As a die-hard fan of Tolkien’s Middle-earth lore, I’ve spent countless hours poring over every detail in the epic tales, from the grand battles to the intricate history of the Rings of Power. The latest trailer for “The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim” has left me intrigued and eagerly awaiting its release on December 13th.
The much-awaited animated film, “The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim” produced by Warner Bros., has unveiled its official trailer. Set to debut on December 13th, this anime movie serves as a prelude to Peter Jackson’s legendary live-action trilogy. The trailer cleverly interweaves clips from the original films with the new animation style before fully diving into the narrative of “The War of the Rohirrim,” primarily focusing on events in Rohan that occur approximately two centuries prior to the events depicted in “The Lord of the Rings.” Éowyn, played by Miranda Otto, returns for this film and provides the narration. The trailer showcases grand battles, intense duels, and significant palace politics.
The final shot, though, is a bit of a mystery. It shows a figure clad in black, with creepy long fingernails, greyish skin, and a grizzly voice. They’re standing in the snow holding a ring before they put it in a pouch full of similarly glitzy jewelry. As this happens, the voice says, “What does Mordor want with rings?”
It seems there’s some confusion. Is the statement alluding to “The Lord of the Rings” or “The Rings of Power”? If it’s the latter, could you clarify where we are in Middle-earth’s timeline regarding these rings? Who is this individual and what’s their connection to the rings? We have a few hypotheses.
Hunting for Rings of Power
First, let’s consider who this person could be. One possibility is a servant of the Dark Lord, tasked with gathering rings from the defeated, injured, and deceased in battles. This mirrors a scene in “The Two Towers” novel where an orc captain mentions, soon after seizing Frodo from Shelob’s grip, that his instructions are to inventory every item on prisoners – garments, weapons, letters, rings, or trinkets. Previously in the same book, another group of orcs were commanded not to search their captives at all, as the Dark Lord wanted them untouched with all their possessions. These details suggest that even before and during “The Lord of the Rings,” Sauron’s lieutenants were told to carefully examine their prisoners’ belongings. In “The Two Towers” book, one orc even complains about Merry and Pippin, saying they have something valuable for the war – an Elvish secret or artifact.
Another option here is that we’re looking at a Black Rider. That would explain the voice, and it would also make sense that a Nazgûl is looking for his Master’s ruling Ring. However, the Nine aren’t really supposed to emerge from Mordor (where they are busily preparing for Sauron’s return) until much later than this point.
Regardless of whether it’s an orc, a human, or a Ringwraith, one thing is certain: we are going to have some magic rings in “The War of the Rohirrim.” Now, technically speaking, these could be other rings of power. In “The Fellowship of the Ring,” Gandalf talks about how there are many others in existence, and in that same novel Saruman also refers to himself as a “ring-maker.” However, the reference to Mordor heavily implies that the shady character from the trailer is looking for the almighty Rings of Power. So, where are they at this point?
Where are the Rings of Power at this point in Middle-earth History?
In The Lord of the Rings, we’re aware of the locations of the twenty mighty Rings of Power. Nine were meant for Mortal Men, Seven for Dwarf lords, Three for Elven kings, and one to govern them all. However, where were these Rings during “The War of the Rohirrim,” which occurred 183 years prior?
A substantial portion of the solution lies in the possession of specific characters. For example, Elrond, Galadriel, and Gandalf hold the three Elven Rings. Meanwhile, the Nine Rings are securely kept by their corrupted human bearers who function as Sauron’s spies. At that juncture, Sauron was acting as the Necromancer in Mirkwood, a role familiar from Jackson’s “The Hobbit” films. The One Ring remains hidden with Gollum in his cave, awaiting Bilbo’s encounter centuries hence. The Seven Rings are under the control of the Dwarf-lords within their stone halls. In “The Fellowship of the Ring,” Gandalf informs Frodo that by the time of the War of the Ring, Sauron had managed to reclaim most of the Rings: “The Nine [Rings] are now in Sauron’s grasp; the Seven are either under his control or destroyed. The Three remain hidden.”
Essentially, when “The Lord of the Rings” begins, Sauron has already amassed all nine rings carried by humans and what’s left of the Dwarf rings (the rest were destroyed by dragon fire). Over time, he managed to acquire one of those Dwarven rings as the story unfolds. However, it’s reasonable to assume that around two centuries prior, Sauron was actively scouring Middle-earth for both the One Ring and any other Rings of Power that could potentially surface.
Indeed, much of this remains conjecture, given just a solitary dialogue line and a quick peek at a bag filled with rings. We’ll only uncover the complete narrative behind the enigmatic ring-hoarding character when “The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim” hits theaters on December 13, 2024.
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2024-08-23 01:00