The Lord of the Rings – The Rings of Power: This is the Story of Mordor

• The revelation of Mordor was a central event in the 7th episode of “The Rings of Power”.
• But what happens to the Dark Land after Sauron returns?
• War, industry, orcs and worse will find a home in Mordor. But not forever.

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At the beginning of “The Rings of Power”, which takes place at the beginning of the Second Age, the Mordor we know does not yet exist. It is only at the end of the 6th and 7th episodes that the once so magnificent southern lands are darkened and shrouded in ash by the eruption of the Orodruin volcano.

From then on, for all time, the lands on the eastern borders of Middle-earth, between Rhun, Harad and Gondor, will be known as Mordor. But what exactly will happen within its mountainous borders in the future? Netzwelt tells you the chronological history of Sauron’s kingdom of Mordor.

The Origin of Mordor’s Doom – The Creation of Orodruin

Mordor was not always the terrible realm of the Dark Lord known from the films. Originally, in the First Age, Sauron’s predecessor Morgoth created a mighty hilltop fortress for himself and his hosts. Angband in northern Beleriand was surrounded by mighty peaks and fiery volcanoes.

There, “the Great Enemy” experimented with the creation of Arda, creating orcs, balrogs, and dragons. However, after his defeat in the War of Wrath, Angband also perished. Mordor was secretly created by Morgoth as a kind of Plan B and second base. The volcanic Mount Doom, however, slept until a Dark Lord would return and claim the land.

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In Episode 7 of “The Rings of Power” we see the transformation of the Southlands into Mordor. From then on the kingdom will be the dominion of Sauron for a long time. The people who once lived there, the southerners, who were allied with Morgoth in the First Age, flee or become slaves and servants of Sauron.

From then on his strength grew steadily, for, well protected by the mountain ranges surrounding Mordor, he was free to raise his Orc armies and build fortresses. The mighty tower of Barad-Dur is raised as his headquarters, and from across Middle-earth his servants make their way to Mordor.

Forging the One Ring

However, before Sauron could emerge in his true form and wage war across the Free Peoples of Middle-earth from Mordor, he needed allies. To this end he seduced the Elves of Eregion in his beautiful guise as Annatar the Gift Bringer. Mordor is already in his hands, but he has not yet fully revealed himself to the world.

With the help of the elf Celebrimbor, Sauron forged the Rings of Power. 9 for the humans, 7 for the dwarves. The 3 Elven Rings were secretly crafted by Celebrimbor so that they were free from Sauron’s corruption.

By forging the One Ring in the fiery caverns of Mount Doom, Sauron sought to conquer the bearers of the other rings and their nations. The human kings also succeeded and the 9 were to become Sauron’s most devoted servants, the Nazgul.

Sauron’s failed first war of conquest of Middle-earth

Strengthened in Mordor, his armies assembled and more powerful than ever through the One Ring, Sauron was ready to wage open war against Middle-earth. He marched against the elven realms of Eregion and Lindon, devastating the realm of the elven forges and slaying Celebrimbor after the latter refused to tell Sauron the whereabouts of the 3 elven rings.

Only through the combined efforts of the Elves under Gil-Galad and Elrond and the Men of Númenor could Sauron be pushed back. However, he still managed to escape and he gathered more hosts around him in the south on the edges of Middle-earth in Rhun and Harad.

As the self-proclaimed “King of Men” he provoked the wrath of the Númenoreans and the then king Ar-Pharazon. Mordor continued to grow during this time and would become an unassailable stronghold.

With a mighty fleet they sailed to Middle-earth and eventually captured Sauron effortlessly. However, this was to be their own undoing. Because the insinuations of Sauron led to the downfall of the once mighty human island and his spirit was able to flee.

The coming shadow

Reinvigorated, Sauron reassembled his armies and prepared to invade Middle-earth again. It was then that the surviving humans of Númenor entered the continent under Isildur and Elendil’s command.

In order to hunt down Sauron once and for all, an alliance between Elves and Men was decided. This Ultimate Alliance, which we see in the prologue of the first The Lord of the Rings film, ultimately brought about Sauron’s downfall. Together Elves and Lindon marched with Men of Gondor and overthrew Sauron in his own realm.

The Dark Lord was defeated and Mordor conquered, but the One Ring was not destroyed. And so Sauron was to return to his fiery domain one last time.

The War of the Ring and Victory over Mordor

After the victory of the last alliance, Gondor took over Mordor. For protection, but also to observe possible hostile activities, the people erected numerous fortifications. Towers and fortresses such as Minas Morgul and the Tower of Cirith Ungol date from this period.

Sauron was to return, however, and in his absence the Ringwraiths retook Mordor and prepared it for the return of their master. The fortress of Barad-Dur was repaired and Sauron reclaimed dominion over all of Middle-earth from Mordor.

However, the ensuing War of the Ring and the journey of the Ring-bearer Frodo would finally seal his downfall. In front of the Black Gate, Aragorn Elessar faced a superior force. Meanwhile, Frodo and Sam fought their way through the barren rocky landscape of Mordor to Mount Doom.

There the One Ring and with it Sauron should be destroyed. His armies disintegrated and his fortress collapsed. As a result, Mordor was freed and handed over to the former slaves living there for self-government. Peace was restored and the threat of Mordor that had raged for thousands of years was ended.

We will find out what else is happening in Mordor and who can save themselves from the devastated landscape of the southern lands on October 14, 2022 in the Amazon Prime Video news program. Then we already have the season 1 finale waiting for us, but don’t worry, season 2 of “The Rings of Power” is already in production!