What Are the Silmarils and Morgoth’s Crown in The Rings of Power Season 2? The Lord of the Rings’ Magical Artifacts Explained
Full spoilers follow for The Rings of Power season 2, up to and including episode 6.
The Rings of Power Season 2 is quickly approaching its explosive climax, but before it all kicks off in Episode 7, its predecessor delivers gifts in the form of fascinating Middle-earth lore.
Season 2 episode 6, titled ‘Where Is He?’, continues to ramp up the tension for next week’s brutal Siege of Eregion, otherwise known as this season’s tentpole battle sequence. Amid the various storylines that unfold in The Rings of Power‘s latest entry, a tense scene between Galadriel and Adar features some compelling historical references to the First Age of Middle-earth. Interestingly enough, the lore Adar dropped also has ties to Sauron and Celebrimbor, whose increasingly fractious and violent relationship really goes to “some dark places” as Season 2 of the hit Amazon series draws to a close.
But enough of the dawdling. As long ago Lord of the Rings Fans might have guessed that I’m talking about the Silmarils and Morgoth’s Crown – the former was mentioned by name by Adar during his conversation with Galadriel, and the latter popped up again after its first appearance in The Rings of Power season 2 opening episode.
What are the Silmarils and why are they so important in The Lord of the Rings?
There is a lot background information on the Silmarils, so much so that I could dedicate an entire feature to them. But while they are hugely important items that have shaped the history and topography of Middle-earth, I will not stray from the topic.
So, what are the Silmarils? The Silmarils were created by Celebrimbor’s grandfather Fëanor, considered the greatest Elven smith who ever lived (much to Celebrimbor’s chagrin) during the First Age. They are three jewels of immense beauty and grandeur. Each contained the light of the Two Trees of Valinor – Telperion and Laurelin – and after the duo were destroyed by Morgoth and Ungoliant, the Silmarils became even more important to the Elves, as they contained the last remnants of the light that the Two Trees radiated. This was all covered, albeit briefly, in The Rings of Power season 1 premiere.
Unfortunately, the Silmarils would not remain in the care of the Elves forever. Long story short, Morgoth stole them, which began the War of the Jewels (also known as the Wars of Beleriand, the Goblin Wars, and the War of the Great Jewels) between Morgoth’s forces and the Noldor, aka the second clan of elves to arrive on Arda (The Lord of the Ring‘ version of Earth, in fact). The brutal, age-long struggle ended in the War of Wrath, which led to Morgoth’s defeat, the sinking of Beleriand beneath Arda’s vast ocean, and the end of the First Age.
Okay, but what happened to the Silmarils? Again, there’s a lot of history surrounding them – to get the full picture, I recommend reading The Silmarillion, a book of numerous myths and short stories, all written by legendary author JRR Tolkien, posthumously compiled and published by his son Christopher with assistance from Guy Gavriel Key.
If you want the short answer, one was set as a star in the sky by the Valar (essentially, The Lord of the Ring‘ version of extremely powerful angels), another disappeared beneath Arda’s waves and the last was thrown into a fiery pit.
What is Morgoth’s crown? And why does Adar have it in The Rings of Power season 2?
First seen in episode 1 of The Rings of Power three-episode premiere, Morgoth’s Crown, also known as the Iron Crown, was forged by Morgoth to hold the three Silmarils after he stole them. Despite being incredibly heavy, Morgoth was never seen without it—well, until the elves Lúthien and Beren, who are briefly mentioned in one of Prime Video’s best shows, cast a sleeping spell on Morgoth, causing the crown to fall from his head, allowing the duo to retrieve one of the Silmarils.
But I digress. In the source material, Morgoth’s crown is refashioned into a collar for his neck following his defeat and eternal banishment into the Timeless Void via the Door of Night. In Amazon’s prequel series, however, it’s retained by Adar, with the fallen elf using it to lead a seemingly fatal attack on Morgoth’s lieutenant, Sauron, in the season 2 opener.
Until “Where Is He?” we don’t know for sure what role Morgoth’s crown will play in Season 2 and beyond. However, as Adar reveals to Galadriel (and, by proxy, the audience), he intends to use Morgoth’s crown in conjunction with the three Elven Rings to destroy Sauron once and for all. According to Adar, the Elven Rings, which are untouched by Sauron and therefore uncorrupted by his dark magic, plus the Iron Crown hold more than enough, well, power to kill him for good. Because of this, Adar is determined to convince Galadriel to give him Nenya, her Ring of Power, despite her reluctance to do so (I mean, would you give it to a millennia-old Uruk who is also one of your sworn enemies?).
Now I know what you’re thinking: isn’t Sauron seen wearing Morgoth’s crown in The Rings of Power official season 2 trailer? Yeah, so you’re right in assuming he’ll get it before this season ends. How that happens, I won’t say, though. You’ll just have to keep your eyes peeled for my explanation of the ending of season 2 when the eighth and final episode of this chapter arrives on Thursday, October 3.
In the meantime, check out the section below for more coverage – some of it exclusive – on The Rings of Power season 2.
