Rings of Power Episode 2 reveals opening credits

The second episode of The Rings of Power finally reveals the opening credits sequence, but what does it intend to convey?

Title sequences have never been a mainstay of the Lord of the Rings franchise, being that they were all movies, but now that the series has ventured into TV, The Rings of Power has some credits worth discussing.

There was no title sequence in the first episode, likely to make way for all the exposition and action, but Episode 2 puts everything into place.

There have even been some Twitter rumors about the credits prior to its release, so this article hopes to put things right.

Here are the actual Rings of Power opening credits

The Rings of Power opening credits has been released on YouTube prior to its premiere on Amazon Prime Video.

The video describes the credits, stating that this original theme song is by the legendary Howard Shore – who did the music for the original trilogy – and Bear McCreary.

The video describes the series as such: “Beginning in a time of relative peace, we follow an ensemble cast of characters as they confront the re-emergence of evil to Middle-Earth.

“From the darkest depths of the Misty Mountains, to the majestic forests of Lindon, to the breathtaking island kingdom of Númenor, to the furthest reaches of the map, these kingdoms and characters will carve out legacies that live on long after they are gone.”

So, no, that promotional Entertainment Weekly clip that was floating around on Twitter is not the opening credits.

What happens in The Rings of Power opening credits?

The set up for the credits appears quite simple, but it probably means more than what initially meets the eye.

The credits show a bunch of gold sand grains floating through black space, forming shapes, while accompanied by a majestic theme score. But then, the music turns darker, and more sinister, as some black sand slithers through the gold like a snake.

Then the shapes become more sinister, and a black hole appears in the center of the screen, as the illustrations formed by the golden sand around this hole make it look like an eye… a very familiar, evil eye.

The title of the show then appears, shining bright as the rings themselves, until they and the sand floats away as the names of the cast and crew flicker across the screen.

This opening’s imagery seems to be a representation of Ainulindalë, the creation account in J.R.R. Tolkien’s legendarium, which was published posthumously as the first part of The Silmarillion in 1977. But it also seems that we may have to watch more of the series to really figure out what the opening credits mean in their entirety.

Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Episode 1 and 2 are available to stream on Amazon Prime Video.