The rings of power’s secret fire is another great clue to the stranger’s true identity

Warning: Spoilers ahead for The Rings of Power Season 2, Episode 6.

The rings of power Take a big step closer to confirming the alien’s identity thanks to a curious post The Lord of the Rings Reference. By far one of the most prevalent mysteries in The rings of power is the true identity of Daniel Wyman’s character, officially known as “The Stranger”. The rings of power Season 1’s finale confirmed the stranger as a wizard, but since wizards are supposed to be absent from the show’s Second Age timeline, it remains unclear whether Wyman is playing a familiar face like Gandalf or Saruman, or a wizard not mentioned in The Lord of the Rings.

The rings of power Season 2 brings the stranger to Tom Bombadil, who is seemingly a one-man Hogwarts in Amazon’s version of Middle-earth. The bearded couple discuss the “Secret Fire,” otherwise known as the Flame Imperishable or Flame of Honor, and this spiritual flame is the source of life in Tolkien’s universe. in The rings of powerThe Secret Fire also serves as the root of magic, which means the stranger is required to tame the flame before he can hope to cast a spell without harming his friends. The training process, however, may provide a secret clue to the stranger’s identity.

The Rings of Power’s Secret Fire is the show’s second nod to Gandalf

A pattern is emerging with the Rings of Power Season 2’s Stranger

When facing the Balrog in The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the RingGandalf boldly uttered the iconic passage, “I am a servant of the secret fire, again of the flame of honor.” Being a servant of the Secret Fire is not an exclusive honor for GandalfAnd any wizard, maya or vala who remains true to their original cause may be described as a “Servant of the Secret Fire.”

Finally, the phrase simply indicates that Gandalf is a representative of the god of The Lord of the Rings‘ World, Eru Ilvatar. Just because The rings of powers stranger is learning the way of the secret fire from Tom Bombadil and Gandalf mentions the same secret fire in The Lord of the RingsTherefore, this does not prove that the two characters are automatically connected. Based on the “secret fire” mention alone, the stranger could just as easily be SarumanA blue wizard, or an unnamed Maya, as all of the above technically serve the Secret Fire as well.

That’s what I said, The rings of power is, first and foremost, a scripted TV show packed with references, callbacks and foreshadowing woven in The Lord of the Rings. Although The Stranger’s Education in the Secret Fire does not canonically confirm the character as Gandalf, it is entirely plausible that The rings of powers creative minds have introduced the secret fire into the story of the stranger as a small clue or Easter egg. This, in turn, would represent another small step on the path to discovery The rings of powerIstar’s name is really Gandalf.

A similar reference previously surfaced in The rings of power Season 1, when the stranger quoted Gandalf’s “Follow your nose” line of The Lord of the Rings Almost word for word. The clue was much more specific – and, therefore, more convincing – than the Secret Fire reference from season 2, but the two nods perfectly demonstrate how the winds of Rhûn only blow in one direction during The rings of power Season 2, and that direction is the stranger and Gandalf being revealed as one and the same.

Which makes Gandalf a servant of the secret fire in The Lord of the Rings

There is a lot of lore behind Gandalf’s proclamation before the Balrog

The Secret Fire is effectively Tolkien’s version of life and creation – the source from which he played Arda, Middle-earth and its inhabitants. The secret fire may be said to burn brightly in all the good, living things of Middle-earth, and represents the will of Eru in its purest, most divine form. Long before The rings of powers timeline, celestial battles are fought over the Secret Fire, with Morgoth seeking to possess it for himself and the Valar protecting it on behalf of their master.

Before he arrives in Middle-earth as a wizard, Gandalf was the Maia known as OlorinServing directly under the Valar. The very nature of his position among the Maiar makes it Gandalf’s duty to serve and protect the Secret Fire of the likes of Morgoth, which, in a roundabout way, means protecting Eru’s will, his creation, life on Middle-earth, and All things well. This is the mission that drives Gandalf’s entire crusade to help the various races of Middle-earth bring down Sauron in The Lord of the Rings.

There is, however, a deeper explanation as to why Gandalf would invoke the name of the Secret Fire to strike fear into Moria’s Balrog. Not only the dark monsters, evil villains and nameless things of Middle-earth avoid light – and especially the holy kind of light – The Secret Fire is likely the beginning of Gandalf’s power as a wizard as well. Terrible powers of sorcery were bestowed upon the Maiar as part of Eru’s overall creative plan, so Gandalf’s magic is, at its core, a gift of the Secret Fire.

Other clues The stranger is Gandalf in The Rings of Power

Did you find them all?

Cute The Lord of the Rings Dialogue nods aren’t the only indications that the stranger is Gandalf in The rings of power. Daniel Weyman’s character is quickly developing a close bond with the show’s main two Harfoots, Nori and Poppy, which would clearly explain Gandalf’s close relationship to the Hobbits. The Lord of the Rings.

From being a quiet and eccentric enigma in season 1, The rings of powerThe stranger is also much more Gandalf-esque In his dialogue and characterization during season 2, took on the same Zeidely demeanor that Ian McKellen mastered, dishing out sage advice like a hairy self-help book. Another major clue comes in The rings of power Season 2, Episode 6, in which Tom Bombadil says, “Many who die deserve life, and some who live deserve death.” This sounds identical to a Gandalf line of The Fellowship of the Ring“Many who live deserve death and some who die deserve life.”

The rings of power Perhaps implying here that Gandalf originally heard this philosophical musing about the life and death of Tom Bombadil, changed a few words, and recycled it as his own to sound wise in front of his friends during The Lord of the Rings. The close resemblance of the two quotes is certainly far too close to be dismissed as mere coincidence. Nevertheless, the most intriguing sign of the stranger is Gandalf actually comes from The rings of powers stores.

When discussing the stranger with Nori and Mon, the store leader jokingly describes the wizard as a “Great great Grand-Eleven.” This scene works in tandem with a conversation from earlier in season 2 when the Harfoots were attempting to think of a more suitable name for the stranger. It seems that in The rings of powerIn the near future, the foreigner may take a liking to the term “Grand-Eleven“and shorten it to”Gandalf“, thereby confirming the very eventuality that the “Follow your nose“And secret fire hints have been pointed to.