Back in the events of episode 2 of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, we saw that Galadriel and Halbrand were discovered by an unknown ship after they had survived their encounter with a worm at sea. Episode 3 revealed this ship to belong to the Númenóreans and that its captain was a man named Elendil, who was quick to assist Galadriel while she was in Númenór. But who is Elendil in The Rings of Power, and how is he connected to Isildur and Aragorn?
Elendil is a man from Númenór and was one of the survivors of the Downfall of Númenór, as he was the one who led them as their new king to the shores of Middle-earth, where they were able to establish two kingdoms of Men—Gondor and Arnor. Elendil was killed in the Second Age and was succeeded by Isildur.
For those who may have forgotten, both Elendil and Isildur were present during the first few scenes of The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, as they were there in the battle against Sauron to end the Second Age. Of course, they are both the distant ancestors of Aragorn. So, with that said, let’s look at what we know about Elendil in The Rings of Power.
Who Is Elendil In The Rings Of Power?
One of the biggest mysteries at the end of episode 2 of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power was the identity of the ship that rescued Galadriel and Halbrand. Of course, we know that Galadriel and Halbrand survived an attack from a massive sea monster that took the lives of the other people they were with on a makeshift raft. And at the end of the episode, they found themselves rescued by an unknown ship.
Episode 3 revealed the unknown ship to belong to the Númenóreans. The very same episode revealed that the Númenóreans were Men that were given an island kingdom of their own after they were able to successfully assist in the defeat of Morgoth during the First Age. Galadriel mentioned that they broke their relations with the Elves long ago for reasons that they were not aware of.
Of course, the captain of the ship that rescued Galadriel and Halbrand brought them to Queen Regent Míriel, the last rightful heir of Númenór, as the writings of JRR Tolkien would say. Míriel and Pharazôn were quite unsure of what to do with Galadriel and Halbrand but were eventually convinced to give their fates a thought. And after Míriel dismissed Galadriel and Halbrand, she asked for the identity of the captain of the ship that saved them, and we are talking about Elendil.
Those who also saw The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring would be familiar with Elendil. That’s because he was shown at the very beginning of the movie during the battle against Sauron in the war that ended the Second Age. Elendil, who led the Men in the Last Alliance, fell to the dark lord in that battle.
As the episode showed, Elendil was the captain of the ship that rescued Galadriel and Halbrand from what could have certainly been their death at sea. The queen regent summoned Elendil and asked him to talk more about himself, and that was when it was revealed that the humble ship captain originated from the western shores of Númenór and that his name meant “one who loves the stars” in the common tongue of Men. However, in the ancient Eldar language of the Elves, his name also meant “Elf friend,” as that was what Elendil eventually became to Galadriel when the queen put him in charge of watching over her while she was on Númenór.
Of course, while Galadriel was on Númenór, she tried to escape so that she could return to Middle-earth and continue her quest of searching for Sauron. That was when Elendil prevented her from doing so while also mentioning a place called the Hall of Lore, where he was raised. This was the same area where Galadriel realized that the mark that Sauron embedded on her brother was not a sigil but a representation of the Southlands.
As such, both Galadriel and Elendil were now aware that Sauron was still very much a threat and was eventually going to rise up and cause chaos in Middle-earth because he meant to build a realm for him himself and the Orcs in the Southlands. And we all know that to be Mordor.
Elendil, in the books, of course, was quite the character because he was the one that led the surviving Númenóreans to Middle-earth during the time of the Downfall of Númenór. As such, he became the first king of both Gondor and Arnor when these kingdoms were established in Middle-earth.
How Is Elendil Connected To Isildur And Aragorn?
One of the things that we saw about Elendil in The Rings of Power is that he seems to be a humble man that doesn’t have a drop of royal blood in him. But the fact that he was raised in a place that was friendly towards the Elves made him someone who could perhaps eventually become an ally to Galadriel and the other Elves in the upcoming war against Sauron. And as mentioned, Elendil led the Men in the Last Alliance against Sauron at the end of the Second Age.
While Elendil did indeed fall to Sauron in that battle, it was Isildur who took up Elendil’s sword and defeated the dark lord by slicing the One Ring from him. And Isildur, of course, is Elendil’s own son, as we learned that it was this king that failed to destroy the One Ring when he had the chance to do so but was tempted by the power that it offered him.
We also saw Isildur during the events of The Rings of Power when he was introduced as a rising sailor. However, as revealed in the episode, he never wanted to become a sailor like his father because he wanted something more in life. This could be the reason why he was eventually tempted by the One Ring, as he craved a life bigger than what a ship officer could offer him.
Of course, we all know that the King of Gondor at the end of the Third Age and the beginning of the Fourth Age was Aragorn himself. Granted that there are thousands of years between Elendil and Aragorn, the fact that he was the one who was the heir to the throne of Gondor meant that both Elendil and Isildur were distant relatives. In fact, Aragorn, during the events of The Lord of the Rings, was the last person to be from the Númenórean line of kings that descended from both Elendil and Isildur themselves.
In that regard, Elendil is an important figure in the history of Middle-earth because he was the one that established the great kingdoms of Men that soon became Gondor and Arnor. And without him, there wouldn’t have been an Aragorn to lead the Men in the battle against Sauron during the events of The Lord of the Rings.
