Episode 7 of The Rings of Power dealt with the aftereffects of the volcanic outburst of Mount Doom. The Southlands were destroyed, remade and renamed into Mordor and Episode 7 also unveils the true identity of the person who coined the name Mordor.
The episode’s ending features the orcs chanting their Lord-Father’s name as the “Lord of the Southlands,” a title once bestowed on Morgoth himself. But after the War of Wrath, their dark lord abandoned them, and Adar took it upon himself to retake the Southlands for his orcs.
The eruption of Mount Doom covered the Southlands in a haze of night, where no light could penetrate and no other being could survive. Once Adar finally accomplished his vision, he deemed that the Southlands be renamed.
As Adar smiled at his victory, the screen turned toward the ruins of the Southlands, and the title of “The Southlands” atop the screen burned away to be replaced by “Mordor.”
Thus, one would assume it was Adar who had been the one to rename the Southlands. And sure, officially, it was Adar – but before him, someone had already called the new Southlands the “Shadow Land,” thus making them the one who really came up with the name Mordor.
At the beginning of the episode, as Galadriel walked through the woods with Theo towards the Numenor site, she referred to the ruined Southlands as “Shadow Land.” In Sindarin, Galadriel’s favored language, “Shadow Land,” roughly translates to Mordor.
Even in the normal Elven Quenyan tongue, “Mordo” equals “Shadow,” thus making Galadriel the one who bestowed the name ‘Mordor’ to new Southlands.
The finale of The Rings of Power will stream on Prime Video next Friday, October 14, 2022.
About The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power is an American TV series, based on the novel by J.R.R. Tolkien, developed by J.D. Payne and Patrick McKay for streaming on Amazon Prime.
Set 3,000 years before the events of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, the show will be set in the Second Age of Middle-earth. Beginning with a time of peace, the series will follow the rise of the Dark Lord Sauron and the forging of the rings of power.
The cast includes Robert Aramayo, Owain Arthur, Nazanin Boniadi, Morfydd Clark, Ismael Cruz Cordova, Markella Kavenagh, Joseph Mawle, and Dylan Smith among many others.
Source: Prime Video
No Comments on Who Coined the Name Mordor? The Rings of Power Reveals