The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power‘s second season concludes with as much fanfare as one might expect from a series based on perhaps the most influential work of high fantasy ever published. Once the finale’s epic battles and character-based revelations conclude, our battered, bruised, and resilient heroes agree to meet Sauron’s (Charlie Vickers) growing darkness with light — but not every hero makes it out alive. Celebrimbor’s (Charles Edwards) survival looked especially unlikely after the events of Season 2’s penultimate episode, and although Rings of Power has adjusted aspects of J. R. R. Tolkien‘s legendarium as needed, showrunners J. D. Payne and Patrick McKay don’t make an exception for Celebrimbor: Sauron tortures the elven-smith before mortally skewering him with a spear. Although the themes behind Celebrimbor’s gruesome demise are consistent across both Tolkien’s writings and Rings of Power, the particulars differ. Indeed, Tolkien’s rendition is grim enough to rival Game of Thrones.

What Happens to Celebrimbor in J. R. R. Tolkien’s Books?

According to Tolkien’s book Unfinished Tales, Celebrimbor crafts the elven Rings of Power after collaborating with Sauron — disguised as Annatar — on the seven dwarven Rings and the nine Rings for Men. Satisfied with their work, Sauron leaves Eregion to make the One Ring inside Mount Doom. During his absence, Celebrimbor realizes Annatar’s real name and intentions. Because the three elven rings were forged without Sauron’s interference and “with a different power and purpose” than world domination, Celebrimbor entrusts the Three to High King Gil-galad (Benjamin Walker) and Galadriel (Morfydd Clark) for safekeeping.

Once Sauron learns about Celebrimbor’s actions, he sacks Eregion in retaliation. He tortures Celebrimbor about the Three’s whereabouts, filling his supposed friend’s body with orc arrows. Celebrimbor never reveals the Rings’ location and dies from his wounds. Furious, Sauron stabs Celebrimbor’s corpse onto a pole and brandishes him into battle against Elrond’s (Robert Aramayo) army like a banner of war.

Why Did ‘The Rings of Power’ Change Celebrimbor’s Ultimate Fate?

Given the events that follow Celebrimbor’s murder in the Season 2 finale (i.e., Sauron abandoning Eregion to pursue Galadriel and seize command over the orcs), it makes logistical sense why Rings of Power adjusts Tolkien’s grotesque aftermath while still paying homage to a tragic image that’s become famous in fan circles. (Charlie Vickers told Vulture that “to be able to re-create that image was my highlight of the show so far.”)

Making the moment more private and less theatrical also honors Celebrimbor and Sauron’s relationship: a toxic but undeniably influential dynamic responsible for much of this season’s emotional and dramatic heft. As Patrick McKay told Vanity Fair in their post-finale breakdown:

“We wanted to honor the intention of that and the thematic core of [Celebrimbor’s death in the books]. The idea that he’s shot full of arrows, and hung on a pole, and paraded around by an army…it felt exploitative to a relationship that was so deeply personal between the two of them. We’re not quite going as far or as out there as the lore. It’s rumored in the lore that happened, right? Tolkien always presents “accounts” of what happened. That’s why sometimes the stories differ.”

That said, McKay suggests that Tolkien’s graphic iconography could still appear in a potential Season 3. Either way, within its original context, Celebrimbor’s gnarly fate easily predates and rivals George R. R. Martin‘s penchant for fantasy violence. The sadistic brutality, the insult against Celebrimbor’s legacy, and how Sauron uses the body of his brave, well-intentioned collaborator as a strategic power play against the elves — Rings of Power‘s rendition of the banner is effective, but Tolkien’s concept is far more chilling.