Elrond in Rings of Power and Lord of the Rings

Elrond’s age varies drastically in The Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit, and Amazon’s The Rings of Power. The ethereal elves are Middle-earth’s most mystical race. Ageless in nature, a wily elf can live for eons, especially if they keep their pointy ears out of mortal affairs. Elves aren’t immune to death entirely; however, they can die in battle or choose to remain in Middle-earth and fade away. A key elf in Tolkien’s mythology is Elrond, the Lord of Rivendell and one of the most ancient elves who’s lived throughout much of the Lord of the Rings timeline.

Elrond is played by Hugo Weaving in Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings trilogy and enjoys a bigger role in the Hobbit movies than his literary counterpart. Now played by Robert Aramayo, Elrond is a key character in Amazon Prime’s The Rings of Power, which returns for season 2 in August 2024. This is a much younger Elrond, but one with a far longer lifespan than any human could hope for. According to The History of Middle-earthElrond was born during the First Age in the year 532 (After time began being measured in the Years of the Sun).

The Lord Of The Rings: The Rings Of Power Season 2 Official Trailer



How Old Is Elrond In Peter Jackson’s Lord Of The Rings Movies

Elrond Is Nearly 6,500 Years Old In LOTR

Hugo Weaving as Elrond looking smug in The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring.

Elrond is roughly 6,497 years old in The Lord of the Rings. The War of the Ring occurs around the year 3018 of the Third Age. Elrond is phenomenally old by this time, but even with his 6,000+ years, he is surprisingly not the oldest elf in Middle-earth. Elrond’s advanced years afford him a position of respect and seniority, and the Lord of Rivendell is rightly considered a rich source of knowledge, wisdom, and history. But Cirdan the Shipwright, who briefly appears in The Return of the King, is even older.

The First Age lasted 587 years, and the Second Age was 3,441 years long. This helps viewers calculate Elrond’s age throughout the entire timeline.

Born even before the First Age, Cirdan is well over 10,000 years old, making Elrond look positively middle-aged in comparison. At the end of The Lord of the Rings, Elrond accompanies Gandalf and Frodo to the Undying Lands, his ancestral home. There, it’s natural to assume that Elrond went on to live for eternity across the sea.

Elrond’s Age In The Hobbit Movies

The Hobbit Takes Place 60 Years Before LOTR

Hugo Weaving as Elrond in The Hobbit Lord of the Rings Movie

Elrond is approximately 6,437 years old during The Hobbit, which takes place about 60 years before The Lord of the RingsThe Hobbit takes place in 2941 of the Third Age. As mentioned, Elrond has an increased role in Peter Jackson’s adaptation of the classic story. In the film adaptation, he joins Gandalf, Galadriel, and Saruman in the attack on Dol Guldur. In the book, he still helps out Thorin and Gandalf’s expedition by translating Thrór’s Map.

How Old Elrond Is In The Rings Of Power

Elrond Is About 1,500 In The Rings Of Power

Elrond clad in armor standing in the middle of a battle with mud on his face and a sword in his hand in Rings of Power season 2

Amazon’s The Rings Of Power chronicles the end of the Second Age of Middle-earth, thousands of years before The Lord of the Rings. It’s the period of history previously seen only in the flashback to the war against Sauron at the start of The Fellowship of the Ring. Elrond was obviously present for this and the death of Sauron, so naturally, he’s also a key character in The Rings of Power, alongside the other recognizable name from this era — Galadriel.

Since The Rings of Power isn’t officially connected to Peter Jackson’s movies, Hugo Weaving didn’t return to reprise his role as Elrond. Elrond is instead played by Robert Aramayo. Aramayo plays a much younger Elrond who’s still finding his feet in the complex world of Elvish politics. Elrond’s age can be estimated at about 1,500 years old in the show though it’s hard to tell given how The Rings of Power condenses the Second Age. Regardless, he should be somewhere between 3,000 and 4,000 years younger in The Rings of Power than in LOTR.

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