The fourth episode of Amazon’s The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power isn’t lacking when it comes to big moments. From Míriel’s (Cynthia Addai-Robinson) opening vision about Númenor’s future to the official introduction of mithril, The Rings of Power Episode 4 is full of moments that will surely come back to haunt the show’s characters in future seasons.
As some J.R.R. Tolkien fans have already noted online, the latest installment of Amazon’s Lord of the Rings prequel also briefly teases one weapon that will go on to play a major role in several future conflicts.
Now, if you’re a bit confused about what we’re talking about, that’s OK. The Rings of Power Episode 4 doesn’t necessarily go out of its way to spotlight the weapon in question. In fact, the episode relegates it to the background of a scene that is already overflowing with important lines of dialogue and obscure Tolkien Easter eggs. Let’s explain.
Narsil in Rings of Power Episode 4
In the second half of The Rings of Power Episode 4, Míriel, the queen regent of Númenor, takes Galadriel (Morfydd Clark) to the top of the royal tower that her exiled father has turned into his home. Once in the tower’s highest chamber, Míriel not only reveals the palantír hidden within it, but also the vision of Númenor’s destruction, which it apparently shows to anyone who touches it.
The scene is, quite obviously, a fairly momentous one. However, before Galadriel actually interacts with the palantír that has plagued Míriel and her father for years, she walks past a sheathed sword that looks very familiar. As a matter of fact, Lord of the Rings fans are understandably convinced that the sword in question, which can be seen in the screenshot above, may be Narsil, the sword that Isildur (Maxim Baldry) will one day use to cut the One Ring from Sauron’s finger.
How did Narsil get in Numenor?
In Tolkien’s original books, Narsil was forged long before the Second Age of Middle-earth by a Dwarven smith named Telchar. While little is known about what happened to the sword in the years following its creation, it does eventually come into the possession of Elendil (Lloyd Owen), who wields it when he fights against Sauron during the Last Alliance of Elves and Men.
For that reason, it’s believed that Narsil may have been passed at one point to an ancestor of Elros, Elrond’s twin brother and the first King of Númenor. It’s further believed that the sword likely became an heirloom of the House of the Lords of Andúnië, who rule a western shoreland region of Númenor. Elendil is a member of the noble house, which has strong ties to the Faithful, who are the Númenóreans that wish to return their island kingdom to its Elf-friendly roots.
All of this to say: it’s not out of the realm of possibility that Narsil could have ended up in the royal tower that Galadriel and Míriel visit in The Rings of Power Episode 4. In fact, considering some of the other weapons that fans believe are also in the tower, it seems like a likely possibility.
If this is true, that means The Rings of Power may have just shown fans its version of the weapon that will one day be wielded by Elendil, Isildur, and later Aragorn himself.
The Inverse Analysis — There is currently no way of knowing for sure whether the sword that Galadriel stands next to in The Rings of Power Episode 4 truly is Narsil. However, the sword itself does bear a striking resemblance to the version of Narsil featured in Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings films. Additionally, it’s hard to think of any sword other than Narsil that would be kept as an heirloom by a former Númenórean king.
In other words, while it may still turn out not to be Narsil, fans should prepare themselves for the possibility that they’ll one day see the sword Galadriel so casually walks past in The Rings of Power Episode 4 be taken into battle by Elendil himself.
New episodes of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power premiere Fridays on Prime Video.
