Who is Arondir, and what is a Silvan Elf?
So, in Tolkien’s work, there are different tribes of elves. Gil-galad (Benjamin Walker), for example, who is High King of Lindon, is one of the Ñoldorin, what you might call the mainstream of elf culture. Arondir (Ismael Cruz Córdova) is a Silvan, or “wood” elf, and his distinct bronze colour and dark hair suggests the series takes at least a wisp of its inspiration from the wood elves of the fantasy game Dungeons & Dragons.

Why does Arondir’s relationship with Bronwen matter so much?
There is a thread running through much of Tolkien’s work of forbidden romance between humans, who were mortal, and elves, who were near-immortal. In that sense, the relationship between Arondir and Bronwen (Nazanin Boniadi) in The Rings of Power is the series’ nod to the great Tolkien love stories of Beren and Lúthien, and later Aragorn and Arwen.

There be spoilers?
Not really, but we do know the eventual fate of the rings. The ring-wielding mortal men were turned into the ring-wraiths, or Nazgûl, the terrible servants of Sauron. The dwarves were corrupted by their rings; Sauron reclaimed three and the other four were, according to legend, eaten by dragons. And the three elven rings end up with, respectively, Gandalf the wizard, Galadriel and Elrond.

I have a spare month. Is there anything else I can do to prepare?
You certainly can, kids. Even though most people will applaud the Peter Jackson films, and some people will cheat and watch the imperfect Ralph Bakshi animated film, all of which make for adequate preparation, in truth the best adaptation out there of a Tolkien work so far is the BBC radio serial from 1981, narrated by Gerard Murphy and featuring a full cast, which is available on CD and online.