The Nine Rings for Men are finally being made. In “Halls of Stone,” The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Season 2, Sauron (Charlie Vickers), disguised as Annatar, finally makes Celebrimbor (Charles Edwards) come around and help him forge the rings. It took a lot of convincing, though, since the Elvensmith believes that Men are easily corruptible and wouldn’t be worthy of Rings of Power. To convince him otherwise, Annatar then mentions three of the bravest men in Middle-earth’s history: Eärendil, Tuor, and Beren. These three were indeed noble in their actions and fought against evil — Sauron included.
Beren Steals a Silmaril From Morgoth And Meets Sauron
Beren is usually known for being part of one of only three pairings of Men and Elves in history — he marries the Elf Lúthien, and the tale of their romance is one of the best stories in J.R.R. Tolkien‘s Legendarium. He began as an outlaw in Beleriand, son of a nobleman called Barahir. Barahir once rescued Finrod Felagund (Will Fletcher), Galadriel’s (Morfydd Clark) brother, from death, and Finrod swore an oath to him. Decades later, when Beren falls in love with Lúthien, her father, the Elf King Thingol, doesn’t approve of the romance and only agrees to it if Beren retrieves a Silmaril from Morgoth’s Iron Crown.
The Silmarils are gems of unspoken beauty for which many wars were fought in the First Age. Morgoth, entranced by their beauty, manages to collect all three of them, wearing them on his crown. To retrieve one of them, Beren calls in Finrod’s favor to his father, but shortly after their company sets out, they are captured by Sauron in his fortress of Tol-in-Gaurhoth. There, Finrod engages in a battle of songs against Sauron, but loses, and the band ends up imprisoned. When werewolves come to kill them, Finrod uses the last of his powers to save Beren. He is then rescued by Lúthien.
Some time later, the couple decide to take on this quest again. This time, though, they manage to enter Morgoth’s fortress of Angband, where Lúthien uses her powers to put the Dark Lord’s court to sleep. Beren actually retrieves one of the Silmarils, but Morgoth’s wolf, Charcharoth, bites the gem with Beren’s hand attached to it. They are now rescued by the Eagles, and help hunt Charcharoth and retrieve the Silmaril some time later. After Beren dies, Lúthien follows him, but, out of pity, the Valar allow them to resurrect as mortals to live the life they deserve together.
Tuor Saves Countless Lives In the Fall of Gondolin
Like Beren, Tuor is also known for marrying an Elf, the princess of Gondolin, Idril. In his youth, he journeyed through Beleriand on his own after losing his family in a battle against Morgoth, and eventually is chosen by Ulmo, the Valar of the Seas, to bring a warning of impending doom to the hidden city of Gondolin.
After a journey filled with peril, Tuor reaches Gondolin and delivers Ulmo’s warning to Turgon, the High King of the Noldor before Gil-galad (Benjamin Walker), about the growing threat of Morgoth. Though Turgon chooses not to heed the warning, Tuor is accepted into the city and rises through the ranks to a position of prestige in the court. He is even allowed to marry Idril, Turgon’s daughter. Together, they have a son, Eärendil — but more on him later. Years later, however, Gondolin’s location is revealed to Morgoth by the Elf Maeglin, who was jealous of Tuor for marrying Idril. Still, Tuor and his family manage to survive the fall of Gondolin and save countless lives under Ulmo’s guidance.
Tuor and Idril lived in peace for a while until they decided to sail together into the West to the Undying Lands of Valinor. It’s not known whether they made it, but Tolkien mentions in his Letter 153 that Tuor is made an exception by the Valar and granted Elvish immortality. In this context, it’s possible to assume that Tuor and Idril indeed made it to Valinor and remain there still.
Eärendil Pleads With the Valar To Fight Morgoth
Tuor and Idril have a son, someone who has already been mentioned in The Rings of Power: Eärendil. He is known for having two sons, Elrond (Robert Aramayo) and Elros — the first, a great leader of the Elves in Middle-earth, and the second, the founder of the kingdom of Númenor. He is married to Elwing, granddaughter of Beren and Lúthien.
Like Tuor, Eärendil has a special connection to the sea, which pretty much defines his life. As Morgoth’s forces continue to ravage Middle-earth, Eärendil decides to sail to Valinor himself to plead for the Valar’s help against the Dark Lord. Elwing has in her possession the Silmaril retrieved by Beren and Lúthien, and they use the gem on their ship’s brow to light their way across the sea, to the Undying Lands. When they arrive in Valinor, Eärendil becomes the first mortal man to ever set foot in the Undying Lands — officially, since it’s not known whether Tuor made it. The Valar listen to his plea and join the fight against Morgoth in the conflict known as the War of Wrath. Morgoth is then finally defeated thanks to Eärendil’s efforts.
Eärendil also fights in the war and, by its end, is granted a gift by the Valar: he and his family, being descendants of both Elves and Men, get to choose whether to be Elves or Humans. Eärendil chooses to become an Elf, and now sails across the sky on his ship with the Silmaril still attached to its brow. Now, the first star seen in the sky is known as the Evening Star, and it’s supposed to be Eärendil sailing.
Season 2 of The Rings of Power is streaming on Prime Video. New episodes air weekly on Thursdays.
