Who are the stores? The Rings of Power Season 2’s New Hobbit Explained

Warning! This article contains spoilers for The Rings of Power Season 2, Episode 4.

The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Season 2, episode 4 introduced the Stewards, a new Hobbits Hobbits similar to Harfoots. until now, The rings of power Season 2 has balanced four main storylines. As Galadriel and Elrond grapple with the Elven Rings of Power and Sauron manipulates Celebrimbor as Annatar, Arondir and Isildur face wild men in the wake of Mordor’s creation. The fourth storyline involves The rings of powers mysterious stranger and his Harfoot companions, Nori and Poppy.

The storyline of Nori, Poppy and The Stranger surrounds the trio traveling to the distant lands of Rhûn in The rings of power. Rhûn is situated in the East, a desolate landscape ruled by a Dark Wizard who may be in league with Sauron. Not only does the wizard hold the key to the stranger figuring out his identity, but also how to control his powers. in The rings of power Season 2, Episode 4 The Stranger encounters Tom Bombadil to continue his journey, while Norrie and Pop meet another Hobbit Hobbit of “The Lord of the Rings” Universe, the stores.

The Storks are another of the three hobbit races in Middle-earth

in The rings of power Season 2, Episode 4, Nori and Poppy encounter another Harfoot. However, the character, named Merimac, is unaware of what a Harfoot is, instead dubbing himself a Stor. The duo are then taken to a village full of stors, who have a similar way of life to that of the Harfoots, only one that accommodates the harsher environment of Rhûn. in The Lord of the Rings, The stores are another Hobbit Hobbit that will eventually come to settle in the Shire.

In total, there are three Hobbit breeds in Tolkien’s universe: Harfoots, Storrs and Fallohides. The Harfoots are primarily outlined in The rings of power Season 1 thanks to Nori and Poppy’s upbringing, with their journey in season 2 now pitting them between the Storrs. Whether the phalloides will appear in The rings of power The story of Season 3 remains to be seen, but it seems that the show is still following a pattern of introducing a new Hobbit with each installment.

The Rings of Power explains the timeline of the Stars

in The rings of power Canon, it is stated that the Storrs came before the Harphouts. One of the ways Nori and Poppy convince the stewards that they can be trusted is by mentioning the name Burrows, the family that belongs to Sadoc from season 1. The Storrs declare that they know of the name Burrows, as Zadok’s ancestor was once a Storr. Gundabale says that Sadoc’s ancestors lived among the Storrs in Rhûn before he traveled west to find a fabled land of endless hills and greenery.

This led to the wandering of the Barava ancestors, who finally handed over his wandering ways to Zadok, the leader of the Harpouts. Based on the story established in The rings of power Season 2, episode 4, it can be assumed that the stores came before the HarfootsOr at least Nori’s clan from season 1. The timeline paints itself as Saddoc’s ancestors leaving the Storrs and traveling west, eventually coming across more halflings and founding the Harfoot group that Nori raised between generations later.

The different hobbit breeds have different appearances and ways of life

in The Lord of the RingsTolkien describes the Steuers as having some physical differences from the Harfoots. Among the hobbit breeds, the stores are described as much stronger than their brothers. Stores are much heavier and wider in build, and they also have larger hands and feet than Harfoots. Of the three Hobbit breeds, the Stewards most resemble humans, exemplified by their ability to grow facial hair, which Harfoots did not possess during the Second Age or beyond.

Tolkien primarily described Harfoots and stores as they were in the third age, meaning The rings of powers timeline explores them even earlier than that. However, one way the Storrs are differentiated from the Harfouts in the Third Age is that they are river-dwelling hobbits. Most hobbits are afraid of rivers and large bodies of water, but the Steuers are described as keen swimmers who also use boats to fish for food.

How the rings of power compare to Tolkien’s description

The earlier timeline gives the Rings of Power’s Stores distinction from Tolkien’s descriptions

The stores in The rings of power are different in that they have different ways of life. Living in Rhûn, the Storrs had to build their community around a much more desolate landscape. While still sharing a love of home-grown food and gardening and all the things hobbits are known for, their machinery and daily chores are naturally different from the forest-dwelling Harfoots. This is different The rings of power Season 2, Episode 4 gives the Stewards a notably different feel to the Harfoots in Middle-earth’s Second Age.

Obviously, the description of Storrs differs slightly from Tolkien’s depiction of them as river folk. The group of ​​stores encountered by Nori and Poppy in The rings of power They live before their migration into the West, meaning they did not come to settle in the swampy, humid environments of Middle-earth as Tolkien described. Although their visual discrepancies with the Harfoots are also not highlighted, they only make brief appearances in the installment, meaning future episodes of The rings of power Season 2 may change that.

Why the Storks are in Rhûn during the Rings of Power

The stores are waiting for a sign from an ancestor

As to why the Storks are in Rhûn, the answer is linked to the aforementioned ancestor of Zadok, Rorymas Burrows. As mentioned, Rorimas came out of Rhûn to find a land of greenery that could house Storks, Harfoots, and Phallohides alike. It was stated that Rorimas would return after finding the land to lead the rest of his kin to safety somewhere in the west. Future episodes of The rings of power Season 2 may reveal more about Rorymas and his journey, aside from the sick omens Gundabale mentions.

As Gundabale says in The rings of power Season 2, Episode 4 No one has heard of Rorimas in the generations since. As such, the Storrs remain in Rhûn, simply living their lives and hiding away from the Dark Wizard and his allies. That said, Gundabale makes it clear that she still longs for Rorimas’ fabricated land, with the leaders of the Stowers hoping that Nori has come back to show the Stowers the way to safety.

The stores reveal the origin of the shire

Rorymas Burrows’ prophesied land is confirming a major Lord of the Rings location

One of the more consequential narrative shows with the stores in The rings of power Season 2, Episode 4 surrounds Rorimas and his journey. As many will have figured out, The final goal of Rorimas’ exodus was the Shire. From the streams and rivers to the rolling hills and fields, it is clear that Rorimas is looking for the stretch of land located far to the west in Eriador that will come to be the Shire in the time of the Third Age.

This is made all the more obvious by Gundabale’s words, in which she says that the land has hills so soft that Stoors could dig a hole and live in it forever. with the basics, The rings of power Season 2 seems to be establishing the origins of the Shire, or at least describing it as somewhere the various Hobbit breeds are aware of. While the Shire was not formed until the third age, The rings of power is making it an even bigger, more important place in Middle-earth than it already has been through the history of Storrs.