The Rings of Power‘s premiere ended with Galadriel refusing to abandon her mission on Middle-earth for an eternity of peace at her former home of Valinor. She likely wouldn’t have survived the journey back, though, had she not come across Halbrand and the wreckage of his ship. Together Galadriel and Halbrand avoided death inside a monstrous sea worm. He also saved her from drowning and defended her before the royal court of Númenor. But who is Halbrand on The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, and how did this mysterious man end up lost among the waves? What is Halbrand running from and why? As he said, “looks can be deceiving.” He might be a new ally with a troubled past looking for redemption. Or Halbrand might be the very evil Galadriel has sworn to destroy.
Whatever the answer, The Rings of Power certainly wants us to think Halbrand might really be The Lord of the Rings‘ Sauron.
Where Does The Rings of Power‘s Halbrand Come From?
Charlie Vickers’ Halbrand hasn’t exactly been hiding the fact he’s holding back important information about himself. That’s not how you maintain secrets. Especially not someone as smart and cunning as Halbrand. No, Halbrand wants Galadriel to know he’s hiding something vital. And since everything he does and says seems to be intentional, everything we “know” about him might be a lie. But at minimum, even if he’s not being honest or only telling half-truths, that still reveals something about him.
Halbrand says his people have no king. They no longer even have a home in the Southlands where he comes from. Orcs drove them away and left his home in ashes. (Orcs are doing just that.) That would explain why Halbrand knew something no elf, not even Galadriel, realized—the “enemy” is in the Southlands, too.
Orcs are hard to find throughout Middle-earth at this point in the The Rings of Power‘s depiction of the Second Age. They’ve been hiding from the sunlight and their foes for hundreds of years and only recently started terrorizing the world again. The closer a man’s home is to the hidden sanctuary of evil, they more likely they are to encounter them. But that also means they’re more likely to have once fought alongside orcs.
Where Were Halbrand and His Ship Going?
Elves sail west to reach Valinor. The Lord of the Rings location men sail to in that direction is Númenor, where Elendil ended up taking Halbrand and Galadriel.
That’s the island the Valar created specifically for the men who helped defeat Morgoth the Dark Lord during the First Age. It’s the greatest kingdom of men during the Second Age when the show takes place.
Halbrand hasn’t confirmed he was sailing to Númenor, but it’s the most logical place for any men to run to after orcs destroyed their home. It’s also a place Halbrand is in no rush to leave. As he said, “it’s a paradise rife with opportunities.”
What Is the Meaning of Halbrand’s Necklace?
Halbrand’s necklace contains a pouch holding a vial likely full of liquid. In Middle-earth that unknown concoction could be a form of sustenance. (Elves, orcs, and ents alike have their own.) But while the pouch’s contents remain a mystery, The Rings of Power‘s third episode revealed what the necklace’s metal tags represent for Halbrand.
Galadriel finds a drawing with the same symbol in the Hall of Law, which Númenor’s first king, Elros created. Elros also helped defeat Morgoth and his allies, which included some men.
Galadriel says the symbol on Halbrand’s necklace is that of the Southlands’ king, a person who united tribes of men during the First Age. Galadriel also shares that it reveals why Halbrand has no king and what he is hiding—he is the Southlands’ lost king. (Same as Aragorn will one day be Gondor’s.) Halbrand doesn’t deny any of that, but he does say he took the necklace from a dead man. He also said he’s “not the hero” Galadriel seeks because his ancestors “swore a blood oath” to Morgoth.
That’s not the only sign he might not be a great hero, though.
Is Halbrand a Hero or a Villain in The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power?
In a seeming mirror of Halbrand, The Lord of the Rings had its own dark-haired man who kept important secrets, Aragorn. And like Halbrand claims, he was a man without a home who hated orcs and the forces of evil. But Aragorn, the lost king in hiding, was unquestionably a hero. He would never have done what Halbrand does to survive the sea worm. He abandons “his companions to death” because he’s “the sort who knows how to survive.”
Halbrand’s also a thief and fearsome warrior not opposed to using violence. And he deceives, not to hide his identity, but for personal gain. He’s cunning and resourceful, capable of charming others to his will. The Rings of Power‘s Halbrand has a silver-tongue that he employs to manipulate others with lies and half-truths, just as Morgoth once did. He’s cunning and resourceful, capable of charming others to his will. And so far, he hasn’t used those skills for noble reasons.
But Halbrand not only allowed Galadriel to come aboard his wreckage, he dove into the sea to save her from drowning. He also spoke up on her behalf before the rulers of Númenór. He doesn’t want to leave, but he knows she does. If he were a villain, would he repeatedly rescue an elf who won’t stop prying into a past he’s hiding from?
He might if he’s the villain Galadriel is searching for on The Rings of Power—Sauron.
Is The Rings of Power‘s Halbrand Really Sauron in Disguise?
The Lord of the Rings‘ Sauron is a shapeshifter who takes on other forms and identities so he can covertly spread evil throughout the world. He thrives by earning the trust of others with good counsel, that way he can later plant malice in their minds. Sauron is dangerous because he slowly manipulates the will of others to his own goals, like Halbrand seemingly does. The Dark Lord can even control the deadliest creatures to do his bidding, creatures like a sea worm. If anyone could cause an attack at sea and also survive it, Sauron could. Just as no one else could smile before his enemies in Númenor without being discovered or stand beside Galadriel without her realizing what he really is.
Sauron also knows the power of Númenórian kingdom poses a major threat to his own dreams of ruling Middle-earth. And, like Halbrand, Sauron knows the “enemy” resides in the Southlands because that’s where he’s building his tower in Mordor.
Telling Lies By Telling the Truth: Sauron and Halbrand
If Halbrand is Sauron—whose own king (Morgoth) fell long ago, who had already begun building his own fortress near the fires of Mount Doom by this time, and who in The Silmarillion was briefly a prisoner of Númenór before becoming one of its most trusted councilors—in disguise, almost everything he has said carries a totally different meaning. It’s the kind of double-meaning that would reveal why Sauron’s deceptions flourished—because he told the truth.
“The tides of fate are flowing. Yours might be heading in..or out.”
“Looks can be deceiving.”
“I suspect finding safety won’t be that easy. Especially not for you.”
“My people have no king.”
“I have been searching for my peace far longer than you know.”
“Be careful elf, the heir to this mark is heir to more than just nobility.”
“I am not the hero you seek.”
Even Halbrand saying he wanted to “set history aside” so as not to antagonize the Númenóreans takes on new meaning if he’s secretly Sauron. The Númenóreans helped defeat his Morgoth and are the reason Sauron and his “people” have no king. But he would be kind to both them and Galadriel first so he can build trust. It let him get close to his enemies so he can destroy them from within. And since everything Halbrand is saying would still be technically true, if he’s actually Sauron, his lies are harder to recognize because they aren’t lies at all. They’re just hidden truths.
That’s why Halbrand saving Galadriel, Sauron’s sworn enemy, makes sense if he’s The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Dark Lord. What better way to earn the trust of all elves than to rescue their most dedicated general? Rescuing Galadriel would blind even her to his real intentions. Which would make Galdriel’s comment to Halbrand—“Bind yourself to me.”—meaningful in a way she didn’t realize. They’re already bound in hatred, and their fates are intertwined. (All of which would explain why Sauron’s symbol flashed in Galadriel’s eyes when Halbrand mentioned orcs.) It also would make her comment that he is “more than [he] claim[s]” just as true in a different way.
And as if all of that’s not enough, Halbrand claims to be a great smith, just like Sauron. The Dark Lord, who will soon forge the rings of power, learned from the Valar’s greatest smith.
Could Halbrand Have a Different Identity in The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power?
Everything about these The Rings of Power scenes might soon play very differently if we learn Halbrand is Sauron. But even if he’s just a flawed man desperate to survive a growing evil, a man running from his family’s own heinous acts, the fact we’re even questioning his real identity and motives is what’s really important. As is the fact that the show itself is begging us to think Halbrand is Sauron. That possible connection between the two is now so obvious it almost seems like an intentional misdirect. (Which is itself wonderful. Even we, the viewers, can’t figure out what’s real and what’s not in a world where Sauron is hiding in plain sight somewhere.)
Halbrand’s real identity on The Rings of Power matters. But regardless of who or what he is, what really matters is that Sauron’s presence looms over everything and everyone. Because if anyone can be the Dark Lord—even an ally who saves you from death—merely identifying the forces of evil will continue to be a great battle on Middle-earth.
Originally published on September 1, 2022.
Mikey Walsh is a staff writer at Nerdist. You can follow him on Twitter at @burgermike. And also anywhere someone is ranking the Targaryen kings.
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