Some of the most seemingly insignificant events in the final episode of theRings of Powerwere actually the most important in relation to Tolkien’s lore. The death of the king (Miriel’s father) is definitely one of them. There have been so many other catastrophic events in the series: itbrought Mordor to Middle Earth, the revelation that Halbrand has been Sauron all along, and the forging of the three elven rings of power, with no hint as towhere the other 17 are.
Considering all this, the death of the king could easily have gone unnoticed. But this is actually an incredibly crucial event in the world’s history, because the death of the king sparks a chain of events that will bring about Numenor’s downfall. His passing is very much tied into the fate of his daughter Miriel, and her cousin PharAzon.
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PharAzon, the queen regent’s royal advisor and right-hand man (before she decides to place her trust in Elendil), appears at first as if he genuinely has the interest of the people of Numenor at heart. When he speaks up against the rekindling of Numenor’s connection with the elves, he seems to have good reasons. But his reasons are not as honorable as they may seem at first, and according to Tolkien’s lore, this is all part of a plot for him to gain power and place himself upon the throne. When he speaks to the restless crowd in front of Numenor’s halls, he tells them:
“Trust in me. For, by the calluses on my hands, I swear that elven hands will never take Numenor’s helm. She will remain, as always, a kingdom of men!”
But what PharAzon actually means is that the kingdom will remain under his rule. This will lead the people through years of tyranny and suffering, before they are all eventually drowned in a horrible act of wrath.
In Tolkien’s original books, the death of Tar-Palantir (the sickly, elderly man shown in the tower as Miriel’s father) is the chance that PharAzon needs to seize the throne, which he has had designs on for many years. He started out by worming his way into Miriel’s council. When her father grew sick and she needed the support more than ever, he began to subtly twist their people against her. He called Miriel an elf lover and insinuated that she would eventually betray them in favor of the immortal beings. Eventually, when the king dies, PharAzon essentially seizes power because he already has the following of the citizens. He forces Miriel, the rightful queen, to marry him, which gives him all legal power over the throne. And in a bid to solidify that power, he vows to travel to Mordor and capture Sauron, and bring him back to Numenor. TheRings of Powerseries has already begun to put these steps in motion, withthe portrayal of Miriel’s blindnessbeing a possible contributing factor as to why the people would turn against her.
If PharAzon does seize the throne after the king’s death, and travels to capture Sauron as in the books, it will lead to the ruin of all. For Sauron is a great deceiver. He has already shown this in gaining Galadriel’s trust as Halbrand, and in trying to convince her thathe actually wants to heal the worldinstead of destroying it. In the original lore, PharAzon brings Sauron back to Numenor. Sauron plays the part of a captured victim, but actually comes willingly so that he can begin to corrupt the new king from within.
Over time, Sauron turns the already cunning and selfish man into a corrupted tyrant, who unleashes all manner of cruelty upon his people, and keeps Miriel trapped and bound to him. But eventually, as with all humans, age begins to catch up with him. Sauron starts planting the seed in his mind that he will die if he does not sail to Valinor and demand the immortality of the elves. He claims it should still rightfully be theirs, if Ehlros had chosen differently when the choice was presented to him, his brotherElrond, and their father.
This is where disaster strikes. PharAzon is so fearful of his unavoidable death that he heeds Sauron’s advice, and wages a war against the Valar in order to try to storm the Undying Lands by force and take back the immortality that was denied them. In response, Eru the creator sends a mighty tsunami of water to wash away the army, subsequently sinking the whole of Numenor as well. There are several ways in whichfloods change the fate of Middle Earththroughout Tolkien’s works. The sinking of Numenor is one of the most devastating events in its history, as is shown by Mirirel’s terrifying vision from the Palantir. Now that her father has died in the final episode of season 1, the path has been paved for this disaster to fully materialize.
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