Every Easter egg in The Rings of Power season 2 trailer
Many key events from J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings are teased in the first trailer for the new season.
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The first trailer for The Rings of Power has landed, giving fans of the Prime Video epic their first glimpse at what is to come in season 2.
Adapted from J.R.R. Tolkien's iconic fantasy novels, the TV series reimagines the events of the Second Age of Middle Earth from Sauron's rose to power to the coming of elves, men and dwarves to stop him. The stage was set in season one, with the Lord of the Rings villain (Charlie Vickers) being unmasked and cast out by Galadriel (Morfydd Clark) so the question is what can fans expect to happen next?
Watch the trailer for The Rings of Power season 2:
The good news is the first trailer for The Rings of Power has given insight into which key events the next season is likely to examine, and Yahoo is ready to break down every Easter egg so you don't have to.
Every Easter egg in The Rings of Power season 2 trailer
Annatar and the seduction of Celebrimbor
One storyline from the Lord of the Rings appendices and Middle Earth lore that is most obvious from the trailer is the rise of Annatar — an elven lord who is revealed to be Sauron in disguise.
Unlike in season one, Prime Video is opting not to keep Sauron's identity a secret to viewers as the trailer revolves almost entirely on the villain and his emergence. Annatar, also known as the Lord of Gifts, is an elf who lived among the fae in Eregion.
The character is described in The Unfinished Tales as an emissary of the Valar who visits with the elven smiths in Eregion. It is through this deception that Annatar is able to share his knowledge of the creation of magic rings and seduces craftsman Celebrimbor (Charles Edwards) into making the Rings of Power while he, of course, secretly crafts the One Ring.
Sauron's used the disguise of Annatar in order to try and destroy the elves from within, and though not all the elves trust him —including Galadriel and Gil-galad— he proves persuasive to many.
The eye of Sauron
One scene shown in the trailer showing Celebrimbor's seduction sees the character looking at what appears to be Sauron, who presents himself to the elf as the Eye of Sauron. Celebrimbor later remarks to Galadriel that he has had an "unexpected visiter", which may well be a reference to the villain.
Three rings for the Elven-kings
On that note, the trailer shared a closer glimpse at the Three Rings that the elves receive. This was first teased in the finale of season one, but the trailer clearly shows Galadriel, Gil-galad, and Círdan with the rings Nenya, Vilya and Narya.
Though Annatar's deception does lead to the creation of the Rings of Power, the elves resist him by later hiding them from him. This stops them from succumbing to Sauron's influence, unlike the elves and dwarves who become corrupted by their rings.
The Dwarf lords receive their rings
This brings us to another scene in the trailer, which shows King Durin III (Peter Mullan) receiving a Ring of Power in Khazad-dûm. It is a blink and you'll miss it moment, but it certainly is going to play an important role in the series and the fall of the dwarf city.
Read more: What is going on with the Lord of the Rings film and TV rights?
Fans of Tolkien's work will likely remember that there are seven rings given to the dwarf lords, and in accepting them from Sauron the dwarves succumb to greed for gold — a dangerous outcome.
The Balrog attacks Khazad-dûm
The dwarf's quest for gold in the wake of the Rings of Power's corruption leads to one terrible thing: the Balrog awakens. The creature did appear briefly in season one, and in the trailer for season 2 there are scenes showing Khazad-dûm being brought to ruin which suggests the Balrog will attack.
Pharazôn and the fall of Númenor
This brings us to the people of Númenor. The trailer shows the Númenoreans at multiple points, with scenes appearing to suggest the city's fall is nigh.
One scene shows Queen Regent Míriel (Cynthia Addai-Robinson) plunging into the depths of the ocean where an underwater creature comes upon her. Another scene shows Elendiel (Lloyd Owen) crying out as soldiers fight around him — this all suggests that Season 2 will explore Pharazôn's fight against the faithful, those who still keep the elven beliefs.
Pharazôn's rise to power is also teased in the trailer when the character is seen arriving in court on the back of an eagle. This event in Tolkien's work spelled the beginning of the end for Númenor.
The fight for Eregion
The trailer also examines a key moment in Middle Earth history: the destruction of Eregion. The Elven city is attacked by Sauron and his forces, with the villain hiding inside under the disguise of Annatar at the time. Characters like Elrond are seen jumping into battle, which suggests the fight for Eregion will take place in season 2.
The Nine Rings
During these battle scenes is a brief glimpse of an elf throwing rings into a fire, but these don't appear to be just any old jewellery they seem to be the Nine Rings to be gifted to the leaders of Men by Sauron.
As fans of the franchise will know, the Nine Rings led to the creation of the Nazgûl, the kings who fell to the power of the One Ring and went on to become servants of Sauron by the end of the Second Age. The characters are seen throughout the Lord of the Rings where they continually pursued Frodo Baggins.
Mordor and Barad-dûr
The final shot of the trailer appears to also be a key moment in Middle Earth history, the creation of Barad-dûr, which is Sauron's main stronghold throughout the Second and Third Age. In the trailer there is scene that shows an ominous black tower with ice spreading out and destroying the land around it — this can be nothing else but the tower that will one day hold the Eye of Sauron.
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power premieres on Prime Video on Thursday, 29 August.
