The Rings of Power: Morfyyd Clark Reveals How Galadriel Will Be Affected by Nenya

Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power ended Season 1 with the big reveal that (SPOILERS) Sauron had been lurking in our heroes’ midst all along, impersonating the fallen Southlands king, Halbrand (Charlie Vickers). By the time that Elven warrior Galadriel (Morfyyd Clark) figured out that her trusted comrade was the dark lord Sauron, it was too late: Sauron had already manipulated the Elves and their smiths (including the famous Celebrimbor) into creating the first three Rings of Power, which he “gifted” to the Elves. 

Even though Galadriel now knows that Halbrand is Sauron, she still doesn’t realize the full danger that the Rings of Power represent. As Rings of Power Season 2 begins, Galadriel will also begin her connection to the ring Nenya (the Ring of Water), the object that will shape Galadriel’s fate.

“She’s about to have a life-changing thing happen to her. She’s about to become acquainted with Nenya, her ring,” Clark said at a Rings of Power promotional event last year. “It’s really exciting to see how the magic creeps in.”

When ComicBook recently sat down with the cast and creators of The Rings of Power, we asked series star Morfyyd Clark to describe how Nenya’s presence will affect Galadriel in Season 2: 

“So the rings are these new kinds of art and science and magic, and their power is unknown to anyone in Middle-earth. And they won’t reveal their power simply,” Clark explained. “They’re quite complex, and they’re beings in themselves… but also… they don’t give themselves away quickly if that makes sense: You’re not going to put a ring on and be like ‘Oh and it does this!’ It’s a journey and it’s a magic that’s kind of whirling and changing – and changing with Middle-earth. The darkness of Sauron coming back is affecting everything in Middle-earth, and the rings are part of Middle-earth.” 

Indeed, the established lore of J.R.R. Tolkien is dense on the subject of the Rings of Power – particularly the Elven rings – and their path through Middle-earth’s history. Galadriel is the only Elf to be the sole holder of her ring throughout the centuries – all the way up to the Third Age of Lord of the Rings, where the power of Nenya has extended her lifetime and given her the power of light to establish the woodland realm of Lothlórien, as a save haven from Sauron’s evil. Those films hinted at the precarious balance of power that comes with rings – a relationship The Rings of Power Season 2 will get to delve much deeper into. 

The Rings of Power Season 2 stars Cynthia Addai-Robinson, Robert Aramayo, Owain Arthur, Maxim Baldry, Morfydd Clark, Ismael Cruz Córdova, Charles Edwards, Trystan Gravelle, Sir Lenny Henry, Ema Horvath, Markella Kavenagh, Joseph Mawle, Tyroe Muhafidin, Sophia Nomvete, Lloyd Owen, Megan Richards, Dylan Smith, Charlie Vickers, Leon Wadham, Benjamin Walker, Daniel Weyman, and Sara Zwangobani. Season 1 star Nazanin Boniadi will not be returning as the healer Bronwyn, having moved on from acting. It will premiere on Amazon Prime Video on August 29th.