Anyone who watched the two most recent episodes of "The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power" might remember a voice that calls out to the character Isildur as he sails on a vessel from Númenor.
the introduction of Númenor, from episode 3 of the series, several new characters were introduced. Among them is Isildur, played by Maxim Baldry. Isildur is the son of Elendil (Lloyd Owen), and despite his apparent stubbornness and defiant nature, he appears to want to please his father. Additionally, he seeks to carry on the family legacy by joining the Sea Guard, but his most recent actions indicate that a desire for something different in his life is taking hold.
Several moments point to this desire of Isildur, but one of them is the most striking: he hears a voice that whispers his name, while he is at sea training to join the Guard. But whose mysterious voice does he call to Isildur? There are some theories for this.
The most obvious of them would be that the one who calls for Isildur is his mother, who has already died and was mentioned for the first time in episode 4 of the series. Isildur's mother would be an original character, created especially for the series, since there is no mention of his mother in "The Lord of the Rings", by JRR Tolkien.
There are some hints offered throughout the episodes to conclude that the voice would be hers. When Elendil gathers the children, it becomes clear that things are not unfolding according to the patriarch's plans, especially when he turns against his daughter Eärien (Ema Horvath), simply because she defends her brother.
Isildur is trying to explain why he no longer wants to join the Seaguard, but Elendil insists that he remain. This could indicate that the loss of his wife may have had such an impact on him that he doesn't want anything to change after the tragic and unexpected experience. The moment also shows that the family cannot unite very well with each other, and Isildur's mother was probably the one who kept the family in harmony.
Furthermore, Isildur's mother may know that the path he is trying to take by joining the Seaguard is the wrong one for him. Another reason goes back to Tolkien's lore, which points to an evil influencing the people of Númenor. This evil caused paranoia and corruption, and eventually led to the island's downfall.
But the spirit of Isildur's mother may not be behind it. o we have already seen the prophecy of the downfall of Númenor, through the Queen-Regent, it is possible that the series is showing this evil corrupting individuals. The main purpose of this evil force is to cause division between the Elves and the Men of Númenor, eventually turning them against each other.
So, it would be logical for the force to act on behalf of those who are already antagonistic to the elves, and seeking to overthrow those faithful to them. Elendil is seen as one of the main inhabitants of Númenor who are loyal to the Elves, and this evil targeting his son would make perfect sense.
There is one more option, which also points to another being making use of Isildur's mother's voice to harm him. At the center of the island of Númenor is the mountain of Meneltarma, one of the holiest places in all existence dedicated to the cult of Eru Ilúvatar.
Ilúvatar is believed to have created the Ainur, who were lesser gods he sent into the universe he created to build Arda, Tolkien's word for the world of Middle-earth. Since the creation of the Ainur, Ilúvatar has not been known to be directly involved in the events that unfold in Arda – you can learn more about this in the post where we talked about the opening of the series.
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“The Rings of Power” highlights this huge mountain in the middle of the island every time the voice speaks Isildur. There definitely seems to be something divine about the entity reaching out to him. With no lore suggesting that the dead can somehow reach out to and unite with the living, the idea that Ilúvatar would directly intervene in Isildur's life is another viable explanation as to who might be uniting with him.
Regardless of who owns the voice that speaks Isildur, or what intentions he may have, it has been affecting the character, and made him rethink joining the Sea Guard, and succeeded in making him take an impulsive attitude that got him expelled. of the organization, and take a different path in its destiny.
Isildur is one of the most relevant characters in the history of Middle-earth, and his actions had consequences even thousands of years in the future, in the original story of the “Lord of the Rings” trilogy.
Episode 5 of “The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power” arrives on Prime Video this Friday (23), at 1am.
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