The Rings of Power Season 3 is packed with deep-cut lore, unanswered questions, and Easter Eggs built for those who have explored the deep corners of J.R.R. Tolkien’s Middle-earth mythology. The series also pays its dues to the Peter Jackson film trilogy with several references, ranging in their subtlety.
Khamûl
J.R.R. Tolkien kept the Nazgûl mysterious, but he did name one: Khamûl the Easterling. Tolkien wrote about the Ringwraiths in Appendix B of The Return of the King, sharing that they arrived in the year 2251 of the Second Age. In the Unfinished Tales, Tolkien’s essays explain that Khamûl was the Black Rider from The Fellowship of the Ring who initially arrived in Hobbiton to inquire about “Baggins,” searching for the One Ring and beginning the hunt for the Hobbits on their road to Rivendell.
The Dark Wizard Is Pallando
Another element of Tolkien lore drawn from Unfinished Tales is the name Pallando, which was a major reveal for the Prime Video series’ Dark Wizard character, who was previously a mystery box figure without a clear lore background. Pallando is one of the two Blue Wizards, though Tolkien never finalized the name. Pallando was paired with Alatar, his partner, whom The Rings of Power loosely references in Season 3, Episode 3.
The Five Istari Sent to Middle-earth
The Five Wizards of Middle-earth were first mentioned by Saruman in the Two Towers chapter, “The Voice of Saruman.” Building from there, J.R.R. Tolkien expanded on the idea in the Appendices of The Return of the King, suggesting that the two missing were “Blue Wizards.” The five wizards are as follows:
- Saruman the White
- Radagast the Brown
- Gandalf the Grey
- The Blue Wizards (likely named Alatar and Pallando; Tolkien’s work on their stories was incomplete and largely speculative in Unfinished Tales)
The Greenwood & Gundabad
In The Rings of Power Season 3, Marnûkh mentions that the last Elven smith, Maitalle, is imprisoned in the Orc dungeon of Gundabad. This fortress is featured in the Hobbit book and movies. The TV series also name-drops the Greenwood, the great forest that’s transformed into the Mirkwood by the time of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, and is the home of Thranduil the Elvenking and his son, Legolas.
The “Fellowship”
Galadriel, Arondir, and Marnûkh form a pseudo “Fellowship” in their quest from Rivendell to Gundabad, with the orc serving as a Gollum-like anti-hero figure. Galadriel and Arondir debate how much they can trust Marnûkh throughout, much like Frodo and Sam with Gollum in The Lord of the Rings. Marnûkh can’t be completely trusted, but he’s necessary because of the knowledge he possesses. Galadriel even uses the word “Fellowship,” a clear nod to the originals.
Theo Descends From “Sorcerers” & “Kings”
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While making his pitch to Theo, Sauron suggests that he “descends from sorcerers and kings.” This ties back to Tolkien’s lore in The Silmarillion, in which the Ringwraiths are described as kings, sorcerers, and warriors.
Fell Beasts Are Corrupted Eagles
Fell Beasts and Eagles are both prominent in The Lord of the Rings, but Tolkien never ascribed any origins connecting the two; Tolkien describes fell beasts as strange, ancient winged creatures of an older world whose precise origin is left ambiguous, so the TV series’ idea that they were once Eagles is a creative invention of the adaptation. This is a very Tolkien-like idea, but one that’s entirely original to the TV adaptation.
Fell Beasts Eat “Fell Meats”
Sauron is able to saddle the volatile Fell Beast after feeding it a living being, tying directly to a quote from The Lord of the Rings. The following description is from The Return of the King:
“The Dark Lord took it, and nursed it with fell meats, until it grew beyond measure of all other things that fly, and he gave it to his most deadly servants to be their mount.”
Servant of the Secret Fire
Gandalf gets the answers he seeks from a mysterious vision in which he communes with the Secret Fire. Lord of the Rings fans may recognize this term from Gandalf’s confrontation with the Balrog, in which he declares himself a “servant of the Secret Fire.” The Secret Fire is the essence of godlike power linked to Eru Ilúvatar, the creator of Middle-earth and Arda.
Gandalf’s Grey Hat
Gandalf wouldn’t be complete without his key accessory, and the iconic grey hat from The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit finds its way to him in Season 3, Episode 3, as he sets out on his adventure.
