The Rings of Power: A look at the references to Peter Jackson's iconic LOTR Trilogy in the show

After many teasers, promotional videos and anticipation, the first two episodes of Prime Video’s The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power are now streaming. For the many fans of Tolkien’s work, especially those who have seen the iconic The Lord of the Rings trilogy by Peter Jackson, the new series had a tall order to live up to. Even though The Rings of Power and The Lord of the Rings portray different versions of Tolkien’s Middle Earth, their source material is the same and hence, there are bound to be comparisons between the two. Since the show is a prequel to Jackson’s trilogy, it is laced with many blink-and-miss references, callbacks and Easter Eggs which allude to LOTR films. While some might be missed even by the eagle-eyed viewers, others are too blatant and obvious to ignore. Here’s a list of some of the references to the LOTR trilogy we could spot in the first two episodes of The Rings of Power.

Galadriel’s Paper Boat And Ship Imagery

LOTR: The Rings of Power episode 1 opens with a young Galadriel making a paper boat as her dismissive friends tell her that the boat will ‘not float’ and will sink. To their surprise, the paper boat not only floats and glides through the water but soon takes the shape of a swan. It is like a prophecy of the transformation Galadriel will go through in the coming episodes –  she will ‘blossom’ into a swan and become a more powerful version of herself. As seen in the trailer, she will hunt down Sauron, the Dark Lord who would later go on to create the Rings. The paper boat scene seems like a nod to Lord of the Rings: The Return of the Ring and The Fellowship of the Ring, where we see Galadriel sail through the sea on boats which look exactly like a swan.

Besides, the ship imagery and ‘the call of the sea’ are significant for Elves in the LOTR universe. At several points in the Peter Jackson trilogy, we see Elves long for the Sea and wis go to Valinor, particularly the Elves who know their time is ending. Interestingly, at the end of The Return of the King, Legolas says “Grey ships, Grey ships, do you hear them calling? The voices of my people that have gone before me.”

While Jackson’s version of Middle Earth is different from that of Prime Video’s The Rings of Power, this minor detail shows just how similar the two realms are.

The Corruption of Trees of Valinor

Throughout the first episode of LOTR: The Rings of Power, we see indications that something evil and sinister is lurking around. After Galadriel’s brother shares the wisdom of a boat and a stone with her, we see the two trees of Valinor being corrupted as their branches turn black. At another instance in the show, we see a golden leaf become corrupted and black bile oozing out of a cow. The evil, of course, is a reference to Melkor’s poison which leads to several wars and bloodshed well into the Third Age, depicted in Jackson’s trilogy. The Gold and the Silver tree in Valinor were poisoned by the evil, giant spider Ungoliant – which spawned Shelob, the evil spider which we see plenty of in Jackson’s trilogy.

Here’s the scene where Frodo fights the scary Shelob in LOTR: The Return of the King.

The Mirror of Galadriel

As Galadriel continues her search for Sauron to avenge the death of her brother in the War of Wrath, she along with her men find a stronghold where as per Galadriel herself, ‘the Orcs gathered after Morgoth’s defeat’. As the group proceeds into what seems like a Fortress, they come across the Eye of Sauron – this time, burning in fire. At one point in the sequence, we see Galadriel look at her reflection in the ice which seems like a reference to a scene in The Fellowship of the Ring, where she asks Frodo, the Hobbit of the Shire, to look into the Mirror of Galadriel. Frodo sees a vision of Shire being destroyed, Orcs slaughtering other Hobbits and also a glimpse of the Eye of Sauron, which we also see plenty of in episode 1 of Rings of Power. You can watch the original scene from The Fellowship of the Ring below:

Galadriel’s Connection with Gandalf

When Elrond, who is not invited to the Council owing to his half-Elvian origin, meets Galadriel at Lindon (the Garden of High Elves), he tells her that he expected her to ‘arrive caked in grime and mud’. Ironically, Elrond took a similar dig at Gandalf in The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey. The connection and parallels between Galadriel and Gandalf don’t just end here.

In episode 1, we see Galadriel take on the role of the Commander of the Northern Armies or ‘Warrior of the Wastelands’ as Elrond calls her. Gandalf, too, was a warrior who fought the trolls, Orcs and evil spiders on his own. In the Rings of Power, much like Gandalf, we see Galadriel take a ‘hands-on’ approach. Here are some of the scenes featuring Galadriel and Gandalf from The Hobbit trilogy:

Deepansh Duggal is an entertainment, pop-culture and trends writer based in New Delhi. He specializes in op-eds based on the socio-political and gender issues in the world of entertainment and showbiz. He also writes explainers and occasionally reviews shows in the OTT space. He tweets at @Deepansh75. 

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