In Rings of Power season 2, episode 7, Celebrimbor finally realizes that Annatar is actually Sauron. This discovery leads him to refuse to make the Nine Rings, so Sauron resorts to force to get what he wants. Celebrimbor is chained to his workbench, and the only way to escape is to remove his own thumb so that his hand can fit through the shackles. It’s a horrible moment, but Celebrimbor’s sacrifice allows him to escape with the Nine Rings long enough to pass them to Galadriel in The Rings of Power. Though unique, this moment feels a bit familiar.
Celebrimbor Cutting Off His Finger Foreshadows Frodo’s LOTR Sacrifice
Celebrimbor & Frodo Both Paid Their Pound Of Flesh
Rings of Power may have made up the story about Celebrimbor cutting off his own finger, but such wounds aren’t new to The Lord of the Rings. At the end of Return of the King, Gollum bites off Frodo’s finger in an effort to reclaim the One Ring. Since Frodo could never have willingly tossed the One Ring into the fires of Mount Doom (no being ever could), Sauron’s weapon would have never been destroyed if Gollum hadn’t taken it with Frodo’s flesh and fallen off the edge. Though very different situations, it’s ironic that Celebrimbor would lose his finger to protect the Nine Rings, while Frodo loses his to destroy the one that ruled them all.
Sauron Is Also Doomed To Lose A Finger In Rings of Power
Sauron Also Paid The Cost Of Losing His One Ring
Frodo losing a finger in The Lord of the Rings was already a meaningful tie-in with another pivotal moment—Sauron’s loss at the Last Alliance of Elves and Men. After Sauron defeated Gil-galad and Elendil in the battle, Isildur took his father’s sword and cut the One Ring from the villain’s hand. Even once Sauron finally regained his body, one finger was missing (as evidenced by Gollum’s account of what Sauron looked like in The Lord of the Rings). The way he had lost it meant it was lost for good.
The idea here is that when a person loses the One Ring in such a definitive way, it takes a pound of flesh with it. The finger represents everything the wearer had lost, and Celebrimbor has now been wrapped into this lesson. The Lord of Eregion has never held the One Ring since it hasn’t been made yet. However, at this point in the story, Sauron himself is the thing Celebrimbor was tempted by. He both loves and hates this Dark Lord, but to save Middle-earth, he has to cut his tie with temptation, greed, and power. To do so, Celebrimbor had to pay the price.
Rings of Power Season 2 Has Leaned Into LOTR’s Theme Of Sacrifice
Celebrimbor’s Story Ties Right Into The Overarching Themes Of Lord Of The Rings
Everything comes with a cost in The Lord of the Rings. Sauron himself was the essence of temptation, greed, and power, but he funneled all of this into the One Ring, creating his own weakness and, therefore, sacrificing his own life for power. Gollum’s life was lost for the Ring as well, serving the Greater Plan, though that was never his intention. Frodo volunteered to take the One Ring to Mordor, but even this good intention took immeasurable cost from the Hobbit. Every deed, whether good or bad, comes with a cost in Tolkien’s work, and this is something Rings of Power has embraced.
Celebrimbor’s sacrifice at least allowed the elf to redeem his soul.
Sauron acknowledged this fact in The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power season 2, episode 7, when he admitted that Celebrimbor had taught him that creation requires sacrifice. The episode ties this idea of sacrifice directly into Celebrimbor’s story. He knows that he must pay the price for what he had done, and while he has already paid with flesh, that won’t be enough to cover Celebrimbor’s monumental mistakes. Unfortunately, Sauron is destined to get his hands on the Nine Rings of Power anyway. Still, Celebrimbor’s sacrifice at least allowed the elf to redeem his soul.
