The Lord of the Rings: Why Did the Elves Make the Rings of Power?

Pre-release promos for The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Season 2 are unsurprisingly focused on the threat posed by the show’s titular jewellery. But if the Rings of Power are so bad, why did the Elves make them in the first place?

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Why the Elves Made the Rings of Power in The Lord of the Rings, Explained

According to The Lord of the Rings author J.R.R. Tolkien, the Elves created the Rings of Power to conserve, not conquer. As Middle-earth’s Second Age went on, its pointy-eared inhabitants clocked that the world around them was growing “weary.” The Elves were feeling a bit tired themselves, as well; many opted to bail on Middle-earth for the Undying Lands across the sea. Those who stuck around were desperate for a way to stop the decline of their race and world.

Enter: Sauron, who – disguised as “Annatar,” a supposed emissary of the angelic Valar – approaches the Elves with a solution: crafting magic rings. Some Elves (such as High King Gil-galad), didn’t fall for Sauron’s chicanery. Others did, including Celebrimbor and the Elven-smiths of Eregion. With Sauron as their guide, Celebrimbor and his assistants forged the Rings of Power, finding out too late that the Dark Lord planned to use them to enslave everyone!

On the plus side, the Rings of Power did temporarily hit pause on some of the decay the Elves sensed within Middle-earth. Ever wondered why Rivendell and Lothlórien are such idyllic destinations? Thank the Elven rings worn by Elrond and Galadriel, which preserved them for thousands of years. That’s also why both places started going downhill once the One Ring was destroyed: because the Elven Rings’ power was tied to Sauron’s master ring.

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Do the Elves Make the Rings of Power for the Same Reason in the Show?

Yep, The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power‘s ring-centric canon broadly aligns with Tolkien’s lore, including why the Elves’ decided to crank out magic-infused fingerwear. A lot of the specifics are changed, though. For example, Celebrimbor’s TV counterpart originally wants to make a crown, not rings. The only thing stopping him is a lack of mithril, so he scales down his design accordingly.

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The rings are forged in a different order in the Prime Video adaptation, too. Tolkien describes the Elven rings as the last of the lot; in the show, Celebrimbor makes them first. That said, he still forges these rings without Sauron’s input, like in the book. What’s more, Season 2’s trailers confirm that Celebrimbor will make the remaining rings (except for the One Ring) with Sauron-as-Annatar’s help, which also tracks with Tolkien’s works.

The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Season 2 debuts on Prime Video August 29, 2024.