The Rings of Power is here and Sauron is already making his literal mark on the series. In the first couple of episodes, we see his calling card—a pitchfork-like sigil—in several key locations. But what exactly does Sauron’s mysterious symbol, a sigil that is surely a bad omen, mean in The Rings of Power and where have we seen it so far? Let’s get into what we know so far.
Where Have We Seen Sauron’s Sigil on The Rings of Power?
We first saw this symbol very early in episode one when Galadriel’s brother dies during a quest to destroy Morgoth’s evil son Sauron. As his body lies in state, we see the symbol that Sauron marks him with. It seems that not even the wisest person can figure out what this symbol means for now. Once Galadriel took up the mantle to hunt Sauron, she travels to Forodwaith, the stronghold where the orcs gathered after Morgoth’s defeat, and sees it once again. And, it later appears on Theo’s blade with a nice ominous glow when he looks closely at it. (He is Bronwyn’s son, by the way.) So, it was clear that Sauron and his sigil would play a huge role in The Rings of Power. But episode three really proves just how major that symbol will become.
What Does That Mysterious Sauron Symbol Mean?
As Galadriel notes in the first episode’s voiceover, even the wisest among them don’t know what the heck Sauron’s symbol means. But, here at Nerdist, our own Matt Caron thought that Sauron’s sigil is a map of sorts linking to Mount Doom. If you turn that symbol sideways and place it on a map of Middle-earth, it lines up with the three mountain ranges of Mordor. And, of course, Mount Doom is the peak in the middle.
And it turns out that we were truly onto something, according to episode three. Elendil brought Galadriel and Halbrand to Númenór and, to Galadriel’s chagrin, they will be there for a couple of days. Why? Well, Queen Miriel must decide if she wants to help an elf or not. As we know, the conflict between the Númenóreans and Elves has a long history.
Anyway, Elendil and Galadriel come together for an important conversation. He shows her a written account of a human spy in an enemy dungeon. In this account, the man drew something to record the tower’s location. Galadriel realizes that the sigil is in fact not a sigil but rather a map of the Southlands. And we discover that it is not just a place but also a plan for the enemy to create a realm of their own. The plan is meant to take place if Morgoth meets defeat… and it is by is successor Sauron.
Well, that is quite the revelation and an indication that the people in that location are in deep trouble. Let’s see what happens next on this epic journey.
The Rings of Power is currently on Prime Video.
Originally published on September 1, 2022.