|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Marmoon
Nevrast
Sep 19 2024, 10:14pm
Post #1 of 3
(2366 views)
Shortcut
|
I've seen/heard a lot of discussion about the depiction of King Durin III rather quickly embracing and then succumbing to the newfound power of his ring in this second season of The Rings of Power. There seem to be two main sources of contention among fans claiming canonical discrepancies:
1. Durin III’s apparent possessiveness of his Ring of Power, with strong similarities to the portrayals of wielders of the One Ring in Peter Jackson’s live-action adaptations of The Hobbit and LOTR (namely the mortals Isildur, Gollum, Bilbo, Frodo, and, briefly, dear Samwise).
2. His sudden lust for wealth and riches – acknowledged by Prince Durin IV as uncharacteristic of his father (“greed is not his way; it never has been”) – that can only be explained by the ring’s influence, with the king ordering new mining operations (including the previously forbidden mithril shaft) and imposing new taxes and demanding an exorbitant payment from other dwarf-kingdoms (“half a share of their mines”) to receive their own Rings of Power.
But so far, to me, the concerns seem unfounded, or at worst, easily dismissed. Tolkien’s Dwarves were “untameable” but not uncorruptible. That is, unlike Men who were weak and easily enslaved, Dwarves were too hardy and too tough-willed to be reduced to Sauron’s pawns. In The Silmarillion, “Of the Rings of Power and the Third Age”, it was said:
“[Dwarves] were made from their beginning of a kind to resist most steadfastly any domination. Though they could be slain or broken, they could not be reduced to shadows enslaved to another will”
But that does not mean the Rings of Power had no influence on them. According to LOTR, Appendix A, “Durin’s Folk”, concerning that very ring worn by Durin III, which (spoiler) will become an inheritance of the future kings in his line:
“[T]he possessors of the Ring did not display it or speak of it, and they seldom surrendered it until near death, so that others did not know for certain where it was bestowed.”
I find no major inconsistencies between Tolkien envisioning Dwarves coveting and keeping secret their Rings of Power and Durin III’s portrayal in the show. He would not have realized its power before wearing it, so he wouldn’t have thought to guard it as a secret at first. Only in time wearing it did he come to appreciate it, with his possessiveness and his refusal to part with it growing proportionally. Perhaps they could tone down his possessiveness a little, but they also don’t want it to be so subtle that only fans steeped in the lore will notice his transformation. It should be obvious to a general audience what is happening to him and why. There’s quite enough ambiguity and mystery-boxing going on already! And given the show’s deliberate ties to Jackson’s adaptations, the simplest solution is to follow the familiar depictions of Sauronic ring-corruption – the actor fondling the ring, refusing the pleas of friends and family to reject it, denying any question about its influence, maybe accompanied by a short vision as a flash to the audience, while eerie music plays. No need to reinvent the wheel (of fire - sorry, couldn't help myself).
Regarding Durin III suddenly turning his mind to gold, per The Silmarillion, “Of the Rings of Power and the Third Age”:
“The Dwarves … used their rings only for the getting of wealth; but wrath and an overmastering greed of gold were kindled in their hearts... It is said that the foundation of each of the Seven Hoards of the Dwarf-kings of old was a golden ring … The only power over them that the Rings wielded was to inflame their hearts with a greed of gold and precious things, so that if they lacked them all other good things seemed profitless, and they were filled with wrath and desire for vengeance on all who deprived them.”
In general, Tolkien referred to Dwarves as having a tendency toward goldlust, and a Ring of Power would naturally be expected to enhance that native predilection. Yet Durin III is described in the show as having little or minimal such interest – or at least relative to other Dwarf-kings. This does not mean he had no interest in obtaining wealth. I like to imagine he felt less motivated by riches for many years because his kingdom was thriving. In the Second Age, we know the wealth and power of Khazad-dűm was increased by the Firebeards and Broadbeams who fled there from the Blue Mountains after the War of Wrath – though this may never be acknowledged in the show, and in any case the timeline is heavily revised so we cannot know how long Khazad-dűm may have benefited from the merging of these peoples. But given his kingdom’s prosperity, I find it entirely plausible that Durin III’s goldlust may have been more or less satisfied until he put on his ring. Again, this is perhaps the simplest way to depict the king's transformation. If we'd already seen mounds of gold in his halls, it would undermine the significance of his change. The scene of wheelbarrows of gold being dumped in the throne room was a perfect way to show the beginnings of one of the great Seven Hoards.
With an increase of greed and “wrath and desire for vengeance”, it’s no surprise to see Durin III’s quickness to anger, extreme stubbornness, and coldness towards Durin IV this season. Not that this father and son had an especially warm, healthy relationship before.
Last thought on the topic of Dwarf-rings: I really enjoy the invention of using a Dwarf-ring to sense suitable digging locations and high mineral concentrations – not unlike the vocalizations of Disa and the Stonettes functioning like low-tech ground-penetrating radar. I don’t believe Tolkien ever wrote about any methods to assess suitability for developing their subterranean realms and for targeting veins of gold and other treasures. Ring-of-Power-enhanced exploration seems as credible as anything to explain how the Dwarf-kings might’ve amassed vast wealth in the Second and Third Ages, being an upgrade from their previous reliance on the stone-singers.
|
|
|
Marmoon
Nevrast
Sep 20 2024, 6:58pm
Post #2 of 3
(2293 views)
Shortcut
|
Oops, looks like my sources got scrambled while editing. I believe the only quote attributable to “Of the Rings of Power and the Third Age” should be:
“The Dwarves … used their rings only for the getting of wealth; but wrath and an overmastering greed of gold were kindled in their hearts... It is said that the foundation of each of the Seven Hoards of the Dwarf-kings of old was a golden ring…”
All the rest came from “Durin’s Folk”.
|
|
|
Felagund
Nargothrond
Sep 22 2024, 11:10am
Post #3 of 3
(2129 views)
Shortcut
|
Really enjoyed your gloss and thoughts on the Seven Rings of Power.
There's another nice snippet in The Silmarillion around the racial characteristics of the Dwarves that has relevance here, in 'Of Aulë and Yavanna':
Since they were to come in the days of the power of Melkor, Aulë made the Dwarves strong to endure. Therefore they are stone-hard, stubborn, fast in friendship and in enmity...
The construction of that chapter and its placement is the subject of interesting discussion, from time to time, but the substance of the above passage is no less for it. I particularly like the specific reference to the hardiness being linked to the hostile environment they would awaken into - one dominated by Melkor. In this context, that they could confound the designs and snares of a lesser Dark Lord makes complete sense to me - even if the other elements of overbearing greed and so on that you quote do come into play, to their detriment.
I note too that Tolkien acknowledged that the less likeable qualities of Dwarves - and indeed those he identified in Hobbits, Elves, Men and Wizards - are part of his world-building. In that his tales are not simply "wholly unequivocal" when it comes to struggle between 'goodies' vs 'baddies' (Letter 203).
Welcome to the Mordorfone network, where we put the 'hai' back into Uruk
|
|
|
|
|
