Do you know your Elros from your Elrond, and your Harfoots from your Hobbits?
Some people do, and if you don't, you soon will.
From the unseen lands of Numenor to the Vales of Anduin these are things only true fans
noticed in the trailer for "The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power."
One of the first images that Amazon released for the show way back in August of 2021 was
a gorgeous still with a figure in the foreground, a city not far away, and light emanating from
a low point on the distant horizon.
At that point, everyone and their mother guessed that what we were seeing was a not-so-subtle
Easter egg of the Two Trees of Valinor.
This time, we get a close-up that leaves no room for speculation.
As the clip begins, Morfydd Clark's Galadriel can be heard narrating.
She starts by referencing the past, speaking about an age before the sunrise.
But it didn't mean the world was in darkness.
"But even then there was light."
At this point, we see a close-up of two gigantic, glowing trees.
One is the gold-colored Laurelin and the other is the silverish-white Telperion.
These two hallowed living light posts provided light to the world for a long time early in
Middle-earth history.
They aren't the only source of light, but they're pretty nearly so.
When they're destroyed at the end of the Years of the Trees, they deliver two fruits before
they fully perish.
These become — you guessed it — the sun and the moon.
Not far into the trailer, there is a series of sweeping clips that show off some stunning
Middle-earth landscapes.
We see two lines of tiny individuals — Elves, maybe?
— who move across the screen.
The last clip shows the column high up on a mountainside, walking through the snow,
about to cross through a gap in the mountainous peaks.
As the camera pans beyond them and sweeps through the pass, a bird flies into the distance.
At first, it just looks like any airborne fowl.
But upon further investigation and when compared against the mighty backdrop of the mountains,
this bird turns out to not be any ordinary creature.
It appears to be enormous.
Could it be an Eagle?
The Eagles of Middle-earth are famous.
They save Gandalf, Bilbo, and their Dwarven companions when they escape from the Misty
Mountains in "The Hobbit."
They also show up at the end of that story as a last-minute happy ending when they save
the day at the Battle of the Five Armies.
Then their chief saves Gandalf from Orthanc in "The Fellowship of the Ring" and they arrive
in the nick of time at the battle before the Black Gates in "The Return of the King."
Suffice it to say, they are a consistent presence throughout the stories that we already know
and love.
But the history of the Eagles isn't limited to the Third Age.
It goes back practically to the beginning of time.
They're created along with the Ents to help protect the land, and they serve the spiritual
guardians of Middle-earth called the Valar.
The fact that we've already seen an Eagle this early is interesting.
Maybe they'll have a bigger part to play in "Rings of Power" than anyone initially expected.
Several portions of the trailer are filled with quick shots that provide little glimpses
of different Middle-earth dwellings.
One of these shows a gorgeous glimpse of a stronghold that looks very similar to Rivendell.
It's an Elven-looking city with tall, slender buildings, clustered onto a range of tall
mountains or hills.
While the optics look similar, though, there's no way it's Rivendell.
Why?
Because Elrond's peaceful fortress doesn't exist when the "Rings of Power" story begins.
What's more likely is that this is a city in the Elven area called Lindon.
There, Gil-galad is king, and Elrond operates as his right-hand man before he branches off
on his own.
Immediately after this shot, we get a stunning second or two of what has to be Moria.
If the words "stunning" and "Moria" sound wrong in the same sentence, let us remind
you that the ill-fated mines weren't always home to corpses and Balrogs.
The word Moria means "The Black Pit," and it's used to describe the subterranean kingdom
after it gets thrashed.
In the era of "The Rings of Power," the area is called Khazad-dûm, and it's referred to
as a Dwarven mansion, one that is teeming with life and light, no less.
We see the underground kingdom at multiple points throughout the trailer, and it certainly
looks like better real estate than in "The Lord of the Rings."
Midway through the trailer, Galadriel is shown being encouraged by multiple people to stop
fighting.
One Elf tells her she's fought long enough.
Another tells her to put up her sword.
This second pointy-eared fellow is none other than Elrond himself, played here by Robert
Aramayo.
The two verbally spar over the pacifistic remark, with Galadriel claiming Elrond hasn't
seen what she has seen.
The latter responds that he has seen his share.
While Galadriel ends up playing a trump card on Elrond's past experiences a moment later,
the half-Elven hero isn't blowing smoke.
Even by this early point in his life, Elrond has seen some pretty rough stuff.
When he is just six years old, he's a victim of an Elven civil war called the Third Kinslaying.
The future leader of Rivendell and his twin brother, Elros, are spared amidst the carnage,
but even then, they think their mother has committed suicide by jumping into the ocean
rather than being captured by her attackers.
While this does give Elrond some serious past experiences, it pales in comparison to Galadriel's
trials and tribulations.
Still, it's an interesting point that Elrond does have some past scars, some of which he
obtains as a very young Elf.
When Elrond mentions that he's seen his share of fire and slaughter, Galadriel immediately
one-ups him by pointing out that her experiences far exceed his.
"You have not seen what I have seen."
The line is interrupted by a horrifying shot.
To paint a discomforting word picture, we see what appears to be a scene filmed from
an underwater perspective.
Dead and impaled bodies are floating everywhere, all set against a fire-red backdrop as buildings
burn up above the surface.
The harrowing scene in question isn't made clear, however, there is one immediate guess
in our minds: the First Kinslaying.
Also known as the Kinslaying at Alqualondë, this horrifying event takes place just before
the First Age of Middle-earth begins.
It involves a faction of the headstrong group of Elves called the Noldor, led by their intractable
leader Fëanor, who attack and murder a bunch of their fellow Elves to steal their vessels
and sail back to Middle-earth.
It's a tragic part of Middle-earth history, and it's something that Galadriel witnesses
firsthand.
In the book "Unfinished Tales," Tolkien tells us that Galadriel "fought fiercely against
Fëanor in defense of her mother's kin."
Of course, just because she chose the right side doesn't mean she wasn't scarred by the
ordeal.
And that's just one of several acutely distressing past events that are likely to fuel this passionate
character when the "Rings of Power" story begins.
At one point in the trailer, the High King Gil-galad can be seen speaking words of ill
omen.
"Darkness will march over the face of the earth.
It will be the end, not just of our people, but all peoples."
As these foreboding words are uttered, the shot flits from the king to his trusted lieutenant,
Elrond, who is shown suddenly looking back over his shoulder with concern written on
his face.
At that moment, we get a split second of the setting behind the young Elf, and it's worth
a closer look.
The nighttime scene is dark, but there is enough light to see that away in the distance
two steep mountain ranges can be seen.
They rise up sharply, and both have a cluster of lights at their feet.
In between the ranges is the inky blackness of a sea.
This gives the appearance of an inlet of water nestled between two peaks.
If this is the case, this could very easily be a shot of the Grey Havens and its surrounding
geography.
We're talking about the port area where Frodo and Bilbo set sail at the end of "The Return
of the King."
Located in northwestern Middle-earth just left of the Shire, these havens are ancient
by the time we see them in "The Lord of the Rings."
If this is indeed them, they aren't the ancient Elvish haven we're used to seeing.
They would be fairly new at this point, as they were established right at the beginning
of the Second Age, not long before the "Rings of Power" story begins.
The trailer gives us more footage of a shot that was already seen in an earlier teaser,
in which Galadriel and a group of Elvish companions set sail in a swan-shaped boat to an unknown
destination.
In the previous footage, and again in this trailer, we see the boat sailing in darker
waters toward a steady, sustained light away in the distance.
The initial reaction was that this location was either the Blessed Realm away in the West,
or the island of Númenor.
After taking in the new footage, it's still difficult to make a decision.
But we're starting to believe that it's the Blessed Realm, thanks to another shot that
takes place right after the boat is shown again.
Here, Galadriel is depicted in a blaze of light that seems to be coming horizontally
from the left.
Could it be the sun?
Sure.
But the orientation of the boat seems to be pointed west, which would make it a setting
sun.
If that's the case, the brightness of the hues seems too yellowy to be the end of the
day.
Instead, the light seems to be coming from somewhere.
Could it be the Blessed Realm?
If so, unless it's a flashback, the light can't be coming from the Two Trees, as they're
long gone by the time of "Rings of Power."
Could Galadriel be facing someone like Varda, the Queen of the Valar?
Varda is brilliantly described in "The Silmarillion."
That tome says,
"Too great is her beauty to be declared in the words of Men or of Elves; for the light
of Ilúvatar lives still in her face.
In light is her power and her joy."
It's a wild guess, but it just might be possible.
The marketing for the Dwarves in "Rings of Power" has thus far been focused on two distinct
characters: Prince Durin IV and Princess Disa.
Both seem likely to figure prominently in the story — but Prince Durin is just a prince
for a reason.
Presumably, his father, Durin III, is still the King of Khazad-dûm at this point, although
we haven't heard much about the venerable leader.
In the trailer, we finally see a character who appears to be the Dwarven king, as played
by Peter Mullan.
He speaks to an unknown figure.
"I am sorry, but the time has come."
Then the camera cuts away.
While it's difficult to guess what the royal figure is talking about, it's fun to think
that we've finally seen the leader of a rich and thriving Khazad-dûm.
Durin III is likely to play a pretty crucial role, even if it's largely seen through the
eyes of his princely son.
According to the source material, Durin III is the first Dwarf to get one of the Rings
of Power.
And according to Dwarven legend, he is given it by the Elven lord and craftsman Celebrimbor,
not Sauron.
While that last part is likely untrue, it doesn't change the fact that we should see
quite a bit more of Durin III as the "Rings of Power" story plays out.
The second teaser finally provided some images of the critically important island nation
of Númenor.
However, this latest trailer sheds some significant light on the island people, specifically focusing
on several members of their royal line.
At different points throughout the second half of the teaser, we see multiple Númenóreans
who, based on the source material, will play critical roles as both antagonists and protagonists
throughout the story.
At one point, we see a flash of a young figure on board a ship.
The character is a young Isildur, played by Maxim Baldry.
A moment later, we see Isildur's famous father, Elendil, played by Lloyd Owen.
The pair are key figures in Aragorn's family tree and are members of an offshoot of the
royal house of Númenor, which is why they can claim the kingships of Arnor and Gondor
later on in the story.
We also see a longer clip of the royal family member Miriel, as played by Cynthia Addai-Robinson.
The Queen regent is directly in line for the throne of Númenor both the show and the source
material.
She should factor in as a protagonist, although some earlier versions of Tolkien's writings
did spin her as one of the bad guys.
Finally, we get a shot of another cousin of the royal house, Pharazôn, played by Trystan
Gravelle.
He is a major antagonist in the story, and it appears that his power-hungry character
starts off already riling the masses.
After many narrative moments focused on the past, we finally get some positive, forward-thinking
words from none other than Prince Durin IV.
The Dwarven prince is shown holding up something small and shiny.
"This could be the beginning of a new era."
While nothing is explicitly stated, we're willing to guess that he's talking about mithril.
Mithril is an extremely rare metal from Middle-earth.
In "The Fellowship of the Ring," Gandalf explains that,
"The wealth of Moria was not in gold and jewels, the toys of the Dwarves; nor in iron, their
servant."
He goes on a bit later to say that the wealth of the subterranean kingdom came from Moria-silver,
mithril.
He adds that,
"All folk desire it.
It could be beaten like copper, and polished like glass; and the Dwarves could make of
it a metal, light and yet harder than tempered steel."
Mithril is the number one commodity for Moria, if only because it's the only place in Middle-earth
where the precious stuff can be found.
It's the greedy mining for more mithril that eventually wakes up the Balrog.
But that happens much later than the "Rings of Power" narrative, well into the Third Age.
Before that time, it is a source of immeasurable wealth for the Dwarves, and we may be witnessing
the realization of that truth in this clip.
Celebrimbor is one of the key characters in the "Rings of Power" story.
This is the guy who learns to make the actual Rings of Power, thanks in part to the help
of a cleverly disguised Sauron.
Eventually, Celebrimbor learns his mistake and pays a serious price for being duped by
the Dark Lord.
When the story starts, though, Celebrimbor is still a highly respected Elven lord with
an impeccable pedigree.
His family credentials go straight back to Fëanor.
The infamously hotheaded Elven ancestor may have a serious anger issue, but he's also
hands down, the best craftsman in all of Middle-earth history.
His grandson, Celebrimbor, inherits his skills, even if he rejects his grandfather's darker
sins.
Celebrimbor is a masterful craftsman, and in the source material, he assembles a group
of smiths known as the Gwaith-i-Mírdain.
These fellow craftsmen form a brotherhood that, up until now, we haven't heard anything
about.
Toward the end of the trailer, we see a shot of several Elven individuals drawing their
swords, as if in a ceremony.
The timing here is important, as the brief scene comes just after Durin IV holds up what
looks like a piece of Mithril.
The Gwaith-i-Mírdain set up shop next to Moria to be near the precious metal so they
could import it for their craftwork.
The timing of the two moments could mean we're seeing that group of smiths for the first
time.
The other possibility here could relate to Fëanor himself, as the Elven patriarch is
famous for having his sons swear a terrible oath.
Perhaps the scene is depicting that oath in action.
The man in the fire has been around since the first marketing teaser was dropped during
the Super Bowl.
The character looks like an old male human who arrives in a meteor, and he has been shown
repeatedly engulfed in a crater of flames, even though he isn't burning.
Speculation of who this mysterious figure is has run rampant since day one, and this
latest trailer only adds fuel to the fire.
One of the last things we see is the fiery pit with the man inside, along with one of
the Harfoots — likely Nori Brandyfoot.
He's shown grabbing the ground, and then many of the surrounding rocks begin to levitate
around him.
Then the fire quickly disappears, and the scene cuts away.
But just before that happens, we see something.
The clip is shown from above for a brief second.
The figure is in the center, and flames spread outward from him.
They make a shape, a shape that's very easy to recognize.
It looks like a flaming eye.
If this isn't a reference to Sauron, we don't know what is.
The idea that the man is Sauron is possible, as the future Dark Lord does have a bit of
a slow, nearly-repentant start to the Second Age.
But it could very easily be a misdirect.
Perhaps this is a proto form of the eye symbol before it's inherited by the Dark Lord.
It's a mystery that is only growing as the premiere approaches.
The last shot of the trailer follows a quartet of Harfoots as they make their way down a
rolling, green slope.
The scenery is idyllic.
Iconic Middle-earth stuff.
Some trees can be seen here and there, but by and large, the overall feel is one of hilly,
rolling grasslands.
It feels an awful lot like the Vales of Anduin, the name of a sprawling area of Middle-earth
just east of the northern Misty Mountains.
This is an area that sees a lot of action over the long years of Middle-earth's history.
Many men live there, and Elves and Dwarves criss-cross it at different points.
Later on, Beorn the Skin-changer's house is located in the area, as is Radagast's home
on the edge of Mirkwood.
There's one other group that lives here for a long while before they migrate westward,
too: Hobbits.
Earlier groups of Hobbit ancestors spent a long while living in the area.
The prologue of "The Fellowship of the Ring" even says,
"Their earliest tales seem to glimpse a time when they dwelt in the upper vales of Anduin,
between the eaves of Greenwood the Great and the Misty Mountains."
Could this be the very beginning of that slow migration into the Vales of Anduin?
There's one thing that makes us particularly interested in the theory: the mountains.
Away in the distance of the shot, a very long line of peaks can be seen.
Could this be the Misty Mountains to the west, with the "eaves of Greenwood the Great," which
is also called Mirkwood, behind them in the east?
It's possible.
But as with many of these details, only time will shed more light on the mystery.
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