The Rings Of Power: The 23 Character Posters And Their Meaning Amazon Prime Series
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power will arrive on Amazon Prime Video on September 2, 2022. In the meantime, 23 enigmatic promotional posters have been released that introduce us to the characters of the show.
Amazon has released 23 new posters for The Rings of Power, the prequel series of The Lord of the Rings that will take us back to Middle-earth from September 2, 2022. Not one of the faces of the characters that we will learn about over the course of the episodes is shown in the posters, yet the images offer the audience some clues and we can thus groped to guess who are the people portrayed in the promotional images of the series.
Sauron
The detail of a pointed black armor can only belong to the Dark Lord of Mordon, the dark Sauron, who for the first time we will see in his physical form. As the creator of the One Ring, Sauron will play a pivotal role in the unfolding of the events of the Amazon TV series, set in the Second Age of Middle-earth.
The Two Trees of Valinor
One of the promotional posters in the series could be a reference to the Two Trees of Valinor, Laurelin and Telperion. The character portrayed in the photo wields a gold and silver blade. The two colors would be, respectively, representation of Laurelin and Telperion, the first light source of Valinor. The protagonist of the poster could be an Elf Ñoldor (probably Galadriel) or a Númenóreano.
The Scepter of Annúminas
The mysterious figure depicted in the poster holds a golden staff on top of which the outline of a city is carved. It could be the scepter of Annúminas, the Númenórean capital of the Kingdom of Arnor. The character in the promotional poster could be Elendil, King of the Dúnedain and High King of Arnor and Gondor.
The Symbol Of The Sun
The symbol of the sun is not easily comparable to Tolkien’s imaginary world. The clothing and armor we see suggest that the character in the image is not an Elf. It could therefore be a Man, one of the Númenóreans who managed to resist the corruption of Sauron . There is another possibility: the figure could be one of the nine kings of Men who later became Nazgûl.
The Golden King of Númenor
The gold in the character’s robes and rings may suggest that he is Ar-Pharazôn, the last king of Númenór, also known as Ar-Pharazôn the Golden.
The Language Of The Elves
Whoever the mysterious figure dressed in red is, is unrolling a parchment written in Sindarin, the language of the Elves. Could it be Elrond?
The Golden Hands Of A Dwarf
While Elves will play a crucial role in The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, that doesn’t mean there won’t be room for the Dwarves as well. The long red beard and the runes engraved in the hammer are symbols we easily associate with the Dwarves in Tolkien’s universe. The hands dusted with gold instead indicate the fate of the Dwarves who, in the grip of greed caused by the Rings of Power, went in search of priceless riches.
The Archer
Trying to guess who the mysterious archer on the poster is is not easy. We can only guess, given the armor on which leaves are engraved, that it is a Wood Elf or a Green Elf.
The Scythe
Whoever wields the scythe in this Rings of Power promotional poster does not appear to be a king or an Elf by the craftsmanship of his clothes. It could be some farmer or a trader.
The Broken Blade
When it comes to broken blades in the context of Middle-earth, the mind inevitably goes to Narsil, the sword wielded by Isildur to cut off the finger Sauron wore the One Ring. However, Narsil was only broken at the end of the Second Age.
It is therefore more likely that the blade we see in the poster is Gurthang, the black sword wielded by Túrin Turambar that broke when it was used to kill his master. Gurthang’s remains should be buried with Túrin, but it is not impossible that someone has recovered them.
Not a Rohirrim
Equestrian iconography is generally associated with Men in Middle-earth, Rohan and the Horse Lords. But the kingdom of Rohan was not founded until the Third Age. So who is the figure we see in the poster?
We Find The Hobbits
There is no doubt when we look at the image of the person in this promotional poster of The Rings of Power: it is certainly a Hobbit, whose presence in the series is now confirmed.
The Blue Sorcerers
The image above is causing a lot of discussion. Looking at the stick that the mysterious character holds, we could think of the Istari, a group of wizards which include, among others, Saruman and Gandalf. The arrival of the latter in Middle-earth is not expected in the Second Age, only the blue sorcerers Alatar and Pallando showed up. Could the poster then portray either of them?
Huge Berries
Similar to the image of the Hobbit with acorns, this poster shows someone with some fruits of the earth in their hands. These are berries of disproportionate size. But perhaps it is the hands that belong to one of the smaller races in Middle-earth Another Hobbit or a Dwarf?
Mysterious Letters
Another protagonist of The Rings of Power has scrolls in his hands. This time, however, the text we read is not Sindarin. It is therefore not an Elf. It is almost certain that he is a Hobbit. Even more likely what we see is the hand of actor Lenny Henry, who will play the first Black Hobbit.
The Woman With The Shawl
We don’t have many tools to find out who the woman with the shawl is. From the clothes she wears we can only imagine that she is an ordinary person, far from the ranks of high society.
Círdan The Carpenter
The rope wrapped around the shoulder is a detail that makes us think that the protagonist of this poster is Círdan, the oldest Elf naval carpenter in Middle-earth.
An Apple A Day Keeps The Dark Lord Away
Again, the humble robes here hint at a lower-ranking person than those richly dressed in other Rings of Power promotional posters.
A Pure White Flower
The flower may be a reference to the White Tree of Gondor, found in the Fountain Courtyard in Minas Tirith. However, the flower could also refer to Nimloth, the White Tree of Númenor that grew in the King’s Gardens in the city of Armenelos.
Finally, we know that in The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power we will see Valinor. The woman dressed in white holding a flower of the same color, a symbol of purity, could be Yavanna, the “mother nature” of Tolkien’s world.
Hands And Gold Jewelry
The gold dust covering the character’s hands may suggest a connection to the Dwarf we saw earlier. There is, however, another possibility. The golden jewels could once again remind us of Ar-Pharazôn. Could it therefore be Tar-Míriel, the bride of the Golden King of Númenor?
An Aquatic-Themed Book
The mysterious book in the hands of the poster character features an elaborate marine-themed inlay Difficult to make assumptions about it.
The Legacy Of The House Of Fëanor
The motif on the robe of the character that we see in the poster is interesting: it is covered with eight-pointed stars, the emblem of the House of Fëanor. Fëanor and his descendants were Noldor Elves who fell from grace when Morgoth stole the Silmarils, the mighty jewels made by Fëanor himself. For the most part, the descendants of the house died in that Age, but we know of a surviving descendant in the Second: Celebrimbor, the craftsman who led the Elven smiths in creating the Rings of Power.
The Emblem Of The Sun
The emblem of the sun returns in the clothes of the figure portrayed in the last promotional image of the show. Is there a connection between the two characters?
