# 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:** 71
**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:** [October 24, 2022, 12:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-lord-of-the-rings-series-the-rings-of-power/830497/1403 "2022-10-24T12:34:37Z")
Maybe they use their own hair? The hairy feet come in handy! ---
**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:** [October 24, 2022, 12:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-lord-of-the-rings-series-the-rings-of-power/830497/1404 "2022-10-24T12:37:14Z")
You’ve looked at their clothing more carefully than i. When i try to imagine them, i see them in rough skins. I was pretty surprised by the canvas tents the Numenoreans seemed to have in abundance. But maybe i was more surprised by their style. Oh, and the fabric on the harfoots’ “covered wagons” surprised me, too. ---
**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:** [October 24, 2022, 12:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-lord-of-the-rings-series-the-rings-of-power/830497/1405 "2022-10-24T12:45:16Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > You’ve looked at their clothing more carefully than i. I’m a medievalist with a sideline in more ancient civilizations. This show is therefore clothing porn for me - a lot of the costuming does a nice line in straddling that line between ancient Mediterranean and early Medieval (Frankish) looks without being slavish recreations of either. ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2022, 5:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-lord-of-the-rings-series-the-rings-of-power/830497/1406 "2022-10-25T05:19:38Z")
I imagine you’re familiar with writer Nicola Griffith. In doing research for her historical novel _Hild,_ she learned how much time women in that era spent on textile production, so to stay close to reality, the women in the novel very frequently are engaged in cloth or clothing manufacture no matter what else they’re doing. It evoked the non-fiction _Women’s Work,_ which talks a lot about women’s under-recognized contributions to material culture. ---
**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:** [October 25, 2022, 5:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-lord-of-the-rings-series-the-rings-of-power/830497/1407 "2022-10-25T05:33:09Z")
> [@susan](#): > > I imagine you’re familiar with writer Nicola Griffith Only her SciFi. I generally don’t read historical fiction, but will check out _Hild_ sometime. > [@susan](#): > > It evoked the non-fiction _Women’s Work,_ which talks a lot about women’s under-recognized contributions to material culture. Barber is excellent. ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2022, 5:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-lord-of-the-rings-series-the-rings-of-power/830497/1408 "2022-10-25T05:36:28Z")
Griffith may have a sources/discussion website for _Hild_ that would interest you more. ETA: Here’s her call for contributors, though I don’t know if the project has progressed: > **[CFP: A Hild Companion](https://gemaecce.com/2020/01/26/cfp-a-hild-companion/)** > > This is a call for contributors, and ideas, to a companion volume to Hild: an accessible guide to the book and its Early Medieval context. ---
**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:** [October 25, 2022, 5:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-lord-of-the-rings-series-the-rings-of-power/830497/1409 "2022-10-25T05:37:36Z")
Found it: [https://gemaecce.com/](https://gemaecce.com/) ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2022, 5:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-lord-of-the-rings-series-the-rings-of-power/830497/1410 "2022-10-25T05:39:20Z")
👍👍👍👍👍 ---
**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:** [October 25, 2022, 6:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-lord-of-the-rings-series-the-rings-of-power/830497/1411 "2022-10-25T06:19:05Z")
> [@Dr.Strangelove](#): > > Computers are not handled well in general. Hacking scenes are largely nonsense. Things that should be instant happen just slowly enough to cause tension, but things that should be slow are sped up to not be boring. They aren’t capable of “enhancing” an image to arbitrary detail. The most realistic show I’ve seen that handled hacking and computers was Mr. Robot. They had a hacking scene early in the series opener that was so close to a real hacking situation that it made me uncomfortable to watch; I was a Network Administrator at a place that was being hacked and it’s still hard to think about. (Seriously, your domain - literally and figuratively - is being violated and all you can do is scramble in a panic to limit the damage, it’s a bit traumatizing.) The show was sometimes too realistic. But it’s clear that most shows are written by people who don’t know very much about IT at all. The faster you can randomly hit keys on a keyboard, the better you can get past any security system. And every teenaged computer hobbyist can crack the Pentagon. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Strangelove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.strangelove/32/6613_2.png) [@Dr.Strangelove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Strangelove)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2022, 6:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-lord-of-the-rings-series-the-rings-of-power/830497/1412 "2022-10-25T06:26:02Z")
> [@Atamasama](#): > > The most realistic show I’ve seen that handled hacking and computers was Mr. Robot. Agreed. I only saw the first season, but what it did portray was pretty decent. At least I recognized some of the commands they used, like netstat. Clearly they had a decent consultant that they listened to. It is possible to have realism in a show. But I’d maintain that you’re getting one or two elements, at best. I’m guessing that Mr. Robot also had some birds singing that were not native to the area. > [@Atamasama](#): > > The faster you can randomly hit keys on a keyboard, the better you can get past any security system. [Two idiots, one keyboard](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u8qgehH3kEQ) is a classic. ---
**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:** [October 25, 2022, 6:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-lord-of-the-rings-series-the-rings-of-power/830497/1413 "2022-10-25T06:32:37Z")
> [@Dr.Strangelove](#): > > At least I recognized some of the commands they used, like netstat. Yes! I was watching what they were typing, and thought, wait, those are actual commands, not weird Matrix character gibberish. > [@Dr.Strangelove](#): > > [Two idiots, one keyboard](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u8qgehH3kEQ) is a classic. LOL… If that scene was anywhere close to real life… “You idiot, you just unplugged my PC, how is that supposed to help us secure our network?!” Then again… > **[The power of traditional TV: ‘NCIS’ and its older audience deliver gold for CBS](https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/technology/the-power-of-traditional-tv-ncis-and-its-older-audience-deliver-gold-for-cbs/2014/09/24/c4e0f92a-3f4d-11e4-b03f-de718edeb92f_story.html)** > > The enduring success of familiar, easily syndicated shows proves traditional TV isn’t dead. > The median age of an “NCIS” viewer is 60, and the show is most popular in Louisville; Pittsburgh; Dayton, Ohio; and Kansas City, Mo., according to CBS. They probably don’t need to worry all that much about their audience not buying the hacker scene. To get back to the topic at hand, I am sure a great number of people watching _The Rings of Power_ are Tolkien enthusiasts, so the same laziness isn’t going to be overlooked. And, well, nerds, who will also nitpick non-lore-related inconsistencies. (My cite is this thread.) ---
**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:** [October 25, 2022, 8:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-lord-of-the-rings-series-the-rings-of-power/830497/1414 "2022-10-25T08:04:28Z")
> [@Atamasama](#): > > I am sure a great number of people watching _The Rings of Power_ are Tolkien enthusiasts, so the same laziness isn’t going to be overlooked I feel there’s a diminishing tolerance for this kind of thing, the better the things we actually get are. Sort of a nerd equivalent of First World Problems. But speaking as a Tolkien enthusiast (although not as much as I was in my youth (_in the West that is forgotten…_)) I’m still happy to overlook a _lot_ of stuff. Been doing it since Bakshi’s movie, why stop now? I’m still getting my fix - even if it’s cut with magic boats and super-fast ponies, the high is real. ---
**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:** [October 25, 2022, 8:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-lord-of-the-rings-series-the-rings-of-power/830497/1415 "2022-10-25T08:11:11Z")
It may help you that the clothing works. ---
**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:** [October 25, 2022, 9:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-lord-of-the-rings-series-the-rings-of-power/830497/1416 "2022-10-25T09:34:31Z")
[According to the production designer](https://www.aboutamazon.com/news/entertainment/lord-of-the-rings-numenor-images), so could the sails: “It would be really tricky to sail these ships, but it’s doable,” he said. “We talked to rigging experts and they helped us figure out the rigging to make sure it was realistic. Sailors on our set could actually do the rigging to bring the boats to life.” Of course, _doable_ and _done_ are two separate words… ---
**Author:** ![k9bfriender](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k9bfriender/32/3283_2.png) [@k9bfriender](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/k9bfriender)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2022, 12:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-lord-of-the-rings-series-the-rings-of-power/830497/1417 "2022-10-25T12:51:48Z")
> [@Atamasama](#): > > I am sure a great number of people watching _The Rings of Power_ are Tolkien enthusiasts, so the same laziness isn’t going to be overlooked. I’m sure a lot are, but I think a good majority are people who have only seen the movies, and _may_ have read the books a long time ago. I doubt that a significant percentage of viewers have anywhere the knowledge of Tolkein lore that has been expressed in this thread. Just by reading this thread, I probably know more than 90%+ of viewers. ---
**Author:** ![squeegee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/squeegee/32/14537_2.png) [@squeegee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/squeegee)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2022, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-lord-of-the-rings-series-the-rings-of-power/830497/1418 "2022-10-25T14:26:38Z")
> [@MrDibble](#): > > According to the production designer I’m trying to make sense of the flying horse in one of the images from that article. Upper left. At first I thought it was part of the background ship’s prow, but it’s really just floating there in the foreground of the ship. The hell? [![](https://assets.aboutamazon.com/dims4/default/e81372c/2147483647/strip/true/crop/1800x941+0+0/resize/1320x690!/format/webp/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Famazon-blogs-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fa0%2F3e%2F9cbbefc74f1abd4e263d19387195%2Fnumenor-the-lord-of-the-rings-the-rings-of-power.jpg) ](https://assets.aboutamazon.com/dims4/default/e81372c/2147483647/strip/true/crop/1800x941+0+0/resize/1320x690!/format/webp/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Famazon-blogs-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fa0%2F3e%2F9cbbefc74f1abd4e263d19387195%2Fnumenor-the-lord-of-the-rings-the-rings-of-power.jpg) ETA: nm, I guess - there’s some sort of harness suspending it. I guess they use cranes to load horses onto ships? Weird. ---
**Author:** ![Maserschmidt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maserschmidt/32/18829_2.png) [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2022, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-lord-of-the-rings-series-the-rings-of-power/830497/1419 "2022-10-25T14:32:52Z")
> **[File:Horses on board ship - a guide to their management-page69.jpg](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Horses_on_board_ship_-_a_guide_to_their_management-page69.jpg)** Up you go! ---
**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:** [October 25, 2022, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-lord-of-the-rings-series-the-rings-of-power/830497/1420 "2022-10-25T15:20:08Z")
> [@squeegee](#): > > I’m trying to make sense of the flying horse in one of the images from that article. The article _specifically_ addresses that horse. ---
**Author:** ![squeegee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/squeegee/32/14537_2.png) [@squeegee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/squeegee)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2022, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-lord-of-the-rings-series-the-rings-of-power/830497/1421 "2022-10-25T15:52:38Z")
> [@MrDibble](#): > > The article _specifically_ addresses that horse 🤦‍♂️ ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2022, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-lord-of-the-rings-series-the-rings-of-power/830497/1422 "2022-10-26T17:13:53Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > Sauron did not give the rings to wraiths. He gave them to Mortal man Kings and magicians, who in the course of Life- died, and became Wraiths, and thus Nazgul. Did those men with the rings die and THEN become ringwraiths? That implies some kinda of resurrection or zombies or something. I guess there were the Dead Men of Dunharrow. The gift of men is their spirits are not bound to Arda. When they die their spirits go…somewhere. So there is no chance to recycle them into ringwraiths unless the rings somehow anchor their spirits within Arda. My understanding the those men who put on the rings were corrupted over time to ringwraiths and they never actually “died” (although they are now entirely spirits). [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-lord-of-the-rings-series-the-rings-of-power/830497.md?page=70) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-lord-of-the-rings-series-the-rings-of-power/830497.md?page=72)