The Lord of the Rings’ engrossing spin-off and prequel based on the literary work of J. R. R. Tolkien, The Rings of Power, has come to its season 1 conclusion with a phenomenal cliffhanger that has left audiences in awe. The Prime Video series ended its premiere season with a nail-biting revelation that the supposed king of the Southlands, Halbrand, is actually Sauron. Faced with this reality, Galadriel, Elrond, and Celebrimbor forge the powerful three Elven Rings.
The latest Middle-earth odyssey, of course, not only serves as a satisfying return to the Lord of the Rings saga, but also expands on the fantastical world as we knew it from the original movie trilogy and The Hobbit trilogy. Introducing to us a cast of new characters, while revisiting old ones, The Rings of Power effectively provides a multitude of perspectives and, within those, a collection of moments that either melt your heart or compel you to ponder a little longer and deeper than ever.
One of the most noteworthy aspects of The Rings of Power was its demonstration of the power of words. The Prime Video series, in fact, offered some of the best and most quotable lines in recent TV history. Per Digital Spy, The Rings of Power has been renewed for season 2. The next iteration, as outlined by Den of Geek, will dig deeper into an early story of Sauron. While we wait for the next installment to hit the screens, here are some of the best quotes from the show, ranked.
8/8 “One can’t satisfy thirst by drinking seawater.”
Fueled with vengeance, Halbrand resolutely plunges a knife into the heart of Adar, but Galadriel stops him mid-thrust from killing him. She urges him to drop his weapons, naturally stopping him from giving in to his darkest temptations. Galadriel calls on Halbrand to give up the darkness in him with the help of a seawater and thirst analogy.
7/8 “No matter the sorrow, no matter the cost, not all those who wonder or wander are lost.”
Throughout the first season of The Rings of Power, the Harfoots are on their way to migrating to safer lands as the weather changes. Evidently, while they do so, to keep themselves amused in their arduous journey, they engage in singing songs and other merry-making activities. In these moments, Nori deduces that they may wonder or wander to other lands, but still are not the ones who are lost. This quote is perhaps one of the most enigmatic of Tolkien’s work.
6/8 “Betimes, our paths are laid before us by a power greater than our own. In those moments, it’s our task to make our feet go where our hearts wish not to tread. No matter the perils awaiting our way.”
The Wizard (wise one) — also known as The Stranger or Meteor Man — is on a journey to unravel the mystery behind his existence in Middle-earth. Essentially, it is a journey that is full of nothing but danger. Nori indeed attempts to talk the Stranger out of it, but the Wizard concludes that despite the challenges these paths possess, they need to be traveled to seek the ultimate truth.
5/8 “Alone, it’s just a journey. Now, adventures, they must be shared.”
At the close of season 1 of The Rings of Power, Nori and the Stranger are about to embark a journey to unpack the truth about the existence of Istar. Naturally, a curious Nori has made up her mind to accompany the wizard, but in the last moments, she has cold feet. The wizard reassures Nori and puts his thoughts forward by telling her that adventures such as these need to be shared.
4/8 “Sometimes to find the light, we must first touch the darkness.”
Galadriel is unassumingly on her journey to kill Sauron in The Rings of Power. To do so, she seeks help from many dwellers of Middle-earth, specifically from humankind. She convinces the King of The Southlands, Halbrand, to avenge his bloodline against Sauron, but Halbrand snaps at Galadriel, saying humans are a sketchy breed and are not to be trusted. To this, Galadriel reassures the king that darkness and light go hand in hand.
3/8 “Where there is love, it is never truly dark.”
On Elrond’s first visit to Khazad-dum, he notices an Elvish Great Tree of Lindon blooming in the darkness of misty caves where his friend, Durin, and his family live. Apparently, the Elvish tree was only meant to thrive in a well-illuminated environment. But Elrond has an explanation; he believes, looking at Durin’s family, that where love breathes in the atmosphere, darkness has to escape at all costs.
2/8 “Because a burden shared may either be halved or doubled. Depending on the heart that receives it.”
On Durin’s return from Lindon, his best friend Elrond reluctantly reveals to the dwarf the importance of Mithril to the Elven people. Elrond mentions that Mithril possesses the light of Valinor, which physically manifests the very thing that makes his people ageless and powerful. He is initially hesitant and feels such knowledge as a burden to share, believing that if he asks Durin to give up Mithril, then it would jeopardize the promises made to his dear old friend.
1/8 “Hope is never mere, even when it is meager. When all other senses sleep, the eye of hope is first to awaken and last to shut.”
Gil-Galad urges Elrond to break his promise with Durin about revealing the truth of Mithril’s secret discovery. He explains to Elrond that Mithril is the only hope for the survival of Elves’ kin, but this is not certain. Naturally, Elrond is caught between choosing to cling to this minuscule hope of whether Mithril will manifest their powers or not or to break the trust of his friend, Durin.
