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So, what exactly are those rings in 'The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power'? Let's break it down.
One Ring to rule them all, One Ring to find them...
Summon your flying eagles because it’s time to head back to Middle-earth! The highly anticipated Lord of the Rings television series on Amazon Prime finally has a name, The Rings of Power, and is scheduled to be released on Friday, Sept. 2.
According to Variety, the series is set to take place in the Second Age, thousands of years before the events depicted in The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. And, as you might have guessed, the Rings of Power forged by Sauron will be a major part of the show.
BUT WHAT EXACTLY ARE THOSE RINGS?
Good question! The Lord of the Rings focuses on the One Ring – the final Ring that Frodo must destroy in Mount Doom in order to defeat the evil Sauron once and for all. But there are actually 19 other Rings that were created during the Second Age, thousands of years before The Lord of the Rings takes place.
WHO MADE THOSE RINGS?
In the Second Age, Sauron, disguised as the good-willed Annatar, the Lord of Gifts, persuaded the Elven-smiths of Eregion, led by Celebrimbor, to forge the Seven and the Nine Rings. Celebrimbor also forged a set of Three on his own, while Sauron went to Mount Doom to forge the One Ring – a master Ring that all “lesser” Rings would be controlled by (and one that made for a pretty good series of movies).
When Sauron put on the One Ring, the Elves figured out his plan immediately and took off their Rings. Annoyed, Sauron managed to take back the Seven and the Nine Rings, but not the Three that Celebrimbor had forged for himself and the Elves. Subsequently, Sauron gave the Nine Rings to Men, who eventually became Ringwraiths (otherwise known as Nazgûl or Black Riders), evil wraiths with great power that were under his command. He then gave the Seven to the Dwarves who became immensely wealthy, and though they didn't exactly fall spell to Sauron's sinister plans, they became increasingly greedy and ruin was brought to their land nonetheless.
SO WHAT’S THE SHOW ABOUT, THEN?
Well, according to showrunners J.D. Payne and Patrick McKay: “The Rings of Power unites all the major stories of Middle-earth’s Second Age: the forging of the rings, the rise of the Dark Lord Sauron, the epic tale of Númenor, and the Last Alliance of Elves and Men. Until now, audiences have only seen on-screen the story of the One Ring – but before there was one, there were many… and we’re excited to share the epic story of them all.”
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power will be available to stream on Prime Video on Friday, Sept. 2.
