The Great Eagles made an appearance in The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, setting in motion a series of somewhat confusing events. These regal birds are familiar to Lord of the Rings fans since they came to Gandalf’s aid in The Hobbit, The Fellowship of the Rings, and Return of the King. Now, Rings of Power dives into other ways that the Great Eagles were involved in Tolkien’s legendarium—specifically, what they had to do with Númenor’s great downfall.

In The Rings of Power season 2, episode 3, Queen Míriel was meant to have her coronation, but things didn’t go as planned. After the severe losses Númenor faced fighting in Middle-earth’s Southlands, the people had become enraged with their queen. Dissent broke out during the coronation, and this only got worse when Eärien (Elendil’s daughter) revealed that Míriel had possessed a palantír. Then, the intensity of the situation was kicked up a notch when a Great Eagle swooped in. Pharazôn approached it, and the Númenóreans took this as a sign that he should be king—but what was really happening here?

Where The Great Eagles Come From & What They Represent In Lord Of The Rings

If A Great Eagle Appears, We Know The Hand Of Destiny Is At Work

The Great Eagles are ancient and wise beings loyal to the Valar, archangel-like beings who live in Valinor (AKA the Undying Lands). They answer, specifically, to Manwë, the king of the Valar, and served this Vala as messengers and spies throughout all three Ages of Middle-earth’s timeline. This is why the Great Eagles had such a close relationship with Gandalf. The wizard was an angel-like being himself, a Maia, who directly served under Manwë.

The Great Eagles are passive in Middle-earth’s events and cannot directly interfere in the fight between good and evil.

The Valar themselves rarely get involved with the goings-on of Middle-earth, and that went for their Eagles, too. Manwë used these beings to keep an eye on things, especially Sauron’s growing power, and they sometimes helped out Gandalf, who was in Middle-earth on the Vala’s orders. Every single thing that the Great Eagles did in Lord of the Rings was highly specific and held great meaning. They represented divine intervention and destiny, only acting to move things along that were part of the greater plan. So, what does that mean for Rings of Power season 2?

The Great Eagle Almost Certainly Isn’t Showing Support For Pharazôn In The Rings Of Power

Pharazôn Does Not Have The Favor Of The Valar

The people of Númenor know very well that a Great Eagle showing up means something big. The great bird’s appearance at the coronation was certainly significant, but it was up to the attendees to determine what it meant—the Eagle wasn’t going to explain it to them. Because they weren’t happy with Queen Míriel at that moment, it seems the Númenoreans weren’t willing to accept that the Valar were sending her their support. Instead, they decided that the Great Eagle was there to usher in a new leader, Pharazôn.

Looking at canon, we can almost certainly confirm that this wasn’t the case. The island kingdom of Númenor was a gift from the Valar to the First Age Men who stood beside the Elves to fight Morgoth. It was a reward for the unity between the two races, and Pharazôn has gained support because of prejudice against the Elves. Since the Great Eagles came to support Míriel’s father (a man who supported the Elves) at his coronation, it makes sense that this one was there for the new queen in Rings of Power season 2. Pharazôn just cunningly took advantage of the situation.

Pharazôn Becoming King Sets Up Númenor’s Downfall In The Rings Of Power Season 3

It Will All Be Pharazôn’s Fault

Pharazôn being king won’t bode well for Númenor. His hatred for Elves ultimately evolves into hatred for the Valar, and this takes the island kingdom down a dark path. Eventually, Sauron winds up back in Númenor and plants the idea in Pharazôn’s head that his people and their glorious ships could take on the Valar. Under the Dark Lord’s influence, Pharazôn orders his forces West toward Valinor to wage war with the archangels.

Sauron winds up back in Númenor and plants the idea in Pharazôn’s head that his people and their glorious ships could take on the Valar.

Naturally, this doesn’t go how he planned. The Valar wipe out the Númenorean fleet, and the god of The Lord of the Rings, Eru Ilúvatar, sends a great wave to wipe the great island of Númenor off his map. Pharazôn and most of his people (and Sauron’s phsycical form) are killed, and only those who had traveled to Middle-earth (including Elendil and Isildur), lived to carry on the bloodlines of the ancient city. All of this was foreshadowed by Míriel ‘s vision in The Rings of Power season 1, and Pharazôn’s moment with the Great Eagle in season 2 has carried this story forward.

Since Pharazôn is just beginning his rise to king in The Rings of Power season 2, this is unlikely to happen until season 3. In the meantime, the Great Eagles will likely play a continued role. Tolkien wrote that, as the Númenoreans began down their dark path, the Valar sent great storm clouds in the shape of Eagles to warn them. Perhaps the Eagle seen in Rings of Power season 2 was something similar. Given the dissent at the coronation, the great bird might have arrived to warn the people there. Of course, Númenor’s destiny is already set.

Is Pharazôn Becoming King Of Númenor Part Of A Greater Plan?

Númenor’s Downfall Is Tragic – But It Has To Happen

It could be argued that the Great Eagle came to Númenor to lend its support to the queen but did so knowing the people would mistake its intentions. As previously mentioned, whenever these regal beings appear in Lord of the Rings, it’s a sign that the hand of destiny is at work. The beings of Middle-earth (and Númenor) have free will and are mostly left to their devices, but Tolkien makes it clear that Eru Ilúvatar has a Greater Plan and that it’s the job of the Valar to ensure it. The Great Eagle’s misunderstood presence might have been part of this.

Everything in The Lord of the Rings lore is interconnected, and the Great Eagle in Rings of Power is a symbolic reminder of this.

Though the fall of Númenor is a horrible tragedy, this event is necessary to the later story of The Lord of the Rings. Frodo wouldn’t have destroyed the One Ring if Isildor hadn’t cut it from Sauron’s hand. Isildur wouldn’t have achieved this if Elendil hadn’t established the kingdom of Gondor in Middle-earth. Elendil wouldn’t have become king of Gondor if Númenor hadn’t fallen. Númenor wouldn’t have fallen if Pharazôn hadn’t become king. Everything in The Lord of the Rings lore is interconnected, and the Great Eagle in Rings of Power is a symbolic reminder of this.