Sauron in the Second Age | Tolkien Explained

Get ready for Amazon's Lord of the Rings series with this rundown of Sauron's life during the second age. Covering his flight from the Valar, constructing the Rings of Power, The War of Elves and Sauron, his time in Númenor, and finally, his war with the Last Alliance. Please consider subscribing to the channel and sharing this video to help the channel grow, so I can bring you more fun videos on Middle-earth!
Featured in this episode:
The Rise of Sauron
Constructing the Rings of Power
The War of Elves and Sauron
Sauron in Númenor
The War of the Last Alliance
Featuring Sauron's interactions with the elves: Celebrimbor, Gil-galad, Elrond, Cirdan, Galadriel, Oropher, and Thranduil, the Numenoreans: Ar-Pharazon, Elendil, Isildur, and Anarion, the Dwarves of Khazad-dum, as well as his servants, the Nazgul, Haradrim, Easterlings, and orcs.
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All content falls under fair use: any copying of copyrighted material done for a limited and “transformative” purpose, such as to comment upon, criticize, or parody a copyrighted work. Such uses can be done without permission from the copyright owner.
If your artwork is used and not credited, please let me know and I will make sure it gets added!
Fall of Númenor - Darrell Sweet
Celebrimbor - Angus McBride
Ar-Pharazon - steamey
Ar-Pharazon - Janka L
Annatar - SaMoart2019
Celebrimbor's Death - peet
Cirdan - moumou38
Gil-galad - jayeybee
Numenorean Armor - Turner Mohan
Oropher - Pelegrin
The Nazgul - spartank42
The Ships of the Faithful - Ted Nasmith
Various - WETA
#sauron #lordoftherings #lotronprime #silmarillion

[@NerdoftheRings]

This video has been REFORGED! Check out Sauron in the Second Age EXTENDED EDITION: kzbin.info/www/bejne/qqa1oI2Vm8eajq8 It's more in-depth, better audio and production quality, and matched my other Sauron videos even better!

[@N.Cabello]

One of the best

[@anthonyjackson3268]

Exactly this guy was amazing

[@sirphil13]

It's rumored that Tolkien was invited into the Illuminati Secret Society, and he made symbolic reference to that evil organization in his writing. *Luciferians worship Saturn, the planet is...the Lord of The Rings *The One Eye...Sauron *"Mellon," the password to get in the Moria, the name of an Illuminati and bankers' dynasty. (The Bank of Banks, as the bank that services over 90% of the world’s top 100 banks) *Masonic rings were only worn by royalty, nobles, and religious officials. Later, they became an important seal for traders and merchants. These rings dictate one’s status along with their brotherhood.

[@KarlPHorse]

I like how Eru Iluvatar (literally god) came down and reshaped the world, destroyed an army, and sunk a continent just to foil Sauron's plans, and Sauron was still like "I think I can make this world domination thing work."

[@noradosmith]

Funny you should say that because at the very start of existence Eru makes it clear to Melkor that he isn't really that powerful and everything is according to Eru's plan. Melkor: how about we pretend that isn't true

[@takezokimura2571]

@@noradosmith I mean, no wonder Pride is considered by Christianity's to be the worst sin.

[@mr.zardoz3344]

Eru sunk Numenor because they had become alltogther evil.

[@pasindudinusha6507]

That's the kind of positive attitude you need to have.

[@wildfire9280]

Well… I guess perseverance is a virtue?

[@peasant8246]

4:10 Sauron: "I am the Lord of the Earth and King of Men." Numenorians: "Heard y'are talking shit..."

[@bubbles784]

Numenorians: "We have come to a consensus of 'No.'"

[@lensensei1746]

Numenorian King : "I found an advisor"

[@beren1898]

Numenorians: "You are talking mad shit for someone in great ships and high men army distance."

[@jakobrenner2230]

Sauron: “All right let’s chill. Don’t kill me and please take me back to your island so I can be a useful prisioner and totally not brainwash your whole society from within.” Ar-Pharazon: “Hmmm, not suspicious at all.”

[@wildfire9280]

@@jakobrenner2230 If only it were true they had been brainwashed…

[@koraptd6085]

I've never read the books and honestly don't know how I ended up here but I've already watched 3 videos half an hour long and I'm going to read lotr asap.

[@NerdoftheRings]

That’s awesome! Glad I could encourage you to dive in to the books! Thanks for watching/subscribing!!

[@eodico]

@david wallace Actually Tolkien has explicitly claimed this was not the case. He hated allegory in writing as writers, but accepted it for readers. Meaning writers shouldn't make allegorical claims, best let that be to the imagination of the reader. WW1 especially had great influence on him so that comes to play in his stories but he never set out to write a WW1 allegorical epic.

[@ColoradoStreaming]

@@eodico I agree that Tolkien always rejected that his work was allegorical but the more you read about WWI and his experience at the Somme the more you see themes in his stories that come directly from his experience of war. Things like the rotting bodies at the Dead Marshes, the PTSD of the Gondor soldiers exposed to the Wraiths and the crater filled desolation of Mordor. Almost all of Tolkien's best friends died in WWI which I believe accounts for his books showing such a real sense of loss. Tolkien became sick with Trench Fever which pulled him away from the front after 5 days and I think Frodo's lasting sickness may have been inspired by that. Although Tolkein healed, he was forever haunted by the fact he lived and all his friends died. What is interesting is to read LOTR which reflects England's experience in WWI which is that of going off to another place to fight battles in a more black and white good vs evil sense and compare it to the Witcher series which reflects the horrors and realities of Poland as nation occupied in WWII and the sense that there is no real good vs evil but varying degrees of corruption and moral relativism.

[@jdog7797]

*_LOTR_* is the Father to all _Fantasy_

[@jkdbuck7670]

Nümenor = Atlantis

[@codafett]

Sauron was essentially the main character in the Second Age. Nothing significant was really going on that didn't involve him.

[@AdeptKing]

He caused most of the significant things that happened in that age.

[@peterconway6584]

That's why the books collectively are called "The Lord of the Rings."

[@Light-fx6yt]

@@peterconway6584 That's during the Third Age tho

[@peterconway6584]

@@Light-fx6yt True.

[@astveloria]

If you think about it he’s technically the main character in middle-earth.

[@masterrafferty4065]

Elrond must have been like, "Guys we are thousands of years old, and none of us know who this guy is!"

[@marcuschaddock7398]

Its a fair point

[@a.w.4708]

New elves was still being born though... It was a possibity that he was just some young one. Or Tom Bombadil kind of entity.

[@haalandfilms1695]

yes because Elrond knows every single elf that has ever existed

[@jonathancampbell5231]

Sauron claimed to be a servant of the Valar from the Undying Land come to teach them stuff, and that was why they hadn't heard of him. Elrond and the other Elves were suspicious of him because he seemed a bit "too good to be true" and because that wasn't really how the Valar operated, and perhaps they could vaguely sense something evil about him.

[@codafett]

"My lord, I've never seen this man before in my life."

[@WCLCooke]

I can't believe how many characters, settings, dates, and battles Tolkien created. Just keeping track of all these as a reader feels like a lobotomy. I can't imagine what Tolkien must felt creating and organizing all that.

[@winterking2510]

True but keep in mind that it took him the greater part of his life to do so and he left many works unfinished when he died

[@erikbender1967]

Tolkien was a complete genius. I mean he created the Hobbit in the trenches of WW1.

[@WCLCooke]

@@erikbender1967 he modeled Mordor after the battlefield.

[@erikbender1967]

@@WCLCooke that would make sense. Thanks.

[@scottyi88]

I believe he literally created the elven language like a full on alphabet and dictionary

[@shadowreaperjb]

"he was never again able to take on his fair form" Shadow of war: "yeah but what if he did though"

[@TheHebrewHammer]

Ok, hear me out..... What if the games are a prequel to Lord Of The Rings?

[@gabrield.alencar4733]

@@TheHebrewHammer The games that evolves Middle-Earth are nom-canon

[@gabrield.alencar4733]

@@TheHebrewHammer *non-canon

[@jeambeam3173]

@@TheHebrewHammer he lost his fare form in the 2nd Age the games take place in the 3rd

[@LucasLima-pi1ux]

@@gabrield.alencar4733 i know its been a month but you can edit comments

[@LocalGodC8]

I was always under the impression that the rings given to the dwarves did have their intended affect, just a different affect that the human ones. I thought the dwarven rings compounded the dwarves greedy and selfish nature, causing them even more so to retreat into their mines and underground cities and seek only to amass their fortunes, not caring about whats going on in the world around them, which is why very few dwarves ever take part in the various wars, and refused to help Thorin retake The Lonely Mountain, because they generally didnt care about anyone but themselves, thanks to the rings. i always thought that the rings essentially served not to corrupt the dwarves or directly hurt them, but just to placate them and keep them out of the conflicts to come.

[@Mantil82]

According to Tolkien("Unfinished Tales" and appendixes to the "Lord Of The Ring") they made their wearers irrational at the most. Thror, Thorins grandfather, gave the last of the seven rings to his son and went to Moria with just one companion, where he got beheaded after entering alone. The other dwarfs cared greatly about this, hence the goblin wars. And Thorin wanted to march to the lonely mountain with an entire army, but Gandalf advised him that stealth and cunning might be more sucessful. The Hobbit-Movies got a lot wrong or changed it deliberately.

[@pedroivantaveraferreira3037]

A job started by the power of that one stolen simalirion, I bet. The first act of greed and treason of the dwarves was when they restaurated the necklace that was to held the stolen simalirion. Imagine how dangerous that was being for so long in the possession of Morgoth himself. I think the rings were just infused with mopre magic.

[@murtazaaliahmad1905]

@@Mantil82 Gandalf says???

[@kauyanDJ]

Pride for Elf, Greed for Dwarves, and Men shall be consumed by Envy

[@TheBayzent]

The intended effect of the rings was to make everybody a Nâzgul enslaved to The One, so no, they didn't have the intended effect at all. That doesn't mean they had no effect mind you, just that they didn't do what they were supposed to do. But keep in mind none of the Rings were supposed to be for Men or Dwarves, technically they were supposed to enslave Elves, it's just that the Elves said "screw this" and only used the ones he didn't have a part on forging.

[@Dark_Jaguar]

There's something that gets me about the notion that the second age didn't start or end with the COMPLETE RESHAPING OF THE WORLD, but rather that's just some event that happened somewhere in the middle.

[@KeyboardPadawan]

Why it's Middle-Earth.

[@lukelcs8934]

@@KeyboardPadawan XD

[@cs29harshazad22]

What was happening outside of the middle Earth does anybody knows

[@logicaldude3611]

It's incredible to think that ONE MAN (with a little help from his son in editing and finishing some material) did all of this. Tolkien invented languages and created an entire world all on his own. We've never seen anything quite like it and we'll never see it again. Not from one person. When you realize that LOTR is just a TINY part of the ultimate story being told, it almost kind of blows your mind. He could have easily made a trilogy about Morgoth's rise and fall, Sauron's rise and fall (the first time), and dozens of other plot lines. Instead, he summarizes all of them in the additional material. The potential is there. Sadly, only Tolkien truly understood his universe and I'm afraid anyone else will make a mockery of it. We've got to remember that Tolkien was turned away by pretty much every publisher he want to, and he went to A LOT. The "experts" thought his story sucked and wouldn't sell.

[@loreheads]

Late to the party as usual, but just wanted to say a few things. First off, your comment is awesome and I absolutely agree. And it really SHOULD blow your mind, if you're aware of all of it. The broad scope, the detail, the expansive timeline, everything even down to the genealogy of the Ainur...Tolkien thought of all of it. And this universe, while not necessarily unrivaled in the things I just mentioned, puts to shame the vast majority of others.

[@MrAshCarr]

Eru coming down like, Nope! Gonna nip that shit right in the bud. I am altering the tune, pray I do not alter it further.

[@EvanTomiko]

I would like to see in a movie Sauron in his physical form and not as an spiritual evil force.

[@lordbillaire9638]

Amazon: 'just wait'

[@codrugs4653]

@@lordbillaire9638 *cough cough* anime

[@LeanBack_HaveASnack_TakeANap]

From the creators of Cruella: SAURON'S BIG DAY OUT, starring Andrew Garfield. Only on Disney + 😂

[@EvanTomiko]

@@LeanBack_HaveASnack_TakeANap Sauron just wanted to bring jobs to the free people of Middle Earth 🤣

[@sonofcronos7831]

well in the Books he is always in a physical form. After he lost the final battle of the second age, he lost his physical form for thousands of years. Them he start to regain power again and become the Necromancer, a being with physical form. After he was expelled by the wizards from his hiding, he regain his complete form in Mordor, and then start to prepare for his plan. The movies got wrong and put Sauron as a giant eye, even trough this was not was the books meant by eye of sauron

[@biblebookclub668]

Changing the world from flat, to round. Interesting.

[@Midgert89]

You can make a case that Sauron succeded where Morgoth failed, he essentially forced Illuvatar to intervene to prevent complete catastrophy. It is very likely ArPharazon would have caused immense pain the the elves in Aman had eru not gotten involved.

[@Doctor-Stoppage]

I always imagined Sauron (in his human/elf form) looking and sounding like the actor that played Viserys Targaryen, Harry Lloyd. I bet that guy would be amazing playing Sauron in a live action.

[@wolfsbanealphas617]

Right a weaver of tales with a voice you would listen to but not really feel threatened by

[@escaperoomleander1948]

"Guy out here calling himself The Lord of Gifts! Should I let him in, or...?"

[@meduseldtales3383]

There was something different in Sauron in the early years of the Second Age. He had in some level repented when he saw how easily the Host of Valinor was able to overrun his master. He realized he had bet on the wrong guy, and perhaps that Morgoth's way wasn't the best way to achieve his goals. In the beginning it was his desire for order and discipline that brought him to the service of Morgoth, who then corrupted him and made him an obedient servant. But now that he was free from this servitude, Sauron returned to his former thinking, at least a little. He does not want to destroy the Elves, but only to make them serve him and work toward his goals, whatever they were. Only when the Elves turn him down, he has a relapse and he returns to the ways of Morgoth again. What did Sauron want to achieve with the help of the Elves? I think he wanted to build a Middle-earth utopia, with geometric gardens, geometric forests, geometric cities where people live in identical houses and everyone and everything has its place, all determined by him. Come to think of it, he might be making a comeback right now.

[@NerdoftheRings]

That’s an interesting theory/interpretation! It presents Sauron as more of a sympathetic villain. It reminds me a bit of the Russian book “Last Ringbearer” told from Sauron’s perspective. I knew Sauron was possibly really repentant at the end of the first age, but wouldn’t return to Valinor and ended up back in his evil ways.

[@thehunter7422]

That does make sense actually . I mean like every story a villain always starts off good and every single one has a strong weakness . He was probably looked at differently back in the First Age and he wanted to be a leader of some sort but he couldn't take rejection . So he found the easiest way of getting Second in command of a great army and that is Morgoth . Then of course learning powers by Aule and Morgoth I'm guessing he found part of his purpose to become a leader but then rejected again by the Valar and that's what ticked him off even more . Right into a sociopathic state of pretending to be good and friendly since Morgoth couldn't show Compassion , Sauron decided to use it as his weapon . A lot of good theories behind this .

[@SirMcAwesome]

I think this theory is very flawed to be honest. Sauron did not repent or go back to his old ways once morgoth was defeated. There is no indication of that anywhere in Tolkien's writings. On the contrary, he kept the worship of morgoth and his ideals alive and continued his masters legacy. You say "He did not want to destroy the elves, he just wanted them to serve him", as if implying morgoth or sauron were ever just mad beings bent on pure destruction. Neither wanted to destroy anything in principal, on the contrary, they were creators of the world. What they really wanted was for the world they created to be theirs. They wanted total and utter domination of Arda. Destroying was reserved for any who resisted being dominated as those would have no place in their vision of the world.

[@ajmerthethy6724]

@@SirMcAwesome Morgoth became a nihilist. He definitely wanted to destroy the world after he couldn’t be able to rule it.

[@jakobrenner2230]

Great comment! You summed it up perfectly! Precisely for this reason is that, when reading the Silmarillon, I think that Sauron (as Annatar), when he spoke, to the Elves and told them to aid him in creating a realm even more magestic than Valinor, he wasn't lying at all; he genuinly believed that he could archieve that (but of course he omitted the part of his plan that, for that end, he wanted to enslave them to his will).

[@JynxedKoma]

0:12 Sauron: *"I'M OUT!"*

[@tracy2919]

Why is Sauron as Annatar so uncomfortably fine tho...

[@jemailaddress9495]

RIGHT!? Im glad I’m not the only one who thought that 😂

[@MattyH1812]

@The Last Son eating fruit cakes makes you fine? Damn! Gonna get me some of that

[@mikejohnstonbob935]

Why did you think the Númenorans kept him around? Men DO think with their dicks

[@GanonGhidorah]

It's as Frodo described when speaking of the Enemy. "An Agent of Evil would _look fairer...but feel fouler."_

[@Dyundu]

I believe that would be the point, yes.

[@johnnyw525]

This should be the backbone of an epic TV series

[@theinnerparty5295]

if only rings of power had followed all this properly.

[@abdulrahmanalmuhairi5766]

Morgoth is the most evil villain in Middle Earth while Sauron is the most dangerous villain in Middle Earth

[@chrismarple]

Morgoth was definitely more dangerous then sauron

[@abdulrahmanalmuhairi5766]

Chris Marple wait Morgoths goal was to destroy all life and Saurons goal was to enslave all life

[@hashimfarrukh4670]

@@abdulrahmanalmuhairi5766 noo bro morgoth and saurons goal was same. Sauron is like morgoth but weaker in everyway howeved his military prowess was good

[@szczepan4737]

Sauron in the Second Age was basically a Final Fantasy antagonist. Both scheming and with fabulous hair.

[@luukje777]

I really like your channel and watching your video's. There is however one thing that I need to set straight. When Celebrimbor sent away the three Elven rings of power, he sent 2 to Gil Galad and the 1 to Galadriël. After some time Gil Galad gives one of the rings to Cirdan and one to Elrond. Cirdan then gives his ring to Gandalf. And then we have the three bearers that sail into the west after the events of The Lord of the Rings. Apart from that minor mistake, I really loved this video.

[@NerdoftheRings]

Thanks for watching and keeping me on my toes in regards to this detail. I did some digging and it sounds like there’s some contradiction on this depending on whether you’re reading LotR, Silmarillion, or Unfinished Tales. According to Tolkien Gateway... “In The Lord of the Rings and The Silmarillion, Gil-galad receives only Vilya, while Círdan receives Narya from the very beginning. In the Third Age, Círdan gave the ring to Gandalf for his labours. According to the Unfinished Tales, at the start of the War of the Elves and Sauron Celebrimbor gave Narya together with the Ring Vilya to Gil-galad, High King of the Noldor. Gil-galad entrusted Narya to his lieutenant Círdan, Lord of the Havens of Mithlond, who kept it after Gil-galad's death.” Interesting stuff! Thanks again for bringing this to my attention. I had no idea this small inconsistency was a thing!

[@luukje777]

@@NerdoftheRings Thanks for getting this to my attention. This I didn't know.

[@NerdoftheRings]

We are all learning together and from each other! That’s one of the most fun things to come from running this channel, I think. Thanks again for watching and commenting!

[@reiferdranzer3752]

Truly amazing. I love the visual representations.

[@vorschaukanal2460]

only 1 minute and 40 seconds in and the plot is already more intriguing than the entire rings of power season 1. i guess this is the power of a good story that focuses on emerging in my mind. what feat it would have been to see this made by good story tellers.

[@marcelfigueroa2449]

Amazon should get you on as a consultant for the new series because your clarity in describing these events is amazing.

[@wildfire9280]

If only they didn’t fire the only consultant they actually did get…

[@hotlinetech151]

Awesome stuff. Watched and rewatched the movies for years, finally got around to the books and your info makes it all the better.

[@dl_0002]

It's insane how much more there is in the books that didn't even touch the big screen in 20 hours of LOTR/Hobbit movies.

[@frameshade]

Yes, there's still huge amount of source for future movies and/or series. Its all very fascinating.

[@morantNO1]

That is because it lies for the most part in tolkiens unfinished works, which he never wanted to be published himself. I didn't read them myself, but I would imagine they do not hold enough detail to make a whole movie out of it and if someone did fans would get angry, because they would have to make up a lot of stuff to fill the gaps.

[@Freshwater121]

@@morantNO1 No, a lot of this is in the Appendices of Return of the King, a work published by J.R.R. Tolkien himself.

[@politicallycorrectredskin796]

There might be ideas for at least twenty movies in Silmarillion alone. They just haven't been written fully as novels, so there would be a lot of work to do first with dialog etc. But the amount of possible content is definitely overwhelming with Tolkien.

[@hermionebethel6422]

A movie, or even a series of movies can only hold so much information. To accommodate all the detail of these works, even if just sticking to the "important stuff" would require more movies than any studio or backer could afford to pony up for.

[@amineyassa2928]

Preparing for amazon series , I'm gonna follow u now.

[@annaanisa7388]

Same.

[@mikemontgomery6977]

Your content is amazing dude, thanks for the meticulous work!!

[@NerdoftheRings]

Thanks for watching/subscribing! Glad you are enjoying the channel!

[@CathedralRabbit]

I love that Tolkien pretty much wrote fan fiction about his own story. I am here for it all.

[@tomskowski6239]

Sauron: *Commits unspeakable monstrosities and crimes, including spreading dark plagues and forming cults that sacrifice people, making the Middle-Earth a hell* Eru: I sleep. Sauron: *Sails towards Aman to take it* Eru: *Real shit?*

[@Martin_Hermann]

If that sounds crazy, you should read the bible.

[@Red-Renegade-Studios]

@@Martin_Hermann Amen to that brother😉😆😁

[@thorshammer7883]

@@Martin_Hermann I don't understand.

[@Martin_Hermann]

@@thorshammer7883 OP finds Eru's interference policy questionable. In comparison the god of the old testament is described as a jealous, wrathful, racist entity that favors only a small minority of people over everyone else, curses, kills, demands ethnic cleansing of neighbors and the list goes on. It's absolutely crazy that people actually believe that this entity is supposed to be the one true God.

[@bun197]

@@Martin_Hermann well tolkien did...

[@Buddahmonk]

They needed this guy for the Rings of Power show cause they have cleared completely fucked up the timeline on the show

[@MultiBiggie007]

This is amazing! Thanks for educating those (including me) who can't get through the Silmarillion :)

[@63supercobrajet]

It's hard to tell which is more corrupted, Sauron, or Amazon's version of this 2nd age ?!

[@Tahkaullus01]

Yes

[@niels25chr1]

Pretty thorough. Even for Non-Lord of the rings fans like myself. Made me wanna watch fellowship of the ring again.

[@scarofherobrine]

I have just binged about 4-5 of your videos and by the Valar, they are awesome. I've never managed to bring myself to try and tackle The Silmarrilion and other works of lore, for fear of either not understanding, or becoming lost. But these videos are so PERFECT. The simplicity, the visual cues, the simple language and occasional quotes, the use of maps and pictures, it's so amazingly perfect. I understand everything clearly, I get excited knowing that I am understanding the complex and stunning world of Tolkein just a little more. I respect him so much more now, he had aa STORY and he told it so well, and I thank you for making that incredible story just a little easier to pursue and understand and love. Even this simple storytelling, with perfectly articulate visual cues, is so, so much better than Rings of Failure. I'd watch your content for hours on end, getting the entirety of perfectly book-accurate explainations, rather than watch one of the most interesting time of the elves be butchered before my eyes in that vile mound of Amazon refuse. TLDR; Thank you so much for breaking this down for us, so we can love Tolkien and his world even more.

[@jinhideo21]

I just finished the Hobbit and LotR trilogies for the umpteenth time this past week. This video has been so insightful and answered a few questions about, especially in LotR. Thank you so much for enriching my favorite movies!

[@sethbird4859]

Great videos! Keep up the great work. Really excited for this channel!

[@NerdoftheRings]

Thanks for joining the fun!! 😁

[@frozyre7854]

This is like a series of battles to end the second quarter of a big football game. Sauron: "ARGH! You've defeated me in the 2nd quarter! But ohhh I'm going to have you after half time!"

[@tristanpaxton51]

Just discovered you and I'm sooooo excited. Good stuff!!

[@epicclub3868]

The timing of this posting couldn't be better! I was writing a script with people from china in it, and you posted this! I really appreciate it, and this music is awesome

[@pro_robloxgamer]

You’re great! You deserved more subscribers!

[@grimlock5380]

we need more videos like that, its so cool !

[@Speed-Of-Light-By-Meter]

Outstanding video - thank you for the attention to detail and the visuals!

[@mjpetty7]

Wow, this video is amazing. Thanks for all the insight! Would love to see a video all about Eru Illuvitar at some point...

[@shawnberry760]

Perfect video and I love the displays. Do you have the story of sauron and his physical form?

[@GhostofTradition]

within this you can see many true parallels of myths in our world from Atlantas to the subversive tactics to morgoth, fascinating stuff. no wonder Tolkien said he "discovered" LOTR

[@rodlurks66]

There are call backs to all kinds of classics ( Beowulf, Arthurian legends, Viking legends, etc) in Tolkien's work as well as mythology/religion. He was extremely well read and wove themes from all over the world into his work.

[@noradosmith]

There's a lot of Carthage and Constantinople here too. The world of Men is basically the Byzantine Empire: a shadow of a once great power still fighting the 'long defeat'

[@asgerhyer5325]

I have only seen the movies, so its really exciting to see how the second age plays out :) Love the graphic animation alongside the voice acting in this video.

[@herr_der_spiele]

Already watched this months ago, but again ... this is so awesome to watch over and over again.

[@jior6]

Dude.... how the fuck did Tolkien create all of this lore, it's insane how complex and deep it is.

[@noahjohnson935]

He started it in World War 1 and continued it until his death. His insane dedication is what did it

[@thehardman9379]

some people just have great minds, and then you have someone in love with his work so put the two together and you get this gem.

[@charliericker274]

Many years of dedication. I mean, he was a genius but anyone could create a lot of history if they had the dedication, it might not be as epic but you could do it. He was obsessed, at it for decades. And a genius.

[@thehardman9379]

@@charliericker274 anybody can write, doesnt make it great. you answered it yourself lol

[@agrippa4813]

Give an Englishman a well stocked cottage in the shire, a pipe, and some tabac... and, erm... and some sheep... Give 'em time, they'll weave you a yarn..

[@joeyd4079]

Yeah diving into the lore lately and your videos are excellent

[@NerdoftheRings]

Thanks! Glad you are enjoying the channel! :)

[@jdog7797]

This felt like 10 hours long, it was stuffed with soo much lore I had to constantly rewind!!!

[@MM22966]

Very clear and concise description of the winding & cluttered history of the Ring.

[@quitequiet5281]

Great synopsis!!!

[@celeborn_of_lorien]

I love your videos! Great presentation and nicely concise scripts. It's easy to get wordy when explaining Tolkien, and you do a very good job of staying simple and clear. As someone named after him, I would love to see a video about Celeborn sometime. He doesn't get the spotlight too often. A video about him and Galadriel would be very interesting to watch!

[@NerdoftheRings]

Thanks for watching! I’ll definitely add Celeborn to my video queue! I’m always happy to hear requests. 😊

[@harleyspeedthrust4013]

Bro pls is ur actual name celeborn

[@marysmith7765]

@@harleyspeedthrust4013 one of my friends is named Evenstar. Thankfully she has a good sense of humour about it

[@captainloggy140]

@@marysmith7765 Evenstar or Undómiel?

[@jmkstudioproductions]

That was awesome! Great info!

[@Endremael]

that creepy background music as your narration progresses is a master touch, my friend. And yes, I know you know :-)

[@bluesky8033]

The temple you are talking about at 4:37 was NOT built for Morgoth but for Iluvatar in the first place. However it was changed to a place of whirship with the influence of Sauron afterwards.

[@derrmann1800]

So im a fan of LOTR. Maybe not a big fan but a fan and let me tell my head is exploding from all this knowledge hahah

[@sebastianjost]

This is one of many stories from the Silmarillion. If you're interested, I definitely recommend reading it. There are so many great characters introduced there and it explains a lot of the background of the LotR and the Hobbit.

[@taelorcarson9799]

@@sebastianjost from all his books, would you read those first or the hobbits?

[@Hitithardify]

@@taelorcarson9799 Read The Hobbit first. All of the other books after that are incredibly complicated.

[@shehansenanayaka3046]

I love middle earth docs. These are brilliant. We always appreciate your hard work and dedication towards these videos. We know it takes a lot of time and hard work to make these videos.

[@MRdeepsea]

Really enjoying this content. I remember being so lost when I was younger, reading the Silmarillion!

[@federz666]

I’ve read it 3 times and went through the audiobook twice and I’m STILL lost haha. This kind of content makes it a lot easier to digest.

[@davesquid]

Great series and as a long term fan of Tolkien’s writing including the 12 Volume series published by his son Christopher this is a worthy and well produced series. Keep it up. Squider Dragon 🦑🐉

[@rml4289]

I hope we get to see all this in the amazon series, I mean Sauron is basically the lord of the rings so it would be cool to see him as one of the leading roles

[@detroitdave9512]

Wow.... I finally understand what numenor is now. Great Video

[@DotterSvea]

I just discovered your channel and I'm binging your videos! 👍

[@Rwoarr]

Dang I am not sure up on all the stuff that takes place in the second age but I had no idea Gilgalad died to Sauron. Thank you for teaching me lol!

[@akciqrespect4780]

After that video i am definitely going to read the books.

[@rick6309]

thanks for all the amazing content

[@universal_wisdom3416]

I love the Lore of this world. Medieval era is one thing, but the elves, and dwarves are such an interesting piece added to what I already adore about medieval times.

[@luudest]

This channel is gold!

[@NerdoftheRings]

So glad you found the channel and are enjoying it. Thanks for watching/subscribing!

[@cxvxcbcxn]

I'm so glad I discovered your channel! I'm just getting into Tolkiens world and your videos are very helpful! :) I dunno if you're gonna read this but I'd just have one question for you: as someone who's only seen the movies (several times) what order would you recommend to read the books in?

[@NerdoftheRings]

Basically, I recommend the books in order of difficulty: Hobbit LOTR Children of Húrin Unfinished Tales Silmarillion Beren & Lúthien Fall of Gondolin History of Middle-earth

[@bill-gray]

Another amazing video. So interesting.

[@Fragileteacup123]

Great video! Super entertaining!

[@ThreeKhalilVideo]

I like your channel when you speak about middleearth pleas upload more thank you I subscribe

[@ravilangabriel6689]

I need a movie of war between elves and sauron

[@zakkmiller8242]

I actually enjoyed how the Rings of Power made the changes they made. It kept me guessing since I didnt know the exact outcome of every interaction or move that Halbrand made. I immediately dismissed Halbrand as Sauron just because I expected to eventually see Annatar pop up in the series. So me not knowing exactly how everything would play out gave me some suspense which in turn gave me some excitement. Im so stoked for season 2 and all the future shows and movies in the works. I cant get enough!

[@walidism]

Man watching these has been so interesting. I should really look into reading the books, or listening to them

[@blup767]

I just love your videos

[@Ms.MD7]

I have to say, Sauron is a pretty boy in these visuals lol

[@davidturner6280]

He is supposed to be, he is a maiar after all.

[@Mitjitsu]

If he's not pleasing to the eye, then he isn't going to trick the other races. Especially elves, with his offers of magical rings.

[@koreratman329]

Now I ain't gay....... *But*

[@avienated]

@@davidturner6280 he is a maia* ;)

[@davidturner6280]

@@avienated true, ty ,:)

[@0532phillipjoy]

Sauron maintains his ability to take on fair form for a lot longer than I realized, thanks.

[@shaunadamson4634]

There are more than enough incredible characters, events and stories set during the 1st or 2nd ages to comprise an entire series devoted to either of them. When this is fully achieved lets hope its done right and done fully with as much of the original content as possible included.

[@bobbeckhart1707]

We need more movies

[@chaddeus_marik756]

It’s my belief that Sauron had planned for Ar-Pharazon’s invasion to occur. He couldn’t challenge Numenor at peak strength, but knew of the moral weakening of the Dunedain and the line of Kings. Ar-Pharazon could not refuse the challenges put by Sauron, and through it he managed to pierce into Numenor.

[@noradosmith]

Really hope this gets to be in the series. I'm not sure whether it will be though as they don't have the rights to the Silmarillion material. But damn... the series is decent so far and having human sacrifice would be absolutely amazing

[@DiVi00027]

Congrats on 200k!

[@NerdoftheRings]

Thanks so much!!

[@marcelmarcelo1013]

Typ, awesome Video. Didnt knew all of it ^^

[@stevensterling2448]

man.. whoever‘s going to play sauron has nearly no chance of winning! I really hope the series will do well!

[@TheDrumminjay]

Love the channel, fellow Tolkien nerd.

[@majorlaser4801]

great and accurate summary.

[@emanuelebrignone3687]

Very Great 👊🌫️

[@HorrorGuy375]

Could you do a video like this for morgoth on how he bring war to beleriand?

[@NerdoftheRings]

I’d say I’m about due for a video on Morgoth! I’ll add it to my queue list!

[@pedroivantaveraferreira3037]

Yo! a complete series of three videos was recently made, if you haven't checked them yet

[@SuikodenGR]

Amazing video!

[@joeyattaway756]

I love all of your edits and easy to follow storytelling. This elite English literature is an important subject for all to read. Not since Chaucer, Shakespeare or Milton do we have such a level of influence on the language itself. I loved Milton's history as he read himself literally blind and had his kids transcribe much of Paradise Lost. JRRT adds more romance than Milton. He has Shakespeare's heart and Milton's mind. That my friends is the making of a storytelling soo well thought out and just as much well felt within the reader. Thank you lord of the nerds..

[@johnhickersantilan4295]

I really appreciate this knowledge tbh didn't know the whole story..about the movie But thanks after watching this now I understand.

[@vilmereliasson5752]

sauron is truly one of the most underrated dark lords throughout film history

[@alaron5698]

How the hell is he "underrated"? He's the main villain of what is among the best-known movie triologies in the world. EVERYONE knows Sauron.

[@vilmereliasson5752]

@@alaron5698 true but he got like 30 seconds of screen time if you don’t count the eye who really don’t do anything

[@vilmereliasson5752]

@@alaron5698 sorry is my spelling is a bit of😅

[@franticmower7300]

01:08 That depiction of Sauron really puts the emphasis on his ability to decieve cuz god damn I'd hit that

[@GarretGarlinger]

SO GOOD!

[@aaronadams8481]

I have a few questions… was Sauron’s ring with him when he surrendered to Numenor? If so how was it not lost in the destruction of Numenor? How did it get back to middle earth?

[@aaronadams8481]

I found the answer in a previous comment.

[@blacktimhoward4322]

@@aaronadams8481 Just know that these are very contentious questions, and there are several opinions