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Warning: Major spoilers ahead for The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power episode 5! Turn back now if you haven't seen the latest episode on Amazon Prime Video!
A new The Rings of Power theory suggests Sauron is already manipulating the Elves. The latest episode sees Galadriel sailing for Middle-earth with Númenor's forces, while High King Gil-galad tells Elrond that they need Mithril to survive as their tree is slowly being poisoned by darkness, meaning their own light is fading away. Before we go any further, be warned that there are book spoilers ahead.
In J.R.R. Tolkien's works, Sauron takes on the disguise of Annatar, who works with the Elves to forge the Rings of Power – so we can probably expect to see this play out in the show. According to one Redditor, though, Annatar might already be pulling the strings. "If Annatar is already at work, that means he has manipulated the Elves into sending away his chief rival, is poisoning the tree to make them think their end is coming and forcing them to urgently build his forge before they've taken the time to think through the decision," says the theorist. Gil-galad sent Galadriel away in the first episode – she was definitely the most committed to hunting down Sauron – so if Annatar is in Lindon, that could well have been his doing.
Celebrimbor is also quickly building the forge in Eregion, planning on getting hold of the dwarves' Mithril to save the Elves. It would make a lot of sense if Sauron is behind this decision – in The Fellowship of the Ring book, Elrond tells the tale of the "Elven-smiths of Eregion and their friendship with Moria, and their eagerness for knowledge, by which Sauron ensnared them. For in that time he was not yet evil to behold, and they received his aid and grew mighty in craft, whereas he learned all their secrets, and betrayed them, and forged secretly in the Mountain of Fire the One Ring to be their master." Swap eagerness for knowledge with eagerness for Mithril, and it would seem this stage of Sauron's plan is already in the works.
The theory also points out that Annatar could have been the one who convinced the Elves that the Silmarils' light is needed to rescue them, which could drive the dwarves and Elves apart. In the episode, Gil-galad has Elrond recount a story that sees a battle over a Silmaril – jewels that contain the light of the Two Trees in Valinor – hidden inside a tree. An Elf imbued the tree with pure light, while on the other side, a Balrog sent his hatred into the tree. During the battle, lightning struck the tree, which is how Mithril came to be formed. That would mean Mithril contains the light of a Silmaril, but it can currently only be found in the dwarven mine, and Durin was highly suspicious that Elrond had only arrived to seek the precious metal. It's easy to see how this might cause a major rift.
"Meanwhile his chief adversary is on a wild goose chase, led by one of his pawns and the other is left to setup Númenor to fall, thinking he also will become some kind of god. There is no way it's a coincidence that Pharazôn and Adar are believing they'll both somehow ascend," the theory continues. Pharazôn believes that, "when all this is ended, Elves will take orders from us," and Adar believes he'll become a god. It wouldn't be a huge shock, then, if Pharazôn is acting under Sauron's orders.
The theory also points out that Sauron has laid the groundwork for Middle-earth's various races to hate each other – and adds that the Stranger, who could be Gandalf, will be too late to stop the plan from unfolding, but could expose Sauron's deeds enough for the war against to break out. In essence: Annatar could be out there and pulling the strings this whole time.
We'll have to wait and see if any of this theory proves true, but for now, we're pretty convinced. Check out our The Rings of Power release schedule to find out when the next episode drops in your time zone, or fill out your watchlist with our guide to the best shows on Amazon Prime Video.
