Adar plays a crucial role in the “Lord of the Rings” universe, even if it may not be well known to many fans at first. He is considered the father of the orcs.
Adar in “Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power”: An elf as an orc father
Adar has been one of the villains from the beginning of the Amazon Prime series “Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power”. More precisely, Adar is the orc father.
- The name Adar is Sindarin and means exactly that: “Father”. In the first season of the series, Adar is played by British actor Joseph Mawle; from the second season onwards, Sam Hazeldine takes on the role of the orc father.
- Adar is one of the tortured and abandoned elves that gave rise to the orcs – created by Morgoth. Galadriel is the first to realize this. But Adar doesn't want to be called an orc, but calls himself an Uruk. As Uruk, he is one of the oldest characters in “The Rings of Power”.
- Adar sees himself as the father of the orcs and wants to prevent them from being enslaved and used by Sauron. Adar's goal: He wants to lead the orcs to Mordor and give them a home there.
- Adar tells Arondir, a Silvan elf and warrior who foresaw the return of evil, that he was born in Beleriand. When he was young, he walked along the river bank, which was covered in blooming sage.
- Adar sends Arondir to the people in the old watchtower and tells them that their lives will be spared if they join Adar. However, people reject this. Adar's orc army then attacks.
- The Númenóreans come to the aid of the people in the south. The orcs are defeated and Adar is captured. But: Thanks to the Sword of Morgoth, Adar's human servant Waldreg manages to cause Mount Doom to erupt. Adar escapes and ultimately takes his orcs to Mordor.
Adar and Sauron: An ambivalent relationship
Adar and Sauron share a special story. As an elf, Adar was chained to a peak and left behind. He was saved by young Sauron, of all people, who gave him wine to drink.
- Adar is therefore one of the first and supreme orcs, a so-called Moriondor. As already mentioned, Adar also welcomes the name Uruk. The orc father and Sauron worked together for a long time until a break occurred.
- In Season 1, Adar mentions to Galadriel that he killed Sauron. But that only corresponds to half of reality, without Adar initially knowing about it. It is true that the orc father defeated and killed Sauron in his human form.
- The reason: Sauron planned to let the orcs, who for him were nothing but despicable creatures, go to war again. Adar wanted to prevent that. So he stabbed Sauron.
- But: Sauron is a demonic being. Adar has merely killed his appearance, his form. But his dark soul flowed out of the stabbed body and hides in the darkness to recharge its strength and power so that it can strike back at the right moment.