'The Rings of Power' Season 3 Deepens Middle-Earth Lore With New Ring-Bearer Backstory

The Season 3 premiere of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power introduces new lore surrounding Sauron's mortal servants. In the episode titled "Marnûkh," Galadriel (Morfydd Clark) engages in combat with a human ring-bearer before warning Elrond (Robert Aramayo) that her foe may have been the king of the Lossoth—a deep-cut reference to J.R.R. Tolkien's legendary writings.

For fans of Middle-earth history, this line expands on the mystery surrounding the Nine Mortal Men who receive Rings of Power. While Tolkien only ever named one of the nine Ringwraiths in his written works—Khamûl the Easterling, portrayed in the series by Zubin Varla—the television adaptation is actively filling in the unwritten backgrounds of the remaining ring-bearers, connecting them to distinct regions and cultures across the map.

In Tolkien's original appendices for The Return of the King, the Lossoth are described as a northern, snow-dwelling people living in the icy region of Forodwaith who navigate frozen terrain using bone skates and wheelless sleds. By naming a Lossoth monarch among the early human ring-bearers, the series links its ongoing Second Age narrative directly to the tragic fate of human rulers seduced by Sauron's influence. What to watch next: New episodes of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Season 3 stream weekly on Prime Video.