Summary
Galadriel wears one of the titular Rings inThe Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Powerseason 2, as revealed by the trailer unveiled at theSan Diego Comic-Con. This is the Ring she wore throughoutThe Lord of the RingsandThe Hobbit, but Prime Video’s prequel details how it came to be Galadriel’s and what influence it will have on her and those around her. This powerful weapon appears to lead Galadriel forward on her journey, for better or worse. Based on the Ring’s known abilities, as described by J.R.R. Tolkien, it could be Galadriel’s best weapon against the newly emergent Annatar.
Screen Rantwas present at theRings of Powerpanel at the San Diego Comic-Con 2024, where thefull trailer for season 2was screened. While season 1 spent a lot of time setting up the creation of the titular Rings, it seems that season 2 will finally be packed full of them. Sauron and Celebrimbor craft the Nine and Seven, andthe Elves are seen debating what to do with the Three Ringsmade in the season 1 finale. Ultimately, Galadriel claims one of these, though Elrond objects. He feels the Ring will have an evil influence over her—is he right?
Galadriel’s Ring Was One Of The Three Elven Rings Influenced By Sauron
The Three Elven Rings Were Made Without Sauron’s Knowledge (But Under His Influence)
Galadriel’s Ring inThe Rings of Powerseason 2is called Nenya, and it is one of the Three Elven Rings created by Celebrimbor in Season 1. While it was not made by Sauron himself (in Tolkien canon, it was made without his knowledge),Nenya and the other Three are still influenced by the Dark Lord’s evil will, especially while he wields his One Ring to Rule Them All. This means that, to an extent, both Galadriel and Elrond are correct inThe Rings of Power’sseason 2 trailer. Nenya could negatively influence Galadriel, but it also has the potential for great good in her hands.
Nenya could negatively influence Galadriel, but it also has the potential for great good in her hands.
In Tolkien canon, the Elves, including Galadriel, stopped using their Three Rings when they felt Sauron’s One Ring take hold. The Dark Lord couldn’t influence them in the same way he did the 16 others, but the tug of evil was still evident, and they didn’t want to risk it. It seems thatThe Rings of Powerseason 2 will explore Galadriel’s use of Nenya leading up to this point and perhaps even into the moments in which she begins to feel that dark connection with Sauron.
Why Galadriel Wears Nenya In The Rings Of Power Season 2
Galadriel Says That Nenya Is Guiding Her
When Galadriel picks up Nenya in theRings of Powerseason 2 SDCC trailer, her voice is heard stating thatSauron’s plan to dominate Middle-earthwill depend on the Rings of Power. Despite this, she slips it on her finger. Elrond’s objections centered around his belief that the Elves would be complicit in the Dark Lord’s crimes if they accepted the Three Elven Rings. He feared Sauron’s influence over them. Of course, Elrond is doomed to be ignored since Tolkien canon dictates that the Three persevered until the Elves traveled to Valinor at the end of the Third Age.
Of course, Galadriel isn’t ignoring Elrond’s warnings out of spite. Tolkien didn’t go into much detail aboutwhyGaladriel started wearing Nenya (and the reasons given don’t apply toRings of Power’s version of the timeline), buttheRings of Powerseason 2 trailer implies a sort of call or draw between the Elf and the Ring. Once she has it on, she becomes adamant that Nenya is guiding her forward. The big question will be what the Ring is guiding her toward and whether Elrond’s concerns are valid. Of course, given Nenya’s powers in Tolkien canon, the Ring will surely be an asset.
Nenya’s Powers & Magic In The Lord Of The Rings Explained
Nenya Will Help Guard Galadriel From Sauron
Nenya has the power of protection, preservation, and concealment from evil—making it the least vulnerable of the Three Elven Rings to Sauron’s One Ring. By its very nature, it hides its bearer from beings like Sauron, which means Galadriel and those around her will be safer inThe Rings of Powerseason 2 than ever before. Nenya also enhances Galadriel’s own powers, such as her brand of psychic ability, her general intuition, and her wisdom. However, as the Ring of Water, Galadriel’s Elven Ring also causes her to long for the sea.
InThe Rings of Powerseason 1, Galadriel longed to return home to Valinor, but her desire to stay in Middle-earth and defeat Sauron outweighed this. Of course, the Dark Lord’s deception has only solidified her resolve to take him down, buther desire to sail across the sea to her home will also be increased now that she wears Nenya. This is sure to mean a continued internal battle for thisRings of Powercharacter as she learns to balance the power of Nenya with her own desires.
How Galadriel’s Ring Connects To The Lord Of The Rings
Nenya Isn’t New To The Lord Of The Rings
Of course, Galadriel getting her Ring of Power in season 2 is no surprise since she is Nenya’s Ring-bearer inThe Lord of the Rings. During the Third Age, she used this weapon to conceal her home of Lothlórien. The Ring guards the realm and all who live there while ensuring prosperity, endless growth, and preservation of the trees and plant life.Lothlórien has yet to be mentioned inThe Rings of Power, which is a significant change from the canon. However, now that Galadriel has her Ring, the home she protects with it is sure to follow.
Galdriel’s future in Middle-earth isn’t the only thing set up by her receiving Nenya inThe Rings of Power. There are two other bearers of theThree Elven Rings inThe Lord of the Rings—Gandalf and Elrond. Of course, the future Lord of Rivendell is still a ways off from getting his Ring, Vilya, since he is adamantly against the Rings of Power in season 2. Gandalf’s Ring, Narya, will also take a while to fall into his hands. The wizard has yet to be officially introduced inThe Rings of Power, though it’s heavily implied that The Stranger is a version of thisLord of the Ringscharacter.
Before Elrond and Gandalf bear their Rings of Power, Vilya and Narya will be kept by Gil-galad and Círdan, respectively.
What The Rings Of Power Changes About Galadriel’s Ring
Rings Of Power Is Adjusting Galadriel’s Story
While Tolkien has established what we know about Nenya and the other Three Elven Rings of Power, there’s no guarantee that everything will work out this way in Prime Video’s prequel series.The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Powerhas already made some significant changessince the circumstances of Galadriel receiving her Ring are different.By the time this happens in Tolkien canon, Galadriel and her husband, Celeborn, have already settled in Lothlórien, and Galadriel accepts the Ring to protect her home and the Elves she governs there. Clearly, this isn’t the case inRings of Power.
It brings to the surface the precarious position the Elves are in with these Rings since they are both a weapon against Sauron and a tool for him to use against them.
There’s also never any indication in Tolkien’s works that Elrond ever objected to the use of the Three Elven Rings. However, this is an interesting addition on Prime Video’s part. It brings to the surface the precarious position the Elves are in with these Rings since they are both a weapon against Sauron and a tool for him to use against them.This also allows us to see what is happening in Galadriel’s mind as she wears Nenya for the first timeand experiences its influence on her. WhileRings of Powerhas made some changes, it’s clear that everything is headed in the same direction.
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power
Cast
Set in the Second Age of Middle-earth, The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power explores the forging of the iconic rings, the rise of the Dark Lord Sauron, and the epic events leading up to the stories in J.R.R. Tolkien’s classic novels. The series chronicles the creation of legendary characters and the historic alliances and rivalries that shape the fate of Middle-earth.
