# Amazon Lord of the Rings series; The Rings of Power **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** middle-earth, amazon-prime, tv-shows-scripted\ **Created:** [March 3, 2019, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-lord-of-the-rings-series-the-rings-of-power/830497 "2019-03-03T20:01:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 33
**Author:** ![John\_DiFool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_difool/32/19543_2.png) [@John\_DiFool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_DiFool)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2022, 10:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-lord-of-the-rings-series-the-rings-of-power/830497/642 "2022-09-13T10:12:38Z")
> [@DSeid](#): > > But yeah, Galadriel is not so wise yet. Thank The One (literally) for anything involving her that is not a disaster so far. Better lucky than good? She’s basically an arrogant Mr Magoo so far. It looks like they are doing what PJ did with Aragorn, and are giving her a personal growth arc, compressing thousands of years of such into the show’s planned run. Maybe that will make for a more compelling character, maybe not. I thought the girl playing Nori was no older than 12. She’s actually 22, to my utter shock. ---
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2022, 10:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-lord-of-the-rings-series-the-rings-of-power/830497/643 "2022-09-13T10:55:53Z")
> [@MrDibble](#): > > I don’t think it makes him a dick, just inconsiderate > [@Atamasama](#): > > He also seemed genuinely sorry about it. To me being inconsiderate is what “being a dick” means. Or at least doing a duck ish thing. YMMV. I’m less convinced of his being very genuinely sorry vs his being manipulative of his friend, playing him, because he needs something from him. The fact that others live lifetimes in what seems not so long to him is surely not something he had not already known. Such does not condemn the character to me. It instead seems completely as an elf should be, even one mostly heroic and good: often dickish and condescending to those who are not elvish as the default. Unless they need something from them. That default was part of what made the development of the sincere elf dwarf friendship in the books engaging. It’s why Arondir’s love of Bronwyn is so transgressive, part of his exceptionality. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2022, 11:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-lord-of-the-rings-series-the-rings-of-power/830497/644 "2022-09-13T11:08:49Z")
> [@DSeid](#): > > To me being inconsiderate is what “being a dick” means Naah, there’s different kinds of inconsiderate -just having a completely different pace of life from your friend and not making the logical leap that 20 years is a lot for non-mortals isn’t being a dick - assuming Durin was his very first non-elf friend. He didn’t deliberately ignore him, he just didn’t consider all the ramifications. He gets a pass this once. > [@DSeid](#): > > The fact that others live lifetimes in what seems not so long to him is surely not something he had not already known. Why, if he’s only lived with elves and half-elves up to now? I mean, he know it _intellectually_, given his brother’s choice and all, but _that_ dude lived for like 500 years, so even _there_ a 20-year absence might not seem like that much. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2022, 12:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-lord-of-the-rings-series-the-rings-of-power/830497/645 "2022-09-13T12:24:20Z")
And, at least canonically, dwarves live a few hundred years, too. [https://tolkiengateway.net/wiki/Dwarves#:~:text=Occasionally%20they%20would%20live%20up,32%20was%20a%20great%20feat](https://tolkiengateway.net/wiki/Dwarves#:~:text=Occasionally%20they%20would%20live%20up,32%20was%20a%20great%20feat)). > The lifespan of Dwarves was varied depending on their “breed”.[[25]](https://tolkiengateway.net/wiki/Dwarves#cite_note-PMAiv-27) The [Longbeards](https://tolkiengateway.net/wiki/Longbeards) were particularly long-lived,[[25]](https://tolkiengateway.net/wiki/Dwarves#cite_note-PMAiv-27) but by the Third Age, their lifespan was diminished and they lived, on average, 250 years.[[25]](https://tolkiengateway.net/wiki/Dwarves#cite_note-PMAiv-27) The [Kings of Durin’s Folk](https://tolkiengateway.net/wiki/Kings_of_Durin%27s_Folk) named “Durin” were particularly long-lived.[[25]](https://tolkiengateway.net/wiki/Dwarves#cite_note-PMAiv-27) Occasionally they would live up to 300 years of age, and [Dwalin](https://tolkiengateway.net/wiki/Dwalin) reached the rare lifespan of 340 years (comparable to a Middle Man living to 100).[[25]](https://tolkiengateway.net/wiki/Dwarves#cite_note-PMAiv-27) So he’s been away for what, 7 human years? Do you totally flip off a friend who’s been away doing other stuff for 7 years? ---
**Author:** ![Terminus\_Est](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terminus_est/32/3087_2.png) [@Terminus\_Est](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terminus_Est)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2022, 12:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-lord-of-the-rings-series-the-rings-of-power/830497/646 "2022-09-13T12:49:24Z")
Gil-galad not only knew that the evil was still out there and sent Galadriel off to the Undying Lands for fear that her search would awaken it, he admitted as much to Elrond. The latter chose to let his ostensible friend Galadirel go without telling her what he knew. Both are dicks. ---
**Author:** ![muldoonthief](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muldoonthief/32/3188_2.png) [@muldoonthief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/muldoonthief)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2022, 12:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-lord-of-the-rings-series-the-rings-of-power/830497/647 "2022-09-13T12:50:20Z")
> [@John\_DiFool](#): > > I thought the girl playing Nori was no older than 12. She’s actually 22, to my utter shock. But 22 in Harfoot years is what, only 13 or 14 in human years, right? ---
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2022, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-lord-of-the-rings-series-the-rings-of-power/830497/648 "2022-09-13T14:31:21Z")
We know Gil-galad is mistaken. The evil never slept. But being mistaken is not “being a dick”. If he was correct preventing Galadriel from causing that which she feared would have been wise. Elrond has no reason to think Gil-galad is wrong. He is a loyal subject obeying his wise king. Bonus points that it sends his friend to paradise in addition to preventing her from causing harm and getting harmed. Mistaken also yes, horribly and tragically so, but not to my take “being a dick.” ---
**Author:** ![Love\_Rhombus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/love_rhombus/32/10694_2.png) [@Love\_Rhombus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Love_Rhombus)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2022, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-lord-of-the-rings-series-the-rings-of-power/830497/649 "2022-09-13T14:38:14Z")
Yeah, it was all political. Galadriel was the only one still bringing up the “bad old days” and the King needed rid of her. Maybe Sauron’s gone, maybe not, but she’s trouble, Elrond’s not understanding the difference in lifespan does add a further twist to his low opinion of humans and Arwen’s choice of husband. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2022, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-lord-of-the-rings-series-the-rings-of-power/830497/650 "2022-09-13T14:39:18Z")
> [@John\_DiFool](#): > > I thought the girl playing Nori was no older than 12. She’s actually 22, to my utter shock. Huh. I read her as older than the college kids i hang out with. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2022, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-lord-of-the-rings-series-the-rings-of-power/830497/651 "2022-09-13T15:03:07Z")
Is it my imagination, or did those Harfoots have a serious lack of young men? ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2022, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-lord-of-the-rings-series-the-rings-of-power/830497/652 "2022-09-13T16:49:52Z")
Same, she looked like she was in her 20s. ---
**Author:** ![mordecaiB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mordecaib/32/7725_2.png) [@mordecaiB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mordecaiB)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2022, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-lord-of-the-rings-series-the-rings-of-power/830497/653 "2022-09-13T17:41:47Z")
I also thought about 25 for Nori. I never gave much thought to this, but are Hobbits vegetarians? Do they have any kind of livestock for milk and eggs? They apparently have nothing capable of pulling carts. How many different groups of Hobbits/Harfoots are there? ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2022, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-lord-of-the-rings-series-the-rings-of-power/830497/654 "2022-09-13T17:59:05Z")
They were eating snails, so not vegetarians. There should be multiple groups but the show has only shown this one community. They should probably have goats at least, but don’t. They seem to be substistance level hunter/gatherers and light on the hunting side. Possibly goats and chickens would reduce the communities stealth, but so would babies, so I’m not sure if what we’re seeing is overly logical. ---
**Author:** ![Love\_Rhombus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/love_rhombus/32/10694_2.png) [@Love\_Rhombus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Love_Rhombus)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2022, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-lord-of-the-rings-series-the-rings-of-power/830497/655 "2022-09-13T18:07:34Z")
I thought we saw a few chickens. Possibly some go out and lay traps for rabbits and such. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2022, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-lord-of-the-rings-series-the-rings-of-power/830497/656 "2022-09-13T18:10:03Z")
They wear remarkably well-woven and -dyed clothes for subsistence-level hunter-gatherers. Oooh, had a thought: there is one character in Tolkien’s’ work who _explicitly_ [falls like a meteor](https://tolkiengateway.net/wiki/The_Man_in_the_Moon_Came_Down_Too_Soon) from the sky. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2022, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-lord-of-the-rings-series-the-rings-of-power/830497/657 "2022-09-13T18:13:21Z")
Hmmmm. ---
**Author:** ![Coriolanus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/coriolanus/32/18769_2.png) [@Coriolanus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Coriolanus)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2022, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-lord-of-the-rings-series-the-rings-of-power/830497/658 "2022-09-13T18:15:45Z")
> [@MrDibble](#): > > Oooh, had a thought: there is one character in Tolkien’s’ work who _explicitly_ [falls like a meteor](https://tolkiengateway.net/wiki/The_Man_in_the_Moon_Came_Down_Too_Soon) from the sky. Hah! So it’s [Tilion](https://lotr.fandom.com/wiki/Tilion) ! Tilion the Maia would indeed be coming down too soon in our Prime Video show (alas). ---
**Author:** ![muldoonthief](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muldoonthief/32/3188_2.png) [@muldoonthief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/muldoonthief)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2022, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-lord-of-the-rings-series-the-rings-of-power/830497/659 "2022-09-13T18:31:48Z")
> [@mordecaiB](#): > > I never gave much thought to this, but are Hobbits vegetarians? Sam knows [how to cook](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JXuqJ4c1dxE#t=34s) a brace of coneys, so I don’t think they’re vegetarians. I’m guessing the story arc for the Harfoots, as mentioned above, ends with them giving up their migrating ways and settling in the Shire, so they can begin their agricultural/sedentary lifestyle and not have to leave anyone behind. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2022, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-lord-of-the-rings-series-the-rings-of-power/830497/660 "2022-09-13T18:57:35Z")
The Shire and Bree Hobbits raised meat animals. I’m sure @mordecaiB meant the Harfoot community of the show. ---
**Author:** ![mordecaiB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mordecaib/32/7725_2.png) [@mordecaiB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mordecaiB)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2022, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-lord-of-the-rings-series-the-rings-of-power/830497/661 "2022-09-13T19:17:22Z")
> [@What\_Exit](#): > > They were eating snails, so not vegetarians. Forgot that one. So they are at least icktarians as they eat icky stuff. > [@Love\_Rhombus](#): > > I thought we saw a few chickens I don’t remember that, but I bet I miss a lot of “normal” background stuff while trying to take in all the visuals on the show. > [@What\_Exit](#): > > I’m sure @mordecaiB meant the Harfoot community of the show. Yep, I was talking about in show. I should start start using Harfoot when I talk about the show. I don’t mind the other info because my whole Tolkien experience was viewing the movies one time when they came out. > [@muldoonthief](#): > > I’m guessing the story arc for the Harfoots, as mentioned above, ends with them giving up their migrating ways and settling in the Shire, so they can begin their agricultural/sedentary lifestyle and not have to leave anyone behind. Do they Harfoots gather all their food in season and then return to a central gathering area with other groups? Or is that unknown from the books? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-lord-of-the-rings-series-the-rings-of-power/830497.md?page=32) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-lord-of-the-rings-series-the-rings-of-power/830497.md?page=34)