At the end of its third episode, The Lord Of The Rings: The Rings Of Power introduced us to Adar, a shadowy figure in the Southlands who seems to be commanding the Orcs in their pursuit of some hidden power. It’s pretty clear from that episode that Adar, and the Orcs who serve him, are basically living out the secret origins of Mordor in the Southlands. But what’s less clear is who Adar himself actually is, and his role in what’s to come this season and beyond. Episode four of The Rings Of Power, “The Great Wave,” preserved quite a bit of that mystery. We get a closer look at Adar, and at least some idea of what he wants, but so many more questions remain. Advertisement
Following up on the teaser at the end of episode three, “The Great Wave” picks up Arondir’s (Ismael Cruz Córdova) story with the moment when he finally meets Adar (an Elvish word for “father”), played by former Game Of Thrones star Joseph Mawle. Though Arondir asks some pretty straightforward questions of the scarred, Elf-looking figure, Adar offers no easy answers. Instead, he teases that Arondir has been lied to about the way of things his whole life, offers vague clues as to his intentions by musing that he’s not a God “yet,” and finally sends the Elf away with a message for the people of the Southlands: surrender or die. So, who is this guy, why do the Orcs call him father, and what’s his role in the battles we know are still to come as Sauron’s rise continues? We don’t know for sure, and the area of history the show is exploring is just murky enough to keep us guessing. That said, we do have some ideas. Here are four theories that could explain Adar’s presence in pre-Mordor Middle-earth. G/O Media may get a commission
Theory No. 1: He’s Sauron
Let’s start with the Occam’s Razor (Morgoth’s Razor?) approach to this whole thing and just go with the simplest and most straightforward explanation: Adar is Sauron, or at least some aspect of Sauron, prior to the forging of the Rings of Power that will grant him such might and terror in Middle-earth later in the Second Age. He speaks like he’s been around a long time (Sauron was born as one of the Maiar, and as such has existed since before time itself), he’s got a cool Mordor-looking gauntlet on his hand, and the Orcs clearly revere him. Plus, we know from episode three that the strange symbol Galadriel’s been tracking is actually a map to draw Orcs to the Southlands, where Sauron eventually makes his home. By the end of the Second Age, he’s already made the One Ring in the fires of Mount Doom, so it’s easy to imagine this is a slightly less powerful version of Sauron getting an early start on his building projects, specifically by digging for a relic of Morgoth that could help him rise again. Advertisement
Screenshot: Prime Video
Of course, it’s very easy to dismiss this idea as too simple, particularly when the aspiring blacksmith Halbrand is off being handsome all over Númenor (where, according to Tolkien, Sauron eventually appears in a very handsome guise to deceive the Númenoreans). So maybe Sauron isn’t in the Southlands yet. Maybe Adar is more like his herald, or a top lieutenant, which brings us to…
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Theory No. 2: He’s The Witch-king
Traditionally, the Witch-king of Angmar is seen as a human leader who was corrupted by one of the Nine Rings and eventually transformed into the leader of the Ringwraiths, Sauron’s enforcers and the horrifying hunters of the One Ring. But we know The Rings Of Power is taking certain liberties with Tolkien lore, particularly where things get murky, and the good news there for the show is that we really don’t know all that much about who the Witch-king was before he became the Witch-king. Maybe in this version of the story, he was an Elf first. Maybe the way he looks now is part of his ongoing corruption, or there’s a larger story at work that we don’t fully understand. When you think about Sauron’s best captains, his name almost always comes up, and it’s easy to imagine a world in which he’s inserted into Mordor’s origins. That said, the Rings of Power don’t exist yet in the world of the show, and you could argue that the Witch-king is a non-entity until that moment. So perhaps…
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Theory No. 3: He’s Maeglin
If you’re not familiar with Tolkien works like The Silmarillion, you might not know the name Maeglin, but he’s a fascinating figure in the world of Middle-earth, because he’s basically the only Elf who was ever corrupted to darkness by Morgoth (that we know of, anyway). The nephew of an Elven king (and somewhat removed cousin of Galadriel), Maeglin was both a respected warrior and a highly skilled smith, capable of making some of the strongest weapons known to Elf-kind during the First Age. Sadly, he was also in love with his first cousin, something his fellow Elves weren’t keen to indulge him on. Deeply resentful because he couldn’t have what he truly wanted, Maeglin was ultimately seduced by Morgoth (Sauron’s mentor and the original Dark Lord, remember), and agreed to betray the hidden Elven city of Gondolin in exchange for a leadership role and the hand of the woman he loved. Gondolin fell, and according to Tolkien’s writings, Maeglin fell with it. Advertisement
So, the evil elf is dead, right? Well, according to The Silmarillion, Maeglin fell down into flames (remember those burn marks on his face) during the Fall of Gondolin, which suggests death but doesn’t necessarily guarantee it, particularly if you’ve got the forces of darkness on your side. Plus, Adar talks to Arondir about the lost region of Beleriand, where Maeglin was born. It’s possible The Rings Of Power has dug deep into Tolkien lore to pull out an ace in the hole for Sauron here, an Elf with evil in his heart who also happens to be really good at making weapons. Throw in the idea that Orcs might be former Elves corrupted by Morgoth himself, and it all seems to line up. Of course, maybe we’re overthinking this. Maybe…
Theory No. 4: He’s someone else
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power is a show that delights in being able to show us earlier versions of familiar places and people, from the Dwarven mines of Moria to beloved figures like Elrond and Galadriel. But the show has taken almost equal delight in giving us new faces to root for, from the Elf trying to survive in the Southlands to the Harfoots dealing with new mysteries. It’s entirely possible that Adar is a new player on the Middle-earth map, a guy created because Sauron needs some top henchmen, and there aren’t all that many to choose from. So, we get a new baddie, a mini-boss before the Big Bad emerges, who also happens to have some ties to the history of Morgoth and Sauron to smooth out some of the gaps in the lore. Guessing games are fun, but sometimes the answer really is “Hey, we made him up.” Whoever Adar is, we’ve got four more episodes of The Rings Of Power season one to unpack him.

Who is The Rings Of Power's Adar? Four theories to explain the mysterious master of the orcs

AFRL
Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL), the Intelligence Advanced Research Projects Activity and the University of Michigan have partnered to develop a tool that could identify the relation the acute respiratory disease syndrome present in COVID-19. AFRL's Materials and Manufacturing Directorate provided researchers to support IARPA's Molecular Analyzer for Efficient Gas-phase Low-power Interrogation program, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base said Friday . The resulting product would be able to support civilian, industrial, military and now, COVID-19 assessment activities. MAEGLIN's gas sensor can be used to examine exhaled air from COVID-19 patients. MAEGLIN originally aimed to produce portable technology that detects nuclear presence, pollution, chemical weapons, drugs and other dangerous materials via ultra-low-power chemical analysis. The pandemic and MAEGLIN's potential to address the issue prompted AFRL to augment the program to accommodate COVID-19-related applications. "The technology showed promise for medical applications, and we saw an opportunity to use it for urgent needs during the global pandemic," said Robert Bedford, a researcher with AFRL.

AFRL Modifies Existing Gas Detector Program to Address COVID-19

The Intelligence Advanced Research Projects Activity has awarded contracts to teams at the University of Michigan and SRI International for research projects on chemical detection. The teams will work to develop prototypes under the Molecular Analyzer for Efficient Gas-Phase Low-Power Interrogation or MAEGLIN program's second phase, IARPA said Friday . MAEGLIN aims to produce a low-power system to analyze chemicals and identify the presence of chemical weapons, illegal drugs, toxins, explosives and nuclear materials. The program's second phase would cover the integrated application of two different functions: forensic chemical identification and screening chemical identification. “Chemical detection is a priority for the Intelligence Community, with applications such as forensic analysis, border/facility protection and stockpile/production monitoring,” said Kristy DeWitt, MAEGLIN program manager. Personnel from the Chemical Biological Center, Naval Research Laboratory and Sandia National Laboratory will evaluate the performance of the resulting integrated prototypes.

IARPA Issues New Awards for Chemical Detection Research Program

IOWA CITY, Iowa \(CBS2/Fox28\) -- Law enforcement throughout the Corridor stepped up patrol Monday night in an effort to bust drunk drivers. As pubs and bars filled up in downtown Iowa City Monday, cab drivers were waiting. Red Line Cab driver Dave Maeglin says he doesnât mind working the holiday knowing heâll be the designated driver for those who may have had too much to drink.  âI know that the majority of the people that we will end up carrying late into the night should not be behind

New Year's Eve a Busy Night for Cops and Cab Drivers

CDC Innovation Backs Maeglin Software
June 8, 2012
Maeglin Software, a maker of mobile apps, has added a new equity round from CDC Innovation, Maeglin’s management, and private investors such as Jean-Luc Lénart, the former CEO of CCMX. PRESS RELEASE
Maeglin Software, a cloud-based mobile value-added services provider that develops and distributes the PleexSuite, a unique comprehensive set of “apps” (PleexBackup, PleexSocial, PleexMigrator, PleexSpam, PleexEnterprise and PleexKids), has raised a new equity round from CDC Innovation, Maeglin’s management, and private investors such as Jean-Luc Lénart, former CEO of CCMX (now CEGID). Since 2009, Maeglin Software has been fast growing with clients on four continents. Over the past few months, the company has signed significant contracts with a number of new partners both in North and South America and has launched its PleexSuite with leading mobile operators in Africa and Asia. In 2011, in addition to the Europe TOP 100 Red-Herring award, Maeglin received the prestigious “Deloitte Technology Fast 50” label as one of the Top 50 fastest-growing technology companies in France, as well as two other mobile awards at the 2011 Digiworld Summit. The funds raised will allow Maeglin Software to strengthen its management team and accelerate its international expansion. Jean-François Auriffeille, CEO of Maeglin Software, says: “Despite the crisis, 2011 was our best year ever, both in terms of revenue and innovations. Our expectations for 2012 are even greater. We expect to surpass our current growth rate and are excited by our coming announcements. We are more than ever determined to continue to empower the cloud to free up your mobile life, and are convinced that the best is still ahead of us”. Franck Noiret, General Partner at CDC Innovation, adds: “Maeglin Software’s cloud-based technology is at the crossroads of Web, mobile and tablet PC. Standing out by its comprehensiveness and its versatility, the PleexSuite is the perfect response to today’s exploding demand for data and privacy protection. Therefore, we are very excited by the outlook of 2012 and 2013.”
 
MAEGLIN SOFTWARE is a company specialized in the development and sale of services for cell phone. This Young Innovative Company located in Paris and Montpellier, France was founded in 2006. MAEGLIN is financed by CDC Innovation, Innovacom, Cap Décisif and several business angels and has been granted the support of the OSEO, of LRI (Languedoc Roussillon Incubation) and the Languedoc-Roussillon Region. Maeglin is accompanied by the Montpellier CEEI. For more information: www.maeglin.com
 
CDC INNOVATION (www.cdcinnovation.com) is a Paris-based venture capital firm founded in 1996. With over 420 M€ currently under management, our focus is on venture investments at both the early and late stage, in two sectors: information technologies and life sciences. Our aim is to create value by providing talented entrepreneurs with the resources, experience, and network necessary to turn world-class technologies into great businesses. © 2015 Buyouts Insider / Argosy Group LLC


CDC Innovation Backs Maeglin Software

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Maeglin Software is a company specialized in the development and sale of services for cell phones. The company's key product is Pleex, the service that lets users back-up over the air & share mobile contacts, pictures and documents online.

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