By the end of Rings of Power Season 1, the Stranger told Nori he was setting off on an adventure to Rhûn, a mysterious region of Middle-earth.
In the first chapter, we saw Númenor, Khazad-Dûm, Lindon, Eregion, and the formation of Mordor.
Rings of Power Season 2 is set to explore locations of Middle-earth and show fabled Lord of the Rings creatures for the first time; for example, Galadriel will face off against the Barrow-wights in Tyrn Gorthad.
Soon, we’ll see more of Rhûn, with the Stranger and Nori the Harfoot trekking into unfamiliar territory – here’s what you need to know.
Rhûn explained
Rhûn is the name given to all of the Eastern lands of Middle-earth, with very few known details about anything beyond the Sea of Rhûn in J.R.R. Tolkien’s writing.
While the western part of the region appears on maps of Middle-earth, including the Sea of Rhûn, barely any of its geography has been recorded, with the Land of the Sun in the far East of Arda being particularly elusive.
That’s not to say this area isn’t important – according to The Silmarillion, there’s the lands of Cuiviénen and Hildórien, where elves and men first awoke. There have also been four Dwarven clans in Rhûn.
While many traveled west, many of the men who remained in Rhûn fell under the dominion of Morgoth and Sauron, then known as Easterlings. During the Third Age (the period in Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings trilogy) they led several attacks against Gondor.
Saruman and the Blue Wizards (Alata and Pallando) also visited Rhûn, with the latter Istari remaining in the region after Saruman’s departure. They had hoped to help its people resist Sauron, but the extent of their success isn’t known, nor is it clear if they stayed there after the War of the Ring.
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Sauron even sought sanctuary in Rhûn for 400 years, known as the Watchful Peace as he hid from the White Council and amassed a new army.
Why does The Stranger want to go to Rhûn?
While the obvious implication is that The Stranger is Gandalf, he could be any of the Istari sent to Middle-earth to help the Free Peoples against Sauron.
Notably, the One Wiki to Rule Them All claims Gandalf has never explored Rhûn, which does add a wrinkle to our suspicions about Rings of Power’s mysterious wizard. However, the Istari are known to have ventured out to the east during the Second Age.
Given the addition of Ciaran Hinds’ Dark Wizard, and the fact that Blue Wizards failed to detect evil in Rhun during the Second Age, it seems like the Stranger will meet one of his own kind in Season 2.
The Cult of Melkor also told him, “In Rhûn you shall learn to command” the elements, so perhaps we’ll see him learn more about his abilities (and perhaps use them without endangering everyone around him).
Rhûn is also an important place to start, given the connection between the Dark Lord and Eastern men. “There’s a sweet smell on the air this way,” he says. “When in doubt… always follow your nose.”
Before it premieres, find out when Rings of Power Season 2 Episode 1 comes out in our release schedule, and check out our other guides on Celeborn and the three Elven rings.
