Easter Eggs You Missed In The Lord Of The Rings: The Rings Of Power Season 1

Prime Video's "The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power" is shaping up to be a sweeping adventure across the Middle-earth landscape. Set during the Second Age, the show follows a gargantuan main cast spread out across several different kingdoms and regions of the map.

While the show is busy juggling a lot of different storylines, the production team hasn't neglected the little details. From intricate clothing to elaborate sets, everything in "Rings of Power" looks to have been handled with care. Actor Benjamin Walker (who plays Gil-galad on the series) even told Looper in an interview that he felt "gobsmacked" during his first day on set when he was greeted by an army of technicians and craftsmen and saw half-a-million hand-painted gold leaves on the ground.

The attention to detail extends beyond the quality aspect, too. Throughout the Second Age show, the talented writers' room has also managed to find a lot of opportunities to hint at the larger legendarium that Professor Tolkien created. Some of these are small details that are easy to miss. Others are legitimate Easter eggs squirreled away for eagle-eyed fans to discover on their 10th rewatch. We've scoured the footage of the first season, and here are some of the most interesting Easter eggs and small details viewers may have missed so far.

If it doesn't go without saying, what follows contains spoilers for "Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power" Season 1. 

Another Easter egg tucked into the early moments of "Rings of Power" appears when a bunch of tough-looking Elves draw their swords together in quick succession. For fans familiar with Tolkien's lore, the scene immediately brings to mind the famous Oath of Fëanor from "The Silmarillion." Yes, Galadriel's brother Finrod is amongst them, which is a little out of place considering the source material, but otherwise everything lines up.

The event, while skimmed over in the prologue of the show, is a watershed moment in Middle-earth history. The oath is taken by the famous Elvish character Fëanor (of all people) and his seven sons. It's an irrevocable oath that leads to a lot of terrible stuff after the fact, and it reads in the book like this: "Then Fëanor swore a terrible oath. His seven sons leapt straightway to his side and took the selfsame vow together, and red as blood shone their drawn swords in the glare of the torches."

Their swords may not be blood red in the footage. And if it's strictly the Oath of Fëanor (which, to be fair, isn't directly stated) then Finrod shouldn't be there. But the setting and actions, however briefly they're depicted, seem to be a direct nod toward the oath that is so critical to the stories that follow.

In Peter Jackson's extended edition of "The Fellowship of the Ring" Galadriel sails a swan boat in Lothlórien. In "Rings of Power," we see Galadriel sailing to Valinor in a boat with a similar bird-like prow. In the opening scene of the show, kid-Galadriel also makes a fantastical paper boat that doesn't just float — it sails. And as it does so, its wings, neck, and head pop up in glorious fashion.

Okay, so what's up with all of the swan boats? For the answer, we turn to Tolkien. Without going too overboard with details, one group of Elves that lives in Valinor is called the Teleri. They mostly dwell in a place called Alqualondë, which loosely translates to — drum roll, please — the Haven of the Swans. "The Silmarillion" explains this group and their home, saying, "For that was their city, and the haven of their ships; and those were made in the likeness of swans, with beaks of gold and eyes of gold and jet."

Much later in the book, it explains how the Elves visited the island nation of Númenor, too, saying, "And thence at times the Firstborn still would come sailing to Númenor in oarless boats, as white birds flying from the sunset." From the get-go, bird-shaped boats, and especially swan-shaped boats, are a trademark of Elvish maritime activity.

When we first meet the Harfoots in "Rings of Power," they're running circles around a couple of wary hunters. The Little People are able to lay low and avoid being seen without any issues. As the Big Folk move along, one of the Halflings blows a whistle of sorts to signal that the coast is clear.

The casual activity makes sense, but for diehard Tolkienites, it may also bring another incident to mind — a time when Théoden, King of Rohan, has a conversation with a couple of Hobbits in Isengard in "The Two Towers" book. Merry, Pippin, and Théoden all bond over the fact that their ancestors came from the same area of the world — an area close to where the Harfoots are currently living when "Rings of Power" begins.

In the discussion, Théoden mentions that the Halflings in the apocryphal stories that his ancestors remember have some interesting skill sets. He adds that they can vanish in a twinkling. In addition, he says, "They can change their voices to resemble the piping of birds." While that is clearly an exaggeration, it would appear that the "Rings of Power" writers may be hinting at how that legend came about.

In the first episode of "Rings of Power," there's a point when Marigold Brandyfoot has a serious talk with Nori about her downright intrepid behavior. In the talk, the Halfling mother breaks down how the world works for the younger, less experienced Nori by saying, "I've told you, countless times. Elves have forests to protect. Dwarves their mines. Men their fields of grain. Even trees have to worry about the soil beneath their roots. But we Harfoots are free from the worries of the wide world."

It's a very Hobbitish pep talk that leaves Nori squirming and doesn't even put a dent in her desire for adventure. But it also may be the first time in the series that Tolkien's Ents enter the conversation, too. The Ents are referred to at different times as the Shepherds of the Trees. They were originally created to not just to look like trees, either. They're made to protect them. In "The Silmarillion," the Ents are explicitly made as a way to guard trees against other creatures that may want to harm them. The presence of Ents in the "Rings of Power" storyline is already established later in this episode, too. They make a quick cameo when the meteor streaks overhead and three Ents are shown clearly moving amongst the trees.

After Galadriel discovers that she's going to be shipped back home to Valinor in Episode 1, she retreats to a peaceful area of the Lindon forests where Elrond finds her, and the two characters proceed to have a long talk. As they chat, they're surrounded by a string of very Elvish-looking lamps and a series of statues carved right into living trees.

One of these statues depicts Galadriel's brother Finrod, who is an epic First Age hero in his own right, but several others appear as well. We're willing to guess that at least one is the Human First Age hero Túrin Turambar. There are plenty of candidates for who the others could be, but there's one statue whose identity is without question.

At one point, the camera flashes past a living wooden statue of a woman with long, flowing hair and a shaggy dog in front of her. There's no doubt that this is an image of the immortal maiden Lúthien and the dog Huan. Lúthien is one of the iconic heroines of Tolkien's legendarium; she was inspired by the author's wife and her Elvish name was even put on her gravestone. She's known for her hair and also happens to be Elrond's great grandmother. The dog, Huan, is also the greatest woflhound in Middle-earth history. He talks multiple times and even defeats Sauron in a duel at one point.

As Nori and Poppy wrangle their mysterious, powerful friend, they slowly start to get some clues about who he is. Particularly toward the end of the second episode, he manages to communicate by using fireflies to form the shape of a constellation in the sky. Nori gets excited when she realizes that he wants to find a similar shape of actual stars.

During this scene, there's also a small Easter egg that points back to Peter Jackson's films. When Ian McKellen's Gandalf is trapped on top of Isengard, he catches a moth and whispers a message to it in an unintelligible language. The Stranger talks to the fireflies in a very similar manner in the second episode of "Rings of Power." This could signal a direct connection between the characters — for instance, maybe they're both Gandalf?

It could also simply be a magical behavior that they're both displaying. This could be meant to showcase how both characters are Wizards, or at least have a similar spiritual power that enables them to talk directly to animals. Whatever the answer, the way The Stranger chats up the fireflies looks so similar to Gandalf's discussion with the moth, it's difficult to think it's anything less than a direct Easter egg.

When Elrond and Celebrimbor head over to Khazad-dûm to recruit the help of the Dwarves, the Lord of Eregion informs his companion that he's always admired the Dwarves and wonders if he'll be able to see them at work in their forges up close and personal. Elrond sets some rather lofty expectations in response, pointing out that he thinks they'll do a lot more than that. From there, he launches into a description of Dwarven hospitality that includes blaring Ram's horns, tables full of salted pork, and lots and lots of malt beer.

If the depiction sounds familiar, it's because Gimli talks about the same kind of Dwarven welcome thousands of years later during "The Lord of the Rings." In "The Fellowship of the Ring" movie, as Frodo and company enter Moria, Gimli warns Legolas to prepare for the fabled hospitality of the Dwarves, adding that the Master Elf should expect "roaring fires, malt beer, ripe meat off the bone." Later on, in "The Return of the King" movie, Pippin also references salted pork to Gimli's interest and great delight.

Tying these references to Dwarves is a fun way to create some continuity between the two distinctly different versions of Middle-earth. Both may be their own adaptations that march to the beat of their own drums. But when it comes to Dwarven hospitality, everyone's on the same page.

When we first meet Arondir in the Southlands of Middle-earth, he's visiting a town of Men with a fellow Elven warden. While there, he interacts with the Human woman Bronwyn and it's clear that the two are crushing on one another. As they leave, Arondir and his fellow Elf verbally spar back and forth, like any good pair of soldiers would do. Eventually, though, the talk turns more serious, and Arondir's companion says, "My point is this. Only twice in known history has a pairing between Elves and Humans even been attempted. And on each occasion, it ended in tragedy. It ended in death."

The reference is to two distinct pairings. The first is the mortal man Beren and the immortal Lúthien. They get hitched and end up dying ... twice. Kind of. It's complicated. The other pair is the Man Tuor and the Elf-maiden Idril. While they have a happier ending, there's no doubt that their tale is filled with some epic and tragic stuff.

Love affairs between Elves and Humans are never common in Tolkien's writings. In fact, it's a topic that Looper discussed with Arondir and Bronwyn actors Ismael Cruz Córdova and Nazanin Boniadi, respectively. Wherever they choose to go with their characters' romance, though, it's cool that the writers used the opportunity to indirectly reference two of the most important mortal-immortal couplings in all of Tolkien's writings.

The Elves aren't the only ones with special statues. While Lindon is littered with gorgeous wooden carvings, Númenor has a lot of its own sculptures, mostly chiseled right into stone. In Episode 3, as Elendil's ship sails down the narrow waterway that leads into the heart of his home island, viewers can see giant statues of heads perched along the route. Full-blown forms are also shown, including a gigantic statue just as the ship arrives in the main port.

This last statue was a central point of speculation for months after it first showed up in the show's original Super Bowl ad in early 2022. Guesses as to the statue's identity spanned the gamut (Númenor has a lot of kings and queens) but there are a couple of details that make one guess the clear frontrunner. First, there's a giant statue of a bird next to the humanoid figure. Second, if you look really closely, there appears to be a small item bound to its forehead.

This indicates that we're looking at a statue of Eärendil, one of Tolkien's most important Middle-earth heroes. His wife is Elwing, who — get this — is turned into a bird at one point. He's also the father of Elrond and his twin brother Elros, who is the first king of Númenor. And the thing on his forehead? Eärendil ends up sailing through the heavens on his ship with one of the shining jewels called the Silmarils tied up there. Oh yeah. It's all coming together.

When we arrive in Númenor in Episode 3, there are a lot of sights to take in all at once. One of these is a stunningly vibrant tree with white petals. This isn't the first time we've seen this tree, either. It's shown up repeatedly in the marketing, as well — including shots of the petals floating in the wind far from the tree itself (an omen of decay, perhaps?).

The concept of a white tree isn't new to Tolkien fans — even casual viewers of the films. In Peter Jackson's "The Return of the King" movie, a white tree can be seen in the center of a court in Minas Tirith, except this time, we're looking at a dead corpse, not a thriving, living organism. The two images aren't just similar, either. They're actually related.

That's right, the dead White Tree of Gondor can trace its roots back to its ancestor seen in Númenor in "The Rings of Power." The Númenórean iteration of the arboreal wonder is called Nimloth, and it's brought to Númenor by the Elves as a gift from Valinor — in fact, its lineage goes even further back than that, but we have to cut this explanation off somewhere. Eventually, Isildur takes a fruit of Nimloth with him to Middle-earth, where he plants it in Minas Ithil. When that fortress is captured and becomes the headquarters of the Nazgûl, the tree is destroyed, but one of its fruits survives and is planted in, you guessed it, Minas Tirith.

In "The Rings of Power," Númenor is led by Queen Regent Míriel when Galadriel and Halbrand first arrive. In Episode 3, Míriel talks to Elendil about the struggle that her people have with trusting Elves. She points out that "Elves have been unwelcome on our shores since the reign of my grandfather's great-grandfather." This feels like an eloquently written throwaway line meant to emphasize how serious it is that Elendil brought an Elf back to Númenor, but as with all things Tolkien, things go much deeper than that.

The author traced the entire line of Númenórean kings in his writings, which means we can take a quick stroll back up the family tree to see who Míriel's "grandfather's great-grandfather is," and it turns out that it's a not-so-nice fellow named Ar-Adûnakhôr. In the book "Unfinished Tales," Tolkien explains that "In this reign the Elven-tongues were no longer used, nor permitted to be taught, but were maintained in secret by the Faithful; and the ships from Eressëa came seldom and secretly to the west shores of Númenor thereafter." (Eressëa is a the name for an Elven area in the West.)

So yeah, when Míriel specifically highlights that her — let's see if we can get this right — great-great-great grandfather started the antipathy toward the Elves, it isn't a line that the writers created out of whole cloth. It's a deliberate reference to a grumpy Númenórean king who ruled long before the "Rings of Power" story ever starts.

Early in Season 1, the Harfoot leader Sadoc Burrows tells an endlessly inquisitive Nori Brandyfoot that the stars are strange. The foreboding words literally materialize in the form of the Stranger, who crash lands from the sky right near the Halfling community. Nori takes the Stranger under her tiny yet formidable wing and, in Episode 3, it comes out that she's been helping the odd super-powered giant.

In the fallout, Sadoc faces off against Nori, inquisitor style, reprimanding her in front of the entire clan. At one point, Nori's father Largo chimes in, pointing out that the whole situation is extraordinary before asking "Have you ever heard tell of beings falling from the stars?" Sadoc's response: "I've heard of beings that were turned into stars, but never the other way around."

The reference to beings becoming stars feels random, but once again, it could be a quiet Easter egg pointing to Tolkien's famous sailor of the firmament, Eärendil. The hero ends his epic First Age career by having a shining Silmaril bound to his forehead before his ship sails off into the heavens over Middle-earth — in effect, turning him into a star. The thought that a random Harfoot leader in an isolated community would somehow know about Eärendil seems unlikely, but the line could still be left behind for those to find it who can.

When Galadriel visits Halbrand in prison, the center of the room is filled with a giant statue of a blue, mermaid-looking female figure positioned as if she's swimming. It's an odd sight in the midst of a jail, but it may be there to help calm the occupants in their cells. Why? Because it looks an awful lot like the Maia Uinen, an angelic being known for bringing peace and calm to turbulent waters.

Uinen is married to the violent Maia Ossë, who has a reputation for causing storms at sea. "The Silmarillion" describes Uinen as the counterpoint to her spouse, adding "[Ossë's] spouse is Uinen, the Lady of the Seas, whose hair lies spread through all waters under sky. All creatures she loves that live in the salt streams, and all weeds that grow there; to her mariners cry, for she can lay calm upon the waves, restraining the wildness of Ossë."

The flattering description ends with the line "The Númenóreans lived long in her protection, and held her in reverence equal to the Valar." While it could just be a random statue, the fact that she's loved by the Men of Númenor and even details like the seaweed in her hair seem to reinforce the idea that we're looking at an Easter egg visualization of the Lady of the Seas.

When we first meet Elendil in "The Rings of Power," he's a ship captain. As far as we can see, he has a limited amount of authority as a military man, and that's about it. Then, Pharazôn casually mentions to his Queen Regent that the man comes from a noble line. Okay, so there's more here than we were initially aware of. In the fourth episode, "The Great Wave," as Galadriel and Míriel verbally spar about Halbrand's claim to the throne of the Southlands, Elendil adds to this growing pedigree by mentioning that he's a "petty lord."

For fans of Tolkien's writings, this immediately brings to mind the title of the "Lords of Adúnië." This is an offshoot of the royal line that rules in the western region of Númenor, facing Valinor. In Tolkien's original writings, the Lords of Adúnië were important people in the Númenórean political system. They were also leaders of the Faithful, who preserved the Elven ways of ancient Númenor.

The last Lord of Adúnië was a fellow named Amandil. His son never got the chance to become his heir because of some spoilery stuff that we won't break down here. But let's just say that Amandil's son was a guy named Elendil. Yep, that Elendil.

When Arondir meets Adar, the villain talks to him in a surprisingly relatable way. He asks him where he was born, and when Arondir replies "Beleriand," Adar asks the follow-up question, "By the mouth of the river?" The conversation moves on from there, leaving the mysterious body of water unnamed. But the wording gives us a clue about which area could be in question.

Beleriand is the name for the westernmost portion of Middle-earth. It's a huge area of land where most of the events of the First Age take place. However, Beleriand isn't a factor after that point because, when that era ends, the entire chunk of the continent is drowned beneath the waves.

Beleriand has a lot of very famous geographic locations — including several important rivers. One of these, and arguably the most important, is the River Sirion. It's so big that it stretches across a huge portion of the continent. And when it reaches the ocean, it splits into a large delta called — drum roll, please — the Mouths of Sirion.

A lot of important things happen here, too. It's particularly important as a refuge and a central point where most of the world-shaking events of the end of the age take place. When Adar refers to "the mouth of the river," there's a good chance that this is what he's talking about.

We may know it as Mount Doom in "The Lord of the Rings," but another name for Sauron's personal forge-mountain is Orodruin. It's an Elvish name that, in "The Silmarillion," is translated as "Mountain of Blazing Fire." Seems appropriate enough. The peak is stealthily introduced in the background of a few shots early in the series, but it isn't until Episode 4 that we hear it directly mentioned.

In that episode, as the Southlanders seek protection in a nearby watchtower, Bronwyn looks at the column of individuals who are arriving and notices how many different people are pouring into the fortress. This leads her to state, "That makes it every village from here to Orodruin."

The line is focused on the severity of the situation, and Bronwyn's face is clearly worried as she tries to manage the endless line of refugees. The fact that she doesn't say "Mount Doom" also makes it easy to miss. And yet there it is. Orodruin is a regular fixture of their Southland life and one that is casually mentioned in conversation — even if it's quietly harboring the potential to ruin that very existence if it blows its top. The question is, if Orodruin means "Mountain of Blazing Fire," why is it called that already? In "The Silmarillion," it says that the Elves are the ones who give it that name. Were they around early enough to see its fiery potential in the past? Or is this just a nominal oversight?

Episode 4 tackles the question of Elrond's parentage more than once. The first time it comes up, it's when the Herald is with Celebrimbor, who mentions that he looks just like his father. Elrond replies inquisitively, clearly surprised that Celebrimbor had ever met his pops, to which the Elven Lord replies, "Of course, many times."

This is a veiled reference to a backstory that even Tolkien never fully fleshed out. The early life of Celebrimbor is underdeveloped, to say the least. Chances are, though, that he spent a decent amount of time in the famous Elven stronghold of Gondolin — where Elrond's father, Eärendil, was born. Eärendil is less than ten years old when that city is destroyed, though, and after that, we have no idea whether he and Celebrimbor cross paths again. It's a couple of loose ends that "The Rings of Power" showrunners JD Payne and Patrick McKay have chosen to connect via a backstory in their own narrative that clearly has Eärendil and Celebrimbor connecting more than once in their early lives.

When Elrond can't figure out what's going on with Prince Durin by talking directly to his wife, he resorts to straight-up spying on the couple from a distance. He's able to do this from far away due to the power of his Elf eyes, which can see much clearer than those of other mortal races. Through his espionage, the Half-elven herald realizes that Durin is working on a special project in "the old mine below the Mirrormere."

And what is the Mirrormere? We're glad you asked. This isn't an object inside of Khazad-dûm, but rather an important lake just outside of its eastern gate. The Mirrormere is a body of water that Durin IV's ancestor, Durin I, discovers very early in Middle-earth history right before he decides to found Khazad-dûm in the nearby mountains. Gimli chants about it in the "Fellowship of the Ring" book, and it's a very important part of Dwarvish culture — especially for the Longbeard clan that lives in the mines.

The curious question here is if the mine really is below the actual Mirrormere lake. The body of water is all the way on the far side of the Misty Mountains, about as far away from the entrance Elrond uses to get into the Dwarf mansion as you can get. It's not an easy journey, but he's got time. Maybe he thought he needed the exercise, too.

In Episode 4, Queen Regent Míriel finally starts to make some headway in her relationship with Galadriel when she brings the headstrong Elf to take a look-see at her palantir. The royal warns her Elven visitor that, in spite of her past experience using seeing stones, this one is very different, since it's fixed on a specific vision — one of a Great Wave destroying the island kingdom. When Galadriel sees for herself, she's quick to calm Míriel's fears by saying that palantíri show many visions, adding that "Some that will never come to pass."

It's a line that the future Lady of Lorien clearly takes to heart because she says something very similar thousands of years later. In the "Fellowship of the Ring" book, when Galadriel explains her far-seeing mirror to Sam, she says "Remember that the Mirror shows many things, and not all have yet come to pass. Some never come to be, unless those that behold the visions turn aside from their path to prevent them. The Mirror is dangerous as a guide of deeds." It would appear that, at least in the "Rings of Power" adaptation, Galadriel starts to accumulate this sage wisdom all the way back in the Second Age as she sorts through what to do about visions of Númenor's destruction.

Early in Episode 5, we get a quick montage of the Harfoots on the move. The map shows them passing places called, among other things, Thistledell, The Braids, Trout Bend, and Weedbrook. Two spots stand out more than the rest, though — a pair of names next to each other on a very recognizable part of the map called Undercliffs and the Grey Marshes. 

The first is an area that is eventually known as the Emyn Muil, and it's the strip of treacherously hilly country that Frodo and Sam cross right before they meet Gollum thousands of years later. The Grey Marshes right next to them eventually become known as the Nindalf, a swampy region near the flat area that is later called the Dead Marshes. That's the haunted quagmire that Frodo and Sam fall into while following Gollum toward the Black Gates of Mordor. The region isn't haunted when the Harfoots pass through, though. Not yet. That comes later in the "Rings of Power" story. 

Finally, who can resist a good Peter Jackson callback? As the map fades, we're shown the Brandyfoots, Poppy, and the Stranger as they work their way through the marshes. We see them plagued by flying insects that are immediately reminiscent of "The Fellowship of the Ring" where four Hobbits follow Strider through the fly-infested swamp called the Midgwater Marshes. The only question we have is, "What do they eat when they can't get Harfoot?"

Early in Episode 5, the Harfoots are attacked by a pack of wolves while they're on the road. The assault is stymied when the Stranger intervenes with some unexpected magic, sending the four-legged beasts scampering for cover. While the show has referred to the animals as wolves, it doesn't take much to see that they're not your traditional canine. These creatures have huge upper bodies, oddly shaped snouts, and almost hoof-like paws — and we're willing to bet that's for a reason.

"The Silmarillion" explains that, early in the Second Age, "Men dwelt in darkness and were troubled by many evil things that Morgoth had devised in the days of his dominion: demons, and dragons, and misshapen beasts, and the unclean Orcs that are mockeries of the Children of Ilúvatar." That mention of misshapen beasts is left vague and unclear. Could it be that these animals aren't just wolves but a form of the warped and twisted creatures mentioned in Tolkien's original text?

When Galadriel visits Elendil as he trains raw Númenórean recruits in Episode 5, she looks on the soldiers' swordplay and casually mentions that "Their strokes fall like the Stone-giants of the North Moors." The disparaging remark leads to a dramatic display of Galadriel's centuries-old experience as a warrior and swordsman — sword-elf? Sword-she-elf? Anyway, it's easy to forget the remark in the dazzling fencing that follows.

But, hold the phone for a second. Did she say giants? That's no mere mention, even for an immortal Elf who's seen some stuff. Why? Because the truth is, giants are barely involved in Tolkien's world. In fact, they're only mentioned on rare occasions, and only really show up once in legitimate Middle-earth stories.

In "The Hobbit," Bilbo, Gandalf, and the Dwarves head into the Misty Mountains after leaving Rivendell, and they quickly encounter not just a thunderstorm, but a thunder battle. During the violent weather engagement, the book tells us that Bilbo "peeped out in the lightning-flashes" and "saw that across the valley the Stone-giants were out." It goes on to explain the giant creatures' raucous behavior, and that's it. We never really hear of giants again, other than in obscure and unreliable references. For Galadriel to mention them means she's seen some things in her days — or at least heard some stories that she's adopted into her vernacular.

As Númenor prepares an expedition to succor the Southlands in Episode 5, Chancellor Pharazôn's son Kemen confronts his father about the folly of aiding an Elf and sending so much of Númenor's military resources away from its homeland. In response, the wily politician points out that, regardless of his cousin Queen Regent Míriel's goals, he's in it for the economic potential. Ores, forests, trade, and tribute will all be on the table if the Men of Middle-earth find themselves owing Númenor a favor for delivering them from their enemies. 

The ambitions of the chancellor aren't made out of whole cloth for the show, either. They come directly from "The Silmarillion," where it says that as they grew restless on their island, the Númenóreans made huge colonies on the shores of the mainland, "and they desired now wealth and dominion in Middle-earth, since the West was denied." A bit later in the text, it adds, "but they appeared now rather as lords and masters and gatherers of tribute than as helpers and teachers." In Tolkien's original tale, this all takes place in the generations leading up to Pharazôn, but in the compressed timeline of "The Rings of Power," it appears that we're going to see the exploitation begin in real time.

When Gil-galad finally reveals the importance of mithril to Elrond in Episode 5, he puts his upstart herald in his place by telling him to sit down and tell him a story. The story ultimately reveals to Elrond why the precious metal is so important, and the narrative goes on from there. When Gil-galad tells Elrond to recite the story, though, he specifically says, "Recount it, Elrond Peredhel."  

So what's up with the strange word added to Elrond's name? It's actually the Elvish version of a part of his title that many people are used to hearing in good ol' English. Peredhel is the singular form of the word "half-elven," and it refers to Elrond's extremely complicated backstory. (The guy isn't even technically half Elven. It's a tad less than that since he's fully half Human, but one of his immortal ancestors was an angelic Maia, too — trust us, it's complicated.)

The character's backstory is so complex that it led Elrond actor Robert Aramayo to say, in an interview with Looper this summer, that "He is the mutt of the legendarium. Everything feeds into him, and it's why he was given the choice in the first place. If you look at where he comes from — I read this thing — he's 1/16th Maiar and 8/16th this. It's mental if you wanted to break it down." We agree, Robert. We agree.

The Silmarils are mentioned from time to time in "The Lord of the Rings" and "The Rings of Power." But in the latter, we actually see a massive recreation of one of the bright, shiny gems in a scene. At one point in Episode 5, the camera cuts to Númenor at night. A starry sky can be seen in the background, while the shot focuses on the top of the giant statue of Eärendil in the foreground. (That's the stone figure majestically reaching an arm out to the distance, which all of the ships can see when they enter the harbor.)

Eärendil is Elrond's father. He's also the father of the half-elven Herald's twin brother Elros, who happens to be the guy who helps found Númenor and rule as its first king. The guy is a really important character who spends his life sailing through the skies in a ship with one of the shining Silmarils tied to his brow (in effect, making him a star).

It turns out that the statue is an accurate representation of the character, too, and not just because it depicts the hero himself. When we finally get this close up and personal, particularly in the dark, we can clearly see a faux Silmaril glittering on the forehead, reflecting the starry light from above.

Toward the end of Episode 5, Arondir finds himself trying to talk down a desperate Bronwyn, who is about to sell her soul to the devil (or the Middle-earth equivalent) by bowing the knee to Adar to save the lives of her Southlander people. As Arondir tries to talk her out of the idea, he points out that there's more at stake here than just their lives, saying that "When Morgoth was at war, whole continents sank. Who is to say what horrors this might unleash?"

That last part is talking about Theo's broken sword blade, but the first part is a reference to something much bigger than an overpowered weapon's rusty hilt. It's referencing an event that takes place at the end of the First Age called the War of Wrath. In the apocalyptic catastrophe, the entire northwestern portion of the Middle-earth landmass, an area called Beleriand, sinks into the waves. It may not technically be an entire continent in its own right, but the point is well taken. When the bad guys in Middle-earth get some momentum, the results are literally world-breaking.

When Adar and his Orcs arrive at the Ostirith watchtower in Episode 6, they find the place abandoned. Hoping to find Arondir and discover the sword hilt, Adar tells his Orcs to search the place. His Orcish lieutenant heeds the order and starts shouting to those behind him, "All of you! Fan out! Find them!" These are normal words one would expect to hear during a search, but they're uttered in the creature's own hideous language — with the captain clearly ending on the word "Gimbatul!"

It's a sound that should cause any Tolkien aficionado to sit up and pay attention. Why? Because it's included in the ring-verse itself. When Gandalf famously recites the words engraved on the One Ring for the Council of Elrond to hear, he says, "One Ring to rule them all, One Ring to find them, One Ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them." The revelation is enough to upset his audience, but the Wizard goes one step further by saying the words in the Black Speech of Mordor. The first portion of the translation goes, "Ash nazg durbatulûk, ash nazg gimbatul ..."

Hearing the Orcish word for "find them" unmistakably pronounced in a random setting is a fun way to show that the language that will eventually be inscribed on the One Ring itself is already being used in some capacity by the future inhabitants of Mordor.

In Episode 6, Arondir tries to destroy the Southlander sword hilt by smashing it with a hammer. Except the magical implement is way too strong, and the hammer breaks, causing Arondir to state in frustration, "It is beyond our skill to destroy." The concept of unbreakable magical items in Middle-earth isn't new to those who are intimately familiar with Tolkien's world.

In the book "The Fellowship of the Ring," in particular, there are multiple references to supernatural possessions that are difficult to deal with. At the Council of Elrond, Gandalf lays out the case for the need to destroy the nearly indestructible Ring, prompting Elrond at one point to respond to a statement by saying, "But Gandalf has revealed to us that we cannot destroy it by any craft that we here possess."

Earlier in the book, Strider finds the notched Morgul-knife that the Witch-king used to stab Frodo. When its blade dissipates in his hands, it leads to him saying, "Few now have the skill in healing to match such evil weapons." The fact that Arondir would have trouble destroying an enchanted sword hilt isn't surprising at all. Saying that "It is beyond our skill to destroy," though, feels like a more deliberate callback to Tolkien's own thoughts and writings on magical accoutrements.

Early in Episode 6, Arondir and Bronwyn talk about the Elvish tradition of planting a seed before battle in the name of "New life. In defiance of death."

For those who are wondering, the tradition, which Adar is also shown following at the beginning of the episode, is made up for the show. However, another reference Arondir makes at the end of the conversation very much comes from the source material.

As the Elf brings Bronwyn over to a tree, he says, "It is believed that one of the Valar watches over growing things, and those who tend them." The line is talking about the angelic being Yavanna — a female Valar who is married to Aulë, another guardian spirit who makes the Dwarves and is known as a smith. "The Silmarillion" describes the goddess Yavanna thusly: "The spouse of Aulë is Yavanna, the Giver of Fruits. She is the lover of all things that grow in the earth, and all their countless forms she holds in her mind, from the trees like towers in forests long ago to the moss upon stones or the small and secret things in the mould." The description ends with the line "Kementári, Queen of the Earth, she is surnamed in the Eldarin tongue."

Bonus points to anyone who also knows that Yavanna is the one who comes up with the idea of making the Ents — whom we hope to see before long in the show.

When Adar's Orcs unleash their main assault on the Southlanders in Episode 6, it leads to Bronwyn being shot by an arrow. Arondir tends to her, but for a minute there, after he removes the arrow, it looks like she's going to bleed out. Fortunately, the Elf has some extra medicinal knowledge. After calling for a burning piece of wood, he whips out the rare Alfirin seeds Bronwyn gave him earlier in the season, mixes them with her blood, puts them in the gash, and then has others cauterize the wound. The healing process is intense — but it's not unusual for those who are used to Tolkien's world.

In the "Lord of the Rings" books and movies, Aragorn repeatedly heals the desperately wounded through similar herbal tactics. In the "Return of the King" book, Aragorn uses the medicinal herb Athelas to heal Faramir, Éowyn, and Merry — all of whom are beyond normal cures due to the Black Breath of the Nazgûl. When Frodo is stabbed by the Black Riders on Weathertop, Aragorn also uses the weed to heal the Hobbit. In fact, while the Ranger boils the leaves and uses the infused water in the books, in Peter Jackson's adaptation, Aragorn chews up the greenery before directly applying it to the wound. Whatever the circumstances, the scene of Arondir using a clearly magical infusion of certain herbs to overcome a physically dire wound feels an awful lot like a shoutout to Aragorn's later healing prowess.

In Season 1 of "The Rings of Power," Elendil is a sea captain who happens to have some royal blood in him. By the end of the show (spoiler alert), he'll be a king leading armies against Sauron in Mordor itself. Anyone who's seen Peter Jackson's "The Fellowship of the Ring" is aware of Elendil's tragic role in stopping Sauron. Interestingly, while he's still a long way from his future throne at the time, when Elendil initially heads to Middle-earth in "The Rings of Power," he's already wearing one item that is strikingly similar to his future regal appearance: his helmet.

Elendil's military helm in the show has two red wings attached to either side. In the "Return of the King" book, it describes the future crown of Gondor (which is based on the character's later arrival as a king in Middle-earth) thusly: "It was shaped like the helms of the Guards of the Citadel, save that it was loftier, and it was all white, and the wings at either side were wrought of pearl and silver in the likeness of the wings of a sea-bird, for it was the emblem of kings who came over the Sea." The description goes on, but did you notice that bit about wings? It may be embellished, but Elendil's future crown can already be seen in his current headdress.

After the Númenóreans arrive in the Southlands and beat Adar's army, they settle down to help the local inhabitants clean up the mess. In the aftermath of the battle, Isildur and his two friends, Valandil and Ontamo, group up and do some post-violence decompressing. This starts with Ontamo asking Isildur, "So what do you think?" clearly in reference to the Middle-earth experience as a whole so far. Isildur shrugs, looks off into the distance, and says, "I like the mountains." It's an innocent and playful response, and the conversation moves on. For Tolkien nerds, though, the line may have more meaning than an innocent remark about the local scenery.

In the source material, when Isildur comes to Middle-earth much later, he founds the kingdom of Gondor — right near the area where he makes his mountainous comment. He co-rules his new kingdom with his brother Anárion, from the capital city of Osgiliath. However, each brother also creates their own personal fortress. 

Anárion builds Minas Anor (later Minas Tirith) in the nearby mountains to the west. And Isildur? He builds a fortress called Minas Ithil. This is the same place that the Ringwraiths eventually take over and turn into Minas Morgul (which Frodo and Sam pass on their way up to Shelob's Lair). The location of that fortress? Isildur picks a nice, vertical plot of land to the east, nestled right into the same mountains that he comments on in Episode 6 of "The Rings of Power."

As Episode 6 of "The Rings of Power" wraps up, Arondir and Theo have an important discussion. They talk through Theo's actions when he gives up the sword hilt, with the youngster pointing out that it wasn't just to save his dear mum. He also missed the lure of the weapon itself and feels its loss. Arondir's advice is to let it go: "Then rid yourself of it once and for all." He then suggests giving the hilt to the Númenóreans to throw into the sea as they sail back home.

All of this is eerily reminiscent of another conversation about a magical trinket early in "The Lord of the Rings" when Gandalf helps Bilbo let go of the overpowering attraction of the One Ring. In that scene, the Wizard says "Let it go! And then you can go yourself, and be free." Different words, same message. But wait. There's more.

The parallels between the Ring and the sword hilt go on. At the Council of Elrond, it's debated whether the good guys should try to destroy the Ring in Mount Doom ... or take it out in a boat and cast it into the sea. Seriously. The entire hilt storyline from Season 1 of "The Rings of Power" feels an awful lot like a rehashing of the One Ring from the "Lord of the Rings" narrative. The question is, are the similarities in there on purpose?

Sometimes Easter eggs aren't just tucked into a show's dialogue — they come inside other Easter eggs. In this case, we're talking about a clever take on Ents and their slow, ponderous dialogue. In Episode 7, the Harfoots arrive at the Grove, where they quickly discover that one of their favorite haunts has become the accidental target of a chunk of Mount Doom's volcanic activity. When the Halflings arrive, a piece of smoldering rock can still be seen smoking amidst the ruined trees that surround it. In response, Sadoc Burrows asks the Stranger to use his mysterious and semi-boundless powers to try to heal the arboreal damage. As the latter speaks half-muttered magical words, Sadoc and Malva banter back and forth about what's happening. Responding to Malva's initial inquiry, Sadoc says that the Stranger is using "Likely little words, so the tree will understand." His companion retorts, "Sadoc, trees don't talk," to which the Harfoot leader responds, "Some do."

This is clearly a mention of the Ents, but the reference to "little words" that trees will understand takes things to another level. The Ents are famous for their exceedingly unhasty language, and in "The Two Towers," Treebeard even describes Entish by saying, "It is a lovely language, but it takes a very long time to say anything in it, because we do not say anything in it, unless it is worth taking a long time to say, and to listen to." Short words? We think the tree understands just fine, Sadoc.

At multiple points in Episode 7, there's mention of "Dwarf lords." Disa, in particular, brings up the fact that the other Dwarf-lords were open to Durin IV's mithril-mining propositions, even though his father forbade it. The identity of these other lords remains shrouded in mystery for "The Rings of Power" — particularly since they appear to be individuals who have enough influence to affect events within Khazad-dûm itself. But the reference to "Dwarf-lords" brings other Dwarven leaders to mind for anyone who knows their Tolkien.

When they're first created, the Dwarves are made by the spiritual Guardian of the World Aulë. He makes seven Dwarven husks, which the Creator, Ilúvatar, breathes life into. (It's a whole thing.) The takeaway here is that these seven beings become the seven Fathers of the Dwarves. The book "The Peoples of Middle-earth" explains that the Dwarves remembered all seven names (one of whom is Durin I) and the locations where they awoke. However, Elves and Men only know about the genesis of three of these patriarchs — with the other four Fathers awakening far away in other regions of Middle-earth. The Seven Fathers establish different households or lines of Dwarves, including Durin's Longbeards as well as the Broadbeams, Firebeards, Ironfists, Stiffbeards, Blacklocks, and Stonefoots — which are all freaking awesome family monikers, if you ask us. Overall, there's very little information on these different groups, with the first three remaining the only ones that really impact Elvish history.

As Theo and Galadriel pick their way across the freshly barren landscape of newly minted Mordor, the young lad informs the Commander of the Northern Armies that he's killed Orcs before. The claim is misleading and aggrandizing, and Galadriel puts Theo in his place by simply pointing out that when she was his age, there was no such thing as Orcs. The clever little comment points back to Galadriel's vague early origins. It's also a statement that is likely not true, technically speaking.

Galadriel is born very early in Middle-earth history away in the Blessed Realm in the West. In comparison, the first Orcs are made even earlier, when Morgoth captures some of the first Elves before they ever reach Valinor — at least, that's one of their origin stories. While the timeline is confusing, chances are Orcs existed before Galadriel was born.

However, in defense of her statement, the Elves aren't aware of them until much later. "The Silmarillion" explains that the earliest Orcs begin to cross paths with the Elves long before Galadriel returns to Middle-earth with her Noldorin people. When that event happens (which is depicted in the prologue of the series), it can be pretty safely assumed that her people really encounter Orcs for the first time. Technicalities aside, Galadriel is definitely old enough to remember a world where Orcs weren't a serious threat, and it's a little piece of personal trivia that immediately demonstrates just how much experience she has under her belt.

When Sadoc Burrows tells the Stranger to head toward Greenwood the Great (future Mirkwood), he mentions that "You'll find the Big Folk settlements on the far side." This reference to Big Folk is talking about other tribes of Men, and there are quite a few of these that Tolkien tucks around Mirkwood at different points.

One of the most famous of these is Beorn the skin-changer. The hero lives between Mirkwood and the Misty Mountains during "The Hobbit," and in "The Lord of the Rings," his descendants rule over a tribe of Men in the area. The Men of Dale and of Laketown also dwell close by the forest's borders on the other side, and there are even Woodmen who live right in the forest itself. Even the Riders of Rohan hail from a region near Mirkwood before they migrate south into their future homeland. Of course, all of these groups of Men live near Mirkwood long after the "Rings of Power" story is set. It's a mystery what kind of Men (if any) live in the region during the Second Age, and it's a curious question that we might get to see the show explore in future seasons.

The Nazgûl are an integral part of the Second Age story — even if they won't be showing up in "The Rings of Power" for quite a while. Even so, the creators couldn't help but find a way to at least pay them an homage in the first season, and it came via one of the most iconic Black Rider scenes of all time. In Peter Jackson's "The Fellowship of the Ring" movie, the first time we see a Black Rider show up in the undead flesh, it sends Frodo and his three Hobbit companions scampering off the road and under some tree roots. This leads to a scene where the rider stops, sniffing and stooping his way over to the side of the road, right above the four terrified Halflings.

In the seventh episode of "The Rings of Power," we get an eerily reminiscent scene, in which Galadriel and Theo hide under a fallen clump of trees as they try to escape from the horrors of the freshly mangled Mordor landscape. As the pair try to rest for a bit, a company of Orcs passes by. One of them thinks they've smelled or heard something, and he makes his slow, snuffling way over to a point of land right above the hiding heroes. The visual is strikingly similar, even if the individuals, location, and story are completely different.

It's surprising to see how much Dwarvish Elrond can speak in "The Rings of Power." In Episode 7, he even answers a pair of Dwarves who are talking behind his back, demonstrating that he clearly knows what they're saying. There are points in Tolkien's writings where the author does say that some people learned Dwarvish from time to time. However, it's a very difficult language to master, and few speak it. There's one area of Dwarvish, in particular, that remains completely hidden from the outside world at all times: their names.

The book "The Peoples of Middle-Earth" says Dwarves "had names in their own language; these they only used among themselves (on solemn occasions) and kept strictly secret from other peoples, and therefore never spelt them out in writing or inscriptions meant for or likely to be seen by strangers." It explains that they would adopt other names for everyday use with others, adding "Whether the adopted names that had meanings were selected because these meanings had some relation to their secret 'inner' names cannot be determined."

This makes it a huge deal when, later in Episode 7, Durin IV nearly tells Elrond his secret name. The Elf stops his friend from revealing such a deeply personal item until they finish their project — which, in perspective, is an impressively selfless and respectful thing to do. Nice job, Elrond. Points for Durin, too, for being so vulnerable and trusting with his friend.

In Episode 7, Isildur disappears under a collapsing roof that's on fire. We don't see him again, and we're apparently left to wonder if he died (even though everyone and their mother knows that we see him again as an older dude in "The Lord of the Rings.") Anyway, everyone leaves poor old Isil for dead, including his bestie Valandil and his father Elendil. The only one who's determined not to give up is his horse Berek — he runs off into the blue, clearly looking for his master.

The scene of animalistic loyalty is touching. It's also something we've seen in Middle-earth cinema before. In the "Two Towers" movie, Aragorn is lost and left for dead after skirmishing with Warg Riders. The Ranger is wounded and nearly drowned, but his horse Brego tracks him down, wakes him up, and carries him home. It's a movies-only scene that doesn't happen in the books, but it's a Peter Jackson classic all the same — and one that we're seeing reproduced via Isildur and Berek to some degree in "The Rings of Power."

Well, we now know that the creators at Prime Video have waded in on the "Do Balrogs have wings?" debate and picked a side. In fact, the first thing we see in "The Rings of Power" Balrog reveal is some clearly physical wings covering the hibernating monster before they flip up and he just starts roaring at the inky darkness (someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed).

Up until this point, the Balrog we saw in the promotional material wasn't clear enough to identify if it had actual wings or if they were just shadows. Peter Jackson's films are difficult to make out, but there are a couple of shots that pretty definitely show physical wings, particularly as Gandalf and the demon fall into the heart of the mountain. Ralph Bakshi gave clear wings to his cartoon Balrog in the '70s, too. It would appear that the cinematic version of a Balrog is exclusively winged, even if there's still plenty of room for discussion within the intense and endless intra-fandom debate.

When Galadriel and Halbrand arrive in Eregion, their first priority is whatever the Elvish equivalent of an emergency room is. Halbrand is seriously wounded and has ridden for almost a week without help. He's bundled off into bed, where we see him a moment later with multiple Elvish healers tending to his lance wound. Interestingly, Elrond is also present, but he's just observing the professionals as they do their thing.

Now juxtapose this against a later scene in "The Lord of the Rings" when Frodo arrives at Rivendell with a deadly Morgul-knife wound, and Elrond himself performs the surgery to remove the devilish splinter. Earlier in the story, Aragorn diagnoses the wound, saying that "Few now have the skill in healing to match such evil weapons." Later on, Gandalf specifically refers to Elrond's prowess as a healer, literally stating that "Elrond is a master of healing."

He may have an impressive medical career ahead of him, but during "The Rings of Power" (which takes place thousands of years earlier, when he is still very young for an Elf), Elrond clearly hasn't achieved this master status. This makes the shot of him observing the others at work that much more important. What's going through his mind at the time? Is he taking notes? Does he already harbor the ambition to learn the healing arts? Or is that an interest he'll discover later on down the road?

When Halbrand and Celebrimbor meet for the first time in the latter's workshop, Halbrand convinces the Elven master craftsman that he can create an alloy to supplement his mithril and possibly even amplify its power. Celebrimbor notes that it's an intriguing suggestion, to which Halbrand replies, "Call it... a gift." It's a harmless enough comment on the surface. And yet, it's one of the most loaded lines in the entire show.

In Tolkien's original writings, Sauron arrives in Celebrimbor's realm disguised as an angelic fellow named Annatar, the Lord of Gifts. He works under this moniker for hundreds of years as he teaches the Elven smiths of the region many strange and wonderful things about Middle-earth magic and how to connect it to different items, like rings.

"The Rings of Power" has clearly opted to go in a different direction with the specifics. Sauron shows up as a Man, not an immortal Maia. He's hiding behind the title of the King of the Southlands (in the books, he claims to be an emissary of the god-like Valar). He spends days rather than centuries helping Celebrimbor. And yet, the mention of a "gift" is clearly a callback to the Lord of Gifts title from the source material that fans of Tolkien know and love.

When Pharazôn instructs the draftsmen to capture king Tar-Palantir's visage in the season finale, he discusses the fact that the monarch's tomb will give him immortality that no man can attain in life. This concept of immortalizing an individual in death through their tomb comes straight from Tolkien's own pen.

The men of Númenor are gifted with unusually long lifespans, especially their kings, and they spend their early days hobnobbing with immortal Elves. Over time, this privileged status sours in many of the men's minds as they realize that, sooner or later, despite their long lives, they still need to die. The fear of death plays a crucial role in the future of Númenor and leads to some erratic behavior.

"The Silmarillion" sums up the situation by saying, "But the fear of death grew ever darker up on them, and they delayed it by all means that they could; and they began to build great houses for their dead, while their wise men laboured unceasingly to discover if they might the secret of recalling life, or at the least of the prolonging of Men's days. Yet they achieved only the art of preserving incorrupt the dead flesh of Men, and they filled all the land with silent tombs in which the thought of death was enshrined in the darkness." It's a depressing trend that won't stop at tomb-making, either. But that's a topic for future seasons.

The first time we catch up with the Stranger in the finale, he's finally confronted by the trio of white-robed Mystics who have been chasing him down throughout the season. Once they've connected, the cultists try to help the supernatural being understand who he is, accidentally assuming that the answer to that question is the Dark Lord Sauron. In the conversation, they mention that the Stranger already knows the lands, even if he can't remember them, which prompts him to pull out his celestial map and say, "The stars." In response, his new guests inform him that "It is called the Hermit's Hat. A pattern visible in but one place. Far to the east, where the stars are strange. The lands of Rhûn."

This isn't just a reference to an interesting region of Middle-earth that even Tolkien didn't bother to explore much. Talking about strange stars is also directly lifted from the highly-experienced world traveler Aragorn. In "The Fellowship of the Ring" book, at the Council of Elrond, Aragorn lists some of his past travels, revealing that he went "even into the far countries of Rhûn and Harad where the stars are strange." There isn't much out there about Rhûn itself. But it appears that the show is setting the stage for future Rhûnic adventures by already introducing one of its key geographic attributes.

In the finale, when the Mystics realize that they're facing a Wizard rather than their Dark Lord, they say, "He is not Sauron. He is the other. The Istar. He is..." at which point the Stranger interjects to say "I'm good." The response harkens back to an earlier point in the season, when Nori corrects him, saying that he isn't a peril to the Harfoots, but rather a good being that helps others. It's a kind sentiment, but it completely glosses over the use of one word in particular: Istar.

Istar is an Elvish word that means "Wise One" and translates as "Wizard." In the book "Unfinished Tales," Tolkien explains that the translation is unfortunate, "since the Heren Istarion or 'Order of Wizards' was quite distinct from the 'wizards' and 'magicians' of later legend." The text goes on to explain that only a few people, including Elrond and Galadriel, knew who they were and where they came from.

Interestingly, there are five known Wizards (Saruman, Gandalf, Radagast, and two Blue Wizards) but the Mystics refer to the Stranger as the Istar, as in a singular individual. Could they be confusing one Blue Wizard with another that they've already met? Or is this a direct reference to a single individual, such as Gandalf, who will take the Wizarding spotlight in the show? It's a question that the writers have clearly left to answer in a later season.

In Episode 8, when Galadriel demands that Halbrand reveal his true name, the latter replies, "I have been awake since before the breaking of the first silence. In that time... I have had many names." This is a reference to the fact that Sauron has had various monikers throughout his dark Middle-earth career. But the phrase before the breaking of the first silence is a more subtle Easter egg that's easy to miss amidst the larger villainous reveal.

This is likely a reference to the Ainulindalë, which is the opening act of both "The Silmarillion" and Middle-earth history as a whole. It takes place in a yet-to-be-created universe, where the Creator and the Ainur (e.g. angels) craft a beautiful three-part musical masterpiece. At the end of the performance, it's revealed that they have collectively sung the story of the world and that history will now begin in real-time. It's a fascinating and unique take on a creation story. It's also an event that Sauron witnesses and participates in as a pure, angelic being. In fact, he also exists before the music starts, in a time when there was silence still waiting to be broken.

At the end of the season, as Sauron unveils his master plan of light-infused power and his desire to co-rule Middle-earth with Galadriel by his side, he uses all of his coaxing power to lure the headstrong Elf into joining him, telling her, "I would make you a queen. Fair as the sea and the Sun. Stronger than the foundations of the Earth." If those words sound familiar, it's because they're very similar to words that Galadriel would use thousands of years later when a little Hobbit offers her literally the same power in the form of Sauron's Ring.

As they stand beside her mirror in Lothlórien, Frodo offers Galadriel the Ring. Part of her response (in the book) is, "And now at last it comes. You will give me the Ring freely! In place of the Dark Lord you will set up a Queen. And I shall not be dark, but beautiful and terrible as the Morning and the Night! Fair as the Sea and the Lightning! Stronger than the foundations of the Earth. All shall love me and despair!"

See the similarities there? Becoming a Queen, fair as the sea and the sun/lightning, stronger than the foundations of the earth. "The Rings of Power" is setting up Galadriel's future test here, in a vision set in the midst of the Sundering Seas way back in the Second Age, long before she ever comes to Lothlórien.

The end of the Harfoot and Stranger Season 1 storyline brings some very recognizable moments with it. Once the Stranger has had a brain "refresher" from the Mystics, he regains his ability to talk and figures out that he's a Wizard. As he prepares to head off east in search of more answers in the distant region of Rhûn, Nori decides that she must go along with him. She's finally had a taste of adventure, and a single dose just won't do.

This image of a Hobbit heading off on an adventure with a Wizard by their side is one that we've seen before, more than once. Gandalf shows up on Bilbo's doorstep only to talk him into a very unexpected adventure. He nudges Frodo in that direction over half a century later, as well. And these aren't the first instances, either. When Bilbo realizes that he's talking to Gandalf in "The Hobbit" book, it prompts him to say, "Not the Gandalf who was responsible for so many quiet lads and lasses going off into the Blue for mad adventures?" Clearly, Gandalf has a track record for promoting Halfing adventurousness.