Editor's Note: The following contains spoilers for all of Season 1 of The Rings of Power.The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power explores a number of topics from the critically acclaimed books (the original source material for the insanely popular series) that its juggernaut predecessor barely made mention of, if at all. The Unseen World is one of the concepts from the books that The Rings of Power touches upon, albeit rather succinctly. Since the show seems to be all set for a new season, it’s safe to assume that the topic will be explored in more detail in the upcoming episodes. But what exactly is the Unseen World and what do we know so far about it?
Is the Unseen World a Vague Reference or Foreshadowing Something Else?
The Unseen World comes up in the show first when Galadriel (Morfydd Clark) captures Adar (Joseph Mawle) to extract the whereabouts of Sauron. Adar is the leader of the Orcs and one of the first of their kind, the one who attacked the Southland. According to him, Sauron exploited the Unseen World in his experiments for his own selfish reasons. After the death of Morgoth, Sauron and his forces embarked on a journey towards the far north (that is where we see Galadriel and her company at the beginning of the show), apparently intending to ‘heal’ Middle-Earth. What was ‘flesh’ had apparently exploited and ruined Middle-earth beyond repair. Sauron would, then, bring everything back in order by employing a power that was ‘over flesh’ – or at least that is what he claimed. This ‘over flesh’ power that Sauron sought after the demise of Morgoth was likely rooted in the Unseen World. Though mentioned very briefly, it is safe to assume that The Rings of Power plans on exploring the Unseen World in more detail moving forward in the series.
What Exactly Is the Unseen World and How Do You See It?
As the name might imply, the Unseen World is, quite literally, unseen to the eyes of ordinary beings, like mortals and elves. Unlike the more abstract concepts touched upon in The Rings of Power, the Unseen World is unseen but very real. In fact, this is the realm from which creatures like the Valar, Maiar, and the Wraiths exist in their spirit forms. What most people don’t know is that Sauron and even Gandalf hail from the Unseen world as the true essence of their nature is imperceptible to the eyes of physical beings. This enigmatic and mystifying realm can be accessed by acquiring and wearing the One Ring.
The One Ring goes by a number of names, each more intimidating than the other. The Ruling Ring. The Master Ring. Isildur's Bane. Created by Sauron in the fire of Orodruin, the One Ring is the most powerful artifact in Middle-earth. Not only does it bind all the rings of power together, it also allows the wearer to partly ‘escape’ the physical world and transcend into the realm of the Unseen. The wearer would also become invisible to physical beings, but as a result, they would become extremely easy for Unseen creatures, such as Ringwraiths, to hunt down. The One Ring is essentially a vessel of the dark lord’s essence, and since its master comes from the Unseen World, the Ring seems to be capable of removing the veil between the two worlds.
Are Nazgul Unseen Creatures?
The Wraiths, commonly known as the Nazgûl (Black Speech: Ringwraiths, sometimes spelled Ring-wraiths) are perhaps the most fitting example of the Unseen creatures. Draped in dark robes, the Nazgûl are the nine Ring-Wraiths, whose sole purpose in life is to look for the One Ring to bring it back to their master, Sauron. The Nazgûl, also known as the Black Riders or The Nine, were mortal men before they were corrupted and turned into the most dreaded servants of Sauron by the Nine Rings of Power. The Nazgûl, after having been transformed, became spirits – husks of their former versions, and so they belonged to the Unseen World. They could, however, take on physical forms like their master to cross the veil between the seen and the Unseen World.
What is Significant About the Unseen World?
Different creatures of the Unseen World possess different powers, depending on the nature of their being. The Valar and the Maiar, for instance, are capable of indescribable things when they are in their spiritual forms in the realm of the Unseen. As for the Nazgûl, they are capable of sensing the One Ring and any beings that come from the Unseen world. Since they are not entirely Unseen in nature, given that they were once mortal men, the Nazgûl differ from most creatures of the Unseen world, though they are deadly in their own way. As seen in the events of The Hobbit, the Nazgûl are also immune to earthly weapons. This is exactly why nobody could kill the Nazgûl and the Witch-king. Frodo Baggins (Elijah Wood), who could travel between the seen and Unseen world when in possession of the One Ring, could see the Nazgûl as well as the Elves in their spiritual forms. The elves, as described in the books, appeared to be luminous in their original, unseen forms.
The Unseen World hosts a number of powerful creatures. It’s safe to assume that Sauron will eventually exploit the realm of the Unseen – since that is how the Nazgûl are brought to life.