Nenya Business: Galadriel's Ring Of Power In Season 2 & Why It's So Important
In the lead up to "The Rings of Power" Season 2, Amazon Studios is dropping a string of breadcrumbs teasing how the story will develop. One element that will be a major yet unsurprising factor is the presence of the show's titular jewelry. We see the initial creation of the three Elven Rings of Power at the end of Season 1. There are still 17 more Rings of Power to come, including the One Ring to rule them all, and you can bet your bottom dollar that we're going to see them all sooner rather than later.
A quote from executive producer Lindsey Weber in Empire Magazine's July edition (via Screen Rant) went into further detail about how one of these rings will shape Season 2. "It's a very special moment when Galadriel (Morfydd Clark) finally gets to put on her ring, Nenya. Something we hope we've captured in cinematic fashion at the opening of Season 2," she said. "This season we get to play with some of the storytelling around what the rings do and, I think most importantly, what they do to our characters when they're wearing them. They change people in ways that might be good, and ways that might be less good. [We see] a real different side to Galadriel."
Nenya is the same ring that Galadriel wields several thousand years later during the War of the Ring. She even personally takes it with her into the West at the end of the movie. What is this ring, why is it so important, and why is it one of the primary things (along with Galadriel's hair) that defines the character throughout Tolkien's writings? Let's dive in.
Why is Galadriel's Ring Nenya called the 'White Ring' and what is its power?
Most of the Nine Rings for Mortal Men and the Seven Rings for the Dwarf-lords are non-descriptive and lumped together. However, one Dwarven Ring, the Ring of Thrór, is named and shows up repeatedly. The One Ring obviously also gets a ton of attention. And then there are the Three Elven Rings, which are named Vilya, Narya, and Nenya. The first two change hands, but Nenya only has one keeper: Galadriel.
Nenya is set with adamant — an older word used for diamonds and similar "unbreakable" stones — and is described in "The Fellowship of the Ring" thusly: "it glittered like polished gold overlaid with silver light, and a white stone in it twinkled as if the Even-star had come down to rest upon her hand." Nenya goes by three primary names; the Ring of Water and the Ring of Adamant are the two most common. The book "Unfinished Tales" also gives us the title of the "White Ring," presumably referring to its stone. Even when Galadriel is wearing it, Nenya is often invisible, although Frodo is able to see it simply by being the ring-bearer.
As far as what the Rings of Power do, Nenya doesn't facilitate domination or hoarded wealth. In "The Fellowship of the Ring," Elrond summarizes the power and purpose of the Three Elven Rings, saying, "They were not made as weapons of war or conquest: that is not their power. Those who made them did not desire strength or domination or hoarded wealth, but understanding, making, and healing, to preserve all things unstained." "The Silmarillion" adds, "those who had [the Three Rings] in their keeping could ward off the decays of time and postpone the weariness of the world."
How does Galadriel get her Ring in the books?
The "Rings of Power" writers chose to move the forging of the Elven Rings to the front of the line to complement their Season 1 focus on the Elves. However, that event changed the Tolkien timeline, as those three are supposed to come toward the end of the ring-making process. Elrond also definitively states at the Council named after himself that Sauron never touches the Three Rings, even though we see Halbrand aka Sauron (Charlie Vickers) intimately involved in their forging during the show.
These deviations beg the question: How do the Elven Rings show up in the source material, and how does Galadriel get one? In the original tale, Sauron (in the guise of the angelic, gift-giving Annatar) teaches the Elves to make Rings of Power — and they make a lot of them, culminating in the 20 top pieces we all know and love. After they forge 16 together, Sauron heads off to secretly make the One Ring, while Celebrimbor makes the Three Elven Rings solo. Once the Elves realize they've been duped, they take off their Rings, prompting the Dark Lord to attack and lay waste to Celebrimbor's homeland of Eregion.
Before that happens, the Elves hide the Three Rings. "The Silmarillion" says, "But Sauron could not discover them, for they were given into the hands of the Wise, who concealed them and never again used them openly while Sauron kept the Ruling Ring." The book "Unfinished Tales" tells us while they lack the willpower to destroy them, "Galadriel counselled [Celebrimbor] that the Three Rings of the Elves should be hidden, never used, and dispersed, far from Eregion where Sauron believed them to be. It was at that time that she received Nenya, the White Ring, from Celebrimbor."
How Nenya Could Change Galadriel in Rings of Power Season 2
In the Empire interview, Lindsey Weber went into detail about how Season 2 will explore the effect that the Rings of Power have on their wearers. She mentions them changing people for both good and bad ways, which lines up with Tolkien's writings. The Three Rings are, in essence, tools for the greater good. Once Galadriel gets her ring, "Unfinished Tales" explains, "by its power the realm of Lórinand was strengthened and made beautiful." However, the book adds, "but its power upon [Galadriel] was great also and unforeseen, for it increased her latent desire for the Sea and for return into the West, so that her joy in Middle-earth was diminished."
So, when Weber says that we're going to see a really different side to Galadriel, Nenya really could be a catalyst for that character evolution.
The executive producer provided some details regarding what this change will look like, saying, "She's humbled. She's had to own up to her mistakes. She's had to accept that her intuition maybe isn't always perfect. She's had to face the question of whether she's wrong and decide which way to go to set right what she's had a hand in unleashing on Middle-earth."
Galadriel is a fiery, impulsive, loose-cannon character in Season 1. While this was an interesting interpretation of the sparse source material, we know that at some point, she needs to morph into the wise stateswoman we meet in "The Lord of the Rings." Adjusting to the sobering influence of the mighty Nenya may be the perfect opportunity to do just that.