“To bear a Ringbearer is to be alone” is one of the most celebrated lines in The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, and, now, many beings are about to find out what it really means in The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power. The Prime Video series has already given us the three Elven Rings, and now, Season 2 is about to reveal the Dwarven Rings and the Rings of Men. There are, in total, nineteen Rings of Power, with the three Elven Rings having already been claimed in the season premiere. What about the other sixteen?

The Three Elven Rings Already Have Wearers

 

By the end of the premiere of Season 2, the three Elven Rings have all found their bearer. After much debate and an attempt by Elrond (Robert Aramayo) to convince the Elves that the Rings of Power are dangerous, the episode closes with a shot of the three rings in the hands of their first bearers. Gil-galad (Benjamin Walker) wears Vilya, the Ring of Air; Círdan (Ben Daniels) wears Narya, the Ring of Fire; and Galadriel (Morfydd Clark) wears Nenya, the Ring of Water. In The Rings of Power, each ring naturally finds its way into the hands of its bearer, but, in J.R.R. Tolkien‘s writings, everything happens differently.

From the forging of the Elven Rings and the Elves’ departure to Valinor in The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, Galadriel is the only Ring-bearer who has managed to hold on to her ring from the start. In the books, these are the last rings to be forged by Celebrimbor (Charles Edwards), without Sauron’s (Charlie Vickers) presence or knowledge. The Elvensmith then personally gives Nenya to Galadriel, and hands Vilya and Narya to Gil-galad. The High King of the Noldor keeps only the former, and gives Narya to Círdan the Shipwright. Once Sauron learns of the forging of these rings, he attacks Eregion and kills Celebrimbor, effectively starting the war between him and the free peoples of Middle-earth.

This conflicts only comes to an end once Sauron is defeated by the Last Alliance of Elves and Men in the Battle of Dagorlad, as seen in the opening scenes of The Fellowship of the Ring. Before the battle, Gil-galad gives Vilya to Elrond, and is eventually slain in the battle. Centuries later, when the Istari arrive in Middle-earth in the Third Age, Círdan recognizes that Gandalf (Ian McKellen) needs Narya’s power of inspiring courage and defiance the most, and gives him the Ring of Fire. By the time the One Ring is destroyed, the Elven Ring-bearers are Galadriel, Elrond, and Gandalf. With the One Ring destroyed, though, the power of these rings fades, and they become like regular jewelry.

The Seven Dwarven Rings Will Soon Be Forged

According to Tolkien’s writings, the first rings Celebrimbor and Sauron (under his Annatar disguise) forge together are a batch of lesser rings, to perfect their craft. Afterward, they move on to forge the seven Dwarven Rings and the nine Rings of Men. Unlike the Elven Rings, though, records regarding ownership of these sixteen rings are scarce. In a departure from the books, then, in the Season 2 premiere, Celebrimbor and Annatar summon Prince Durin IV (Owain Arthur) to pitch him the idea of the Dwarven Rings, while Celebrimbor continues to refuse to forge rings for men.

In the books, though, what is known about the Dwarven Rings isn’t who got them, but rather to which Dwarvish clan it goes. The only Dwarven ring known is the one that goes to Durin’s Folk, who inhabit Khazad-dûm at that time. Since Durin III (Peter Mullan) is the king, it’s reasonable to assume it goes to him. It then passes down his line all the way to Thráin II, Thorin Oakenshield’s (Richard Armitage) father — in Tolkien’s writings, Durin IV is not a relevant character. Eventually, Thráin is captured by the orcs and taken to Dol Guldur, where Sauron (now disguised as the Necromancer) is regaining his strength. Sauron then tortures Thráin and gets his ring before killing him.

The other six are hinted to have been given to the other main Dwarvish clans: Broadbeams, Firebeards, Ironfists, Stiffbeards, Blacklocks, and Stonefoots. Each clan would have had a lord who was the bearer of one of these rings. The Dwarves, however, proved resistant to Sauron’s influence. The rings did not corrupt them as intended but instead intensified their natural desire for wealth and riches. This led to the accumulation of vast treasures, which in turn attracted dragons and other dangers. Of the seven Dwarven Rings of Power, it’s known that four were consumed by dragons, and the other three were reacquired by Sauron, since he actively sought to reclaim the rings he had made.

We Still Don’t Know Who Bears t​​​​​​he Nine Rings of Men

If records of the Dwarven Rings are scarce, there is even less information about the nine rings for Men — or simply the Nine. What is known is that their recipients are humans, and said to be great kings, warriors, and sorcerers. The Nine gradually corrupt their bearers, and, over time, the men who bore the rings become obsessed with power and wealth, and their lives are unnaturally extended. Eventually, they become bound to the will of Sauron himself. These wraiths are known as the Nazgûl, or Ringwraiths, the most feared servants of the Dark Lord.

The only known human to have obtained one of the Nine is Khamûl the Easterling, also referred to as the Shadow of the East. He is the second in command among the Nazgûl, after the Witch-king of Angmar. As an Easterling, he comes from the lands east of Mordor, beyond Rhûn, and were often allied with Sauron. He is the second in command among the Nazgûl, after the Witch-king of Angmar.

Curiously, the identity of the Witch-king isn’t known, but, according to some interpretations, he may have been a powerful king or sorcerer, and, according to others, he may have been of Numenórean descent, which would explain his power.

In The Rings of Power Season 2, the Nine will play a central part in the story, with trailers anticipating Sauron’s obsession with forging them, although Celebrimbor initially denies him. At the same time, a powerful dark wizard played by Ciarán Hinds is rising in Rhûn, which may also be a tie to the Nine, and perhaps even become one of them.

Season 2 of The Rings of Power is streaming on Prime Video. New episodes premiere weekly on Thursdays.