This article contains spoilers for The Rings of Power episodes 1 & 2, and the future of Middle-earth.Second Age of Middle-earth, Amazon's The Rings of Power opens with Gil-galad, High King of the Elves, declaring the war against evil to be over. In truth, he knows far better; he simply fears that pursuing Sauron and his agents could make things worse, and appears to be working towards a non-military strategy.
Unfortunately, evil does not seem to have been slumbering. The Rings of Power episodes 1 and 2 open with the Elves leaving their watchtowers, celebrating their victory and looking forward to a time of peace. No sooner have the Elves departed, though, than it becomes disturbingly clear dark forces are gathering in a region of Middle-earth known as the Southlands. There, crops are mysteriously dying, and Orcs are assailing innocent villages (including Halbrand's). Disturbingly, the people of these villages are completely disappearing; it's unclear whether they have been killed, or taken as slaves by Sauron's forces.
The Southlands may seem to be a somewhat new Tolkien location, but a check at the map reveals they are destined to become the Dark Land known as Mordor. Amazon confirmed this in a featurette ahead of the show's release, which placed the name of the Southlands exactly where Mordor is written on the traditional Lord of the Rings map. Just below the words was the distinctive shape of Lake Núrnen, named in The Return of the King. "Neither [Sam] nor Frodo knew anything of the great slave-worked fields away south in this wide realm, beyond the fumes of the Mountain by the dark sad waters of Lake Núrnen," Tolkien wrote.
Is The Rings Of Power Turning The Southland Into Mordor?
The Southlands do not seem to perfectly correspond with Sauron's future land of Orcs' true purpose in The Rings of Power. It refers to slave-worked fields near the shores of Lake Núrnen, and it is entirely possible the villagers are being taken from their homes to become the first generation of these slaves.
However wise Gil-galad may be, it is clear he has underestimated the evil lurking in the shadows of Middle-earth. Sauron is on the move, his power growing once again in the Southlands, and he is sure to act even more openly now the Elves have abandoned their watchtowers. The Rings of Power really does chart the darkest days of the Southlands.
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power releases new episodes on Fridays on Prime Video.