It’s right there in the title, after all: the rings of The Rings of Power are, y’know, pretty important. As seen in the latest trailer for season two of the Prime Video show, they also look pretty goofy. (Don’t people need to use their hands? These things are chonks.)
But the technical creation process of these legendary objects is fascinating all on its own. A new video goes behind the scenes to the forging of the rings—or starts to, anyway; this is a promising topic, but the video cuts it all too short in favor of actors talking. Wait! Go back to jeweler Amy Eira Warburton and Charles Edwards (Celebrimbor)! Show us how it’s done!
That gripe aside, for Tolkien nerds of a certain age and/or inkling, getting to see artist John Howe in action is a real treat. (Raise your hand if you also had a Howe Lord of the Rings wall calendar as a child.) “The ring is a miniature metaphor for the earth,” Howe says. “It’s round, it’s circular, it has no beginning, no end, encompasses everything, including power.”
According to press materials and basic Lord of the Rings history known to just about anyone by this point, in season two, Sauron is going to use said rings “to bind all the peoples of Middle-earth to his sinister will.” Arguably, the show’s greatest challenge is to make both the creation of the rings and Sauron’s trickery convincing and meaningful. We’ll see how that goes when The Rings of Power returns August 29th.
