Exclusive: ‘We also wanted them to feel progressively more evil’

The rings for men and elves, including King Durin’s (pictured), differ from the elves’ ones in some notable ways (Image credit: Prime Video)

Full spoilers follow for The Lord of the Rings and The Rings of Power season 2’s first four episodes.

The Rings of Power‘s showrunners have revealed some tantalizing season 2 details about the crafting of the rings for dwarves and men.

Speaking exclusively to TechRadar ahead of The Rings of Power season 2’s launch on August 29, co-creators J.D. Payne and Patrick McKay opened up on how the newly created rings will differ from their elven counterparts. And, by the sounds of it, the dwarf lords and kings of men will struggle to deal with the impact that the dark magic-infused jewelry will have on them in the Prime Video series.

Before offering some hints at far darker events – born out of said rings’ formation – to come in season 2, though, Payne and McKay disclosed whether, like the elven rings, they sought any real-world inspiration for those that’ll be gifted to the dwarves and men. In short: they didn’t.

Celebrimbor and Mirdania (pictured) help Sauron, disguised as Annatar, to craft more rings in season 2 (Image credit: Ben Rothstein/Prime Video)

“It was always about what tone each ring should evoke, rather than [take inspiration from] any real-life historical or mythological references,” Payne replied in response to my query. “For the elven rings in season one, we did take inspiration from Lalique jewelry, which has this art nouveau feeling that lent itself to the natural world, hence the vine-like and floral nature of the elven bands.”

“But, for the dwarves, we wanted them to have some dwarven characteristics [with] this sort of solid, rocky, and mountainous design. Some of them have very specific detailing, such as King Durin’s ring having the three peaks of Khazad-dûm, so you see the landscape reflected in the ring itself. As for the rings of men, we wanted them to be more angular and sharp, and have a very muted, unassuming color to them.”

Adding to Payne’s response, McKay said: “We also wanted them to feel progressively more evil with each group’s creation. The dwarf rings have a slightly sinister and seductive quality to them, and then the rings for men even more so.”

The elven rings weren’t forged by Sauron’s hand in season 1, hence their resistance to his overtures (Image credit: Amazon MGM Studios)

Sounds ominous – but why are the dwarves and men more vulnerable to Sauron’s machinations via the titular rings? Despite being crafted by Celebrimbor and Sauron – at the time, the latter was masquerading as Halbrand – in The Rings of Power season 1 finale, the elven rings (and those who wear them) aren’t susceptible to the influence exerted on them by Middle-earth’s big bad. Indeed, while Sauron provided some insight into their creation and was later present for their forging, he didn’t actually have a physical hand in making the elven rings. That’s because he didn’t touch any of the materials, including the mithril, that were used to craft them.

We also wanted them to feel progressively more evil

Patrick McKay

Unfortunately, the dwarves and men, who’ll eventually own one of these bands, won’t be so lucky. Indeed, Sauron, who spends much of one of the best Prime Video shows’ second season wearing another disguise – Annatar, the so-called Lord of Gifts – was responsible for adding a new batch of mithril into the mix for the dwarven rings in season 2 episode 2. Before he drops said metal into the forge, though, he pauses for a second or two; the sorcerer imbuing it with some of his dark magic that should make it easier for him to control those who wield the rings for the seven dwarf lords.

As for the rings fashioned for the nine kings of men… well, without spoiling too much, they’re created later in season 2. Considering that, in The Lord of the Rings, these nine individuals become the Nazgul, Sauron’s most trusted lieutenants, due to the malevolent influence that the rings have on them, Sauron/Annatar has an even more diabolical scheme hidden up his elven sleeves for their crafting, too.

There’s more to come from me on The Rings of Power season 2 front, so keep your eyes trained on TechRadar over the next four weeks as its finale draws closer. In the meantime, read more of my exclusives with its cast, including why “there has to be a cost” with the dwarven rings’ creation and usage and how Sauron and Celebrimbor’s relationship goes to “some dark places” in season 2’s latter half.