Does Elrond have hidden motives for visiting Durin IV in Khazad-dum?

Most will agree that Elrond and Durin III’s dynamics mirror that of Legolas and Gimli’s. But their friendship isn’t in the greenest pastures when we see them in Rings of Powers. Elrond hasn’t visited Durin in almost twenty years and Durin isn’t all too pleased about it.

So why is Elrond suddenly visiting Durin in the dwarven kingdom of Khazad-dum? Does he have any hidden motives?

In Rings of Power, Celebrimbor expresses wanting to build a Forge Tower, which would be a workspace to create powerful tools. For this purpose, Elrond recommends asking the Durin III’s dwarves for their workforce, since they were highly skilled and would speed up the process.

If you’re familiar with the lore, this tower is where 19 of the 20 Rings of Power were forged. These include three that Celebrimbor crafted on his own (Narya, Nenya, Vilya), which would be gifted to the Elves in The Lord of the Rings.

But there’s more to the story than meets the eye. Read on:

Why does Celebrimbor want to build the Forge Tower?

So, Elrond doesn’t have any “hidden” purpose as such, or at least not one that is privy to the audience yet. In the previous episodes, we’ve seen Celebrimbor talk about the Forge Tower, which unbeknownst to him at the moment, would go on to be the place where he also creates the Rings of Power.

Celebrimbor has insisted that the tower needs to be completed by spring, a ridiculous timeline. The Elves have one possible way of completing it—by asking the highly skilled dwarves for help.

While I’ve cleared Elrond of anything dubious, some fans are doubting Celebrimbor’s urgency for the tower. Why is he so adamant about building it as quickly as possible? Is it simply because he wants to build his legacy, or is it something dark laced with his motives?

There is a theory going around that Celebrimbor is already in contact with Annatar, the “good” persona Sauron used to deceive many people. It is possible that Annatar has convinced him to build this tower as a place where he will create objects that are both incredibly powerful and beautiful.

Why are the dwarves doubting Elrond?

Elrond has also spent these episodes patching up his friendship with Durin IV, after being out of touch for almost two decades and even missing his friend’s wedding—actions for which we still don’t have any explanation.

So it hasn’t been super easy for Elrond to persuade Durin to propose Celebrimbor’s plan to his father, King Durin III. 

The second thing is that Elrond’s time of arrival is too suspicious. Why, you ask? Well, remember that scene where Durin III made a big deal about a glowing object in a chest? That object happens to be Mithril, which is described to be “lighter than silk” and “harder than iron.”

(Yes, the same material that Frodo wears in the LOTR trilogy that protects him from the orcs’ attacks).

Rings of Power Ep 4 shows us that the dwarves have found Mithril in their mines. Because of how valuable this material it is (and how dangerous it can be in the wrong hands), they’ve stopped all activities around the mine.

It is possible that the dwarves think Elrond has heard news about Mithril in Khazad-dum and has come to investigate under false pretenses of the Forge Tower. You can’t blame them, not only are they distrusting by nature but Mithril is a material worth being overly cautious about.

Still, by the end of Episode 4, Durin III has agreed to help Elrond and Celebrimbor build their tower and sends Durin IV as envoy to Lindon.

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.