Episode 8 of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power served to set the board for the great events of the Second Age (and the Second Season) at the same time as it flipped the tables on the various Sauron theories that had cropped up over the preceding episodes. But particularly as it involved the creation of the first Rings of Power and the reveal of a long-hidden Sauron, it was chock-full of another boatload of Easter eggs for the discerning eye. Here are the highlights of all those Easter eggs you might have missed when you flipped over your popcorn bucket after Halbrand gave his speech.
“The Sun Itself Began as Something no Bigger than the Palm of My Hand”
This comment that Celebrimbor (Charles Edwards) makes to Elrond (Robert Aramayo) at the beginning of the episode is a reference to events far back in the First Age. As Galadriel (Morfydd Clark) explained in the first episode, there was once a time when there had never been a sunrise, and yet there was light. The light was given off by the Two Trees of Valinor, which Morgoth eventually destroyed, but the last fruit of each of those Trees before they died became the Sun and Moon, and the Sun could once indeed have fit into someone’s hand, being the last fruit of the Tree Laurelin.
“The Master I Apprenticed to Used to Speak of the Wonders of Your Craft”
When Halbrand/Sauron (Charlie Vickers) mentions that he had a master who told him of Celebrimbor’s work, it is a curious statement in retrospect, as Sauron had two masters that this could be referencing. Sauron first served under the Vala Aulë, who was the great craftsman of the Valar, but Sauron was corrupted quite early on and it would seem unlikely that Celebrimbor would have made a name for himself early enough for Aulë to take notice while Sauron was still his servant. Sauron’s other master was, of course, Morgoth, who was not a smith in the same way that Aulë was, but could have appreciated and desired Celebrimbor’s craftsmanship, just as he did that of Celebrimbor’s grandfather, Fëanor.
“Call it a Gift” Refers to Sauron's Fake Name From the Books
The conversation between Celebrimbor and Halbrand concludes with Halbrand suggesting that mithril could be alloyed with other elements to increase its powers, and acknowledges Celebrimbor’s compliment by saying “call it a gift.” Combined with the later revelation of Halbrand as Sauron, this comment works as another Sauron-based Easter egg. In Tolkien’s story, Sauron took on the name and disguise of “Annatar” when he tricked the elves of Eregion into creating the Rings of Power. “Annatar” is a name that means “Lord of Gifts,” and so the reference to Halbrand/Sauron as a “gift giver” is likely a reference to his cover persona from Tolkien’s storyline.
Pharazôn's Words Foreshadow His Future
As Tar-Palantir is dying, Pharazôn (Trystan Gravelle) gathers craftsmen from around the island and commissions a tomb for the king as a way of granting him “the immortality in stone that no man, not even a king, can attain in life.” This is an Easter egg, not to the tomb of Tar-Palantir, but rather to the character of Pharazôn himself. This line, combined with his emotional response to the death of the king, recalls the larger history of Pharazôn and is a foreshadowing of his future, as he gradually becomes more and more possessed by the idea of gaining immortality and avoiding death entirely. It is this fear of death that Sauron ultimately preys upon and corrupts Pharazôn into a destructive hubris that ends up dooming Númenor.
The Dragon Helm of Dor-Lomin Strikes Again
The Dragon Helm worn by Turin Turambar (among others) in The Silmarillion seems to have become the pineapple of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power. It seems to crop up in every single episode in some random spot or other. In Episode 8, it shows up again when Eärien (Ema Horvath) finds herself in the private room at the top of the king’s tower, in the armory seen at night in a previous episode. Whether it will actually ever serve a function as anything more than an Easter egg is unclear, but it certainly does get around.
That Spear is Going to Come in Handy…
Speaking of ancient battle adornments with classic histories, Gil-galad (Benjamin Walker) appears for the first time in Episode 8 with his spear Aeglos. Aeglos is the name both of the spear and of a plant in Middle-earth, and the name means “snow-point.” It is referenced a number of times in The Lord of the Rings books, and its most notable service is yet to come: Gil-galad is noted as having carried it into battle in his duel against Sauron himself in the Battle of the Last Alliance.
The Istar
One of the more confusing moments in the final episode was the line said about The Stranger (Daniel Weyman). The word “istar” used to identify him was explained in the episode as meaning “wise one” or “wizard,” but the most confusing part was that the cultists said he was not Sauron but the “other.” Of course the question is, “the other what, exactly?” In identifying him as a wizard, that likely makes him one of five known wizards from Tolkien’s books, but if he is the “other,” there seems to be some sort of pair being referenced. While the finale strongly indicated that The Stranger is Gandalf, the possibility still remains that he could be one of the pair of Blue Wizards.
The other possibility, as strange as it sounds, could be that he is actually Saruman. The line was “He is not Sauron. He is the other. The istar.” The curious history involved here might shed some light on the comment. The Vala Aulë actually had two notable Maiar assistants. One was named Mairon (who later became known as Sauron) and the other was Curumo, who was an istar and became better known as the wizard Saruman. If the reference was to the “other” servant of Aulë, this could be an interesting development. Admittedly it is a long shot, but the book isn’t absolutely closed on The Stranger’s identity just yet.
The Green Bough of Return
A delightfully subtle touch in the final episode was seen adorning the Númenorean ship as it returned from Middle-earth. Some sort of green leafy plant was wound around the ship. The reference itself seems to primarily come from Tolkien’s Unfinished Tales book, but it was apparently a Númenorean tradition that the ships would carry a branch of a revered tree as a sign of good fortune, as well as friendship with the Maiar of the sea, Uinen and Ossë. It is in one sense ironic, as the ship has hardly found good fortune, but it also points to the enduring hope of The Faithful and their relationship with the Valar that can still be redeemed.
Three Rings for the Elven Kings
Finally, the three Rings made at the end of the episode were so clearly distinct from each other that they were easy enough to identify from the descriptions in Tolkien’s work. The Ring with the blue stone is the Ring of Sapphire, known as Vilya. It was the most powerful of the three Rings, and was later given by Gil-galad to Elrond. The red ring is the Ring of Fire, worn by Johnny Cash. I mean, worn by Círdan the Shipwright. It was later passed on and given to Gandalf, and was called Narya. The final Ring is noted as the mithril Ring with a stone of adamant, and was given to Galadriel, who used its power to grow and protect the land of Lothlorien eventually.
How all of the Rings will be distributed and find their final bearers will no doubt be a major plot point of the next season, but for now audiences will have to wait to see what the next developments in the drama of the Rings of Power will be. Now if only one of those Rings could speed up the time until Season 2…