Thread by @keeperssaga

So, a 🧵 about #TheRingsOfPower and why adaptations have to make changes.

This is Bilbo's journey in #TheHobbit. Bilbo left his house on April 27th and arrived at the Lonely Mountain shortly before October 19th of the same year. 1/8

This is Frodo's journey in #LordOfTheRings. Frodo left his house on September 22nd and arrived at Mount Doom on March 25th of the following year.

Now, that should give you a sense of how long it takes to cross these maps on foot. #TheRingsOfPower 2/8

This is the journey of the #Elves in the First Age. As you can see, they travel through many of the same regions as Bilbo and Frodo. Their journey is at most 3 times the length of Frodo's.

So, how long do think it took. Two years? Three?

No, no. 280 years! #TheRingsOfPower 3/8

One Valian year is equal to ten solar years. So, 1105 YT to 1133 YT is 28 Valian years or 280 solar years. And that's assuming you go with Tolkien's original estimate and not his later 140 solar years to every Valian Year.

#TheRingsOfPower

lotr.fandom.com/wiki/Timeline_… 4/8

You have to wonder what these elves were thinking! This was the dawn of civilization! They were the only sentient creatures in existence. There no towns, no castles.

Were they just like, "Hmm, that's a nice river. Let's spend a decade here!" #TheRingsOfPower 5/8

But that's Tolkien for you.

He didn't write on human timescales. His epics unfold over the course of centuries. There's no way you could adapt that without either a) compressing the story or b) doing massive time jumps which come with their own problems. #TheRingsofPower 6/8

Never mind the fact that you couldn't keep any of the mortal characters longer than a season. Imagine we see Galadriel warning Celebrimbor not to trust Annatar. Then, in the next episode, it's 500 years later, and you're like, "Oh, she's a queen now?" #TheRingsOfPower 7/8

Elves perceive time differently, but we kind of have to write shows (and books) for human audiences.

So I'm sorry, purists, but most of the world is not going to follow this as closely as you, and the average viewer would be put off by these huge time jumps. #TheRingsOfPower 8/8