Amazon’s The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power just blew up the internet with exclusive photos of their brand new cast of Middle Earth characters. But fans are losing it over a female dwarf queen with no beard.
Before the Super Bowl, LVI airs the official trailer for Amazon’s The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power official trailer; Jeff Bezos gave Vanity Fairthe first look at their new characters played by a diverse cast.
But, the Dwarven Princess Disa — played by British actress Sophia Nomvete — is sparking loads of controversy over a female dwarf reportedly NOT having a beard:
I find the lack of facial hair disturbing, female dwarves have beards
What is this? A beardless dwarf and a shorthaired elf [Elrond]? No sir. All dwarves male and female have beards. All Elven have lang braided hair
What is this? A beardless dwarf and a shorthaired elf? No sir. All dwarves male and female have beards. All Elven have lang braided hair#TheRingsOfPower
the people behind the amazon ring of power is already inacuarte to tolkien lore…their first reveal of a new female dwarf is not accurate…woman doesn’t have a beard..all dwarfs regardless of gender have beards..
Everyone is entitled to their own opinions. Looking at these Tweets, it’s inferred that no one has an issue with actress Sophia Nomvete taking the crown as Dwarven Princess Dira, but how Amazon interpreted the first female dwarf raises eyebrows.
According to The Lord of the Rings lore/canon (which isn’t like in Star Wars), J.R.R. Tolkien himself described female dwarfs as having beards. Ancient dwarvish folk was so alike that they were often considered a male-only race.
In The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002), legendary dwarf Gimli, Son of Glóin reveals to Éowyn (Miranda Otto) that dwarf-women are often mistaken for men:
It’s true you don’t see many dwarf women. And in fact, they are so alike in voice and appearance, that they are often mistaken for dwarf men.
Aragorn (Viggo Mortensen) then replies: “It’s the beards.”
So, these established ideas of a dwarf female mentioned on-screen in The Two Towers are infuriating many LOTR fans.
But, any fictional work is open to interpretation. Given that Amazon has the legal rights to interpret Tolkien’s work for their Rings TV show any way they please, it’s clear that they feel having a female dwarf with no beard is the best choice for their Rings TV series.
It is worth mentioning that the first live-action appearance of a female dwarf occurred in The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (2012). Director Peter Jackson saw it fit to include facial hair to this character, but something will inadvertently change this September when The Rings of Power debuts on Prime Video.
More about The Rings of Power
Taking place in the episodic Second Age of Middle Earth, Amazon’s The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power chronicles the construction of the One Ring worn by dark lord Sauron under Mount Doom:
Three Rings for the Elven-kings under the sky, Seven for the Dwarf-lords in their halls of stone, Nine for Mortal Men doomed to die, One for the Dark Lord on his dark throne in the Land of Mordor where the Shadows lie.
The $1 billion series is set to focus on the rise of the Dark Lord Sauron, the historic alliance between Elves and Men (that transcended the entire franchise), the island of Númenor/Westernesse, as well as a look into Khazad‐dûm/Moria before the dwarven kingdom fell to hoards of goblins and the deadly Balrog/Durin’s Bane.
However, unfortunately, you won’t be seeing any of legendary hobbit Frodo Baggins (Elijah Wood), Bilbo Baggins (Sir Ian Holm), Samwise Gamgee (Sean Astin), Merry Brandybuck (Dominic Monaghan), Pippen Took (Billy Boyd), Legolas (Orlando Bloom), Gandalf the White (Sir Ian McKellan), Saruman (Sir Christopher Lee), Gollum (Andy Serkis), and more in Power of the Rings.
Credit: New Line Cinema
This series features a relatively unknown cast of lead and supporting actors that are set to play some of the most formative names in Elrond (Robert Arayamo), Lady Galadriel of Lothlórien (Morfydd Clark), and Prince Durin IV (Owain Arthur).
New characters like silvan elf Arondir (Ismael Cruz Córdova) and Cole (Maxim Baldry) have been created specifically for the series:
In a bold move, #TheRingsOfPower condenses Tolkien’s Middle-earth timeline and adds entirely new characters. Sophia Nomvete’s dwarven princess, Disa, and Ismael Cruz Córdova’s Silvan elf, Arondir, broaden the notion of who lives in Middle-earth.
In a bold move, #TheRingsOfPower condenses Tolkien’s Middle-earth timeline and adds entirely new characters. Sophia Nomvete’s dwarven princess, Disa, and Ismael Cruz Córdova’s Silvan elf, Arondir, broaden the notion of who lives in Middle-earth.
Showrunner Patrick McKay and writer JD Payne pen the tentative series with directors JA Bayona and Wayne Che Yip leading the Rings show set to debut on September 2, 2022.
Do you feel that female dwarfs should have beards in The Lord of the Rings? Let us know in the comments below!
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Credit: New Line Cinema
