The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power is based on writing by fantasy author J.R.R. Tolkien and includes some of Tolkien’s magical characters, who vary wildly in age. Set in the Second Age, The Rings of Power also has numerous original characters of various races described by Tolkien – Elves, Dwarves, Harfoots, and Men. These characters also range in age from ancient to teenage. With diverse Tolkien creatures coming into play gradually, the variety in the show is steadily increasing.

The Rings of Power season 2 will explore the intricate power balances between its many characters, offering detailed psychological portraits of some of them. As power dynamics shift throughout the season, character age differences may start to become more apparent. As magical beings from Tolkien’s world, characters in The Rings of Power may well not seem their age. Races like Elves, Dwarves, and Harfoots were blessed with far longer lifespans than the average human.

13Sauron

The Great Deceiver

Sauron has been around “since before the breaking of the first silence,” as he said to Galadriel in The Rings of Power season 1 finale. He was referring to having been created by the one Eru Ilúvatar before the music of the Ainur, which sang Eä itself into being – Eä being the whole world Middle-earth is contained in. Time only came into being in Lord of the Rings once the world was made.

Why Sauron Looks Different In The Rings Of Power Season 2

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Before the world was made, Sauron and the other Ainur and Eru Ilúvatar lived in the Timeless Halls, outside of time. As such, on the show, all Ainur are older than Elves, Men, Dwarves, or Harfoots. Sauron has been around since before the official start of time, currently at an age that is unknowable by its very definition.

12The Stranger

The Istar

The Stranger may be Gandalf, as has been implied by the show numerous times, and if so, the Stranger is the same ageless race as Sauron. In The Rings of Power season 2, the Stranger slammed a staff into the ground, summoning power that swirled dust into the air, stirring the physical world. This was just the latest intimation of the Stranger’s identity as the classic Tolkien character, Gandalf, who had a similar moment with his staff in Lord of the Rings.

Gandalf is an Ainur, like Sauron. Sauron and Gandalf are in the same order as Ainur as well, Maiar – less powerful than the 15 Valar that are the demi-gods of Tolkien’s world. Gandalf and Sauron were both around in the Timeless Halls before the creation of Eä and time itself. Season 1 confirmed the Stranger as an Istar – a Wizard, like Gandalf. The Stranger could be a different Istar, but all Istar are Maiar.

11Adar

The Moriondor

Adar the Uruk is signaled by Galadriel in The Rings of Power season 1 to be a “Moriondor,” which would make him one of the oldest Elves. The Moriondor were some of the first Elves to awaken in Cuiviénen after being created from the Flame Imperishable by Eru Ilúvatar. Some of these were stolen by Morgoth and twisted into the first Orcs, according to some versions of Tolkien’s Orc origin story.

This would mean that Adar is older than the other Elf nobles in The Rings of Power, who are also very old. Adar neither confirmed nor denied his Moriondor status when speaking to Galadriel, but his appearance corroborates Galadriel’s theory. He looks like an Elf that has been gradually corrupted, still sporting dark hair, which was common to Noldor Elves.

10Galadriel

The High Elf

High Elf Galadriel was born in the Year of the Trees in 1362. The Years of the Trees were before the First Age began, defined by Arda being lit by two great trees with glowing dew. Morgoth destroyed these trees with Ungoliant, creating the need for Middle-earth’s next light source, the sun and moon. Galadriel is one of the oldest Elves in Middle-earth.

By the time of The Lord of the Rings, Galadriel was about 8000 years old, which would make her about 5000 years old at the time of The Rings of Power. The High Elves were the Elves that migrated from Middle-earth to Valinor – the High Elves in Middle-earth had all returned. These are the oldest of the Elves on Middle-earth, also known as the Eldar.

9Celebrimbor

The Noldo

Master smith in Eregion, Celebrimbor was probably born in the Years of the Trees or the First Age, based on what is known about his timeline. The son of Curufin, who was a son of Fëanor, Celebrimbor was likely about one generation younger than Galadriel. Celebrimbor was a High Elf like Galadriel, but 100% Noldor, whereas Galadriel had a mixed heritage, in terms of the three great Elvish families.

Celebrimbor’s exact date of birth was not confirmed. Celebrimbor’s authority in Eregion, or the actor that portrays him in Rings of Power, may make him seem older than Galadriel. However, Elves didn’t age at the same rate as humans and many retained an ageless appearance for a long time, with their wisdom shining through in their eyes.

8Elrond

The Half-Elven

 

Elrond Half-elven is another High Elf in The Rings of Power, making him very old. Elrond was born, along with his brother, Elros, in the Havens of Sirion, which was invaded by the Sons of Fëanor when he was six. As such, Elrond’s age is reasonably clear – he was born in the year 532 of the First Age and would be about 1500 in the show. Elrond is younger than Galadriel but older than most characters.

Elrond’s youthful appearance belies his age and wisdom. Elrond was played by Hugo Weaving in Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings movies, evincing an older appearance that spoke of his position as one of the most ancient Eldar still in Middle-earth. Robert Aramayo’s Elrond is thousands of years younger than Hugo Weaving’s but is still older than most characters in Rings of Power.

7Arondir

The Silvan Elf

Arondir is a Silvan Elf in The Rings of Power and is likely hundreds or thousands of years old. Arondir is one of The Rings of Power’s original characters, so his age can’t be assessed from Tolkien books. Nor is Arondir’s age given in the show. However, it is known that Silvan Elves have been inhabiting woodlands since the Elves’ first migration west, and Arondir could have been born at any point in their history.

Arondir has a position of authority in the Elvish military in the show, assigned the post of watching over the Southlanders in The Rings of Power season 1. Arondir is not one of the highest-up in the Elvish army but is not one of the youngest or most inexperienced of its members either. It stands to reason that Arondir is an Elf of at least a few hundred years.

6Durin

The Prince

Durin IV is a Dwarf in Rings of Power, enjoying a far longer lifespan than humans, and indeed, Durin is one of the older characters on the show. Dwarves’ lifespans were not as long as Elves’, which resulted in a rift between Elrond and Durin when Elrond neglected to visit him for years, as suggested in The Rings of Power season 1.

Durin IV’s age was not clearly defined in J.R.R. Tolkien’s work, and the lack of a clear timeframe in the show obscures Durin’s age further. Dwarves have an average lifespan of 250 – 350 years, so Durin isn’t as old as the oldest Elves on the show and maybe younger than Arondir. Durin’s age and wisdom come through in his strong leadership, which will become more important in season 2.

5Míriel

The Queen Regent

Míriel’s birth year was set at the year 3117 of the Second Age in writing Tolkien never published while alive, which listed Elendil and Ar-Pharazôn as a similar age. As Queen Regent of Númenór in the show, Míriel presides over the island kingdom. However, Ar-Pharazôn’s power is rising and destabilizing Míriel’s authority in The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power season 2.

Cynthia Addai-Robinson is doing a great job of portraying Míriel’s worldly wisdom in the show. Míriel does seem to be operating on a roughly equal level to Elendil and Ar-Pharazôn, despite their differing roles in Númenór. If lore is anything to go by, Míriel will continue to face a challenging trajectory, with all the years of wisdom in the world not enough to protect her from the danger coming.

4Ar-Pharazôn

The Politician

Ar-Pharazôn was a Númenórean leader and had a longer lifespan than non-Númenórean humans in Tolkien’s world, backing up his position as one of the older human characters in the show. Númenóreans were blessed with long life due to Elvish blood in their heritage from generations previous. Ar-Pharazôn and other Númenórean humans in The Lord of the Rings lived to be hundreds of years old.

From Tolkien’s work, it seems that Ar-Pharazôn was born in the year 3118 of the Second Age, making him roughly the same age as Elendil and Míriel. Trystan Gravelle’s Pharazôn may have been designed to look older than Elendil to give him an air of authority in the court of Númenór. As one of the older humans on the show, Pharazôn was in a position to heavily influence the future of Númenór.

3Elendil

The Elf-Friend

Elendil was born in the year 3119 of the Second Age in J.R.R. Tolkien’s lore. Rings of Power seasons 1 and 2 don’t follow Tolkien’s Númenór canon timeline, covering events before this, making it impossible to finalize the ages of Elendil, Míriel, and Ar-Pharazôn. Regardless, it is clear that Elendil was 322 years old at the time of his death, which occurred during the War of the Last Alliance. The Rings of Power is building up to this moment and may show it in its last season, but will likely compress the Second Age timeframe as it goes, as it did in season 1.

It was The Peoples of Middle-earth that put Elendil’s birth year at 3119, but this was an early draft of Tolkien’s writing.

Elendil’s Númenórean blood made him a human with exceptional longevity. Elendil’s knowledge of ancient lore, as displayed in The Rings of Power season 1, speaks to this. It was The Peoples of Middle-earth that put Elendil’s birth year at 3119, but this was an early draft of Tolkien’s writing, and Elendil’s birth year could be conjectured differently based on other texts. Overall, however, Elendil seems to be relatively senior at the point in Númenór’s history explored in the show.

2Nori

The Harfoot

Nori Brandyfoot is a Harfoot in The Rings of Power and may be older than she looks. Frodo Baggins was 50 in The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring when he left the Shire on his mission, according to Tolkien’s book, although he didn’t look it. Nori certainly looks about the same age as Frodo did at 50 – perhaps the show intends for Nori to be about this age.

Bilbo Baggins was 131 when he died, although his time as a Ring-bearer granted him a particularly long life. Regardless, Hobbits could live past 100, so it stands to reason that the same applies to Harfoots. Hobbits seemed to appear far more grizzled in their hundreds, so Nori is probably under 100 in The Rings of Power and closer to 50 or younger.

1Isildur

The Faithful

Isildur is Elendil’s son in The Rings of Power. Maxim Baldry is 28, making Isildur look about this age, but Isildur’s Númenórean blood means he could be a fair few years older than this. The Rings of Power compressed the timeline of the Second Age events described by Tolkien, so it’s impossible to tell the exact year in the show.

Even though some of the events in Isildur’s arc in the show are dated in the books, it’s hard to confirm the date they occur in the show.

Isildur’s storyline in the Tolkien books was dated to a certain extent and can be compared to his storyline in the show, but the lack of a clear timeline in the show makes it hard to pin down Isildur’s age there. Although Isildur’s age in The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power can’t be confirmed, he could be in his 20s, 30s, 40s, or 50s. He may be around the same age as Nori, slightly older, or slightly younger.