The second season of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power is officially behind us, and fans are still dissecting the thrilling, but occasionally confusing, events that kicked off across the eight-episode season.
Season 2 was, in the eyes of most fans, a major improvement on season 1. Its still no Peter Jackson trilogy, and it doesn’t even match up to the Hobbit films that followed, but the series is starting to get a better beat on its own direction. Things are ramping up, a few epic battles got fan blood pumping, and Charlie Vickers is carrying the entire series on his shoulders with an enchanting portrayal of the Dark Lord.
Now that 19 of the 20 Rings of Power have been forged, its all about who will ultimately wield them. The Dwarven and Elven rings have already been distributed, and we’ve seen several characters — including Galadriel and the ill-fated lord of Khazad-dûm — eagerly flaunt their new commanding accessories. But one ring we’ve seen very little of is the third Elven ring, Narya.
Rings of Power‘s three eleven rings, and their wielders
In total, 20 Rings of Power will be forged across the Prime show’s incoming seasons. In season 2 alone, a full 16 rings were created, with seven of them distributed to the Dwarf-lords in their mountain halls, and nine rings intended for the kings of men prepped and ready to enslave them for thousands of years.
At the tail-end of season 1, the first three rings — those intended for the Elves “immortal, wisest and fairest of all beings” — were created, and distributed among the Elves. The first two rings have been frequently referenced — and used — by their main-character wielders, but the third ring has hardly seen a mention. It was shown directly after its creation, prettily displayed alongside its peers, and then again early in season 2, when Elrond tasked Círdan the Shipwright with whisking them out of Gil-galad and Galadriel’s reach.
Círdan does not keep the rings away for long, however. He ultimately returns both Nenya, the ring of water, and Vilya, the ring of air, back to Gil-galad and Galadriel. Each swiftly don their new rings, and (apart from a few trade-offs) continue to wear them over the course of the season.
Narya’s wielder is revealed in a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it moment near the end of season 2’s first episode, and then isn’t mentioned again across the course of the season, so its entirely understandable that viewers were confused. But as he’s passing the rings off to Gil-galad, Círdan reveals that he has already laid claim to the third Elven ring.
Círdan the Shipwright is Narya’s first wearer, and he’ll continue to possess the powerful ring — the ring of fire — for awhile still. Eventually, however, the ring will pass hands. Galadriel’s is the only of the Elven rings to remain with the same bearer across Lord of the Rings stories, but both Vilya and Narya are destined to welcome new bearers eventually.
Narya is in Círdan’s possession for the time being, but by the time The Lord of the Rings rolls around, it will boast a new owner: Gandalf. Círdan passes the ring to Gandalf quickly after meeting him, determining that he contains the strength of will to wield such a powerful item, and to use it in Middle Earth’s defense. Gil-galad makes a similar decision when he passes off Vilya to Elrond, whom he deems wise and cautious enough to protect it, but unlike Galadriel (and even Gandalf) the eventual Master of Rivendell choses to hide the powerful item away, rather than wear it openly.