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With the release of the new trailer forThe Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Powercomes many hints and clues as to what to expect with the upcoming season. While there’s much speculation as to how season two will play out, the official trailer does confirm a few things.
InThe Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, fans are in for a lot of pivotal moments in season two. The official trailer shows Sauron changing his disguise from Halbrand to his elf form, known as Annatar in Tolkien’s written works. Númenor will see more events that will inevitably lead to its downfall. More rings of power will be crafted by Sauron during this season, and so much more.
But one thing that might have surprised viewers in the trailer is the very shortglimpse of the Great Eagles. They appeared so briefly that it could have been missed, but they were there in Númenor with Pharazôn.
What Are The Great Eagles In The Lord Of The Rings?
Eagles, among other creatures of Middle Earth, were messengers of Manwë, the King of the Valar (gods of Arda). But among the eagles,there were also Great Eagles, extremely large birds that were capable of speech.
As servants of Manwë the Great Eagles were sent to Middle Earth for a number of reasons, with the main responsibility being messengers and spies for Manwë. Their most important duty was to keep an eye on Morgoth during the First Age and Sauron during the Second Age, but they also kept tabs on the exiled Noldor Elves as well.
Although they were meant to keep tabs on the Noldor, during the First Age of Middle Earth, the Great Eagles were allied to the Elves. They fought with the Elves duringthe War of Wrathagainst Morgoth and helped in a number of different ways too, including aiding in quests, protecting survivors from orc attacks, and much more. Under Thorondor’s leadership, the Lord of the Great Eagles, nearly all great birds in Middle Earth were able to come together to destroy most of the dragons as well.
During the Second Age of Middle Earth, two Great Eagles had an eyrie inside theKing’s house in Númenorup until the Númenoreans became hostile towards the Valar. This happened long before the events ofThe Rings of Power. It was also said that the Great Eagles would watch the peak of Mount Meneltarma, a sacred mountain on Númenor that was often the location of special gatherings.
Will The Great Eagles Make An Appearance In The Rings Of Power?
The Great Eagles are set to make an appearance inThe Rings of Power, as confirmed by the official trailer. However, how big their role will be is not entirely clear. Fans ofThe Lord of the Ringsknow the Great Eagles play a key role inThe Return of the Kingby rescuing Frodo and Sam from Mount Doom after theOne Ring is destroyed. But how will the Great Eagles play a role inThe Rings of Power?
As previously mentioned, during the Second Age Great Eagles were seen watching over the peak ofMount Meneltarma in Númenor. This is one explanation for why they will be inThe Rings of Powerseason two. However, they’re more likely to be playing a slightly bigger role seeing as they appear in a scene with Pharazôn.
How Will The Great Eagles Play A Part In The Fall Of Númenor?
AlthoughThe Rings of Poweris able to take creative liberties, according to Tolkien’s lore, the Great Eagles are seen in Númenor during this time doing more than just watching over Mount Meneltarama. So seeing them in the season two trailer makes sense and also gives some insight into the directionThe Rings of Poweris planning on taking.
Along with the crafting of the rings of power,the fall of Númenormay be one of the largest events to take place during the Second Age of Middle Earth. The decision to include the Great Eagles inThe Rings of Powertrailer shows viewers just how close Númenor is to this tragic event.
According to Tolkien’s written work, Great Eagles come to Númenor right before the kingdom’s fall.The Valarsent a huge storm cloud that was the Great Eagles to warn the Númenoreans. The warning was to let the people of Númenor know they had fallen out of favor with the Valar and there would be punishment. It was also meant to warn that the end of Númenor was near. Since the Great Eagles are seen inThe Rings of Powertrailer, it’s safe to assume that the show is setting up for the fall of Númenor to happen either towards the end of season two or during season three.
