‘LOTR’: How Did The Other Rings of Power Corrupt Their Wearers?
At Comic-Con International in San Diego, Prime Video unveiled the first full trailer for the second season of ‘The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power’. This trailer highlights the potential dangers posed by the Three Rings forged by Celebrimbor at the end of the first season. Since Halbrand, who was secretly the Dark Lord Sauron, orchestrated the creation of these Rings, Elrond is worried that the Elves are playing into Sauron’s hands by not destroying them. He warns, “In choosing to wear those rings, you have all become his collaborators.” While Galadriel agrees that the Rings are crucial to Sauron’s plan, she believes her own ring is “guiding” rather than “deceiving.”
The trailer also shows Durin III with one of the Seven Rings, suggesting he is already under its corrupting influence. When his son pleads with him to remove it, Durin responds with seemingly superhuman strength. In ‘The Lord of the Rings’, the One Ring corrupted its bearers by tempting them towards evil and inciting violence. The trailer taps into this theme, but did the other Rings of Power corrupt their wearers similarly?
Also Read: How Arwen and Galadriel Are Related in ‘The Lord of the Rings’
The Nine Rings given to Men were particularly corruptive, enhancing their powers but turning them into the Nazgûl, who were enslaved to Sauron and lost their humanity. The Seven Rings given to the Dwarves made them more greedy and avaricious, but did not turn them into Sauron’s minions. The Dwarves’ inherent resilience meant they resisted domination, though the Rings still served Sauron’s interests by driving the Dwarves to their doom.
The Three Rings, created by Celebrimbor, were initially worn by the Elves without ill effects, as they removed them when Sauron forged the One Ring. They used the Three Rings to protect their realms and were not corrupted by them, as Sauron lacked control over them without the One Ring.
It’s uncertain how the Three Rings might have corrupted the Elves if worn while Sauron had the One Ring. The Elves were more resistant to corruption than Men but less so than Dwarves. In ‘The Lord of the Rings’, with changes to Tolkien’s lore, the Three Rings might be more insidious than in the novels, even before Sauron’s One Ring was created.
Tolkien’s writings suggest that the corruptive power of the Rings stemmed from Sauron’s influence. He imbued the Rings with magic that made them susceptible to the One Ring’s control. Although Celebrimbor crafted the Three Rings without Sauron’s direct involvement, he used techniques influenced by Sauron, which might mean that the Three Rings could still harbour some inherent evil.
The trailer’s depiction of ominous whispers when Galadriel wears her Ring supports the idea that these Rings might be more dangerous than initially thought. Only time will reveal the true extent of the danger posed by the ‘Rings of Power’ in this series.
–Farheen Ali
