‘LOTR: The Rings of Power’: 9 Previously Unseen Middle-earth Kingdoms in Episodes 1 & 2
Spoiler Alert
[Warning: The following contains MAJOR spoilers for The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Episodes 1 & 2.]
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power goes deeper in the J.R.R. Tolkien lore. Peter Jackson‘s six movies showed many sprawling lands depicted in Tolkien’s maps, but all of the destinations were part of the Third Age of Middle-earth. The Prime Video series, which debuted its first two episodes on Thursday, September 1, takes viewers into the Second Age — a time period briefly seen in The Fellowship of the Ring prologue.
The Second Age wasn’t discussed nearly as much as the third in Tolkien’s books, but its history is covered in The Silmarillion and Tolkien’s appendices. That’s where showrunners J.D. Payne and Patrick McKay pulled their plot from, and with so much space to fill in, there are bound to be creative liberties taken (don’t freak, Jackson took creative liberties, too and Tolkien wanted people to make further interpretations of his work).
One of the most exciting things about a Lord of the Rings TV show is that there’s more time and space (and thanks to Prime Video, a lot of funding) to take viewers to more places on Tolkien’s maps. The series kicks off with one of the most exciting visuals: Valinor, home of the elves before they crossed the Sundering Seas into Middle-earth where many would remain for the rest of their days.
Here, we break down the new locations seen in The Rings of Power‘s first two episodes, from elf and dwarf kingdoms and rich cities to some of Middle-earth’s most insidious locales — each reveal sure to delight Tolkien fans and Lord of the Rings newcomers alike thanks to the absolutely stunning visuals.
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, Thursdays, 9/8c, Prime Video
Valinor
Valinor is the home of the elves and more angelic beings, but their ancestral home has only been spoken of in Lord of the Rings adaptations. The Rings of Power opens in a sprawling meadow in Valinor where the child Galadriel is seen amongst other elf children. It’s a place of “winterless spring,” as the adult Galadriel (Morfydd Clark) describes in the premiere.
Valinor Part 2
Galadriel’s eldest brother, Finrod, also appears in this opening Valinor scene giving an important piece of advice. Played by Will Fletcher, he is the elf walking toward the mighty kingdom in the first image shared from the series in 2021, above.
Forodwaith (The Northernmost Waste)
Forodwaith is the northernmost place on the map of Middle-earth. A vast cold region of mostly ice and snow, Galadriel led her small legion of elves to it in search of Sauron, who she fiercely believes is still alive after the end of the war that saw Morgoth, Sauron’s leader, defeated.
She was correct in believing Sauron’s stronghold where he gathered with the surviving orcs was in Forodwaith. They arrive there in the prologue, and Galadriel says it’s a place “so evil, our torches give off no warmth.” She also finds Sauron’s mark in this stronghold, which she but no one else takes as evidence that Sauron lives. The evil-doer left the same mark on her brother when he killed him in battle.
Rhovanion
Rhovanion is the first location we see after the prologue. Home of the harfoots, Rhovanion was a large region of Middle-earth in the Second Age. In The Rings of Power premiere, it’s where the mysterious Stranger (Daniel Weyman) crash lands like a meteor in front of harfoot Nori Brandyfoot (Markella Kavenagh).
Lindon (Capital of the High Elves)
We meet Elrond (Robert Aramayo) and High King Gil-galad (Benjamin Walker) in Lindon in the series premiere. Lindon’s harbors became the place from which elves would sail home to Valinor from Middle-earth — an unexpected journey we also get to see in the first episode.
The Southlands (The Lands of Men)
We meet Arondir (a new elf made for the series played by Ismael Cruz Córdova), human healer Bronwyn (Nazanin Boniadi), and her teenage son, Theo (Tyroe Muhafidin), in the Southlands. The area and its inhabitant humans have been monitored by elves for years because of their peoples’ loyalty to Morgoth during the war.
The Southlands are near Mordor, and while the land is lush now, it could very well end up becoming part of the wasteland that is Sauron’s kingdom seen in The Lord of the Rings movies.
The Entrance to Valinor
In the most visually stunning scene in the series premiere, Galadriel finds herself at odds with her keen desire to return to her ancestral home after hundreds of years away and her heartbreaking need to prove Sauron is alive and avenge her brother.
The elves begin to sing as they approach the heavenly gates of Valinor on the Sundering Seas, accepting the highest reward from High King Gil-galad. But Galadriel jumps out of the ship at the last minute, leaving Valinor and her kin behind.
Eregion (Realm of the Elven-Smiths)
We meet Celebrimbor (Charles Edwards) in the elven kingdom of Eregion in Episode 2. Here, the elven smith hopes to create a tower capable of creating pieces of art unlike the world has ever seen, and Elrond is sent to help him do it in record time. It’s close to Khazad-dûm, where Elrond takes Celebrimbor to try and set up a trade with the dwarves through his good friend (or so he thought), Prince Durin IV (Owain Arthur).
Khazad-Dûm
Khazad-dûm, also known as Moria, was the greatest kingdom ever built by the dwarves. Set in the Misty Mountains, fans have seen Khazad-dûm before in The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring. In it, the kingdom is in ruins. Khazad-dûm is shown in its former glory in Episode 2 of The Rings of Power.
Watchlist Easy access to only the shows you care about — all in one simple place
Alerts Only important notifications — when a show is returning, when it becomes available to stream, and more.
Special Offers Exclusive products we release related to your favorite shows and streaming services