The Rings of Power theory suggests Sauron is already manipulating the Elves
Warning: Major spoilers ahead for The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power episode 5! Turn back now if you haven't seen the latest episode on Amazon Prime Video!
A new The Rings of Power theory suggests Sauron is already manipulating the Elves. The latest episode sees Galadriel sailing for Middle-earth with Númenor's forces, while High King Gil-galad tells Elrond that they need Mithril to survive as their tree is slowly being poisoned by darkness, meaning their own light is fading away. Before we go any further, be warned that there are book spoilers ahead.
In J.R.R. Tolkien's works, Sauron takes on the disguise of Annatar, who works with the Elves to forge the Rings of Power – so we can probably expect to see this play out in the show. According to one Redditor (opens in new tab), though, Annatar might already be pulling the strings. "If Annatar is already at work, that means he has manipulated the Elves into sending away his chief rival, is poisoning the tree to make them think their end is coming and forcing them to urgently build his forge before they've taken the time to think through the decision," says the theorist. Gil-galad sent Galadriel away in the first episode – she was definitely the most committed to hunting down Sauron – so if Annatar is in Lindon, that could well have been his doing.
Celebrimbor is also quickly building the forge in Eregion, planning on getting hold of the dwarves' Mithril to save the Elves. It would make a lot of sense if Sauron is behind this decision – in The Fellowship of the Ring book, Elrond tells the tale of the "Elven-smiths of Eregion and their friendship with Moria, and their eagerness for knowledge, by which Sauron ensnared them. For in that time he was not yet evil to
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