This article contains spoilers forThe Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power.
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Poweris inventing original material to answer many of the questions raised by its source material, J.R.R. Tolkien’sThe Lord of the Rings. With the rights toThe HobbitandThe Lord of the Rings, the show is also drawing on the wider legendarium, clearly accessing one-off rights to individual aspects of the texts. For those familiar with Tolkien’s lore,The Rings of Powerseason 2was an often mind-boggling adaptation, journeying into the creative minds of showrunners J.D. Payne and Patrick McKay.
While some of season 2’s inventions had Tolkienites pulling their hair out in frustration, some were gloriously satisfying and well-received by many. Regardless, showrunners constantly demonstrated knowledge and love of Tolkien’s work with Easter eggs, callbacks, and tie-ins. This confirms that the show’s inventions were not made without serious consideration of the books. Whether to embellish canon thoughtfully or make its internal timing work,Rings of Power’sSecond Agesolved many Tolkien mysteries.
10Rings Of Power Confirms How Many Elves Morgoth Turned Into Orcs
Moriondor Are Confirmed In The Rings Of Power
InThe Rings of Powerseason 2, episode 1, the original character Adar told Sauron thatMorgoth turned 13 Elves into the first Orcs. These first Orcs came to be known as the Moriondor, as explained by Galadriel in season 1 when she had Adar bound and was interrogating him. It was never quite clear inThe Lord of the Ringsexactly howMorgoth started the race of Orcs, despite the topic being mysteriously broached many times.
Before time
33,537
10,061
Elves awoke in Cuiviénen
4,902
3,441
T.A. 1 - 3021
3,021
In accordance with this mystery, the legendarium never confirmed exactly how many Elves Morgoth turned into the first Orcs.The Silmarillionstated that Morgoth corrupted some of the Elves after they had awakened in Cuiviénen in the First Age. ThoseElves that disappeared were never seen again, according to the lore ofLord of the Rings' Elvish Eldarthat was expressed inThe Silmarillion.
9Where Gandalf Got His Staff In The Lord Of The Rings
Rings Of Power Shows The Origins Of Gandalf’s Staff
The Rings of Power’sStranger was actually Gandalf, as season 2 finally confirmed in its last episode, and he found his magical staff in Rhûn. High fantasy pioneer J.R.R.Tolkien never did divulge exactly where Gandalf found his staff, how he got it, or how it was made. It wasn’t clear, in fact, whether it was found or made.Rings of Powertook delight in exploring these unanswered questions.
9 Rings Of Power Clues That Confirmed The Stranger Was Gandalf All Along
The Rings of Power season 2 has finally confirmed The Stranger to be Gandalf, but the series had been laying out clues since its first episode.
Before he even knew his name, Gandalf found his staff ready-made inthe eastern land of Rhûn. Tom Bombadil had made it abundantly clear, beforehand, that the Stranger would simply know when he found his staff. Tom also clarified thatthe staff chose the Wizard, calling back the famousHarry Potterconcept of the wand choosing the Wizard. Gandalf’s natural-looking and simple staff resembled the one created by Peter Jackson for his movies, allowing for a certain amount of continuity between both franchises.
8Why Celebrimbor & Sauron Made Specifically Nine Rings For Men
The Rings Of Power Clarifies The Forging Process
The Rings of Powerseason 2 dived deep intoSauron’s full planto forge the Rings of Power with Celebrimbor, offering a subtle explanation as to why nine rings were needed for the race of Men.The show was always particular on its idea of balance, offering that three rings were needed for Elves in order to balance out the opposition created by having two. Building on this, the show presented a certain balance in forging the Nine.
Galadriel
Sauron had successfully persuaded Celebrimbor to start forging nine rings of Men, despite honestly telling him that High King Gil-galad wouldn’t be best pleased about it if he knew. Celebrimbor wrote a letter lying to the King, telling him he was shutting down the forge, which Sauron falsely discouraged while being internally gleeful. Sauron used Celebrimbor’s lie as his false explanation as to why the Dwarves' rings may have been challenged creatively or spiritually. TheNine were then forged to outweigh the flaws of the Sevenand treble the benefits ofthe three Elven-rings.
7When The Entwives Disappear In The Lord Of The Rings
Rings Of Power Explores Entwives
One ofThe Lord of the Rings’biggest mysteries iswhat happened to the lost Entwives, whichThe Rings of Powertackles.An Entwife appeared triumphantly to the Elf Arondirand Theo in the show. Both original characters experienced the wrath of the giant tree, but Arondir was able to earn her trust. The show did not explain what happened to make the Entwives disappear in time for the Third Age. Kemen, another original character inRings of Power, mentioned toward the end of season 2 that he wanted lots of trees to be cut down for timber in and around the coastal settlement of Pelargir.
Sauron began construction on Barad-dûr
1000
Sauron befriended the Elves of Eregion as Annatar
1200
Rings of Power were forged
1500
The Three great Elven Rings were forged
1590
The One Ring was forged, Barad-dûr was completed, Sauron openly proclaimed himself
1600
Sauron began to prepare to invade Eriador
1605
The War of the Elves and Sauron began
1693
Sauron invaded Eriador
1695
Sauron sacked Eregion and killed Celebrimbor. Rivendell was founded. The Dwarves assailed Sauron. Khazad-dûm closed.
1697
1699
Númenóreans defeated Sauron
1700
Sauron was driven from Eriador and fled to Mordor. First White Council held
1701
Ar-Pharazôn seized the scepter
3255
Sauron became Pharazôn’s prisoner in Númenor
3262
Númenor fell
3319
This could hint that it was ruthless Númenórean expansion killing the Entwives. It was assumed by many after readingThe Lord of the Ringsthat the dubious accolade of killing the Entwives fell to Sauron. But in the show’s logic, it may not be so. Regardless,the show posited that Entwives were still around in the Second Age, suggesting that they only disappeared sometime between S.A. 1700 (rough time of the Siege of Eregion) and T.A. 3018 (time of the Fellowship’s mission).
6How Morgoth Turned Elves Into Orcs
Rings Of Power Confirms Orc Origins
The Rings of Powerexploded the mystery ofOrc origins inThe Lord of the Rings. As well as explaining that Morgoth chose 13 Elves to be turned into Orcs, Adar dished out the detail on how those Elves were transformed. In season 2’s first episode,Adar told Halbrand the story of his transfiguration from Elf into Orc. He explained that he was promised power by Morgoth, and was granted it by being led to a “dark and nameless peak.” Morgoth’s promise to Adar was one of family, tragically.
Perhaps the starvation was needed to make Adar want to drink such a potion willingly, and perhaps his willingness was a key ingredient in the ritual.
In a poetically grotesque twist, Morgoth put Adar through a “new birth” himself on the mountain, where he was bound and starved before Sauron appeared. Bringing “blood red” wine that spoke of some kind of blood magic,Sauron poisoned Adar, who drank the wine gratefully. Perhaps the starvation was needed to make Adar want to drink such a potion willingly, and perhaps his willingness was a key ingredient in the ritual. Either way, Adar made it clear that he was never the same again.
5The Rings Of Power Teases The Origin Of The Shire
Harfoots And Stoors Both Feature In Rings Of Power
The Rings of Powerstarted outlining its fabricated origin story of the Shire and the Hobbit race. Harfoots and Stoors were confirmed by Tolkien to exist but no named characters were provided, makingThe Rings of Power’sHarfootsand Stoors a big swing, although their relevance became increasingly clear in season 2. Originally supposed to provide some humor and human interest in the story, in the same way that Hobbits provided it inLord of the Rings, theHarfoots actually seemed to illustrate Hobbit historyin the show.
Nori adventured into Rhûn with the Stranger and bumped into the Stoor community. Hobbits were composed of three different pre-Hobbit races in lore - the Harfoots, the Stoors, and the Fallohides. Harfoot Poppy’s romance with Stoor Merrimac implied that Nori andPoppy’s encounter with the Stoors could have triggered one of the first instances of interbreedingamong pre-Hobbit tribes. What’s more, the Stoors' Smials made it inevitable that Nori would bring this idea with her when she went back West, implying thatNori may establish the Shire.
4Rings Of Power Confirms How Sauron Regenerates
Sauron Was Reborn On Rings Of Power
Sauron was brutally betrayed and stabbed to death by Adar and his Orcs inThe Rings of Powerseason 2’s opening flashback, necessitating him to regenerate graphically.The Lord of the RingsandThe Silmarillionmade it clear thatSauron was reborn after being killed many times, as an immortal Ainur spirit-being. But neither text demonstrated Sauron’s magical process.
All 4 Live-Action Sauron Actors In The Lord Of The Rings & Rings Of Power
The Lord of the Rings movies popularized Sauron as a giant, flaming eye, but four actors have played Sauron in live-action over the years.
Sauron made himself a new body slowly in both books, so it was obviously a painstaking task. The books also described Sauron as dark and silent while he rebuilt himself, implying that he was certainly not at full power at first, either incapacitated or vulnerable.TheRings of Powershowed Sauron’s tenacious spirit reanimating his black bloodafter the murder, slowly becoming thicker and more lively until he could catch prey and grow.
3How Gandalf Got His Name
Gandalf Utters His Name For The First Time In Rings Of Power
The Rings of Powerseason 2 showed Gandalf speaking his own name aloud for the first time, which was a special moment, by any standard. Hearing the Stoors say “Grand-Elf” over and over again gradually inspired him, and eventually he sat down in Tom Bombadil’s house and said that he had realized that he would be called Gandalf in the years to come. In the books,Gandalf was a Mannish namebased on the phrase “the Elf of the Wand.”
In a thoroughly Tolkienian spiritual paradox, Gandalf got his name from the Stoors, and at the same time, he had always had his name, and the Stoors were just reminding him of it.
The show explained how Gandalf’s name got from “Elf of the Wand” to “Gandalf,” suggesting “Wand-Elf” and “Grand-Elf” as the two in-between stages of his name before it settled into its final iteration. It seemed that theStoors' use of the term “Grand-Elf” eventually triggered a foresight in Gandalf, whereby he perceived that this was the name that was meant to be. In a thoroughly Tolkienian spiritual paradox, Gandalf got his name from the Stoors, and at the same time, he had always had his name, and the Stoors were just reminding him of it.
2Why Sauron Has Such A Strong Grip On The Ringwraiths
Rings Of Power Showed Celebrimbor Making The Nine
The Rings of Powerfinally showed the forging of all of the Rings of Power, and it offered an intriguing explanation for why the Nine were so powerful. Sauron had cut his hand with a knife, and the following episode explained why.Sauron bled into a glass vial, which he enchantedand gave to Celebrimbor. Sauron told Celebrimbor it contained mithril, which the enchantment visually validated. Celebrimbor, as advised by Sauron, added this enchanted blood into the nine Rings for Men.
…the Nine each contained a part of Sauron himself.
The Nine contained Sauron’s blood.Sauron’s blood was seen in his shapeshifting process to be much the same matter as his whole beingbefore it had settled on a form. Therefore, the Nine each contained a part of Sauron himself. This kind of blood magic resonated with Adar’s comment that only blood could bind in season 1, and with the “blood red” potion that created Orcs. It also gave weight to the total control Sauron had over the Ringwraiths, who each had one of the nine rings, inLord of the Rings.
1The Rings Of Power Hints At What Tom Bombadil’s True Purpose Is
Tom Bombadil Has A Specific Goal In Rings Of Power
Tom Bombadil’s true purpose was gloriously unclear inThe Lord of the Rings, butThe Rings of Powerdecided to turn this on its head. Although still unclear, in the show, what Tom Bombadil is or where he comes from, the show’s character has certain goals and motivations. Tom loved nature inThe Lord of the Ringsand existed mostly to protect and maintain his realm, the Old Forest, alongside his wife. In the show,Tom opposes Sauron, training the Dark Wizard and Gandalf.
Tom represented pacifism, to a certain extent, in Tolkien’s seminal novel. Tom refused to involve himself in the War of the Ring. He did, however, stretch to rescuing the Hobbits from Old Man Willow, and again from the Barrow-wights, and he even proceeded to arm them.The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power’simplication that Tom Bombadil did take sides, and took the good side, wasn’t unfounded, but it certainly opened up one ofLord of the Rings’biggest mysteries.
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power
Cast
Set in the Second Age of Middle-earth, The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power explores the forging of the iconic rings, the rise of the Dark Lord Sauron, and the epic events leading up to the stories in J.R.R. Tolkien’s classic novels. The series chronicles the creation of legendary characters and the historic alliances and rivalries that shape the fate of Middle-earth.
