A similarly uncertain relationship that was a focus of The Rings of Power‘s second season was that between Elendil, the future High King of Arnor, and Tar-Míriel, the Queen Regent of Númenor. With Tar-Palantir having died, Isildur having been stranded in Middle-earth and Eärien having joined forces with Ar-Pharazôn, Elendil and Míriel became each other’s most trusted allies. In interviews, Elendil actor Lloyd Owen and Míriel actress Cynthia Addai-Robinson have hinted that there is more than friendship between their characters, but they have remained cagey about the topic so as not to potentially spoil any of the series’ future events. If Elendil and Míriel are indeed in love in The Rings of Power, it would be a departure from the lore of J. R. R. Tolkien’s novels, though it would fill in a gap from Elendil’s story.
Elendil and Tar-Míriel Were Protective of Each Other
Actor Name
Marcus Richard Lloyd Owen
Cynthia Addai-Robinson
Birthplace
Charing Cross, London, England
Birthdate
April 14, 1966
January 12, 1985
First Acting Role
Boon (1988)
The Education of Max Bickford (2002)
Elendil and Míriel certainly care about each other in The Rings of Power, and there is palpable tenderness between them. After Míriel was blinded by the ash from the eruption of Mount Doom, Elendil gently guided her back to her ship, and he continued to guide her in Númenor. He described her surroundings when she gave a speech to the grieving Númenóreans. Later, Míriel risked her life by taking his place during the Sea Trial. In turn, he risked his life to get her to safety when Pharazôn took over Númenor and the King’s Men started persecuting the Faithful. In the episode “Shadow and Flame,” she urged him to leave without her, caring more about his fate than her own. He replied, “What cowardice have I ever shown to make you think I would even consider making safe my own skin at the peril of yours?”
One of the strongest instances of the possibly romantic tension between Elendil and Míriel came in the episode “Halls of Stone.” They discussed the growing support for Pharazôn, and Elendil encouraged Míriel to rally the Sea Guard to her cause. She did not want to do such a thing, as she believed that Pharazôn’s rule, though unjust, may prevent the Downfall of Númenor that she foresaw in the palantír. She stopped Elendil by placing a hand on his chest. They paused for a moment in silence. He moved to put his hand over hers, but she pulled it away, likely unaware of his action due to her blindness. Though wordless, this scene communicated the intimacy between Elendil and Míriel as well as the difficulties that arose from their situation.
Tolkien Left Elendil’s Love Life a Mystery
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In an early draft of the Downfall of Númenor story, Tolkien wrote that Míriel — who was then called Zimrahil — was in love with Elendil’s uncle, Elentir.
Tolkien removed this plot point from later drafts, and in the final version of the legendarium, Elendil had no uncle.
Nothing in Tolkien’s writings suggested that Elendil and Míriel were in love, but nothing contradicted it either. Tolkien did not describe Elendil’s wife or even give her a name, which is surprising given his penchant for creating elaborate family trees. The few details that The Rings of Power included about her were invented for the series. She loved horses, passing on much of her knowledge about them to her husband. This allowed Elendil to bond with his son, Isildur, over taking care of Isildur’s horse, Berek. In the first season, Elendil told Galadriel that his wife had drowned at sea, and the second season revealed that she had done so to save Isildur from a riptide. Elendil’s dialogue makes it clear that his wife’s death still weighs upon him, but that does not mean that he cannot love again. Doing so might help him recover from his trauma. In Tolkien’s lore, Míriel did have a named husband, though not one she loved: Pharazôn. Though they were first cousins, he forced her to marry him as a way of strengthening his claim to the throne of Númenor.
Based on Tolkien’s lore, there is one reason to believe that Elendil and Míriel were not in love: they were technically related. Míriel’s great-great-grandfather was the unnamed 14th Lord of Andúnië, who was also the great-great-great-grandfather of Elendil. This made Elendil and Míriel third cousins once removed. Elendil was distantly connected to the Númenórean royal family, so when he sailed to Middle-earth and founded the kingdom of Arnor, it could be seen as the successor to Númenor. This was significant to the plot of The Lord of the Rings, as it made Aragorn even more special; one of his ancestors was none other than Elros, the first King of Númenor. Of course, The Rings of Power could change this aspect of the lore. The series has not referred to Elendil’s royal blood so far, and it may refrain from doing so in the future to make a romance with Míriel more palatable. It would not be the first time that The Rings of Power made significant alterations to the source material.
Elendil Loyally Served Tar-Míriel
There is a justification for Elendil and Míriel’s dynamic other than romance. Elendil is the leader of the Faithful, and he is deeply dedicated to their cause. In The Rings of Power, Númenor is going down a dark path, just as it did in Tolkien’s legendarium. Most Númenóreans have come to hate Elves, and they disobey the wills of Eru Ilúvatar and the Valar. But Elendil holds on to the importance of the old ways, and that includes upholding the rightful monarchy of the kingdom. He knows that Pharazôn does not deserve to rule, and more importantly, he knows that Pharazôn could lead the kingdom to its utter ruin. Throughout the series, Elendil has done whatever he can to fight Pharazôn and defend Míriel, both physically and politically. In “Halls of Stone,” he assured her, “Prayers ascend night and day for you. For their Queen. Our Queen.” This quote emphasizes Elendil’s devotion to Míriel through the lens of her royal status.
Strong loyalty can seem romantic, but in Tolkien’s mind, it did not have to be. Loyalty was one of the most consistent themes in his writing. The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, and The Silmarillion each highlighted loyalty between family members, loyalty between friends, loyalty between military allies, and most relevantly, loyalty between rulers and their subjects. The heroes of Tolkien’s stories formed unbreakable bonds with one another, and the most despicable villains were usually traitors, such as Saruman and Gríma Wormtongue. The importance of loyalty likely stemmed from Tolkien’s experiences during World War I. On the battlefield, he needed to have total trust in his fellow soldiers and be willing to lay down his life to protect others. Yet it also makes sense for adaptations of Tolkien’s work to turn deep loyalty into romance. Unsurprisingly, two people who care about each other as much as Elendil and Míriel do would fall in love. Only time will tell how their dynamic develops in The Rings of Power; as Númenor speeds towards its inevitable destruction, Elendil and Míriel may never get a chance to truly express their feelings.
