time for a scroll to survive, without crumbling and remaining readable

[@dlevi67]

We have quite a few 3000 years-old-plus Egyptian papyri that remain perfectly readable, with a bit of care. 1700 years old parchment (Codex Vaticanus) still looks like new. Personally, I find the idea of dynasties lasting for 6,000 years far more incredible.

[@jerjerking3718]

That's why they all bowed to the hobbits in the movie, after a long time of suffering.

[@AnnaMarianne]

@@dlevi67 I suppose it helps when you live in a world with many different kinds of humanoids, each with different powers and lifespans, and your royal family is of a kind of humanoid that is both more "magical" and clearly longer living than ordinary humans. If I don't recall this wrong, the Númenorian kings lived hundreds of years, and lived longer than their Númenorian subjects, and by far longer than their non-Númenorian, Middle-earth native subjects. That does give your family line an edge over any competition from other noble families. Though, in the end they did de facto get replaced by another dynasty. Sure, the Stewards were in theory ruling in the name of the original house and didn't take the royal title... but it was what it was.

[@dlevi67]

@@AnnaMarianne Yes, it helps - but we are still talking of 60 generations consecutively holding on to power... (and the Stewards were in charge of Gondor for "only" a millennium). I still find that less easy to believe than artefacts surviving for a few thousands of years.

[@adenaliakberov6272]

@@dlevi67 Agreed, well the Yamato dynasty have ruled Japan for allegedly 3000 years, that’s a pretty Tolkien amount for a dynasty to last..

[@jamiegregg9211]

cool vid Matt really enjoyed this video

[@MacbethofGondor]

Great video as always mate

[@NerdoftheRings]

Thanks!!

[@NerdoftheRings]

Great seeing you in the chat on the FOF vid!

[@ConvictedFelon2024]

15:17 I should point out that, in the version of the story as told in _Of the Rings of Power and the Third Age,_ Isildur does not make it to the other side of the river. Instead, "he came to the river and plunged in. There the Ring betrayed him and avenged its maker, for it slipped from his finger as he swam, and it was lost in the water. Then the Orcs saw him as he laboured in the stream, and they shot him with many arrows, and that was his end." Ultimately, it's a very minor difference, although I believe this version better explains why his body was never found (being that it was very likely swept out to sea, as Saruman once hypothesized with respect to the One Ring).

[@elrond7887]

I couldn’t have been more clear with my instructions

[@tarzankom]

Another good video. I'm GLAD I subscribed, that doesn't happen often.

[@poilagratter2417]

This Isildur deserves better than what they did with him in RoP.

[@frankharr9466]

Thank you. It's good to have all that together.

[@Neal7891]

I've always found it interesting that Isildur claimed the Ring as a weregild for his family & when given the option to gift it to his son Elendur to save his heir instead of himself, he chose not to.

[@mongo7106]

I’m really happy I watched this. The movies don’t make him seem like a good person but he was a hero that fell to the ring like any mortal would

[@billychops1280]

Honestly I’m so confused about the prime show, I think a great main character would have been an elf as they do not age (or at least not like us) and Isildur had the greatest son in the world I swear

[@zwichert1872]

Agreed. Would have thought they'd have mined the depth of storylines that is The Silmarilion rather than pick one character and a couple decades to focus on.

[@vaahtobileet]

@@zwichert1872 they don't have the rights for The Silmarillion, I think. I think they only have the rights for the appendices, basically.

[@GravityCreations100]

Another great video Matt. Was waiting for the new vid

[@bnwiley77]

Seems like Elron and Elros would've been a better choice for the main characters, but I hope it's good either way 🤞🏼

[@12classics39]

Their relationship is severely underdeveloped and could’ve been so beautifully added to by the writers and brought to life by great actors. What was it like for them, growing up under the wing of an Elf who kidnapped them and drove their mother into the sea? How close were they? How did they come to make different choices as Half-Elves? How did they possibly say a permanent goodbye? So much there.

[@robfisher3790]

Wow nice long video. 👏 Your longer vids are always better IMHO

[@aarushpalit504]

I'd like a timeline video of middle Earth. it would assist me greatly as I am reading the Silmarilion

[@flavarz]

Safe to say, this is much MUCH more entertaining than the RoP. So interesting, and yet the best the writers for RoP could give Isildur's character - was mummy issues & stupid love triangle. Oh, the best thing about his story is Berek, his ever faithful & photogenic horse😂 More stories like tbis please❤❤❤❤

[@AbsurdoSol]

Ahh, a time when we were still hopeful about ROP…such unfortunate ignorance.

[@eddieroy2418]

Excellent video one of the best lord of the rings video's I've ever seen.

[@ovalayacademy364]

They lied. They made Galandriel the MC and are deliberately making a right mess of it

[@sascha1493]

that's about two or three seasons worth of storyline. the first season is probably all of the events leading up to the fall of numenor and the founding of gondor, judging by the current synopsis of the show, and the second season about the aftermath up until the ring is lost. i'm actually really excited to see the fall of numenor, with a budget that big it has to look absolutely amazing!

[@spiritgum]

Isildur is a great character, worthy of adaptation. I'm just so confused about the timeline of this series. Either it's going to jump around between thousands of years or it's going to disregard canon. I don't see a third option.

[@aldariel744]

LOTR was 20 years or something like that. They made it into a year. They will probably shrink time like in the movies.

[@spiritgum]

​@@aldariel744 I understand why they didn't acknowledge the seventeen year passage in the film, as it wasn't necessary to do so. And the Two Trees appearing in a prologue or flashback would make sense. But Isildur dies well over a millennium and-a-half before Hobbits begin settling into The Shire, so I don't see how they plan to canonically reconcile those two things.

[@niccologregorutti]

@@spiritgum they will probably show hobbits wandering around middle earth,not specifically settling in the shire,I am more worried about other things,galadriel as a child,finrod who had nothing to do with numenor except for helping one isildur's forebears for a little time.Also the presence of Isildur from episode 3 means that they will probably skip the forging of the rings of power,the first war between sauron and the elves and the numenoreans starting to settle in middle earth

[@wvhoipolloi7035]

I dont think Isildur is the main character. I think FoF is way off here.

[@spiritgum]

@@wvhoipolloi7035 Entirely possible. There's incredibly little in the way of concrete information regarding such an expensive and high-profile production.

[@phatworkshop]

Love this video, one of the best on your channel.

[@braylon3233]

do you think you can do a video on Cirdan some day? I personally would love to see it. awesome video btw!

[@NerdoftheRings]

Definitely. One of the most ancient of elves!

[@mikemike9888]

Awesome video as always. Thank you.

[@vn_bricks]

You should make video about the one rings "travels" 🙂🙃

[@firnafinhonrath7649]

Klasse Video toll gemacht, gefällt mir sehr gut. Respekt!!! WEITER SO.

[@Funlearn3333]

"Isildur will be the main character in Amazon Prime " How things changes 😂😂

[@turtleherder420]

Unfortunately Isildur wasn't girl boss enough to make the cut.

[@Ninfreddo]

Haha I just came to see the comments on the prime series. Guess the excitement didn’t hold long for the nerd of the ring

[@annaroselarsen4218]

Awesome video great news !

[@marionbaggins]

Isildur famous for: Saving his family tree twice, cursed a group of men, teaming up with Elves, and Failing to destroy a ring

[@12classics39]

And founding a great kingdom.

[@marionbaggins]

@@12classics39 True that!!!

[@yodaistcool7088]

Almost 400k subs !! You would deserved it !

[@NerdoftheRings]

So close! Gonna have to have a 400k sub livestream this week to celebrate!

[@yodaistcool7088]

@@NerdoftheRings that was fast ;) Looking forward to it

[@adamfunk3813]

I was hoping for earlier in the Second Age where we could see Numenor in it's glory.

[@dlevi67]

Isildur was born in Númenor - and although morally decayed, Númenor would have been at its grandest and richest under Ar-Pharazon.

[@wvhoipolloi7035]

I'm still hoping for a series around the creation of the rings in Eregion and Sauron's war against the Elves.

[@hanzzimmer1132]

@@wvhoipolloi7035 that's what I thought season 1 would be

[@culturecoroner]

@@dlevi67 Sounds like today’s world to me.

[@vickielittleton6373]

It's pretty darned glorious.

[@hefaj7924]

That story is so good, hope someone will make tv series of that

[@mariopusi]

I would've prefered Elrond to be the main character but I'm okay with him being Isildur. It shall be interesting!

[@doc-uzziel-holiday6250]

agreed, hopefully Elrond shall still perform as a main character to come. Shalom.

[@Sinaxo]

Then again Hugo Weaving won't be returning, so Elrond won't be the same - even though Elrond would be a great main character

[@Mithrandyr.]

your videos are incredible, i love them,,, easily one of the best on youtube thank you .,

[@Hanitcal69]

After 5 episodes of the show, I think it would be a lot better if isildur had turned out to be the main character

[@jamustreanor7289]

He may still. They spent a billion dollars on this show. It's going to be more than a couple seasons.

[@joshup]

Bro I'm confused did they change the story around or does all this happen after rings of power

[@jamustreanor7289]

@@joshup this is an adaptation. A reimagining. It's based on Tolkein's writings, but it doesn't exactly follow his story.

[@joshup]

@@jamustreanor7289 I gotcha because I'm like the island is still there

[@jamustreanor7289]

@@joshup well the island doesn't sink until after farazon takes over. He hasn't taken over yet. And this is the first visit to Middle earth of the Numenorians. They'll go back again later. But yeah, big time crunch. The timeline is all messed up.

[@Sam-kn2mm]

This was a very good video. Thank you.

[@hoo7797]

Imagine being Isildur at the moment of Sauron's fall. This Maia has been responsible for the death of his father and brother, for the ransacking of his city of Minas Ithil, and the corruption and destruction of his homeland Númenor, as well as the sacrificing of so many Faithful and innocent Middlemen to Morgoth, not to mention the separation of the Blessed Realm and the reshaping of the entire Universe *exclusively* to Mortal Folks. We know the One Ring works with people's worst traits, strengthening them to corrupt the person. I'd say in Isildur's case, his worst trait would be his terrible wrath, which we see an example of when he curses the Oathbreakers. Both in the Oathbreakers' case and in the taking of the Ring, he is well justified for his deeds, but while with the Oathbreakers it eventually proved beneficial for everyone, including the Oathbreakers themselves since they got the chance to redeem themselves, keeping the Ring wasn't good for anyone, and in the end it only gave an advantage to the enemy that he so (rightfully) despised. And Elrond and Cirdan knew it was a bad idea to keep it, but at that moment, Isildur would have been so enraged, I'd say for their own sake they shouldn't have even suggested destroying the Ring. Imagine how tragic that moment was for both of them: this noble and brave Man, who has lost and willingly sacrificed so much for the sake of the World, snapped post-battle and literally defiled the still-living body of a Maia to steal his enchanted Ring, thinking he had claimed his revenge for hundreds of years of despair and grief. And eventually only to get himself and his sons brutally murdered because of that very same Ring. It's honestly such a cruel fate; Isildur got done like Sauron's toned-down version of Túrin.

[@vichufeb16]

Grateful for all your videos!

[@alexp3462]

Great vid, but ngl pretty bummed that we aren't going to see Annatar, War of the Elves and Sauron, Celebrimbor etc.

[@NerdoftheRings]

I wouldn’t be surprised if we get flashbacks. The other possibility is if they’re permitted to tweak the timeline to make the usurping by Pharazon happen at the same time as the War of Elves and Sauron.

[@istari0]

@@NerdoftheRings That would be absolutely terrible and mammoth violation of canon.

[@Dcuniverse60]

Sauron will definitily be in this show annatar aswel he big part of second age i just dont se that happening

[@arranthearab5105]

These types of videos are amazing

[@gandalfolorin-kl3pj]

Nerd: Excellent. Excellent. Excellent. You narrate this tale as though you were at Tolkien's elbow when he wrote it. Or maybe you were in Middle Earth and witnessed the events first-hand? As for the LotR Prime (which I wish they'd give a proper title to, since it's NOT LotR at all): Isildur can work as a main character if the Tolkien Estate retains veto power, as was stated early on. Otherwise, considering all the strange reports we're hearing about "intimacy" and other nonsense, I will probably ignore the entire series and pray for the day the books leave copyright so I can write a Fourth Age tale in the style of the great Professor.

[@JH-zs3bs]

Well, you can already write it. So you have it ready to be published that day.

[@youtubeaccount4339]

He was there to witness first-hand. Methinks our host is one of the Maiar. Probably one of the blue wizards who were given orders to not intervene but to observe and then recount the days of history to the people of our time.

[@Roshan-sb8mh]

Congrats on 400k Matt!

[@blun7m4n85]

He besides Bilbo was only one how was willing to actually give up the ring after years of possessing it. When he lost it, he was on his way to give it up to the elves knowing he himself couldn't control it. He was much greater man then the ppl give him credit for.