Is the Volcano Orodruin from The Rings of Power Mount Doom & Does It Create Mordor?

The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power continues to expand on the different things that we already know about the Tolkien legendarium as this is basically an origin story that is set thousands of years before the events of The Lord of the Rings. With that said, we saw that Mordor was not yet what it was supposed to be as it was still called the Southlands during this time period. Then again, we did see Adar’s plan coming to fruition when he used the sword hilt as a key to force the mountain in the Southlands to erupt. So, was this very same mountain the dreaded Mount Doom in The Lord of the Rings?

The mountain that erupted in the final scenes of The Rings of Power is the very same Mount Doom that we saw in The Lord of the Rings. Of course, this is the same mountain where the One Ring was forged by Sauron himself. That’s why this volcano is an important part of the entire storyline.

We know for a fact that Mount Doom is an essential part of the entire LOTR narrative because the One Ring was forged and can only be destroyed by this mountain. That is why it was the ultimate destination of the duo of Frodo and Sam during the events of The Lord of the Rings. And we saw its origin story in The Rings of Power as the series is only becoming more exciting.

What Is Mount Doom?

One of the things that we have known throughout the storyline of The Lord of the Rings is the fact that Mount Doom is an important part of the entire narrative. That’s because the One Ring was forged in the fires of Mount Doom by Sauron during the Second Age. And because it was forged there, it could only be destroyed by the fires of Mount Doom as well.

Also called Orodruin and Amon Amarth, Mount Doom became the ultimate destination of both Frodo and Sam during the entire The Lord of the Rings storyline because they needed to destroy the One Ring there. As such, Mount Doom marked the beginning and the end of the One Ring and of Sauron.

Mount Doom, in a sense, is one of the most vital parts of the entire The Lord of the Rings story, but the thing about it is that it was never even mentioned during the events of The Rings of Power. And that is what leads us to the entire discussion regarding the events that happened in episode 6.

Is The Volcano From The Rings Of Power Mount Doom?

During the events of episode 6 of The Rings of Power, the Orc army led by Adar finally launched its attack on the Southlanders, who were able to fight valiantly but couldn’t overcome the sheer force of the Uruk. And we know for a fact that Adar wanted the sword hilt that Arondir and the Southlanders had in their possession because it was the key he needed to recreate the world.

Of course, Adar himself is an Orc and is actually a Moriondor or one of the first Orcs. He wanted his Orcs to have a realm of their own because he wanted them to be free from their shackles. And that was the reason why he wanted to recreate the world.

We also saw in episode 3 that Galadriel learned that Sauron specifically targeted the Southlands for his new realm, as the mark that she couldn’t decipher turned out to be a map of the Southlands. And this was a contingency plan that was created in case Morgoth were to be defeated, as Sauron was able to put it into motion.

While we haven’t seen Sauron yet, Adar was the one who wanted to carry out this plan so that he could create a realm for his Orcs. That was the reason why he basically threatened to kill every last one of the villagers to get the sword hilt. And he finally got his hands on it when Theo revealed its location, as Adar was about to kill Bronwyn.

But before Adar could use the key, the Númenoreans arrived just in time to defeat the Orc army and rescue the Southlanders from Adar’s men. On top of that, they were able to acquire what appeared to be the sword hilt. But it turned out that Adar had previously given the hilt to Waldreg, who rushed back to the Elven watchtower, which actually had a keyhole for the sword hilt.

When the Númenoreans and the Southlanders were celebrating, Waldreg activated a mechanism that allowed the waters under the Southlands to rush into what seemed to be a dormant volcano. The water reacted with the lava and created a massive explosion that allowed the volcano to erupt and cause a widespread catastrophe that shook the very foundations of the Southlands and blanketed the land with ash and smoke to block out the sunlight.

In that regard, it is safe to say that this is the very same Mount Doom that we saw during the events of The Lord of the Rings, as this mountain continuously released molten lava, ash, and smoke to make sure that the sky was blocked out. 

Does Mount Doom Create Mordor?

It is important to take note that during the events of The Rings of Power, Mordor is yet to exist. As established by Galadriel in episode 3, Sauron was looking to transform the Southlands into his very own realm with the mountain at the very center of this place. Of course, the Southlands was yet to become the dark and desolate place that Mordor is.

In fact, the Southlands in The Rings of Power were rich in mountains, forests, and greenery. It wasn’t the best in terms of its natural riches, but it was still a good enough place for Men to live in if they wanted a quiet and simple life for themselves. But it certainly wasn’t a good home for the Orcs because of all of the sunlight that touched the Southlands.

But we did see Mount Doom basically terraforming the Southlands and transforming it into something else. The lava and molten rock from the volcano burned almost everything down and even destroyed the forests and reduced them to ash. Meanwhile, the smoke and ash coming from the volcano made sure that the entire area was blanketed in darkness.

In that regard, it is safe to say that the eruption of Mount Doom was the event that created Mordor, which is the perfect home for Sauron and his Orcs because sunlight never touches this area. The first part of Sauron’s master plan had just been completed because he now had a realm for his Orcs. 

On top of that, he has now turned Mount Doom into a perpetually active volcano that would serve as the place where he would create the One Ring. After all, Sauron’s ultimate goal was to create a Ring to Rule Them All, and that is why Mount Doom is one of the most important places in the entire The Lord of the Rings storyline.