Rings of power game easter egg

Episode 5 of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power introduced audiences to a series of deeper mysteries only hinted at in the previous episodes. From the enigmatic characters of Adar and the Stranger to sinister white-cloaked figures and the inner dynamics of magical mithril-based elvish tanning beds, here are all of the Easter eggs that cropped up in Episode 5 of The Rings of Power.

Who Are the White Hooded Figures?

rings-of-power-hooded-figuresImage via Prime Video

One of the strangest revelations of the episode had to do with the white-robed characters examining the crater where the Stranger (Daniel Weyman) landed. None of them said a word, but their body language and the eerie soundtrack seemed to indicate that they are bad news. What exactly they are is unclear, but they seem to be searching for the Stranger, for good or ill. Of the various ceremonial objects they were carrying, one of them was some sort of dish that had the Stranger’s mysterious constellation etched on it; what that ultimately means, though, is anyone’s guess.

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Pharazon’s Ambitions Make Sense Now

rings-of-power-trystan-gravelle-2Image via Amazon Studios

One of the more surprising moments in Episode 4 was the fact that Pharazôn (Trystan Gravelle) lent his support to Míriel (Cynthia Addai-Robinson) in her elf-inspired mission of mercy; given his distrust of elves, it seemed unlikely that he would be so quick to support Galadriel’s (Morfydd Clark’s) ambitions. Episode 5, however, revealed that he has a longer game in mind: trade, lands, wealth, and tribute are all offered by a mission to Middle-earth, as well as the promise of an empire, ultimately.

This ambition works nicely within what is known of Pharazôn from Tolkien’s other works. He notably made a great name for himself in Middle-earth as a commander, and returned to Númenor with a great fortune, with which he was extremely generous. He is clearly a shrewd and calculating man, and he eventually uses his success in Middle-earth to springboard himself to the throne of Númenor, so his ambitions for the expedition actually make a great deal of sense.

Episode 5 Hints More at Elrond's Backstory

the-lord-of-the-rings-the-rings-of-power-robert-aramayo-03Image via Amazon Studios

In the midst of all the strange machinations and political maneuvering that happened among the elves in the episode, there were actually a couple of very delicate touches that referenced the larger backstory of Elrond (Robert Aramayo). For one thing, Gil-galad (Benjamin Walker), when asserting his authority, calls him Elrond “Peredhel,” which is canonically one of his sobriquets. The name “peredhel” means “half-elven,” and the name goes back to his unique parentage: as a descendant of both of the successful unions of elves and mortals, Elrond, his brother, and eventually his own children are faced with the choice of being counted among elves or mortals, and so are sometimes called the “half-elven.”

Another connection with Elrond’s parentage happens when he is confronted by Gil-galad and is faced with the dilemma of breaking an oath to a friend or dooming his own people. In his indecision, he looks off into the starry sky, and the scene transitions to a close-up of the statue of Eӓrendil on Númenor; the implication seems to be that Elrond was looking off towards his father, the evening star, in the hopes that he might be given some direction in his turmoil.

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Wait, What Is the Roots of The Hithaeglir Poem? Is That Canon?

rings-of-power-roots-of-hithaeglirImage via Prime Video

First of all, no. No. The “Roots of the Hithaeglir” poem is not an actual part of Tolkien’s lore, and mithril did not canonically come from a lightning-struck Silmaril tree. Nor is there any suggestion that the elves ever needed to bathe under a mithril-growing lamp to replenish their batteries. That having been said, the story itself does bear a resemblance to a number of Tolkien’s other stories.

The Silmarils are ultimately accounted for in The Silmarillion, as one ends up with Eӓrendil in the evening sky, one is hurled into the ocean by the elf Maglor, and the other ends up in a fiery pit in the clutches of the elf Maedhros. Doing the high dive into fiery chasms was cool long before Gollum gave it a try. There is a distant possibility that the Silmaril in the tree is supposed to be the latter, but any interpretation would have a great deal of explaining to do.

The fight between the elf and the balrog, however, has some much clearer and more direct correspondences in Tolkien’s legendarium. Ecthelion of Gondolin, for one, during the fall of his city, slew Gothmog, the Lord of the Balrogs, by impaling the creature on his spiked helmet and sacrificing himself in the process. Later on, in the same battle, the elf Glorfindel battled another balrog on a mountaintop, and both tumbled to their deaths from the peak of the mountain. Glorfindel himself was later reincarnated and came back as a character in The Lord of the Rings, so the audience could possibly be getting a glimpse of the show’s origin story for the return of Glorfindel to Middle-earth here.

Do Balrogs Have Wings?

The Balrog battling Gandalf

Despite the strange non-canonical story, though, one aspect of the depiction is another nod to deeper lore. One of the classic questions of Tolkien fandom is the eternal “do balrogs have wings?” question. The debate comes from the description of the balrog in the mines of Moria in the book. Tolkien says of the balrog that “the shadow about it reached out like two vast wings”, and later, “its wings were spread from wall to wall.” While some say that the second passage means that the balrog does have wings, the counter-argument is that the wings referenced were the ones mentioned before: that is, simply shadows that were like wings.

In either case, this depiction toes the line very nicely. The balrog in the story is surrounded by clouds and shadow, and one of the shapes in that mass is of a pair of shadowy wings. Whether or not they are actual wings is left appropriately vague.

The full implications of the story itself are yet to come, and there is even a possibility that the story, and the crisis itself, is entirely made up. But for now, the audience will have to wait and see what comes next.