The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power is tackling the Second Age of Middle-earth, but the series isn’t afraid to take creative liberties with J.R.R. Tolkien’s writing — and it has made that clear from the beginning.
The Prime Video show condenses the timeline of Tolkien’s history, and it brings the Istari into Middle-earth earlier than described. It also offers more nuance when it comes to the Orcs, and now, The Rings of Power Season 3 is expanding on Tolkien’s Nazgûl lore as well.
With Sauron obtaining the Nine Rings for Men at the end of The Rings of Power Season 2, it was only a matter of time before the Nazgûl made their entrance. However, the corrupted men aren’t the same beings we see in The Lord of the Rings movies. The show depicts them at an earlier stage not covered in Tolkien’s writings, filling in the gaps.
‘The Rings of Power’ Season 3’s Nazgnagôl Add a Stage to Tolkien’s Canon
New Line Cinema
Prime VideoWhen Tolkien first introduced the Nazgûl in 1954’s The Fellowship of the Ring, they were described as hooded figures whose physical attributes beneath their cloaks weren’t visible in the physical world. In the Unseen Realm, they looked wraith-like, earning them the name Ringwraiths. The Rings of Power corrupted these men so thoroughly that their physical bodies faded.
And although they were once Men, their individual personalities dwindled, with Tolkien defining them primarily as servants of Sauron. The Lord of the Rings movies keep this depiction of the Nazgûl, but The Rings of Power strives to answer a new question: what they were like before fully succumbing to Sauron’s power.
The series rewrites Tolkien’s lore by giving the corrupted Men proper identities. Tolkien only ever elaborated on Khamûl the Easterling and the Witch-king of Angmar, and even then, it was minimally. (The Witch-king’s name and identity are never revealed.)
The show also introduces a form between these characters’ time as ordinary Men and their time as the Nazgûl: the Nazgnagôl. This invention suggests that Sauron’s Ringwraiths didn’t immediately become otherworldly, hollowed-out beings. The Nazgnagôl have extraordinary strength and resilience, still wear dark cloaks, and cover their faces. However, they’re fully human underneath their masks, as their corruption is only just starting.
While they’re indebted to Sauron and susceptible to his will, the Nazgnagôl seem to have agency left. Theo begs Arondir to leave before he’s ordered to kill him, and actor Tyroe Muhafidin told TV Insider Theo still has control over his choices. With this in mind, it seems the Prime Video show is planning to show viewers the Nazgûl’s descent in real time. It’s an exciting prospect, even if it alters canon.
The ‘Lord of the Rings’ Show’s Nazgûl Change Is Part of a Larger Series Trend
The Rings of Power‘s big Nazgûl change is part of a larger series trend, which seeks to fill in the lighter parts of Tolkien’s history and lore — and also is committed to infusing it with greater nuance.
Tolkien doesn’t spend a ton of time on the intricate details of his villains, but The Rings of Power is invested in giving them psychological depth. Whether it’s revealing who the Nazgûl used to be, showing that some Orcs resisted, or giving Sauron more complicated motivations, the series wants every character to feel believable.
A TV runtime lends itself to this nicely, and it’ll be interesting to see how else The Rings of Power expands on the Nazgûl. With any luck, their tragedy will be more acutely felt, pushing audiences to look at the Lord of the Rings villains differently in hindsight.
- Release Date
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September 1, 2022
- Network
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Amazon Prime Video
- Showrunner
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John D. Payne, Patrick McKay
- Directors
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J.A. Bayona, Sanaa Hamri
- Writers
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Patrick McKay, John D. Payne, J.R.R. Tolkien, Justin Doble, Jason Cahill, Gennifer Hutchison, Stephany Folsom, Nicholas Adams