Morfydd Clark Teases More Rings In The Rings Of Power Season 2
"The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power" has a lot to do with, well, rings. It's in the name, after all (twice). The thing is, there are no superpowered baubles to be seen in Season 1 until literally the last moments of the final episode. At that point, we get a lovely shot of the three magical rings of the Elves in their fresh-forged glory. And that's it. We don't even get to see them cool off.
The lack of magical ring action throughout the first eight episodes of the show left many fans wondering how they would factor into the story moving forward. After all, the showrunners already deviated from Tolkien by forging the Elves' Three Rings first (in the source material, they come after the Dwarves' Seven Rings and the Men's Nine Rings). When and where are those other rings going to show up in this new timeline?
In a recent FYC event hosted by Prime Video for "Rings of Power," actor Morfydd Clark (who plays Galadriel in the series) shed some light on the "where are the rest of the rings?" question. According to Clark, additional rings are on the way and will be arriving in Season 2. While the details didn't extend beyond this, it's good to know that the story will finally be moving forward with greater gusto after an important but slow Season 1 that had to spend a lot of time laying the groundwork for the epic events to follow. Middle-earth will never be the same again.
Galadriel is going to get to know her ring
At the same FYC event, Morfydd Clark told Deadline, "When we finished Season 1, the rings were being made and we knew it was going to be a huge change for Middle Earth [sic]. [Galadriel] is going to be part of that change because she has her own ring." Earlier at the event, she talked about the impact that her new possession would have on her character arc: "She's about to have a life-changing thing happen to her. She's about to become acquainted with Nenya, her ring. It's really exciting to see how the magic creeps in."
The history of the Three Rings, Narya, Nenya, and Vilya, is complicated, with Narya and Vilya having been worn by more than one person. Nenya, however, is only ever worn by Galadriel, to whom it is gifted so that she can protect it from Sauron. The book "Unfinished Tales" describes how Galadriel gets her ring in Tolkien's original texts: She counsels Celebrimbor to hide the Three Rings, and "it was at that time that she received Nenya, the White Ring."
The passage adds the important detail that Lothlorien (where Galadriel is by this point) is strengthened by the Ring, "but its power upon her was great also and unforeseen, for it increased her latent desire for the Sea and for return into the West, so that her joy in Middle-earth was diminished." Galadriel's journey with her ring isn't all sunshine and roses. It's complicated and magical — and it looks like we'll be seeing that relationship begin to unfold in Season 2.
What other rings remain to be made?
"The Rings of Power" introduces the Three Rings in Season 1. We also know that, at some point, Sauron will forge the One Ring to rule them all — but that won't happen until 16 other rings are made. The Nine Rings for the Men and Seven Rings for the Dwarves are still waiting to make their debut in Amazon Prime's series — and when they do, it'll be another Middle-earthshaking event.
In the source material, the Nine Rings are gifted to Men, including three Númenórean lords. Initially, these Men become kings, sorcerers, and warriors, but they eventually turn into the Nazgûl, operating as the Dark Lord's most devoted servants for millennia to come.
The Seven Rings are less effective but still have the potential to disrupt the show. How this will happen remains to be seen, but Deadline also reported that Peter Mullan (who plays the elderly Dwarven King Durin III) hinted at a darker Season 2 character trajectory by saying, "My guy goes through some things that change him. So his son is reacting to a very different father; he's not the father that you see. He's someone else." Princess Disa actor Sophia Nomvete shared that she also has a stronger role in Season 2. Could these Dwarves be targets of Sauron's malicious ring gifting?
Finally, in the "Fellowship of the Ring" book, Gandalf tells Frodo, "In Eregion long ago many Elven-rings were made, magic rings as you call them, and they were, of course, of various kinds: some more potent and some less." This includes more than just the Great Rings we know of from Tolkien's Ring Verse. Perhaps we'll get a few non-canon rings added to the mix.
Reinforcing other rumors
It's also worth noting that new "Rings of Power" set images hint at impending doom for the Elves in Season 2 with what could be a destroyed version of the set of Eregion (where the Three Rings are forged in Season 1). This is purely speculation at this point, but the fact that the show will be introducing more Rings of Power in Season 2 reinforces the possibility that Celebrimbor's (Charles Edwards) kingdom will fall — and quickly.
The destruction of Eregion is an inevitable part of the Second Age drama that ultimately leads to Isildur chopping the One Ring off of Sauron's hand. However, based on the pacing of Season 1, it feels like this important event might be a ways off still. If the other 16 rings are forged during Season 2, though, it would make it easier to put a bow on the Eregion storyline ... and then wipe the place right off the map.
While we won't know if the rumor is true or not for a while (Season 2 will probably premiere in 2024), one thing is certain: The "Rings of Power" storyline is heating up fast. And after holding off for the better part of Season 1, it looks like Season 2 is going to dive into the complicated lore of its titular jewelry without reservation.