Sauron ends The Rings of Power season two in possession of the Nine Rings, though the men destined to wear them haven’t been identified in that season. Having the rings and handing them out are two different stages. Nerdist’s reporting on season three describes the next stage: four recognizable recipients, plus a fifth whose identity is still concealed.
The four named in that reporting are Theo, Khamûl the Easterling, the King of the Lossoth, and a Haradrim king whose name is unknown. These accounts of their stories are separate from Tolkien’s established history. His writings tell us little about the nine mortals who became Nazgûl; Khamûl alone was given a personal name.
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What Are the Nine Rings for Mortal Men in The Rings of Power?
Sauron directs Celebrimbor to forge the Nine as a means of subjecting human kingdoms to the Dark Lord’s rule. The show gives these rings different ingredients from the Elven and Dwarven ones. Passing off his blood as mithril, Sauron deceives Celebrimbor into working it into the rings, linking the Nine especially closely to the being who will corrupt their wearers.
Celebrimbor attempts to deny Sauron the rings, without success. During season two’s siege of Eregion, Sauron takes them back.
Nerdist reports that season three sees Sauron approach powerful men with the rings, offering wealth and power as he sets them against the Elves. Acceptance makes them Nazgnagôl, his Ring-servants. Though not yet the Ringwraiths seen in The Lord of the Rings, they have souls tied to both Sauron and the Unseen World.
Who Has the Nine Rings for Men in The Rings of Power?
The season-three recipients described by Nerdist account for five rings, with the identities of four known:
- Theo, from the Southlands: a Nazgnagôl and, according to the reporting, a potential Witch-king of Angmar. That future identity isn’t confirmed.
- Khamûl, an Easterling from Rhûn: a Nazgnagôl who, in Tolkien’s history, will rank second among the Nazgûl.
- The King of the Lossoth: one of the Ring-servants who will become a Nazgûl.
- A Haradrim king of Harad, as yet unnamed: a Ring-servant destined to become a Nazgûl.
- A recipient whose identity hasn’t been revealed: neither their realm nor their people are known.
Theo Receives One of the Nine Rings for Men and May Become the Witch-king of Angmar
As described in Nerdist’s reporting on Theo, he becomes the first character already established in the series to take one of the Nine. His suffering at the hands of Númenórean men prompts him to gather the Southlanders and answer a summons from Sauron to Barad-dûr. Sauron had sent that invitation to the Númenóreans first, but they refused.
Sauron notices the dark sword hilt’s mark on Theo’s arm when he arrives. To Sauron, that link signals a capacity for evil, drawing his attention to Theo.
Sauron looks into Theo’s history through necromancy and dark magic, revealing that his father served under Morgoth as a Gothmondur, or Sword Steward of Mordor. According to Sauron, that heritage gives Theo certain powers. The explanation comes from Sauron himself; Theo’s abilities haven’t been independently shown to stem from his ancestry.
Sauron also appeals to Theo’s bitterness, telling him he was born to rule the people who hurt him. Theo is persuaded to take a ring. Another promise is more suggestive still: Sauron tells him he could be “ a conqueror, a sorcerer… A King.”
For Nerdist, that description points toward the Witch-king of Angmar, who is all three. Theo’s future as the Witch-king hasn’t been established, though, and accepting a ring doesn’t confirm it.
Khamûl the Easterling Receives One of the Nine Rings on The Rings of Power
Tolkien’s writings provide a more definite foundation for Khamûl. Unfinished Tales of Númenor and Middle-earth identifies him as an Easterling of Rhûn and associates him with the title Shadow of the East. Among the Nazgûl, only the Witch-king outranks him.
That source credits Khamûl with the strongest ability to sense the One Ring, while noting how much daylight diminishes it. It reproduces Tolkien’s description: “Khamûl, Nazgul, second to the Chief; dwelt in Dol Guldur after its reoccupation in Third Age.”
Nerdist’s season-three coverage names Zubin Varla as Khamûl and places his origins among the Men of Rhûn whom the Dark Wizard deceived. The same coverage identifies that wizard as Pallando the Blue. Rather than deliver the power and greatness he promised these Easterlings, called the Gaudrim, the wizard cursed them and subjected them to his will.
His betrayal helps explain why Khamûl and his fellow Easterlings would abandon him for Sauron’s offer of a Ring of Power. After winning the skirmish over the ring, Khamûl receives what Sauron calls “the fairest of the nine.” The ring binds his soul and body to itself and Sauron. That starts Khamûl on the road to becoming the Witch-king’s second-in-command among the Nazgûl.
The King of the Lossoth Takes Sauron’s Ring
Nerdist reports that the King of the Lossoth first swears allegiance to the Elves, only to betray them in exchange for Sauron’s ring. Beyond that, information about him is limited. The outlet characterizes him as greedy and eager for power; taking the ring adds him to the Nazgnagôl.
In Tolkien’s account of the Second Age, the Lossoth play only a minor part. A northern Middle-earth people, they are descended from the ancient people of Forodwaith. Their other name, “the Snowmen of Forochel,” reflects how they have adapted to snowy surroundings.
Because the series makes Forodwaith a stronghold of Sauron, Nerdist sees a connection between the setting and the king’s choice of allegiance. That reading doesn’t amount to a full account of why he joins Sauron.
Tolkien’s Third Age history supplies another, more ominous link. The Lossoth deeply fear the Witch-king of Angmar, believing frost and ice are subject to his powers. It isn’t known whether the show will tie that belief to the king who accepts a ring.
A Haradrim King Receives One of Sauron’s Nine Rings
A king of the Haradrim is the fourth recipient identifiable in Nerdist’s reporting. No personal name, particular kingdom, or further details about him have been revealed.
Tolkien places the peoples known as the Haradrim in Harad, an immense region to the south of the land that becomes Gondor. They are described as warlike and proud. Many fight the Elves alongside Sauron, whose influence over them continues into the Third Age. Others resist him, however; Tolkien doesn’t present their allegiance as universal.
In some versions of the Blue Wizards’ stories, they travel East and South to support opposition to Sauron. Nerdist suggests Pallando might resume that mission and draw some Haradrim away from the king who now wears a ring. This is a proposed possibility, not an outcome the reporting establishes.
Another part of Haradrim warfare is their use of the Mûmakil, elephant-like creatures of Middle-earth. On that basis, Nerdist argues that winning over their king could bring Sauron more than a Ring-servant: he might gain a substantial army of men and Mûmakil. Neither the makeup nor the size of forces acquired through the arrangement has been confirmed.
One of the Nine Rings for Men Has Been Given Away in Secret
The evidence for another recipient is numerical. According to Nerdist, Theo is the latest addition to Sauron’s Nazgnagôl. Once he takes his ring, the Dark Lord’s Ring Box holds just four.
That leaves five rings in recipients’ hands, though the reporting identifies only four of them. Someone else is therefore already a Ring-servant in the reported season-three narrative. Who that person is, and whether hiding their identity has any plot significance, hasn’t been established.
How Many Rings for Men Does Sauron Still Have Left to Give Away?
Four rings remain available for Sauron to give to important mortals in Nerdist’s account of season three. The answer changes if you’re considering only events through the season-two finale: he still possesses all Nine at that point, and that season hasn’t identified their human wearers.
According to Tolkien’s history, Númenórean lords receive three of the Nine Rings for Men, while an Easterling king receives one. Nerdist’s season-three reporting assigns the Easterling ring to Khamûl. Three of the four unfilled places could consequently belong to Númenóreans, leaving a wildcard. That calculation depends on who the unidentified Nazgnagôl turns out to be, and it doesn’t establish a confirmed list of recipients.
Could Kemen Receive One of the Nine Rings From Sauron?
As Pharazôn’s son, Kemen meets a description that matters here: he’s a Númenórean lord. He has access to power, too. Nerdist characterizes him as rude, self-important, unlikable, and hungry for power. Those traits make him a plausible recruit for Sauron, even though he has no ring right now.
At season three’s opening, Kemen turns down Sauron’s Rings of Power. Even so, Nerdist finds his continued ringlessness suspicious and predicts he’ll be the next recipient, unless he has secretly received one already. This is speculation about his future, rather than an established assignment of one of the Nine.
How Does Sauron Choose His Nine Ring-Servants?
Instead of simply appointing his servants, Sauron uses a lethal contest resembling the Hunger Games. Nerdist’s reporting from the season-three set describes him assembling many Men from powerful regions that command strong armies. To this group, he offers just one Ring of Power.
The ring begins by whispering to the men, drawing on their ambition and darker desires. Sauron then tosses a single weapon among them and commands a fight with only one survivor. Whoever lives receives the ring and swears loyalty to Sauron.
Nerdist reads the contest as a test of the very qualities Sauron seeks: evil, ruthlessness, and ambition. Eliminating the other rulers of the region also benefits him. He acquires both a faithful servant and substantial military power, without leaving the rival leaders alive.
What Powers Do the Nine Rings Give Their Wearers When They Become Nazgnagôl?
Putting on one of the Nine makes a Man a Nazgnagôl in The Rings of Power. As the series explains it, his body starts learning to inhabit another world alongside this one. His condition is neither fully living nor dead.
This change is painful, but the pain subsides. What remains is a wearer with new powers and a supernatural tie to Sauron. The abilities the Nine grant are:
- Great physical strength
- The power to turn invisible
- Knowledge of both the Seen and Unseen Worlds
- A lifespan prolonged unnaturally, described as life unending
- A supernatural bond with Sauron
The bearer doesn’t instantly become a Ringwraith entirely under Sauron’s control. Taking the ring starts a process of corruption; it doesn’t finish that process.
What Is the Difference Between a Nazgûl and a Nazgnagôl?
Someone who wears one of the Nine but has not become a Ringwraith, or Nazgûl, is a Nazgnagôl: a Ring-servant. Changed though they are, these servants apparently retain some ability to think for themselves and make choices beyond Sauron’s influence. Their bodies are still human as well.
The show developed the name to describe this transitional condition. Speaking to Empire, showrunner JD Payne explains, “The word ‘Nazgûl’ means ‘Ringwraith’ in the Black Speech of Mordor. But before they were Ringwraiths, we know that these were just men. So we were able to derive in the Black Speech that ‘nagôl’ could mean ‘servant’.” The resulting term, Nazgnagôl, translates literally as Ring-servant.
Because these Men begin wearing their rings before the One Ring is forged, a measure of free will remains with them. After Sauron makes the One, its power gradually transforms them into wraiths completely subject to him. The Nazgûl represents the endpoint: a shadow whose purpose is to obey Sauron’s will.
Their master determines the strength of the Ringwraiths’ powers and lives. As Sauron strengthens, so do they; as he weakens, they weaken. They are also said to turn permanently invisible, visible only to a wearer of the One Ring. Cloaks later provide them with a visible form. Nazgnagôl, who still possess bodies, haven’t undergone that final change.
Did Tolkien Ever Reveal the Identity of the Nine Men Who Wore Sauron’s Rings?
Only two of the Nine are identified in Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings lore: Khamûl the Easterling and the Witch-king of Angmar. There’s a distinction within that answer, however. Tolkien never supplied the Witch-king with a personal name, so Khamûl remains the sole Nazgûl he explicitly named.
What is known of the Witch-king includes his sorcery and his standing as Sauron’s most feared servant. Nerdist uses those details to suggest Theo may become him. They support the theory, but don’t confirm where Theo’s story will end.
In Nerdist’s account, Khamûl turns from a wizard who subjected him to his will and accepts a ring that binds his body and soul to Sauron. The promise of power comes with another master.
