The biggest mystery in The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power since the show’s first episode has been the identity of Sauron. We know that the future Dark Lord of the rings has the ability to shapeshift in the time period the Prime Video series is set, and Galadriel has been relentlessly on the hunt for him from the start of the show.
Some strong candidates have emerged (and some less strong) in the early episodes, but after the fourth episode of the show, “The Great Wave,” it’s time to explore a slightly more out-there theory.
What if Sauron is that messed-up sword?
Photo: Ben Rothstein/Prime Video
Theo, a human child who is the son of Bronwyn, found a cursed blade in a barn a few episodes back, and has been captivated by it ever since. Could that be the answer?
It may seem unlikely, considering how many mysterious people the show has thrust in our faces as potential Saurons, but there is precedence for imbuing power into objects in this world (just see the title of the show).
And that sword is really messed up. Initially just a broken hilt, it extends into a full sword when it attaches itself to Theo’s arm. It takes a toll, too — we can see the mark it has left on his arm (and the arm of a previous holder, as Theo discovers in the show’s fourth episode). The show’s interest in humans drawn to evil (as made repeatedly clear by how the elves talk about the war against Morgoth) could support this theory, although it’s unclear exactly what the allure of the sword is to Theo or other humans.
But let’s play this out. Say the sword is Sauron, and in an attempt to retain power and relevancy while remaining safely out of the crosshairs of those hunting him down, he imbued himself into a cursed object. Now Theo has bonded with the sword. That could make him either a straightforward servant of Sauron, pushing him to achieve whatever goals necessary to bring the Dark Lord back. But an alternative could be that the sword itself placed Sauron’s power inside Theo, gradually replacing the child with Sauron himself. Or perhaps Theo will be proof of the possibility that humans can resist evil impulses, despite what the elves think. We’ll have to wait and see how that develops, but one thing is for sure: that’s one fucked-up sword.
Checking in with the other Sauron candidates
Photo: Matt Grace/Prime Video
If you’re someone who’s still banking on Sauron being the Stranger, it was a harfoot-less (and giant-less) episode this week, so no news there.
But it was a strong week for the “Halbrand is Sauron” crowd, as he continually delivers mysteriously veiled lines that suggest he knows more than he’s letting on (and that he’s trying to manipulate Galadriel, something that became even more abundantly clear as he explained to freaking Galadriel how to manipulate people). There was also the voice-over from Queen Regent Míriel that suggested evil was already around Númenor — while the camera lingered on Halbrand.
The elven orc leader Adar also had a prominent episode, telling Arondir about how much he doesn’t know about the world and managing to be charismatically menacing while doing so. To us, it seems more likely he works for Sauron, but you never know. If Galadriel needs to be taught how to assert her influence by a human many years her junior, anything is possible with this show.