In a huge sea of cast members for The Rings of Power Season 2, Elendil has been established as one of the most important, and many fans are curious how he is connected to The Lord of the Rings' Aragorn.
The Rings of Power takes place during the Second Age of Middle-earth, meaning that it is set thousands of years before the main trilogy of books and movies that explore the War for the Ring.
However, the show includes characters who either appear in those other projects or are directly related to characters from them, leaving fans interested in learning all about the connections and tie-ins, such as the relationship between Galadriel and Elrond.
Elendil's Relationship to Aragorn Explained
One of the most important plot points of the original Lord of the Rings trilogy was that Gondor did not have a true king and was instead ruled by a steward.
However, it was established at multiple points throughout the trilogy that Aragorn, son of Arathorn, was Isildur's heir, meaning that he technically was the true king of Gondor due to the line of succession.
As seen in The Rings of Power, Isildur is Numenorean, and his father is Numenor's sea guard captain.
Since Aragorn is the rightful heir of Gondor through Isildur's line, that means Aragorn is directly related to Elendil and is a distant (but still direct) descendant of the future king.
According to J.R.R. Tolkien lore, Aragorn is the 39th generation descendant of Isildur, meaning there would be 40 generations between him and Elendil.
Basically, after Elendil and the survivors of the Fall of Numenor ventured to Middle-earth, Elendil founded the kingdoms of Gondor and Arnor, and his bloodline went on to begin what is called the Dunedain, of which Aragorn was the last chieftain.
It is important to note that when Elendil first founded Gondor and Arnor, he was their ruler and was known as the high king. That title was passed to his son, Isildur, after Sauron killed Elendil. However, after Isildur's death, Gondor and Arnor were split and not bound together by one king but two.
Aragorn's ancestors actually ruled over Arnor instead of Gondor, but since Aragorn was one of the last Dunedain left and essentially led the battle that saved Minas Tirith (a city in Gondor), the people claimed he should become the first high king since Isildur and unite the realms of Gondor and Arnor once more.
So, while Aragorn is a direct descendant of Elendil, it is also worth noting that he was one of the only high kings of Gondor and Arnor to ever exist. Specifically, the only high kings were Elendil, Isildur, and Aragorn, making the former and the latter even more closely related.
On-Screen Connections Between Elendil & Aragorn
Elendil and Aragorn have never shared the screen (or the page) because they live thousands of years apart, but there are still multiple on-screen connections between them.
For example, in The Fellowship of the Ring, after Aragorn tells Frodo to run following their conversation on Amon Hen, Aragorn jumps into a sea of Orcs, yelling, "Elendil!"
According to Tolkien lore, Aragorn used Elendil's name as a battle cry. He likely did so due to his relation to Elendil and out of respect for the past king.
Another major connection between Elendil and Aragorn is that, at one point, Aragorn wields the reforged sword that once belonged to Elendil.
Known as Narsil, when Elendil wielded it, Sauron broke the sword during the War of the Last Alliance. However, in its broken state, it was picked up by Isildur and used to cut the One Ring off Sauron's finger, resulting in the death of his physical body (read about why Sauron ultimately turned evil).
In Return of the King, the Shards of Narsil were reforged into a working sword known as Anduril, which Elendil then gave to Aragorn, symbolizing that Gondor finally had a true king.
The reforging of the sword also symbolized the eventual reunion of Gondor and Arnor, which, as previously mentioned, had been split since Isildur's death.
One more major connection between the two characters comes from Tolkien's writings. In The Silmarillion, specifically in the section titled "Of the Rings of Power and the Third Age," Tolkien described the exact number of generations between Aragorn and Elendil while also explaining that Aragorn was "more like Elendil than any before him:"
"He was Aragorn son of Arathorn, the nine and thirtieth heir in the right line from Isildur, and yet more like Elendil than any before him."
Tolkien's words indicate that Aragorn and Elendil were more alike than any of the latter's other descendants, even his sons.
Therefore, while related through blood, Elendil and Aragorn were also so closely resemblant that their connection was even stronger.
Read the details of Galadriel's relationship with Sauron in The Rings of Power here!
The Rings of Power is streaming on Amazon Prime Video, and new episodes are released every Thursday at 3 a.m. ET.
