Warning! This article contains spoilers for The Rings of Power season 2.
Celebrimbor cannot see the real Eregion inThe Rings of Powerseason 2, episode 6, begging the question of how Sauron achieved this. For the most part, season 2 of the Prime Video show has centered aroundSauron’s plan inThe Rings of Power. After being briefly cast out by Galadriel inThe Rings of Powerseason 1’s ending, Sauron returned to Eregion and Celebrimbor to finish the crafting of the titular jewelry, leading the latter character down a dark path of deceit and manipulation.
This plan has proved mostly successful thus far, with 10 of the20 total Rings of Powerbeing crafted. InThe Rings of Powerseason 2, episode 6, Sauron begins to lose his patience with Celebrimbor, who has yet to perfect the crafting of the nine rings of men. As the Siege of Eregion - a major part ofThe Rings of Power’s Second Age timeline- gets underway, Celebrimbor is unable to see what is really happening around him. Naturally, questions will be raised of why this is the case, and what powers Sauron has to achieve this.
Sauron Has Gradually Been Chipping Away At Celebrimbor’s Mind In The Rings Of Power
Celebrimbor Is Much More Susceptible To Sauron’s Illusions
The reason behind Celebrimbor believing the illusions comes from the prior episodes ofThe Rings of Powerseason 2. Since the premiere,Sauron has been gradually embedding himself into Celebrimbor’s mind, following Adar’s words of"His eye bores a hole, and the rest of him slithers in.“Using his mastery over deceit, manipulation, and trickery, Sauron has slowly convinced Celebrimbor that he is losing his mind, successfully conveying this “reality” to the other smiths of Eregion too.
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As such,The Rings of Powerseason 2, episode 6 shows Celebrimbor at his lowest point. Celebrimbor does not know what is real and what is not as a result of Sauron’s manipulation, meaning the latter can easily cast his illusion spell over the former. This explains why Celebrimbor is oblivious to what is really happening in Eregion, as he can no longer differentiate between logic and reality or fiction and deception.
Does Sauron Really Have The Power To Create Visions?
This development with Sauron and Celebrimbor inThe Rings of Powerseason 2 begs the question of whether the former can even create visions. In Tolkien’s works, it is never explicitly stated that visions such as the one seen inThe Rings of Powerseason 2, episode 6 could be created by Sauron, but it certainly makes sense using context clues. For example, deceit and trickery are prime weapons of Sauron in Tolkien’s Legendarium, as is his ability to shape-shift at will, such as presenting himself asThe Rings of Power’s Annatar.
The Rings of Power’s Sauron visions fit with the villain’s depiction in Peter Jackson’s two Middle-earth trilogies, where visions of the Ring and Mordor were often shown to characters falling under his influence.
Considering Sauron has the ability to change his own appearance, it is not a stretch to say he can manipulate the environment around him using his sorcery. This likely explains how he can create the vision of a peaceful Eregion to Celebrimbor. Sauron has already wormed his way inside Celebrimbor’s mind, and need only use a slight bit of magic to create the illusion around him. While not something outlined completely in Tolkien’s books, Sauron’s vision is another instance ofThe Rings of Powerwisely altering the source material to tell a compelling story.
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power
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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.
