Episodes 1 and 2 of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power have barely been released when theories are already going strong on certain mysteries. Among them is “Meteor Man”.
The advantage of an adaptation that takes liberties, choosing scattered pieces and creating new things, is that you can’t predict everything that will happen. Thus, The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power has its share of mysteries. The first two episodes, broadcast on September 2 via Amazon Prime Video , show us in particular a mysterious bearded man who fell from the sky.
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Magic surrounds the stranger
Nicknamed “meteor man” in English, or the “foreigner”, the man landed right among the Pievelus (ancestors of the hobbits in The Rings of Power ), creating a flaming crater. The young Elanor then decides to come to her aid, taking her friend Poppy with her. But the dialogue is complicated… the individual, much taller than the hobbits, apparently does not speak the same language (or has forgotten his words).
Who is he and what are his plans?
For the moment, his role is not fully revealed. But in two episodes, the clues are already numerous, especially as to its different powers. Let’s take what we know:
- The arrival of man was “noticeable” in Middle-earth. Sadoc read something wrong in the sky. And it is also when the High King wonders about the maintenance of the forces of evil that he sees the meteor in the sky. Similarly, the behavior of wolves was reported as different; and two hunters mention that “ something is wrong ”, shortly before observing the meteor. In short, there is ” something ” in the air, and as the timing is not insignificant, it is certain that the man is connected to that.
- The man has lost his memory.
- The fire in the crater is not hot, neither for the man nor for the two young hobbits.
- He is a being of magic. This point seems very clear as soon as Elanor approaches it, swirling the flames and piercing the air. He also manages to guide the fireflies, at the very end of the episode, by making them take the form of a new constellation.
- Good or bad magic? There again, the timing is strange: it is when Elanor comes to the aid of the man that the foot of the father of the young hobbit breaks. And the editing, by intercalated shots, leaves little doubt as to a link between the two. Likewise, the fireflies eventually wither away in the final scene. But all this could also happen in spite of him…
Gandalf? Sauron? A wise ? Someone else ?
A mysterious bearded magician… one would want to believe in Gandalf. The physical and magical resemblance draws this possibility. But the timeline doesn’t seem to fit, as the character isn’t supposed to be there in the Second Age. It is not impossible that the series comes to invent an unknown episode in his life. However, there is another explanation to imagine for this resemblance to Gandalf.
The man could be an Istar, that is to say a magician, like Gandalf, without being directly him. Yes, these beings are divine in origin, Maiar , created by Eru who is close to a god. They were sent to Middle-earth to help fight Sauron. However, during The Rings of Power , it is precisely in the process of emerging again.
The five known magicians, including Gandalf, became so in the Third Age, and here we are in the Second. It is not impossible that the series imagines a Maiar become Istar well before the five that we already know. He would have been sent to Middle-earth in the face of the resurgence of the forces of evil at that time.
Some theories evoke that the man fallen from the sky is besides directly Sauron. That would explain his bad luck. But these effects may very well take place “despite” the character’s wishes, being a more general disturbance in their magic. What’s more, we know that a bizarre new character is coming soon, and he too could be Sauron . And his dealings with Elanor don’t suggest he’s inherently evil.
The explanation could also refer to lesser-known parts of the universe. An Ainur for example, the equivalent of a sage, for example Tilion who is related to the Moon .
Read also: The Lord of the Rings: Gollum revives the details
