Warning! Spoilers for Rings of Power Season 2, Episode 7 ahead!
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Season 2 offered its own explanation for why humans became ringwraiths while the dwarves did not. Just like in Tolkien canon, Sauron gave seven rings of power to the dwarves in the Prime Video series and plans to distribute the nine to humans in upcoming episodes. This would lead to the corruption of the Lords and Kings, ultimately resulting in them becoming the Ringwraiths known from Lord of the Rings. Of course, canon dictates that this is not the same fate of the dwarves – so why not?
While author JRR Tolkien has his own explanation for why men and not dwarves became invisible spirits endlessly doing Sauron’s bidding, Rings of power presented another possible answer. It all comes down to how the rings are crafted and the materials used. Earlier in Rings of power season 2, Celebrimbor made the seven for the dwarves using mithril from their minesAnd it was an effective source of power. However, the mithril ran out before making the nine for humans. So, Sauron provided Celebrimbor with a different substance to use.
Sauron puts his own blood into the Nine in the Rings of Power Season 2
Sauron’s blood creates a more intimate connection
After trying and failing to secure more Mithril from Khazad-dûm in Rings of power Season 2 Sauron mysteriously supplies Celebrimbor with a vial of ore refined to a powder. However, none of this is as it seems. The Dark Lord actually handed the Lord of Eregion a vial of his own blood and used his magic to manipulate what Celebrimbor perceived to be true. in Rings of power season 2 episode 7 Celebrimbor is seen crafting the nine with the Mithil substituteWhich is sure to significantly impact how the rings relate to Sauron’s power.
in Rings of powers version of lore, mithril comes from the light of the Silmarils and, therefore, the light of the two trees of Valinor. Although Sauron corrupted the Seven Rings, they are still rooted in something good and pure. The nine rings for men are now a completely different story. They are of Sauron’s blood – crafted from his own black evil. The Dark Lord will surely have a much stronger level of control over their wearersSo it makes sense that they eventually slip into total darkness, thus bringing in Ringwraiths.
Why only the nine become Ringwrights in Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings lore
The answer from Rings of Power doesn’t quite fit with canon
Rings of powers version of how the nine men became Ringwraiths differs from Tolkien’s explanation. in Lord of the Rings Learning, the seven and nine were crafted similarly since Celebrimbor intended all of them to be used by the elves. After stealing them from Eregion, Sauron chose to give them to dwarves and men, but both Middle-earth races handled the rings’ evil differently. Dwarves are naturally much more resistant to the rings of power. Their greed was turned to 100 percent, but they never fell completely under Sauron’s influence. Men, on the other hand, are much more corrupt.
Sauron’s blood trick nightly set up the One Ring
Rings of Power may have teased how Sauron will make his ring
Although not strictly canon, Sauron’s blood trick is an interesting twist to it Rings of power. The Dark Lord explains that Celebrimbor himself taught him that all creation requires great sacrifice, and it was through this lesson that he realized his own blood could work as a substitute for mithril. The line seems to set the stage for the creation of Middle-earth’s darkest weapon since The Lord of the Rings Dictates that Sauron poured his power into his One RingSo attached to the whole of it. Rings of power Seems to make the process much more literal.
After becoming the Nazgul, the nine men were attached to Sauron, just as Sauron was attached to his One Ring.
If Sauron uses his own black blood to make the nine rings of power and his own one ring, it further reinforces the idea that the substance has something to do with the ringwraith’s transformation. After becoming the Nazgul, the nine men were attached to Sauron, just as Sauron was attached to his One Ring. When the Dark Lord was separated from his great weapon, his power faltered, and he temporarily lost form. When this happened, His Nazgul lost the ability to take form as wellOnly reappearing when Sauron regained power. Rings of powers blood twist is an interesting way to explain exactly why.