Narsil, The Iconic LOTR Sword, Appears In The Rings Of Power’s Finale, And Cynthia Addai-Robinson Broke Down The Significance Of It For Fans And Casual Viewers
Let's talk about that sword!
Spoilers for Season 2 of Rings of Power are ahead! If you aren’t caught up, you can stream the series as well as the OG Lord of the Rings trilogy with an Amazon Prime subscription.
In the Season 2 finale of Rings of Power, there were a few obvious connections made between the prequel series and the beloved Lord of the Rings. Namely, The Stranger was revealed to be Gandalf and Míriel gave Elendil the sword Narsil that will eventually be reforged into Andúril and given to Aragorn. So, with all those things in mind, I chatted with the ROP cast about the references, and while speaking with Cynthia Addai-Robinson about her character's big moment with the iconic sowrd, she told me why it was so significant for both LOTR fans as well as casual viewers.
Telling me that she enjoyed the fact that someone referred to the moment as a “lore drop,” Addai-Robinson started by explaining that her “inner child” came out when she saw it:
If you grew up watching the Lord of the Rings movies props like the One Ring, Gandalf’s staff and Andúril (among other things) are big deals, and seeing them in person must be mind-blowing.
As a viewer, it’s also thrilling to see references and implementation of beloved characters and props in a show like Rings of Power. So, you better believe that as someone who recently re-watched Return of the King, I squealed when I saw Narsil being given to Elendil in the finale, because I was thinking about the following words Aragorn said to Elrond as he was given the sword:
Even the framing of Elrond and Míriel giving the swords to Aragorn and Elendil, respectively, is similar. The close-ups of them holding the weapons up to their faces, their reactions, it's all incredible.
However, if I hadn’t rewatched the LOTR movies recently, I don’t know if I would have clocked the reference. To that point, the Míriel actress told me that they were crafting this scene with fans who might not know the lore in mind too. She explained:
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So, the magnitude was evident no matter how much you know about what's to come. Elendil and Míriel's interaction is deeply impactful because these two love each other so much and are saying goodbye as they go on to fight two incredibly massive wars to stand up for what’s right. The fact that the sword ties into what's to come in a major way is just the cherry on top.
Whether you are a massive fan of the books, movies and show or you're only into the Amazon series, no matter what, as Addai-Robinson pointed out, this passing of the sword carries major significance.
Moving forward, Míriel, Elendil and that sword will likely make a massive impact on Rings of Power Season 3 as she stays in Númenor to stand her ground against Pharazôn and he sets out to find his sons. You better believe that my little Lord of the Rings-loving self can’t wait to see it all unfold and eventually (hopefully) lead into the epic battle that ends with Elendil’s son using Narsil to cut the One Ring off Sauron.
Riley Utley is the Weekend Editor at CinemaBlend. She has written for national publications as well as daily and alt-weekly newspapers in Spokane, Washington, Syracuse, New York and Charleston, South Carolina. She graduated with her master’s degree in arts journalism and communications from the Newhouse School at Syracuse University. Since joining the CB team she has covered numerous TV shows and movies -- including her personal favorite shows Ted Lasso and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. She also has followed and consistently written about everything from Taylor Swift to Fire Country, and she's enjoyed every second of it.