Charlie Vickers as Halbrand looking solemn on a raft in The Rings of Power.
Galadriel and Halbrand face a sea monster when they first meet in The Rings of Power, and season 2 of Amazon’s Lord of the Rings show revisits this moment from the latter’s perspective. It reveals that Halbrand faces the creature prior to meeting Galadriel. But while the sea monster kills Halbrand’s allies and destroys their boat, it doesn’t directly attack the man later revealed as Sauron. The creature turns away from The Rings of Power‘s villain at the last moment, deciding against devouring him.

When Galadriel and Halbrand meet the sea monster again, it also attacks everyone but the two of them. This is an interesting choice for The Rings of Power, but J.R.R. Tolkien’s books offer a possible explanation for why the creature doesn’t seem interested in Sauron. Given how he faces the monster in The Rings of Power season 2, episode 1 — which later sees him calming another beast — it’s safe to assume the series is using Sauron’s book lore to explain his survival.

The Rings Of Power’s Sea Monster Likely Sensed Halbrand Wasn’t A Normal Man

His Power Would Have Scared It Off

Charlie Vickers Halbrand in a middle of a sea storm in The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power.

The creature might sense that Sauron is a Maia — or at least something very powerful — convincing it to back down from a fight.

The sea monster in The Rings of Power seems to consider attacking Halbrand, but it likely stops when it senses he isn’t a normal man. In Lord of the Rings lore, the Maiar are innately connected to nature. The creature might sense that Sauron is a Maia — or at least something very powerful — convincing it to back down. Additionally, the sea monster is likely very old, so it may also recall Morgoth’s reign from the First Age of Middle-earth. Morgoth is largely responsible for these creatures being there, and if Sauron’s energy feels like Morgoth’s, the creature would back off.

It’s possible Sauron uses some magic to ward off the sea monster as well, as he looks directly at it before it veers in the opposite direction. He uses magic to calm a wolf later in the episode, but he utters an incantation to stop the beast from attacking him. It’s unclear if he could do the same to the sea monster without speaking aloud. Only time will tell if we get an answer to this Rings of Power question later in season 2.

Sauron Has A History Of Controlling Dark Beasts In The Lord Of The Rings Mythology

He Could Control Morgoth’s Creations

The sea monster attacking a ship but not Halbrand in The Rings of Power season 2

Sauron’s influence over The Rings of Power season 2’s sea monster and wolf dates back to Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings lore. In addition to having shape-shifting powers, Tolkien’s writings confirm that Sauron can control the beasts Morgoth created. His interactions with the creatures he encounters in The Rings of Power are in line with his depiction in the books. He may continue to use this to his advantage in the Amazon series, adding further context to how many beings come to serve him during his reign.