Many of the characters in Prime Video’s The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power came from J. R. R. Tolkien’s novel, but many more were original creations for the series. Some of these original characters included Isildur’s closest friends, Valandil and Ontamo. Like Isildur, they began the series as cadets training to join the Sea Guard of Númenor. Ontamo was a pretty minor character, but Valandil played a larger role, especially in The Rings of Power‘s second season. In addition to being Isildur’s friend, he was friends — or maybe more — with Isildur’s sister, Eärien. Yet when the villainous Ar-Pharazôn took over Númenor, Valandil and Eärien found themselves on opposing sides.

Eärien joined forces with Pharazôn and his followers, the King’s Men, while Valandil remained loyal to the Faithful who still served Númenor’s rightful queen, Tar-Míriel. This led to a shocking moment in the Season 2 episode “Halls of Stone,” in which Pharazôn’s son, Kemen, murdered Valandil. Though Valandil was created specifically for The Rings of Power, he had ties to a member of Isildur’s family from Tolkien’s writings. Valandil’s death added another layer of tragedy to Isildur’s already harrowing story, and it added context to a minor detail from the novel version of The Lord of the Rings.

Valandil Lost His Best Friends at Tirharad

Actor Name
Alexander Tarrant-Keepa

Birthplace
Raglan, New Zealand

First Acting Role
Nothing Trivial (2014)

Award Nominations
Red Nation Film Award of Excellence for Outstanding Performance by an Actor in Leading Role (2021), Vancouver Film Critics Circle Award for Best Supporting Actor in a Canadian Film

In the first season, Isildur sabotaged his Sea Guard training in hopes of getting kicked out. He got his wish, but he unintentionally caused Valandil and Ontamo to be expelled from the Sea Guard as well. Ontamo was averse to conflict, so he was quick to forgive his friend, but Valandil held on to the grudge for longer. Valandil and Onatmo were both among the Númenórean soldiers who sailed to Middle-earth to help defend the Southlanders from Adar and his army of Orcs. As a reward for performing well in a sparring session with Galadriel, Valandil was promoted to Lieutenant. Isildur then apologized to Valandil and asked him to bring him along on the expedition to Middle-earth. Vanadil was resistant at first, but he eventually agreed, on the condition that he could punch Isildur a couple of times. Valandil said that Isildur was his oldest and best friend — to which Ontamo took some offense — so such an incident was not enough to break their bond.

The trio fought against Adar’s Orcs in the battle at Tirharad, and miraculously, they all survived, but they did not have long to celebrate their victory. The eruption of Mount Doom sent Tirharad into chaos. Fireballs descended upon the village, and the land became covered in suffocating ash and smoke. Ontamo died when a burning house collapsed on him, and Isildur seemingly met the same fate, though The Rings of Power‘s second season revealed his survival. Valandil, therefore, believed himself the only surviving member of his friend group. After the chaos settled, Valandil met up with Isildur’s father, Elendil. He convinced Elendil to let Isildur’s horse, Berek, run free. Unbeknownst to either of them, this decision saved Isildur’s life, as Berek found and rescued him. But by the time Isildur reached civilization once again, Valandil and the other Númenóreans had already returned home.

Valandil Was the First Victim of the King’s Men

After returning to Númenor, Valandil was outspoken against Pharazôn’s tyrannical rule. This culminated in his fateful confrontation with Kemen. When Kemen interrupted the Faithful’s prayer and destroyed an ancient artifact, Elendil lost his temper and punched him. Kemen tried to punch Elendil back, but Valandil caught his arm, leading to a brawl between the two. Kemen nearly drowned Valandil, but Valandil gained the upper hand. He broke Kemen’s arm, stole his sword, and held it to his throat. At Elendil’s behest, Valandil spared Kemen’s life, but as soon as he let his guard down, Kemen reclaimed his sword and stabbed Valandil in the back. It was a tragic and shocking end for Isildur’s best friend, and it was the first of what is sure to be countless casualties in the conflict between the King’s Men and the Faithful in Númenor.

The character of Valandil was invented for The Rings of Power, but his name was not. There were two characters named Valandil in Tolkien’s lore; the first was an ancestor of Elendil, but the second and more notable was Isildur’s son, an ancestor of Aragorn from The Lord of the Rings. After the Downfall of Númenor, Isildur founded the kingdom of Gondor and Elendil founded the kingdom of Arnor, becoming the first kings of their respective realms. When the Dark Lord Sauron killed Elendil in the War of the Last Alliance, Isildur chose to relinquish the throne of Gondor to his nephew and become the King of Arnor instead. This meant that the kingship of Arnor would pass down through Isildur’s bloodline. Valandil had three older brothers, so he was last in line to inherit the throne, but when he was still very young, his life took an unexpected turn.

Valandil’s Name Had a Deep Meaning

Isildur’s other sons were named Elendur, Aratan, and Ciryon.

Valandil was a baby when the War of the Last Alliance started, so he stayed with his unnamed mother in Rivendell while his father and brothers battled the forces of Sauron. After the War of the Last Alliance’s conclusion, Isildur and his three oldest sons set out for Rivendell to reunite with the rest of their family, but a band of Orcs ambushed them at the Gladden Fields. They all died, leaving Valandil as the heir to the throne of Arnor. He lived to be 260 years old, and he ruled for an impressive 239 of those years, giving him the longest reign of any King of Arnor. Aside from this exceptional achievement, Valandil’s adult life was uneventful. The only notable occurrences from that period in Tolkien’s legendarium were the marriage of Elrond and Celebrían and the birth of their daughter, Arwen, but Valandil had nothing to do with those. There was relative peace in Arnor for the nearly 1,400 years that passed between Isildur’s untimely demise and the Witch-king of Angmar’s war against the kingdom.

The Rings of Power added new context to the name of Isildur’s son. When Isildur learns what happened to his best friend, he is sure to be devastated. He might even feel guilty since he was indirectly responsible for Valandil’s death. Before the voyage to Middle-earth, Isildur caught Kemen trying to light the Númenórean ships on fire and rescued him from the ensuing explosion. If Isildur had not saved Kemen’s life, Valandil might have survived. Presumably, The Rings of Power‘s version of Isildur will name his fourth son in honor of his fallen friend. Valandil’s name comes from the Elvish language of Quenya, and it means “Valar-friend” or “Lover of the Valar.” The Valar are the godlike divine spirits of The Lord of the Rings. That makes Valandil a fitting name for a member of the Faithful, as they continued to serve the Valar and carry out their will even when most Númenóreans turned against them. Valandil’s inclusion in the story is an example of the best type of addition to Tolkien’s lore. His existence contradicted nothing from The Lord of the Rings, but it added an emotional backstory to a minor aspect of the novel. The series turned Isildur’s successor into a reminder of his tragic past.