The Rings of Power star Morfydd Clark has teased how Galadriel and her fellow elves are "taking a huge risk" with the newly-created elven rings.
Speaking to TechRadar before the Prime Video show's return on August 29, Clark, who plays Galadriel, suggested that the first of the titular rings, which were forged in The Rings of Power's season 1 finale, will do more than split opinion among the immortal race's major players. Indeed, the magical artefacts – Nenya, Nilya, and Vilya – might end up doing more harm than good as the increasingly desperate elves look for a way to save themselves.
How so? Well, if Robert Aramayo's Elrond is to be believed, the fact that Sauron – who spent much of season 1 masquerading as the Southlands' so-called exiled king Halbrand – helped to craft them is reason enough not to use them. If the Great Deceiver has imbued them with some form of dark magic, there's no telling how the ring bearers could be manipulated by Morgoth's successor. But, with the light of the Eldar fading in Lindon, Galadriel, Benjamin Walker's High King Gil-galad, and Ben Daniels' Cirdan the Shipwright think it's a risk worth taking.
Will they be rewarded for their courage? It would be remiss of me to spoil anything to anyone who hasn't read The Lord of the Rings books or other prominent J.R.R. Tolkien literature, such as the acclaimed author's appendices and legendarium. Clark, though, indicates that the elves will be heading into uncharted waters when, not if, they decide to wield them in The Rings of Power season 2.
"They're taking a huge risk with these rings," Clark told me. "It's a kind of new science, magic, and power, and they don't know how it's going to affect Middle-earth or the elves that wear them. There's a bravery or foolhardiness to that decision, and we'll find out which way it goes once they take that chance."
Of course, these aren't the only rings that'll be forged in Amazon's high fantasy prequel series. The Rings of Power's Celebrimbor actor received a crash course in ring-making before season 2's arrival, so it's inevitable that the other 17 rings – seven for the Dwarf Lords, nine for the Kings of Men, and the One Ring itself – are going to be forged this season. With The Rings of Power's second season set to lean more heavily into The Lord of the Rings' lore, I'm betting on all of them being created before the eighth and final episode, too.
At the time of writing, the elven rings are the only ones that have been fashioned in real-life and in one of the best Prime Video shows' fictional universes. Given they were made in season 1 episode 8, neither Clark or Walker wore their rings last time out. Cirdan, meanwhile, wasn't part of last season's cast, so Daniels wouldn't have had a chance to see his, let alone wear it.
As the above images reveal, though, the trio will place their rings on one of their middle fingers – an act that pays tribute to The Fellowship of the Ring movie in the most precise way possible – this season. For Clark, a self-confessed Lord of the Rings fan, the first day of filming while wearing Galadriel's ring Nenya was filled with full-on geeking out moments.
"It was an amazing feeling," Clark gushed. "It was also on a day where we had so many supporting actors playing beautiful elves around us, and it was wonderful to be standing their with Robert, Ben and so many others. It was exciting that we were finally hitting those key historical moments, so I was chuffed. I was beaming for the entire day and, every time the director said 'we need you to film another take of you putting on the ring', I was like 'oh, alright, if you insist!'"
Be sure to read my spoiler-light review of The Rings of Power season 2's first three episodes while you're here, before scrolling down to read more of my exclusives with its creators and cast. I'll have even more exclusive content coming your way soon, too, so stick with TechRadar over the next few weeks.
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