'The Rings of Power' Season 3 Explores the Dark Origins of Middle-Earth's Flying Beasts

The fourth episode of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Season 3 delves into the terrifying origins of Middle-earth's fell beasts, offering viewers a detailed look at how the monstrous flying creatures were created. In the episode, Sauron, played by Charlie Vickers, confers with a Nazgûl servant and an Orc assistant regarding one of the beasts. Showrunners J.D. Payne and Patrick McKay use the scene to establish a concrete backstory for the monsters, revealing that they were originally Eagles corrupted by Sauron's former master, Morgoth.

For fantasy enthusiasts, this narrative choice offers an explicit explanation for an origin that author J.R.R. Tolkien left somewhat ambiguous. While Tolkien described the winged, featherless beasts in The Return of the King and suggested in a 1958 letter that they resembled prehistoric creatures, the series presents them as tormented descendants of Eagles. The episode highlights their sinister nature when the flesh-craving monster devours Sauron's own Orc subordinate after being fed live prey.

The introduction of the winged steeds also shifts the tactical landscape in the ongoing War of the Elves and Sauron. Unlike in the Third Age, where the creatures were primarily ridden by Nazgûl, Sauron mounts a fell beast himself, allowing him to fly hundreds of leagues across Middle-earth in a matter of hours. What to watch next: New episodes of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Season 3 continue streaming weekly on Prime Video.