Whose voice is talking in the first teaser trailer for Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power? Live-action Middle-earth material hasn't been a thing since 2014, when the third and final entry in Peter Jackson's The Hobbit trilogy hit theaters. Then along came Amazon with several unfortunately-shaped spaceships full of cash, nabbing the rights to produce a big-budget Lord of the Rings TV series set thousands of years before the adventures of Bilbo and Frodo Baggins. Though The Rings of Power kept its secrets better than a wizard planning a birthday party, Amazon's first teaser trailer offers juicy details aplenty.
A battle-worn Galadriel climbs mountains, leads cavalry, and endures the harsh waves of the Sundering Seas alongside a mystery human. The beautiful Elven surrounds of Lindon contrast starkly against the dark, claustrophobic caverns of Khazad-dûm, and a procession of new characters flesh out J.R.R. Tolkien's Second Age, including Ismael Cruz Córdova's arrow-slinging elf, Arondir, and a curious young Harfoot with a twinkle in her eye. The trailer also features a short narration: "Haven't you ever wondered what else is out there? There's wonders in this world beyond our wandering... We can feel it." Unfortunately, The Rings of Power's teaser never shows whose mouth the words are coming from.
The Rings of Power's teaser narration most likely comes from the Hobbit-esque young female character played by Markella Kavenagh. The high-pitched tone doesn't fit the authority and gravitas of The Rings of Power's other women (it's certainly hard to imagine Galadriel talking with such twang), but the British West-Country accent does sound very close to the Hobbits in Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings trilogy. We know Kavenagh portrays a Harfoot - an early breed of Hobbit - in The Rings of Power, so the voice can likely be attributed to her. Add to that how the speech ends on a close-up of Kavenagh's Harfoot character, and the source of the teaser's narration becomes clear.
The content of Kavenagh's words also speak to where the Harfoots find themselves - literally and figuratively - in Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power. During the Second Age, Hobbits haven't yet settled down in The Shire, and according to plot details surrounding Amazon's new Middle-earth venture, the Harfoots believe in total secrecy and hiding from others. So, when this unnamed character wonders "what else is out there," she's referencing how her people are insular, shielding themselves from the world rather than exploring what delights Middle-earth has to offer. The Rings of Power teases this precocious youngster breaking away from her tribe and going on an adventure... just like a certain pair of Bagginses several thousands of years later.
Having the honor of delivering Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power's very first dialogue must surely prove Markella Kavenagh plays a major role in Amazon's narrative. She may not be a Tolkien creation, and she may not be a famous warrior from the Undying Lands, but both The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit are essentially about small, unassuming characters outshining their grander counterparts. This optimistic Harfoot could be the The Rings of Power's very own Hobbit protagonist. Who knows - she might just be a faraway ancestor of Bilbo and Frodo...