The Lord of the Rings: Rings of Power- The Hobbit Connection Explained

The Lord of the Rings: Rings of Power season 2, episode 5 has made a rewatch of The Hobbit trilogy necessary.

The dwarves have received more attention in the first few episodes of The Rings of Power season 2. While Durin IV and Disa were two prominent characters in season one, Durin III, as well as other supporting dwarves such as Narvi, play increasingly important roles in Rings of Power season two.

Naturally, the Khazad-dûm plot is heightened by crafting more Rings of Power from Lord of the Rings, notably the seven bestowed upon the dwarf lords of Middle-earth. Durin III claims one of the rings for himself in The Rings of Power season 2, episode 5, before selling the rest to other dwarven rulers for wealth and riches.

Even though The Rings of Power’s timeline predates Peter Jackson’s films by millennia, rewatching The Hobbit will be even more impactful following the events of season 2, episode 5.

1. The Rings Of Power Season 2, Episode 5 Shows How The Dwarves’ Downfall Begins

The dwarves are far less strong in The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, set in Middle-earth’s Third Age, than in The Rings of Power. The latter is set in the Second Age, with Khazad-dûm as Middle-earth’s blazing beacon of dwarven supremacy.

However, The Rings of Power season 2, episode 5 depicts how the dwarves would fall into ruin due to the inclusion of the titular jewels, the effects the rings have on the dwarves, and how this leads to their eventual demise.

In Tolkien’s mythology, the Rings of Power did not affect dwarves as they did men. While Sauron completely subjugated the men of Middle-earth, eventually becoming the Lord of the Rings’ Nazgûl, the dwarves became more wrathful and greedy after receiving the rings.

This was demonstrated in The Rings of Power season 2, episode 5, by Durin III, who fuelled his miners’ hunger by ordering them to go deeper into the mountains in search of gold and jewels, with a significant disdain for safety and precautions.

2. Would Any Of The Hobbit’s Story Happen Without Sauron’s Influence?

Erebor’s strength, wealth, and prosperity are highlighted in The Hobbit. Erebor was a dwarven realm beneath the Lonely Mountain that did not emerge until the Third Age, long after the Rings of Power.

However, a connection can be found in one of the seven dwarven rings from The Rings of Power season 2, episode 5, which eventually finds its way to Thráin, Erebor’s founder.

Thráin, and later his son Thrór, amassed enormous wealth during their rule of Erebor, and both had the final known dwarven Ring of Power.

As established in The Rings of Power season 2, dwarven greed is heightened by the rings.

It’s possible that Thráin and Thrór’s ring inspired their desire to build a massive treasure trove. As recounted in The Hobbit, Smaug, the dragon that destroyed Erebor and seized rule over the Lonely Mountain, is drawn to this treasure pile. Thus, the topic of whether The Hobbit’s story would have occurred without Sauron’s influence is common.

Since dwarves crave money and jewels, Smaug would have made his way to Erebor anyway. However, Sauron’s influence through the dwarven ring of power held by Durin’s Folk in The Hobbit may have expedited Erebor’s destruction. As a result, The Rings of Power foreshadows the fall of Khazad-dûm and teases the destruction of another great dwarven kingdom, Erebor, making The Hobbit a must-see trilogy.

3. About The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power

The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power is an American TV series, based on the novel by J.R.R. Tolkien, developed by J.D. Payne and Patrick McKay for streaming on Amazon Prime. 

Set 3,000 years before the events of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, the show will be set in the Second Age of Middle-earth. Beginning with a time of peace, the series will follow the rise of the Dark Lord Sauron and the forging of the rings of power.

The cast includes Robert Aramayo, Owain Arthur, Nazanin Boniadi, Morfydd Clark, Ismael Cruz Cordova, Markella Kavenagh, Joseph Mawle, and Dylan Smith among many others.