The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power reached the midway point of its debut season this week, and delved further into the powers and abilities of the Stranger that fell from the sky. With his history now intertwined with that of the Harfoots, exactly who he is and where he has come from still remains to be seen. Looking at the works of author J. R. R. Tolkien, however, we can make some educated guesses as to his origins and purpose in Middle-earth…
What powers does the Stranger have in The Rings of Power?
Introduced in Rings of Power episode 1, the Stranger, or Meteor Man as he is affectionately being referred to by fans, hurtled across the skies of Middle-earth before crash landing right in the path of a curious young Harfoot called Nori. We quickly saw how he was able to utilize both fire and air to keep himself safe, using both to defend himself when he thought that he may be under attack. In this week’s episode, those abilities extended even further, as the Stranger used an earth tremor to shake off some hungry wolves, before freezing water using his hand and allowing the ice to travel up his arm. Combining all of this with the fact that he appears to have come from space, it is clear that the Stranger’s powers and origins are inspired by what we know to be the five elements of nature.
Magic and the supernatural takes many forms in the works of Tolkien, so the identity of the Stranger has been a topic of discussion ever since he made his debut. Some think that the fiery mark left by his initial arrival pointed towards him being Sauron, while others think that he could be a young version of Gandalf. Perhaps the most convincing argument after this latest installment, is that he is one of the Maiar sent to Middle-earth with help from the Valar.
Who are the Maiar and is the Stranger a Maia?
The Maiar were spirits created by the Valar to help shape the World. Many of them have been left unnamed, but Tolkien has said that they were numerous, and in the Third Age of Middle-earth’s history, five of them became the incarnated Wizards. After the creation of the One ring, the Valor sent a group of Maiar disguised as an order of old wizards called the Istari, to help unite the people of Middle-earth against the Dark Lord’s evil. This of course hasn’t yet taken place in the timeline, as we are still in Middle-earth’s Second Age during Rings of Power episode 5.
This may mean that the Stranger is a Maiar whose history is yet to be fully explored. Though they are powerful and sent to work for good, a Maia is not incapable of being corrupted. Many viewers believe that the whispers surrounding the Stranger are spoken in a language called the Black Speech. Sauron created this language to unify all those who served him in Mordor, so is the Stranger currently losing a battle for his very soul? It would certainly explain why he sometimes lashes out and then appears confused by his actions. We will have to keep watching the Amazon Prime Video exclusive series in the hope of getting some answers.
