The Elves’ Three Rings of Power Explained: What Do They Do?

Three specific Elves finally donned their Rings of Power in Amazon Prime Video's The Rings of Power Season 2, and now, many want to know exactly what those rings do.

As suggested by the title, The Rings of Power is a series essentially revolving around the creation of different rings, with each of them being unique and holding some sort of power that is influenced by Sauron's One Ring.

In the Season 1 finale, viewers saw the first three Rings of Power created by Celebrimbor, and in Season 2, they were finally put to use.

What Do the Elves' Rings Do?

As seen in The Rings of Power Season 1, the Elves of Middle-earth are now in possession of three Rings of Power as of the beginning of Season 2.

After Elrond goes back to Lindon to bring the rings to Gil-galad, he learns that Gil-galad intends to use the rings to restore Lindon to its former glory and beauty. It is important to remember that when the last golden leaf of the tree there at Lindon falls, the Elves must leave Middle-earth.

Not wanting to use the rings, Elrond escapes and finds Cirdan, an old and wise elf who agrees to get rid of the three rings.

However, Cirdan is tempted by their power and eventually brings them back to Gil-Galad just in time.

Cirdan, Gil-galad, and Galadriel all put on a different ring, and, when they do, Lindon's tree immediately grows new leaves and shines brighter than ever.

This is because all three of the Elves' rings have the power of preservation, which was the main reason they were created. However, they each have their own qualities as well that benefit the wearer and make them different from one another.

Galadriel's Ring (Nenya)

Galadriel's Ring of Power is referred to as Nenya in the source material and is also called the Ring of Water.

It seems that her ring may be more powerful than the other two. It is also possible that either she is just a more powerful being and could thus use the ring in a bigger way, or she just elected to use it more prominently than the wearers of the other two rings.

As mentioned, Galadriel's ring is used mainly for preservation, but it is also used for protection as well. In the source material, forces of evil could not even go into Lothlorien while Galadriel used the ring's power (which was constant).

Another one of Nenya's abilities was to increase the power level of the person wearing it (Galadriel), which is a quality that the other two rings possessed as well.

Read more about what Galadrie's ring does and its ties to Lord of the Rings here!

Cirdan's Ring (Narya)

The Ring of Power that Cirdan wears in Season 2 is named Narya and is also referred to as the Ring of Fire.

Like Galadriel's ring, Narya also has the power to preserve and protect, but it seems as though Galadriel's ring is either more powerful or more in-tune with those uses, as Cirdan's ring does not bring on the same effects, especially after he gives it away to someone else.

However, it is implied in the source material that Narya is able to inspire other people and even aid the wearer to make things pure again.

Without getting into any spoilers regarding who ends up wearing Narya, the person Cirdan gives it to seemingly uses it to restore the soul and spirit of an important character in the future.

Gil-galad's Ring (Vilya)

The ring Gil-Galad wears in The Rings of Power Season 2 is named Vilya, and, like the other two rings, it is connected to a certain element, with its being air.

Of the three rings the Elves have, Vilya is the one that is known the least about. Like the others, it has some level of preservation and protection powers and also strengthens the person wearing it, but beyond that, not much else is known.

Like Cirdan, Gil-galad also gives his ring up to an important character down the line, who seemingly uses it to craft a sort of hidden base for elves.

The Rings of Power is available to stream on Amazon Prime Video and new episodes are released every Thursday.

Read more about The Rings of Power below:

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The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Actor Daniel Weyman Reveals Why The Stranger's Identity Isn't Important

Rings of Power Season 2 Release Date Schedule (Official)

Fans Didn’t Like Rings of Power Season 1, Here’s How Season 2 Can Fix It