In the upcoming Amazon Prime Series Lord of the Rings The Rings of Power, Gil-Gald is played by Benajmin Walker. He will play an important role. There are a few Elves of high standing still alive during the Second Age. Elrond and Galadriel we know about but they will both be relatively young and lacking leadership roles. Rather, Gil-galad, Celebrimbor and Ciridan the Shipwright — the oldest Elf in Middle-earth — will be the three ranking Elves in the series.

Here is everything you need to know about this majestic and epic King of the Elves:

**Update: these images were released by Amazon on 2022/06/30, and we have our first glimpse of Aeglos, his spear!

Why we absolutely love him:

  • He wielded one of the most famous weapons in Middle-Earth. Read more on that here. Few spears were as well known as Aeglos. Aeglos was the spear of Gil-Galad [Gil-Gald made our list of the top 15 most famous characters in Middle-Earth], High King of the Noldor at the end of the First Age and throughout the Second Age. He wielded the spear and a silver shield. We know that the name means “Icicle;” little else is known of Aeglos’ origins, except that it was forged in the First Age.It was a weapon of such might that it could harm the body of Sauron, even while he was wielding the One. It was broken by Sauron when he killed Gil-Galad, killing him by the heat of his hands and his rage. Gil-Galad is featured in The Fellowship of the Ring movie, if only briefly. He can be seen fighting alongside Elrond at the battle against Sauron at the start of the film. He was known as the last High King of the Noldor in Middle-Earth, and he founded the elven kingdom of Lindon which was the longest-lasting elven kingdom in the Tolkien mythology. He died after defeating Sauron during the War of the Last Alliance.

 

  • He is one of few characters that appear in the 1st, 2nd and 3rd Age.

 

  • When Sauron tried to make contact with the Elves under the name of Annatar, the “Lord of Gifts” Gil-galad and Círdan did not trust him and rejected his proposals. During their struggle with Sauron, Gil-Galad inflicted enough mortal wounds on the Dark Lord to destroy his body but in return he received terrible wounds. His death marked the end of the Ñoldor Kingdoms in Middle-earth.

 

  • He formed the Last Alliance of Elves and Men with Elendil, and led the Elves to war against Sauron during this time

 

  • His lineage is pretty epic, as you can see below he is the great-grandson of Finarfin.

Lord of the Rings The Rings of Power – Who was Gil-Galad?

Cited Sources

  • https://www.cbr.com/rings-of-power-elven-king-gil-galad/