Warning! Spoilers for Rings of Power season 2, episode 7 ahead!
Celebrimbor makes a pretty gruesome sacrifice inThe Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Powerseason 2, creating a meaningful parallel with a couple ofLord of the Ringsmoments. The Prime Video series is a prequel to Frodo’s Third Age story, which means thatRings of Poweris in a unique position to add instances of foreshadowing retroactively. These lean into the established themes ofLord of the Rings, reinforcing the lessons of Frodo’s story. In the case ofRings of Powerseason 2, episode 7, Celebrimbor’s sacrifice links with one made by Frodo thousands of years later.
InRings of Powerseason 2, episode 7, Celebrimbor finally realizes thatAnnatar is actually Sauron. This discovery leads him to refuse to make the Nine Rings, so Sauron resorts to force to get what he wants. Celebrimbor is chained to his workbench, andthe only way to escape is to remove his own thumb so that his hand can fit through the shackles. It’s a horrible moment, but Celebrimbor’s sacrifice allows him to escape with the Nine Rings long enough to pass them toGaladriel inThe Rings of Power. Though unique, this moment feels a bit familiar.
Celebrimbor Cutting Off His Finger Foreshadows Frodo’s LOTR Sacrifice
Celebrimbor & Frodo Both Paid Their Pound Of Flesh
Rings of Powermay have made up the story about Celebrimbor cutting off his own finger, but such wounds aren’t new toThe Lord of the Rings. At theend ofReturn of the King, Gollum bites off Frodo’s finger in an effort to reclaim the One Ring. Since Frodo could never have willingly tossed the One Ring into the fires of Mount Doom (no being ever could), Sauron’s weapon would have never been destroyed if Gollum hadn’t taken it with Frodo’s flesh and fallen off the edge. Though very different situations,it’s ironic that Celebrimbor would lose his finger to protect the Nine Rings, while Frodo loses his to destroy the one that ruled them all.
Sauron Is Also Doomed To Lose A Finger In Rings of Power
Sauron Also Paid The Cost Of Losing His One Ring
Frodo losing a finger inThe Lord of the Ringswas already a meaningful tie-in with another pivotal moment—Sauron’s loss at the Last Alliance of Elves and Men. After Sauron defeated Gil-galad and Elendil in the battle, Isildur took his father’s sword and cut the One Ring from the villain’s hand.Even once Sauron finally regained his body, one finger was missing(as evidenced by Gollum’s account of what Sauron looked like inThe Lord of the Rings). The way he had lost it meant it was lost for good.
Gollum was tortured by Sauron before the events ofThe Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, and this is when he noticed the Dark Lord’s missing finger.
The idea here is that when a person loses the One Ring in such a definitive way, it takes a pound of flesh with it.The finger represents everything the wearer had lost, and Celebrimbor has now been wrapped into this lesson. The Lord of Eregion has never held the One Ring since it hasn’t been made yet. However, at this point in the story, Sauron himself is the thing Celebrimbor was tempted by. He both loves and hates this Dark Lord, but to save Middle-earth, he has to cut his tie with temptation, greed, and power. To do so, Celebrimbor had to pay the price.
Rings of Power Season 2 Has Leaned Into LOTR’s Theme Of Sacrifice
Celebrimbor’s Story Ties Right Into The Overarching Themes Of Lord Of The Rings
Everything comes with a cost inThe Lord of the Rings. Sauron himself was the essence of temptation, greed, and power, but he funneled all of this into the One Ring, creating his own weakness and, therefore, sacrificing his own life for power. Gollum’s life was lost for the Ring as well, serving the Greater Plan, though that was never his intention. Frodo volunteered to take the One Ring to Mordor, but even this good intention took immeasurable cost from the Hobbit.Every deed, whether good or bad, comes with a costin Tolkien’s work, and this is somethingRings of Powerhas embraced.
Celebrimbor’s sacrifice at least allowed the elf to redeem his soul.
Sauron acknowledged this fact inThe Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Powerseason 2, episode 7, when he admitted that Celebrimbor had taught him that creation requires sacrifice. The episode ties this idea of sacrifice directly into Celebrimbor’s story. He knows that he must pay the price for what he had done, and while he has already paid with flesh, that won’t be enough to cover Celebrimbor’s monumental mistakes. Unfortunately, Sauron is destined to get his hands on the Nine Rings of Power anyway. Still, Celebrimbor’s sacrifice at least allowed the elf to redeem his soul.
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power
Cast
Set in the Second Age of Middle-earth, The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power explores the forging of the iconic rings, the rise of the Dark Lord Sauron, and the epic events leading up to the stories in J.R.R. Tolkien’s classic novels. The series chronicles the creation of legendary characters and the historic alliances and rivalries that shape the fate of Middle-earth.
