Queen Regent Míriel (Cynthia Addai-Robinson) emerging from the water in The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power

The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power is storming into season 2, showing Barrow-wights, Ents, and a terrifying sea monster that confronts Míriel in her trial by sea. Míriel survives her sea trial in The Rings of Power season 2, but it isn’t a scene that’s familiar from canon, calling the likelihood of Míriel’s survival of this trial into question. Míriel is submerged in a pool on the coast of Númenor, as per the recommendation of an ancient book of lore that the Númenórean court is seen poring over. This seems to be a tradition of Númenor’s in the show, although it isn’t in Tolkien’s lore.

Míriel is soon restrained by a giant sea monster of unknown name, species, or origin. It could be one of J.R.R. Tolkien’s nameless things, as it looks a lot like the creature that attacked the ship that Halbrand was on in season 1, and on-screen trivia flagged this as a nameless thing. It could also be related to Lord of the Rings’ Watcher in the Water, which may or may not also be a nameless thing. Regardless, for this creature to attack Míriel and then decide to leave her be, foisting her back onto the shore instead of eating her, raises a lot of questions.

Ulmo, Lord Of Water, Spared Míriel In The Rings Of Power Season 2

It Seems As If The Valar Remain On Team Míriel

Queen Regent Míriel (Cynthia Addai-Robinson) in The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Season 2 Episode 3 Ar-Pharazôn, Kemen, and their court subject Míriel to a trial by sea to test her innocence in the eyes of the 15 Lord of the Rings Valar, Tolkien’s demigods. This is sneaky and cynical on their part, because while Míriel and Elendil believe in the Valar, they have lost faith. They think that Míriel’s trial will kill her and prove the stupidity of her beliefs as well, cementing their power and credibility. However, the Valar of water, Ulmo, apparently honors Númenor’s tradition, deeming Míriel ​​​​​​​innocent and ensuring her safe return to shore.

The Rings Of Power’s Trial Scene Rewrites The Concept Of The Valar

The Valar Weren’t Particularly Involved In Human Politics

 

Miriel from The Rings of Power Tar Miriel Rings of Power Cynthia Addai Robinson as Miriel and Lloyd Owen as Elendil in Rings of Power Cynthia Addai Robinson as Miriel in Rings of Power. Miriel and an Eagle in Rings of Power season 2 Miriel from The Rings of Power Tar Miriel Rings of Power Cynthia Addai Robinson as Miriel and Lloyd Owen as Elendil in Rings of Power Cynthia Addai Robinson as Miriel in Rings of Power. Miriel and an Eagle in Rings of Power season 2

The Valar were responsible for the building of Arda – the whole world that Middle-earth was set in – but they were quite detached from human politics at the time of Ar-Pharazôn’s rise to power in Númenor. Míriel had been foreseeing the fall of Númenor in one of the rare palantíri, and accordingly, was questioning her own faith in the Valar in Rings of Power. But the Valar of the show’s logic step in to save her from dying in her trial in season 2, proving that they exist, they are listening, and they won’t let their Faithful down in their darkest hours.

This is a bit of a rewrite of the Valar that canonically existed at this point in The Lord of the Rings timeline. By this point, Valar intervention was rare – it was a huge struggle for Eärendil to convince them to help him fight Morgoth, and that was centuries before Míriel’s trial. So for Ulmo to be at Númenor’s beck and call is questionable, but doesn’t defy explanation or logic. Tolkien’s world was full of little miracles and surprises that suggested the influence of higher powers. Nonetheless, it is a good thing for Míriel that Ulmo or his vassal, Ossë, pity the Faithful in The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power.