Amazon Studios The Rings of Power is here. The Second season is now streaming on Amazon. We want all Spoilerites to have the best viewing experience possible and have the widest knowledge base about the Second Age of Middle-Earth. This is a weekly Let’s Get Nerdy article series highlighting a different piece of Tolkien I think you need to know about!
This post contains potential spoilers for The Rings of Power’s second season. If you may want to avoid spoilers come back later and see if I was right!
Five episodes into The Rings of Power season 2 and we are getting even deeper explorations of Tolkien’s
dwarven culture than we’ve had in any other on-screen adaptation of his legendarium. This season we’ve met another prominent member of Khazad-dûm’s society – Narvi!
He was rumoured to join the cast earlier this year and I have a full explainer on him already available for you:
Who is Narvi?
In the fourth episode we saw the introduction of The Doors of Durin! A.k.a. the “Speak friends and enter” doors many folx met for the first time in either the book or film adaptation of The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring. Narvi crafted the doors with the help of Celebrimbor’s Ithildin and we saw them installed at Khazad-dûm.
But, what are they? Why are they important, Ashley?
I’m so glad you asked!
As with important characters this important physical feature is known by many names in J.R.R. Tolkien’s book canon: West-gate, the West-door, Elven Door, and Hollin Gate.
Hollin was the closest elven settlement during The Second Age of Middle-Earth, hence the final name above.
As we see in The Rings of Power they were created in collaboration between Narvi (Kevin Eldon, not the actor originally rumoured to play the part, but doing an incredible job nonetheless!), and Celebrimbor (Charles Edwards). During times of peace the Doors of Durin famously stood open welcoming in the neighbouring elves and friends to King Durin III, King Durin IV, and Durin’s Folk. Trade and unparalleled cooperation between the different races in Middle-Earth was at an all-time high before The Dark Lord Sauron (Charlie Vickers), swept in and literally ruined everything.
Hollin, mentioned above, eventually fell in Sauron’s campaign of evil across Middle-Earth and the Doors of Durin were sealed and forgotten. When Khazad-dûm was abandoned during The Third Age of Middle-Earth the Doors of Durin were not seen again until the events of The Hobbit (Hey, Balin! Hey, Gollum!), and The Fellowship of the Ring.
