Before it premiered in 2022, The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power brought with it an exciting promise for J.R.R. Tolkien fans. Rather than tackling the events of The Hobbit or Lord of the Rings trilogy again, The Rings of Power was going where no other live-action or animated Tolkien adaptation had before. Specifically, the series promised to explore the legendary Second Age of Middle-earth onscreen for the first time. In doing so, it was going to give fans a chance to finally witness some of the most important moments in the history of Tolkien's fictional world, many of which directly set the stage for Bilbo and Frodo Baggins' eventual encounters with the One Ring.
It was for this reason that The Rings of Power's first season proved to be a bit divisive among Tolkien fans. After waiting years to watch the Prime Video series, viewers were surprised and understandably disappointed to see very few iconic Second Age moments featured in its eight-episode debut run. Fortunately, it doesn't look like they have to worry about the same thing happening in The Rings of Power Season 2. It has, indeed, been confirmed that the new season is even going to depict, among other things, one of the most important battles in the history of Middle-earth: The Siege of Eregion.
What is the Siege of Eregion?
Early in the latest trailer for The Rings of Power Season 2, Elrond (Robert Aramayo) warns, "Eregion must not fall. It would be a blow for all Middle-earth." His statement is accompanied by shots of fiery boulders flying toward the powerful Elven kingdom, which is featured in The Rings of Power's first season and is ruled by Celebrimbor (Charles Edwards). There’s also an image viewers have already seen in past trailers: Sauron (Charlie Vickers) walking unbothered along its battlements as hellfire destroys his surroundings. Fans have, of course, suspected for months that The Rings of Power was going to adapt not only the forging of its eponymous artifacts and Sauron's deception of Celebrimbor in its upcoming season, but also Sauron's eventual attack on the latter's home.
Prime Video has now confirmed as much, and The Rings of Power Season 2's newest trailer goes out of its way to tease the Siege of Eregion. It isn't hard to see why, either. The battle is arguably the first truly major military conflict of the Second Age, and its outcome marks one of the biggest turning points in Middle-earth history. Sauron and his armies wage it against the forces of the Elves so that the Dark Lord can obtain all of the Rings of Power that he and Celebrimbor forged together, along with the Elven Rings that Celebrimbor forged on his own. It shouldn't come as much of a surprise (or be seen as a spoiler) to learn that he ultimately succeeds in acquiring the Nine Rings made for the Men of Middle-earth, as well as the Seven made for the Dwarves.
Sauron’s Dark Victory
The Siege of Eregion is the battle that, in other words, really cements Sauron's return and growing hold over Middle-earth in the Second Age. That alone makes it noteworthy, as does the fact that it's a conflict involving multiple members of The Rings of Power's principal cast, including Sauron, Celebrimbor, the Dwarves of Khazad-dûm, and Elrond, who leads the Elves sent by Gil-galad (Benjamin Walker) to defend Eregion. Elrond and his forces' attempts to do so prove — spoiler alert — to be in vain, and he's barely able to make it out of the conflict alive. He does, however, manage to escape Eregion's downfall with a number of surviving Elves, and he leads them on a northward retreat that notably results in him establishing the Elven refuge of Rivendell.
Celebrimbor, unfortunately, doesn't fare as well. The Elven-smith's kingdom is completely sacked by Sauron and his forces. Following his defeat, it's said that Sauron proceeds to torture Celebrimbor into revealing the locations of the 16 Rings of Power they made for the Men and the Dwarves before shooting him full of Orc arrows. In case that wasn't brutal enough, it's additionally claimed that — in a Robb Stark-esque turning of the dagger — Sauron goes on to mount Celebrimbor's arrow-ridden body on a pole and parade it as a banner when he subsequently turns his armies back to face and chase after Elrond.
It's unclear whether or not The Rings of Power will go as far with Celebrimbor's slaughter as its source material does. Unlike a lot of the battles featured in the Lord of the Rings trilogy and The Hobbit, though, the Siege of Eregion is a complete defeat for the heroes of The Rings of Power. That alone gives it a special place in live-action Lord of the Rings history, as does its significance within the wider context of the franchise’s story. Tolkien fans have had to wait a long time to see it rendered onscreen, but they don’t have much longer to wait now.
