For as dense as much of Tolkien’s backstory and history for Middle-earth is, some of the most important aspects are often only really covered in the vaguest sense. Take the Rings of Power, for instance: arguably some of the most important artifacts of all of The Lord of the Rings. It’s named after them! But how do they work? It’s complicated. And The Rings of Power might be ready to make that a little less so.
In a new featurette released via IndieWire today, the cast and crew teased just how the new season will not only show the rings being forged by Celebrimbor and his new bestie Annatar (don’t worry about him!), but also how they actually work. And, of course, how they begin to influence their bearers (don’t worry about that!).
“To actually engage with [the rings] and ask those questions,” Robert Aramayo, who plays Elrond, says in the video, which you can see in full below. “What do they mean, what do they do, what does it do to other people? It’s a creative journey.”
It certainly is, because like we said: so little about what the rings of power actually do to warrant that title is really ever covered in Tolkien’s works. We know vague aspersions: the Elven rings each had abilities, like Narya’s powers to inspire hope in others or slow the aging of its bearer, or Nenya’s powers to safeguard the forests of Lothlorien. The Dwarven rings—which we see being made and delivered to the Dwarven lords briefly in the video–were even more vaguely described, outside of them fostering greed for treasure in their bearers. It was a similar case for the nine rings for the realms of Men: only vaguely described as granting enhanced strength or magical prowess.
If Rings of Power spends at least some of this season delving into that before everything goes to its inevitable hell with Annatar and the brewing war between Mordor and Eregion, it’ll be ground for the show to really put its own stamp on The Lord of the Rings‘ worldbuilding in some very interesting ways. We’ll no doubt find out more when The Rings of Power returns to Prime Video on August 29.
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