This article was originally posted on SFFGazette.com.
While this week's episode of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power doesn't move the overall story forward very much from where we left off last Friday, it does jump around to all of the main plot-lines, and the groundwork is laid for a major event that should be very familiar to Tolkien fans.
Spoilers for episode 5, "Partings," follow.
As it turns out, Durin's father was right to have his doubts about Gil-Galad's reasons for sending Elrond to Khazad-dûm, as the Elven King admits that what he's really after is the "miracle ore" known as Mithril. Gil-Galad believes that the precious metal is the only thing that can save the Elven race, who will be doomed if they are unable to reignite the light of the Valinor.
While explaining this to Elrond, he recounts the tale of a battle between a mighty Elven warrior (possibly based on Glorfindel) and a Balrog of Morgoth. The pair fought over a tree which was believed to contain the last of the lost Silmarils. During their clash, lightning struck the tree and drove the power of the jewels deep into the Misty Mountains, resulting in the creation of Mithril.
This particular legend doesn't have any basis in Tolkien's lore, and appears to have been added to the show in order to explain the origin of Mithirl - and the presence of a Balrog in the Dwarven kingdom that will come to be known as Moria!
Yes, it looks like The Rings of Power will be taking some liberties with the timeline by having the Dwarves "delve too greedily and too deep," unleashing the Balrog that ultimately comes face-to-face with Gandalf in The Fellowship of the Ring.
Will "Durin's Bane" earn his moniker this season by putting an end to the fan-favorite Dwarf prince? It was actually one of this Durin's descendants in the books, but again, this series does seem to be condensing the timelines.
What did you guys make of episode 5 of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power? How do you feel about this slightly revamped origin for the Balrog of Moria? Drop us a comment down below.