'Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power': From Sauron to Galadriel, the five most powerful beings of Middle-Earth
It’s been a while since we haven’t seen anything coming out of Middle-Earth and ‘The Rings of Power’ will be the first project based on the aforementioned part of the planet since ‘The Hobbit’ trilogy. Middle-Earth is filled with mystical beings and loads of magic. That’s one of the main aspects why ‘Lord of the Rings’ is considered to be one of the most acclaimed fiction books of all time. With the upcoming series, viewers are going to get a detailed glance at the second age of Middle Earth.
However, that doesn’t mean that war didn’t take place in the aforementioned time period. There were several wars fought in the second age and we were introduced to some of the most powerful people in the ‘LOTR’ universe. Some of them played an important role in the third age as well and helped in defeating the dark lord Sauron. It was a big deal because the sorcerer was immensely powerful and it was not easy for heroes including Aragorn, Legolas and Frodo to bring the necromancer to his knees. So, let’s take a look at the five of the most powerful beings in the Middle-Earth saga, including Sauron.
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5) Elrond
When you think of the world incorruptible, Elrond is the first name that pops up when it comes to the ‘Lord of the Rings’ saga. The half-elven character is not just a warrior, but a healer and counselor as well. We saw how Elrond helped in founding the ‘Fellowship of the Ring’. Throughout history, we have seen Elrond never wandering off his path and only did things that were not wrong. In the second age, he rode beside Gil-galad in the last alliance of elves and men. They fought together in the war against Sauron. As the war came to an end, Elrond returned to Rivendell and married Celebrian.
The half-elf also helped Thorin Oakenshield to retake the Lonely Mountain by discovering and translating the Moon Writing on Thorin's map. He had the powers to foresee things happening across Middle-earth, despite being in Rivendell.
4) Gandalf
Gandalf is one of the most important and loved characters of Middle-Earth and it comes as no shock that he is one of the most powerful as well. In ‘The Hobbit’, Gandalf went by the name Gandalf the Grey. However, while fighting Balrog in the first ‘LOTR’ book the ‘Fellowship of the Ring’, Gandalf dies after killing Balrog and his body lies on the peak while his spirit travels "out of thought and time". However, he is healed and re-clothed in white by Galadriel. He is sent back as Gandalf the White and meets Aragorn, Gimli, and Legolas in the Fangorn Forest.
He has been a part of several wars, including the war in Rohan and the siege of Gondor. He also banished Saruman from the Order of the Wizards after betraying them in the war against Sauron. As a wizard, Gandalf’s magical power is in fire and light. His other powers include enhanced strength, immense endurance, vast wisdom, magical spells and telepathy, and being skilled at hand-to-hand combat.
3) Sauron
Technically, he is the Lord of the Rings. Sauron is the main antagonist of the Middle-Earth saga who wants to find his One Ring and spread darkness all over the world. During the second age, Sauron was known as a shape-shifter and manipulated elves to construct ten rings of power. Meanwhile, he secretly constructed the nine rings for men as well as the One Ring to dominate the others. Sauron wreaked havoc in the second and third age of the Middle-Earth and took a lot of lives.
As far as the powers are concerned, he is the strongest Maiar, spirits that descended to Arda. As a result, Sauron is superhuman in every regard and is so powerful that the being can summon meteors from the sky to wipe out mortals. Other than that, his powers include shape-shifting, telekinesis, world manipulation, immortality, shadow walk, and the lidless eye.
2) Lady Galadriel
We don’t have any doubts about the powers possessed by Lady Galadriel. She literally killed multiple enemies with just a wave of her hand. Known as one of the greatest of the elves in Middle-Earth, she surpasses nearly all others in beauty, knowledge, and power. As per the books, she was considered to be one of the mightiest elves in the third age. She wore Nenya, one of the three Elven rings of power, and used it for protecting the borders of her realm after the One Ring was lost.
Galadriel possesses a tremendous amount of magical powers and was known to communicate over vast distances. Besides her magical powers, Galadriel was also very wise and intelligent.
1) Tom Bombadil
If you are wondering who this person is, then you are not alone. While reading about some of the most powerful beings in Tolkien’s saga, a name suddenly popped up and I was intrigued to know more about him. Known as Tom Bombadil, the mysterious being is undoubtedly one of the most exciting characters in the Middle-Earth. The origin and nature of Tom Bombadil are unknown, but he is considered to be the first living creature to inhabit Arda. He was first introduced as a supporting character in ‘The Lord of the Rings’ and met Frodo Baggins in the Old Forest. When Merry and Pippin were trapped by Old Man Willow in the Old Forest, it was Tom who managed to rescue both Hobbits. As they spend the night at his house, it is found that One Ring had no power over Bombadil and he was able to see Frodo even when he used the Ring to turn invisible. Many believed that neither Aragorn nor Gandalf was the exact opposite of Sauron, but it was Tom. He has no desire to dominate and manipulate others.
Truly, a menacing character.
‘The Lord of the Rings’ universe has an abundance of extraordinary characters and we hope Amazon Prime Video's ‘The Rings of Power’ introduces new powerful beings to the viewers as well.