Happy Rings of Power Season 2 release day everyone!!!

It’s no surprise that we are major Tolkien fans around here but I don’t think I’ve ever quiet done justice to this great love affair of mine (CC) by telling you all how it started.

Lord of the Rings is my absolute favorite fandom and along with several others, one I didn’t fall into until my early adulthood.

In high school (late 90’s) I’d mentioned to a few people that my favorite genre to read was fantasy and Tolkien was recommend. I trusted the source of that rec (and also wanted to impress them) so I asked them where to start. A library visit later and was taking a monstrous volume of The Silmarillion on a beach vacation. Yeah…I didn’t get past the first few pages 😉 I’d just finished a really fast paced read and felt like I hit quicksand. I really wanted to understand what I was reading but I’ll fully admit the words were way to dense for me to sort through at that time.

Fast forward to the Fall of 2001. I am sitting in the floor of my grandparent’s living room, playing a game of (I’m going to say Uno but not 100%) when I hear the most incredibly “me” intro to a movie trailer and see Elijah Wood’s face turn around to say “do they Gandalf?”. By then the entire room was quiet and I had stood to my feet, misty eyed. My whole heart was beating through that old boxy television and as melodramatic as it might sound, my life hasn’t been the same since.

As unpopular as it might be with some Tolkien purists, I have no shame in admitting that those first three films were my gateway to the fandom and remain a source of much joy, hope and love.

They are precious to me 😉

In the years that followed each release, I eventually read The Hobbit, listened to The Sil on a lengthy cd set from some friends (incredibly beautiful creation story!) and am making my way through Andy Serkis reading The Lord of the Rings. I want to read the whole story in the master’s words and I will, every single one of them 🙂

It could make some nervous to see something they love so much to continue to be adapted for film and/or television but here is another area where I’ll have to admit that I LOVE to see Middle -earth explored. I really enjoyed The Hobbit trilogy and I was content with my annual re-watches of all 6 movies.

Then, Rings of Power was announced and that all too familiar tug at my heartstrings became a symphony!

The S1 premiere (much like S2) was a couple of weeks before my birthday, my 40th birthday, and I considered it the best way to celebrate a simple life!! From the moment Bear McCreary’s opening credits score started, I knew that this love was only going to grow deeper and that proved itself true more than I can adequately describe.

My heart truly sang with each old character made new, with each visual of names we’ve only ever heard so far and with each introduction to someone new.

Nori/Poppy and all the Harfeet

The fallen star/Nori

Durin/Elrond

Elrond/Galadriel

Durin/Disa

Arondir/Bronwyn

Galadriel/Halbrand

Isildur/Valandil/Ontamo

EVERY glimpse of the bond of love, friendship, loyalty and duty that were the heartbeat of LOTR made me weep with joy. I was able to watch each episode along with a dear friend/fellow fan, which enhanced the experience greatly!

So, to say I am looking forward to starting Season 2 in the next few days should go without saying now, right!?

The greatest adventure is what lies ahead! If you are a ROP fan and will be watching in the days and weeks to come, I hope that you enjoy the journey immensely!

Namárië