The Rings of Power makes a host of changes to its source material, but one specific deviation regarding Sauron’s corruption of the rings leaves a plot hole that cannot be ignored. Prime Video’s The Rings of Power is effectively a much longer version of the prologue from the beginning of The Fellowship of the Ring, chronicling how Sauron crafted the One Ring to control the nine rings for men, seven rings for dwarfs, and three rings for elves.
The Rings of Power season 2’s opening episodes show Sauron in his Annatar form making sure to fondle the mithril before it enters the forge, demonstrating in visual terms how the Dark Lord infuses his evil influence into the seven rings for dwarfs. Because Sauron never physically touched the elves’ three rings back in season 1, however, Galadriel, Gil-galad and Círdan insist those particular creations are safe. Elrond isn’t so sure, and he may have a point, because The Rings of Power‘s Annatar story is risking an almighty plot hole.
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In J.R.R. Tolkien’s Second Age timeline, Sauron, posing as Annatar, was directly involved in helping Celebrimbor craft the rings for dwarfs and men, but Celebrimbor created the elves’ three rings alone after Sauron departed Eregion. The villain’s exact intentions are left somewhat open to interpretation by Tolkien, but the author strongly suggests that the elves’ rings were not part of Sauron’s initial plan, and he only discovered their existence after Celebrimbor made them.
Sauron stood right there conspiring with Celebrimbor in The Rings of Power season 1, and even touched the chunk of mithril that was smelted into the elven rings.
Tolkien’s account made it very easy to understand why the rings for dwarfs and men were corrupted, yet the elves’ rings were relatively safe. Sauron presided over the forging of the former, but had no clue about the latter. The only reason the elves’ rings were susceptible to the One Ring’s control was thanks to Celebrimbor utilizing the skills he learned from “Annatar” when devising them.
The Rings of Power falls victim to a plot hole because Sauron was indeed present during the creation of the elves’ three rings. Sauron stood right there conspiring with Celebrimbor in The Rings of Power season 1, and even touched the chunk of mithril that was later tossed into the melting pot. Whereas Sauron in the books had no opportunity whatsoever to corrupt the elves’ rings, he had every opportunity in The Rings of Power, and it makes no sense that the Three were somehow spared from his interference.
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The inconsistency can be addressed through two semi-plausible explanations. Firstly, Sauron may need to be physically present during the final stages of the forging to corrupt a Ring of Power in The Lord of the Rings. Perhaps posing as Halbrand and helping Celebrimbor crack the formula, touching the mithril, and guiding the process just wasn’t enough. It could even be argued that Sauron was unable to finish inflicting his evil upon the elves’ rings because Galadriel uncovered his identity prior to the last forging. By posing as Annatar in The Rings of Power season 2, Sauron can ensure that oversight is not repeated with the batches for dwarfs and men.
While the above solution is logical enough, it requires an inductive leap to assume Sauron was unable to complete his spells before being ejected from Eregion by Galadriel. The explanation is also far more convoluted than how Tolkien devised the story. The books’ answer was beautifully simple: Sauron couldn’t corrupt Rings that he didn’t know were being made. The Rings of Power asks viewers to accept that Sauron knew the elves’ rings were being created and watched over most of that process, but somehow managed not to corrupt them.
The second possible workaround is that Galadriel, Gil-galad, and Círdan are all wrong, and the elves’ rings, as far as The Rings of Power‘s canon is concerned, are just as infected as the Seven and the Nine. This would represent a massive deviation from The Lord of the Rings lore, in which the Three are considered less evil than the other rings made by Celebrimbor in the Second Age.
Episode No.
Title
Release Date
1
“Elven Kings Under the Sky”
August 29
2
“Where the Stars are Strange”
3
“The Eagle & the Sceptre”
August 29
4
TBA
September 5
5
TBA
September 12
6
TBA
September 19
7
TBA
September 26
8
TBA
October 3
The second possible workaround is that Galadriel, Gil-galad, and Círdan are all wrong, and the elves’ rings, as far as The Rings of Power‘s canon is concerned, are just as infected as the Seven and the Nine. This would represent a massive deviation from The Lord of the Rings lore, in which the Three are considered less evil than the other rings made by Celebrimbor in the Second Age.
Tolkien’s account made it very easy to understand why the rings for dwarfs and men were corrupted, yet the elves’ rings were relatively safe. Sauron presided over the forging of the former, but had no clue about the latter. The only reason the elves’ rings were susceptible to the One Ring’s control was thanks to Celebrimbor utilizing the skills he learned from “Annatar” when devising them.
The Rings of Power falls victim to a plot hole because Sauron was indeed present during the creation of the elves’ three rings. Sauron stood right there conspiring with Celebrimbor in The Rings of Power season 1, and even touched the chunk of mithril that was later tossed into the melting pot. Whereas Sauron in the books had no opportunity whatsoever to corrupt the elves’ rings, he had every opportunity in The Rings of Power, and it makes no sense that the Three were somehow spared from his interference.
