Given the enormous expense involved in its production, it makes sense that The Rings of Power would do everything it could to draw in an audience. In many cases, this has involved drawing connections, both explicit and implicit, to the established lore of The Lord of the Rings, particularly the film versions made by Peter Jackson.
Throughout its first season, The Rings of Power has provided bits of foreshadowing of the events to come. These little tidbits are tremendously rewarding for those who are familiar with the lore, as it allows them to see how the events of the past will continue to shape the fate of Middle-earth.
The Fate Of The Dwarves
The Dwarves are, of course, one of the most powerful and notable races in Middle-earth. During the course of The Rings of Power, they manage to discover mithril, the incredibly valuable metal that will become vital to both their trade and to the crafts of the Elves. Even this early, however, there are harbingers of the darkness to come, as a mine tunnel collapses.
Though one dies, it nevertheless foreshadows their digging too greedily and too deep, which will ultimately awaken the dreadful Balrog, which will in turn chase the Dwarves from their most beautiful and accomplished kingdom.
The Rise Of Mordor
One of the lasting mysteries of the first season of The Rings of Power is the whereabouts of Sauron (himself one of the most formidable of fantasy villains). Gradually, it’s revealed that he is planning on turning the Southlands into his own domain.
From the glimpses that are shown, it’s clear that this land (which in the present is at least somewhat verdant) will one day become the blasted hellscape of Mordor. By the time of The Lord of the Rings, it will be a place where almost nothing can live or grow, the haunt of Orcs and other malevolent creatures.
Isildur’s Failure To Destroy The Ring
Though Isildur might be one of the most likable of the characters to appear on The Rings of Power, there are already hints of the man he will become. As viewers of The Lord of the Rings know, he’s the one who can’t bring himself to destroy the One Ring, taking it for his own.
Throughout this series, he shows a headstrong attitude that brings him into conflict with his father. While this makes him somewhat charismatic as a character, it also suggests that, even at this stage in his development as a character, he still can’t quite bring himself to do what he should do but instead remains focused on what he wants to do.
The Multiplying Of The Orcs
The Orcs are some of the most unpleasant creatures in Tolkien’s mythos. Cruel and malevolent, they are fitting servants of their master, Sauron. At the beginning of The Rings of Power, they have begun once again to multiply and spread to various parts of Middle-earth.
While their influence is still somewhat contained at this point, it is nevertheless clear that they will continue to grow and multiply. As the events of The Lord of the Rings demonstrate, they are the type of creatures who have the ability to survive almost any cataclysm, to rise up and cause trouble once again.
Galadriel’s Sadness
Galadriel is one of the most powerful beings left in Middle-earth at the time of The Lord of the Rings. However, it’s also clear that, at the events of those movies, she carries a great deal of sadness inside of her.
Though at the time of The Rings of Power she is still a formidable warrior, it’s easy to see how she will gradually become the powerful but melancholy person she is in Jackson’s trilogy. At the same time, it is also easy to see in The Rings of Power how it is that she will be chosen to be a bearer of one of the Three.
The Seduction Of Men
Everyone knows that some of Sauron’s most formidable servants were Men who were corrupted by their yearning for immortality and so gave in to his blandishments. In The Rings of Power, two characters exhibit signs of this already, and one of them is none other than Theo, the son of the healer Bronwyn.
Though it’s unclear who he will turn out to be, his storyline is still an indication of how easy it is for Sauron to bring people into his service. When The Lord of the Rings takes place, he has been remarkably successful in these efforts, to such an extent that entire countries have bent to his will.
The Sundering Of Elves And Dwarves
The enmity between Elves and Dwarves is a throughline in much of Tolkien’s work. It is also something that emerges in the film versions, and it is already foreshadowed in The Rings of Power.
Even though there is a profound friendship between Durin and Elrond, it’s clear that the former is far more invested in keeping his father’s favor than he is in maintaining his friendship with the Elf. These conflicted loyalties will become increasingly important for both peoples, and by the time of the later series, they will have hardened into a true and bitter enmity.
The Judgmental Nature Of Hobbits
The hobbits are, of course, some of the best characters in The Lord of the Rings. However, though Frodo and Bilbo are beloved by viewers and readers, they are looked at with no small hostility by their fellow halflings. This attitude on behalf of the general Hobbit population is already foreshadowed in The Rings of Power.
Lovable as the Harfoots might be, they still look askance at anyone who doesn’t follow the rules as they think they should be. By the time they establish the Shire, these attitudes will have become a key part of the Hobbit identity, for good and for ill.
The Malevolence Of Wargs
Many fearsome creatures appear in The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit, but few are as terrifying as the wargs. With their quasi-wolf appearance, they are formidable beasts that have an unsettling relationship with Orcs.
One makes a notable appearance in The Rings of Power, and it nearly kills Arondir. While it is not nearly as fearsome as its successors in the Jackson films, its appearance, and its obvious desire to kill, are a foreshadowing of what will come in the Third Age. By that time, wargs will be beasts of war who are almost unstoppable.
The Sedentary Nature Of Hobbits
One of the most notable things about Hobbits is their commitment to the Shire. Indeed, it’s hard to imagine them anywhere else. While they are migratory at the time of The Rings of Power, there are still glimmers of who they will eventually become.
For example, they still manage to make every place that they stop into their own homes. What’s more, their carts and their homes are very evocative of the holes that they will eventually live in when they settle down into the realm that becomes the Shire.