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Rings of Power features several characters and locations that also appear in the popular Lord of the Rings movies. There were other more subtle references to be found in bits of dialogue, familiar scenes, or precious treasures that live on in the Third Age of Middle-earth as legends.
6 The Palantir
The Palantiri were just magical talking stones in the books, but the show has adopted the more malevolent and prescient view of the Seeing Stones, which is also how they were portrayed in the movies. The king of Numenor has one, and it has revealed the kingdom’s downfall, a callback to Denethor’s vision of the Corsair’s black ships in Peter Jackson’s movies.
Like the vision Denethor had, whatever the King of Numenor saw, it eventually drove him to madness. Unlike the vision of Denethor, however, which was deceptive and sent deliberately by Sauron, the tidal wave heading for Numenor is authentic and viewers know from the history books that the island’s fate is sealed.
5 Berek The Faithful Steed
A nice addition to the movie adaptations made to the books was the horsework, and viewers can thank Viggo Mortensen for that. Brego, the faithful steed that saved Aragorn’s life, made an impression on viewers and stole every scene in which he appeared.
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Instead of Brego, Rings of Power has Berek, Isildur’s brave and faithful steed. He was introduced in the same episode as his master, and the show made it clear that there are few things in the world that Isildur loves more than his horse. Like it was with Aragorn, everyone thought he was dead, but his horse searched until he found him, and Berek is set up to have a similar adventure.
4 Nori And Poppy
Tolkien was a romantic at heart, and he told stories in which evil was no match for love and friendship. That’s part of why Samwise Gamgee is the hero of the books, because he was Frodo’s best friend, and, in the end, this is what defeated Sauron’s evil. Beren and Luthien did what whole armies had failed to do when they recovered a Silmaril.
Best friends Poppy and Nori aren’t just references to Sam and Frodo, but also Merry and Pippin and Legolas and Gimli. Another nugget of trivia is Nori’s full name, which is Elanor. She’s never named in the movie, but book readers know that Sam’s oldest daughter was also called Elanor, a flower that’s considered sacred to the Elves.
3 Mount Doom
Unlike other movie references that might be hidden or indirect in the show, Mount Doom exploded right in everyone’s face. The spectacular ending to episode six covered the Southlands in ash and fire, creating the Mordor that viewers all know and fear from The Lord of the Rings.
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It was an unexpected and interesting payoff regarding the mysterious ditches the Wood Elves were forced to build. The lost sword hilt was an interesting weapon but it turns out the purpose was as a key the whole time. It was an interesting twist on a question that nobody asked, and now everyone knows how to make a Mordor.
2 Moths
Remember the humble little moth that flew to Gandalf’s aid when he was trapped on the top of Saruman’s tower in the movie? The moth also made an unexpected appearance in Rings of Power, in one of the episodes that included the Stranger and the mysterious figures in white robes that were following him. This time, however, it wasn’t just one moth but an eclipse of thousands.
When the Stranger confronts the robed figures, and they determine that he isn’t Sauron, he proceeds to use the light from his staff to turn them into moths. It seems oddly specific to not be a movie reference instead of just making them fade away or incinerating them.
1 “Follow Your Nose”
Speaking of the Stranger, whose identity is still a mystery, there was a familiar quote to close out the season finale that seemed to give this away or at least provide the most obvious clue so far. The time the Fellowship spends in Moria is some of the tensest in both the book and the movie adaptations, with Gandalf using his sense of smell to guide the way when all else has failed.
One of the last scenes in the season features the Stranger and Nori setting off on their journey to Rhun, but neither of them knows which direction they need to take. The Stranger, who is definitely one of the Five Wizards but which has yet to be determined, decides to follow his nose. This might be the clue that reveals him as Gandalf, but it’s also a clear reference to the movie scenes in Moria.
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