Rings Of Power: 10 Things To Surmise From The Trailers
The Lord of the Rings fans have been excited at the announcement of a new series on Prime Video that will further explore the worlds created by J.R.R. Tolkien. The series titled The Rings of Power will take place about a thousand years before the events of The Lord of the Rings trilogy, allowing the creators to further explore the world that has become so beloved by its audience.
The show is not set to premiere until fall, but the trailer has given a peek at what to expect from the series. Between the variety of characters both new and old, looks at more beautiful landscapes, and text that hints at the direction the show will take, there is plenty to surmise about the much-anticipated series.
Both the Lord of the Rings trilogy and The Hobbit stories are told through the perspective of hobbits, with the fate of Middle-earth riding largely on their shoulders. While hobbits are never mentioned in Tolkien's works that outline the First Age, show creators seem to have decided to add them in, with a hobbit shown narrating the trailer.
This hobbit girl is actually a Harfoot, who are the ancestors to the hobbits that the audience has come to know from the Second Age. Since previous stories have been told surrounding this Middle-earth race, Rings of Power may be hoping that including a familiar aspect will help viewers feel more at home in this new age.
The trailer shows a variety of different scenery: mountains, waterfalls, cities, icy cliffs, and much more. Traveling vast landscapes is a staple of Tolkien's stories, and it is a comfort for many to know that they can probably expect something similar from this new series.
In addition to the short scenes in the trailer, the Harfoot narrator describes adventures that lay beyond her home, guaranteeing that audiences will see a lot of travel and adventure in this new story.
The Galadriel that audiences saw in The Lord of the Rings trilogy was undoubtedly powerful, but she stayed in her home of Lothlórien, watching the events of the story from afar and offering the heroes useful gifts when they stopped in to rest.
In the trailer, however, Galadriel is shown worn and dirty, covered from head to toe in armor, and trekking through difficult terrain. She is seen on a raft, climbing an icy mountain, and facing enemies. This allows viewers to surmise that the Galadriel they previously knew may be vastly different in this series.
The trailer shows quite a few new faces that audiences are intrigued to learn more about. One of these characters is an elf who appears to be extremely skilled with a bow, similar to the much-beloved Legolas.
Legolas was a woodland elf from Mirkwood. He differed slightly from the elves of Rivendell in that he seemed to be one with the trees and forest. The new elf from the trailer, who has been revealed to be named Arondir, is dressed in earthier clothes than the shining silver of the other depicted elves and seems to know his way around the trees, showing that he could very well be another Woodland elf.
During the trailer, words flash across the screen that say, "before the king, before the fellowship, before the ring." This shows that the events of at least the first season will take place before any men travel to Gondor and even before Sauron secretly forges the One Ring to rule them all.
However, given the fact that the show's title is The Rings of Power, it is clear that the famous rings given to the different races will be forged with Sauron's help at some point during the show and that Sauron will then secretly forge his own ring that will control all the others. While there are a lot of weird and wild fan theories about The Rings of Power, the inclusion of the forging of the One Ring is a safe bet.
A regal elf dressed in gold and fine clothes is shown staring in concern at the sky. Based on the timeline and the other elves that are shown, this elf is likely either Celebrimbor or Gil-galad.
Both of these characters have important roles when it comes to the Rings of Power, a fact that only book fans know. Celebrimbor is described in the Silmarillion to be the elf-smith who was deceived by a disguised Sauron and forged the Rings of Power that were gifted to the kings of men and dwarves. He is also the one who forged the three elven rings that were kept out of Sauron's power and then given to Gil-galad. Whichever character the shown elf is, it can be assumed that both will eventually appear.
The trailer shows a beautiful coastal city that can only be assumed to be Númenor, the city of men before they migrate to Gondor. Isildur, who is the one who ends up with the One Ring after Sauron's first defeat, was born in Númenor but would later become the first king of Gondor before the Ring betrays him, leading to his death.
Since Isildur plays an important role in the lore of both Númenor and Gondor, it can only be assumed that if The Rings of Power will be including the ancient city, it will also be including Isildur.
The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit trilogies both feature terrible monsters that the heroes must defeat in order to be successful in their quest. This format has become a staple of the fantasy genre, and show creators would be ill-advised to skip out on the terrible beasts.
Thankfully, the trailer already shows a monster that looks like something that could be seen in other fantasy series like The Witcher, which is known for its scary monsters. While those familiar with the lore can only speculate if this beast is one described by Tolkien or an original to the series creators, it is a relief to see that there will likely be plenty of brutal monster-fighting action.
One character in the trailer is barely shown, which leads viewers to believe that he may be a significant reveal in the series. At the end of the trailer, a dirty hand with a roughly made sleeve is seen taking the small hand of the Harfoot. Other promotional images for the series show these hands again holding an apple.
It is unclear who this character will be. Fans have speculated that it could be Tom Bombadil, a god-like man who helps Frodo and his friends in the books, or Olórin, which is the name of the form that Gandalf, one of the most powerful heroes from The Lord of the Rings, takes before he comes to Middle-earth as an old wizard. No matter who this hand belongs to, the mystery that surrounds the character promises a big reveal of a potentially familiar character.
Mount Doom is the volcanic mountain where Sauron is known to have forged the One Ring. For this reason, most of the original trilogy follows Frodo and Sam on their quest to return the Ring to the fires within the mountain, which is the only place that it can be destroyed.
Given that the new series focuses on the Rings of Power, Mount Doom can be assumed to be involved. However, the trailer gives some hints as to important events that may take place on the mountain. Two figures are shown worn and dirty, climbing through flame and smoke. The shown scene is very reminiscent of Sam and Frodo's climb, leading audiences to believe something similar may be taking place in the First Age.