After the finale of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, The Stranger (Daniel Weyman), now confirmed to be an Istari (Wizard), is off to Rhûn with Nori Brandyfoot (Markella Kavenagh). While The Stranger doesn’t have any memories, he hopes his journey to Rhûn will help him learn about who he is and why he’s in Middle Earth.

Rhûn is a fairly important place in some of J. R. R. Tolkien’s writing, although few of the events in his stories actually take place there. Most references to Rhûn come from characters who are coming out of the region, so the history of the region isn’t nearly as established as other parts of Tolkien’s map. This leaves the door wide open for The Rings of Power to expand the lore with more canonical flexibility in season 2, but there are still a few ways we can infer Rhûn will impact The Stranger and the rest of the show.

The History Of Rhûn In Lord Of The Rings

Rhûn Is Important To Middle-earth’s Ancient History

Rhûn can be found in the Far East of Middle Earth. Despite the lack of details known about the region, it’s an incredibly important area of the map, as the Elves originated from an area of Rhûn called Cuiviénen. Prior to their arrival, the Elves were simply the prophesied “Children of Illuvitar,” for whom The Valar were preparing Middle Earth. The Valar knew the Elves would appear one day but didn’t know exactly when to expect them. Unfortunately, Melkor (Morgoth) found them first while they were still in Cuiviénen and misled some of them, twisting these Elves into the race eventually known as Orcs.

Despite being the birthplace of the Elves, Rhûn doesn’t hold much significance to the stories of most of the Elves in The Rings of Power. Shortly after the elves woke, the Valar decided to bring them to the Undying Lands to live under the light of the trees in safety, far away from Melkor’s meddling. Most of the elf characters in Rings of Power were born after this point, with only Cirdan (introduced in Rings of Power season 2) being among those born in Cuiviénen before the Valar’s summons.

After Sauron was defeated in the Last Alliance of Elves and Men, he fled to Rhûn where he began to rebuild his power.

After Sauron was defeated in the Last Alliance of Elves and Men, he fled to Rhûn where he began to rebuild his power. The Men of Rhûn, Easterlings, served both Morgoth and Sauron and thus, a lot of cult worshipping of the two figures occurs in the area, the cultists who thought The Stranger was Sauron possibly being one such example.

The Dwarves & Men Of Rhûn

All Middle-earth’s Basic Races First Woke Up Here

While the Elves were the first Children of Illuvitar to arrive in Rhûn, years later, Men (humans) also made their first appearance in the region. While the Elves were split into many smaller groups, most of them going to Valinor, men were never invited to go to Valinor in the first place. However, the Numenorians would receive improved strength and longevity and the island of Númenor itself as a reward for standing with the Valar against Morgoth. Despite the Elves and Men in the Rhûn region being closer to their ancestral homes, it’s ironically the Elves and Men who left that became elevated above the rest of their race.

The dwarves weren’t nearly such a surprise to the Valar as Elves and Men because Aulë had a significant hand in their creation and knew they would arise after the awakening of the Elves. When the Seven Fathers of the Dwarven race awoke, it wasn’t in one place but in mountains flung far and wide, although four dwarven clans still wound up in Rhûn. Those clans don’t come into any of Tolkien’s stories, but the Dwarves of The Lonely Mountan and The Iron Hills dwarves from The Hobbit are far enough East that they may have dealings with the Dwarf clans of Rhûn.

Why The Stranger Has To Go To Rhûn

The Stranger Is Being Mysteriously Guided Toward Rhûn

There are a few reasons why The Stranger is headed to Rhûn in The Rings of Power. First, there’s the mysterious star constellation he’s been looking for since the show’s second episode. According to the cultist referred to as “The Ascetic,” the “stars are strange” in Rhûn, and it may even be the only place where that particular star pattern is actually visible. Since those stars seem to be the only significant memory The Stranger has, it could be the key to fully unlocking his memory and learning his true identity and purpose.

In addition to his memories, the cultists tell The Stranger, “In Rhûn, you shall learn to command” things like wind, water, heat, and cold.

In addition to his memories, the cultists tell The Stranger, “In Rhûn, you shall learn to command” things like wind, water, heat, and cold. The cultists were the only ones in the show other than The Stranger to utilize magic, and Morgoth and Sauron left a strong occult tradition there, so Rhûn is a place The Stranger could find out a lot more about his powers and abilities, even if he doesn’t get his memory back. The two Blue Wizards and Saruman also spent time in Rhûn, although Saruman was the only wizard in that group to return from the East.

Rhûn is an enticing prospect for season 2 of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power because it’s simultaneously rooted in some of Tolkien’s most important Middle Earth lore, but it’s also enough of a blank slate that it’s full impact on the show’s trajectory is still shrouded in mystery. The Stranger could arrive and gain his memories back, revealing he’s actually the Grey Wizard, connecting him directly to Gandalf’s The Lord of the Rings story, or it could be confirmed he’s actually a Blue Wizard, meaning his true fate is up to The Rings of Power to reveal.

What The Rings Of Power Season 2 Reveals About Rhûn

There’s Still A Lot To Uncover

The first three episodes of The Rings of Power season 2 continue to leave Rhûn shrouded in mystery. It was no easy task for The Stranger and Nori to find the place, and it was only through Poppy’s maps that they managed to get themselves unlost. Magic seems to be deeply embedded into this region, and the little group of travelers continue to come across it at every turn. Since this is near the birthplace of all major life in Middle-earth, this makes some sense.

Rings of Power season 2’s first batch of episodes finally unveils the being behind the cultists from season 1, and he appears to be a wizard—complete with a staff and long beard.

Rhûn has been, so far, highly dangerous as well. Rings of Power season 2’s first batch of episodes finally unveils the being behind the cultists from season 1, and he appears to be a wizard—complete with a staff and long beard. The identity of this character (played by Game of Thrones‘ Ciarán Hinds) has yet to be revealed, but like The Stranger, he must be an Istar. Since Tolkien said the Blue Wizards established cults in Rhûn, he may be one of these two. Or, he is an original wizard of Rings of Power‘s invention. Only time will tell.