There’s no denying that the sheer scale of Amazon’s epic series The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power is a lot to take in. Set across several locations in the midst of the Second Age of Middle-earth, the show shows how evil is beginning to rise in the far reaches of the kingdom. As a result of the breadth of the story, viewers may have missed a few key details from author J.R.R. Tolkien’s mythology scattered throughout the series.
In particular, the spectacular depiction of Númenor features several nods to key figures in the history of Middle-earth. Speaking on The Nerd of The Rings YouTube channel, director Wayne Yip broke down what you need to know about the statues dominating its harbor.
When Galadriel and Elendil sail into the port, several figures are carved into the stones around Númenor. Among them is Ulmo, who in Tolkien’s works was the King of the Sea and one of the Aratar – a group also known as the Eight and the Holy Ones of Arda. "He was the god that gifted them the islands so we knew that he was going to be upfront and center welcoming visitors to the island," Yip explained of his inclusion.
However, the most dominant of the statues is that of Eärendil who towers over the port with his wife Elwing – who had been transformed into a bird – perched on his shoulder. Eärendil was the great half-elf mariner who carried the morning star across the sky, as well as being Elrond and Elros’ father. Yip explained they included a special nod to his legend in the statue that didn't make it to the final episode.
"I don’t know if you ever see it specifically," he continued. "But we had it so at night from the wharf looking up he looks like he’s pointing up to his star so it all lines up. It’s one of those things where we felt because there are all these different bridges, they built the statue in a way you could enjoy different aspects of it depending on which bridge you were on at what time of day."
Yip admitted he wished they could dedicate a whole episode to breaking down the references in Númenor. But while these haven’t been explored directly in the series so far, the director did say they’ve got plenty of time left with five seasons planned already for The Rings of Power.
For more on the series, we’ve brokedown all of the major characters, where it sits in the Lord of the Rings timeline, and everything we know so far about Sauron’s potential appearance. Make sure to also check out our Rings of Power release schedule so you don't miss a moment.
