The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power is officially returning for a second season, premiering on Prime Video on August 29. The new season continues the series’ increasingly dark story after the villain Sauron is finally exposed and now plans to conquer all of Middle Earth. Only a handful of elves, dwarves and men stand in Sauron’s way as the dark lord continues to gather the materials he needs to create the One Ring that will rule them all. However, now that the elves have created their own rings of power, the battle for Middle Earth will be far more intense than ever.

The Rings of Power loosely based on JRR Tolkien’s The Silmarillionwhich describes the legendary history of Middle Earth before the War of the Ring, presented in the Lord of the rings Trilogy. However, the Prime Video series also works with a compressed timeline, which means that its events do not always correspond with the chronology of Tolkien’s legendarium. Therefore, it can be difficult for casual viewers to pinpoint exactly when the events of The Rings of Power take place, especially about the events of The Hobbit And The Lord of the Rings Trilogies.

The Rings of Power are set in the Second Age of Middle Earth

Simply put: The Rings of Power takes place in the Second Age of Middle Earth. The people in Tolkien’s fantasy world describe their history in long periods of time called “ages,” each separated by important historical events. There are four ages in the Lord of the rings Franchise: The First Age, in which the battle between Morgoth and the Valar took place, the Second Age, in which this series takes place, and the Third Age, in which the events of The Hobbit And The Lord of the Ringsand the Fourth Age, which began after Frodo’s success in Return of the KingEach age resets the calendar to year 1.

Find out exactly when The Rings of Power takes place in the Second Age is not quite so straightforward. The Second Age lasted nearly three and a half thousand years, with major events occurring throughout the era. However, the Prime Video series compresses many of these events into the timeline, making it harder to pinpoint what year the series is set in. However, since the series is likely building towards the epic battle during the final alliance of Elves and Men, it would make sense for it to be set somewhere in the final centuries or even decades of the Second Age. While this would mess up much of Tolkien’s timeline, it is still Places of events of The Rings of Power over three thousand years before the start of Frodo’s journey in The Companions.

What happens during the Second Age of Middle Earth?

The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Cast and Character Guide for Season 2
character	Actor
Galadriel	Morfydd Clark
Elanor “Nori” Brandyfoot	Markella Kavanagh
Elrond	Robert Aramayo
King Gil-Galad	Benjamin Walker
Arondir	Ismael Cruz Cordova
Celebrate	Charles Edwards
The Stranger	Daniel Weyman
Durin IV	Owain Arthur
Sauron	Charlie Vickers
Elendil	Lloyd Eigen
Queen Miriel	Cynthia Addai-Robinson
Isildur	Maxim Baldry
Adar	Sam Hazeldine
Ears	Emma Horvath

The Second Age was a time of slow—and then sudden—destruction. In the millennia following the defeat of Morgoth in the First Age, the Elves slowly began to realise that a lingering evil would one day force them to withdraw from Middle-earth and return to the Undying Lands. Meanwhile, a Balrog destroys the Dwarven kingdom of Khazad-dûm, scattering Durin’s people and weakening the Dwarves forever. Perhaps most devastating, however, was the downfall of the great kingdom of Númenor, which was destroyed in a mighty flood after its inhabitants aroused the wrath of the One. Its culture and discoveries were destroyed in the fall, and the world turned into a sphere with the destruction of the island city. Nevertheless, some surviving Númenorians founded new kingdoms in Middle-earth.

The Second Age is best known for the return of Sauron, one of Morgoth’s generals, who now sought to seize control of Middle-earth. The new dark ruler was a shapeshifter who took on many different forms to get what he wanted from the people of Middle-earth. His machinations eventually led to the creation of many Rings of Power: nine for the Kings of Men, seven for the Dwarves, three for the Elves, and one Ring to rule them all. In a desperate attempt to stop him from conquering all of Middle-earth, a great alliance was formed between Elves and Men to stop Sauron once and for all. Although he was killed by Isildur, Sauron’s Ring was not destroyed. This last alliance marked the end of the Second Ageand ushered in three thousand years of relative peace, while Sauron rested – but did not disappear forever.

The anachronisms of “The Rings of Power” explained

One of the biggest criticisms of The Rings of Power is its loose connection to Tolkien’s timeline. The events depicted in the series take place over thousands of years in The Silmarillion, although The Rings of Power means that they all take place in quick succession. As a result, many events occur too early, too late, or in the wrong order based on Tolkien’s original stories.

In addition, certain events in The Rings of Power should have taken place much later in the timeline. For example, the arrival of Gandalf and the other wizards only happens in the thousandth year of the Third Agelong after the events of The Rings of Power. Cases like this have made many Tolkien fans hesitant to accept the series. However, it is understandable that a series would want to condense Tolkien’s timeline to maintain a faster pace. Peter Jackson’s films did the same with the Lord of the rings timeline and remain popular with fans.

While the exact year in which The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power is difficult to determine, the Prime Video original series is intended to be an all-encompassing depiction of the events of the Second Age of Middle-earth. The series is likely set towards the end of the Second Age, when the battle between good and evil is at its peak.