‘The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power’ Season 1 Ending Explained: Who is Sauron? What is an Istar? What is Rhûn?

The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Season 1 finale “Alloyed” finally answered some major questions. We finally know who Sauron is, who the Stranger (probably) is, and why the elves forged the first three titular Rings of Power. But that doesn’t mean the Prime Video series didn’t leave us with still more queries.

The Season 1 finale of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power ends with Elanor “Nori” Brandyfoot (Markella Kavenagh) leaving the comfort of the harfoots to embark on an adventure with the Stranger (Daniel Weyman), whom we learned isn’t Sauron, but an Istar. In fact, he is probably the Istar we know in the Third Age as Gandalf the Grey. The wizard and harfoot’s destination? A mysterious place in the far east called Rhûn.

Elsewhere, Galadriel (Morfydd Clark) was rocked to discover that her new bestie Halbrand (Charlie Vickers) isn’t a descendent of the Southland kings — Girl, he never said he was! You just assumed he was! — but the great evil she’s been searching for all along. Yes, Halbrand is Sauron. The final shot of the season is of Sauron returning to his new kingdom of Mordor.

And, yeah, somewhere in the background of all this, Halbrand helped Celebrimbor (Charles Edwards) figure out that he could bond mithril with another alloy and harness the metal’s power to save the elves in the form of a ring. Galadriel finally offers up her brother’s dagger, made of purest Valinor gold and silver, to make three rings for the elves. Her logic is three will keep the power they wield in balance.

Still, you might have questions about The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Season 1 finale. For instance, what exactly is an Istar and was Gandalf one? What exactly is the land of Rhûn and why is it a big deal that Nori is headed there? And why, oh why, did it take Galadriel so long to figure out that Halbrand was Sauron? (Maybe the last one is just for me!)

Here’s everything you need to know about the ending of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Season 1…

LORD OF THE RINGS: THE RINGS OF POWER ENDING EXPLAINED: WHAT IS AN ISTAR?

One of the biggest mysteries of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Season 1 has been focused on the true identity of the Stranger. This enigmatic figure crash landed on Middle-earth at the end of the show’s first episode. While Sauron enthusiasts took this “starfall” as proof their dark lord had returned, little harfoot Nori Brandyfoot believed this Stranger was good. And that she was meant to take care of him. Now we know that the Stranger is good. More over, he is not Sauron, but an “Istar,” or wizard.

So what is an Istar? In Tolkien’s lore, the Istari were five Maiar spirits sent to Middle-earth in the Third Age — though the Blue Wizards technically arrived in the Second Age — to help everyone ward off Sauron. As the Stranger says, to the common folk of Middle-earth, the Istari are basically just wizards. Istar is the singular of Istari, which is why the Stranger is simply called the Istar.

So if the Stranger isn’t Sauron, but an Istar…which Istar is he? Is the Stranger Gandalf?

DID THE RINGS OF POWER SEASON 1 FINALE CONFIRM THE STRANGER IS GANDALF?

We’re pretty sure The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Season 1 finale confirmed that the Stranger is Gandalf, not Sauron.

Much of the iconography associated with the Stranger early in the season was evocative of Sauron, from the blazing “eye” that blinked out in the meteor crash site to the destruction he accidentally wrought. However, the longer we spent with this mystery man, the more he reminded us of a younger, amnesiac version of good old Gandalf. His powers, while difficult to control, began to be used for more and more good. Moreover, Gandalf is the Maiar most closely associated with fire magic in Tolkien’s lore. In fact, Gandalf is often considered by some fans as the anti-Sauron. Gandalf is there to balance Sauron’s evil with similar fire-based magical abilities.

Anyway, when the Dweller (Bridie Sisson), the Nomad (Edith Poor), and the Ascetic (Kali Kopae) attempt to convince the Stranger that he is their lord Sauron, things soon go awry. The harfoots crash this little shindig and when it seems that his friends’ lives are in danger, the Stranger uses the Dweller’s staff to quench her fire magic and to proclaim he is good. The cultists freak out, saying, “He is not Sauron” and “He is the other. The Istar. He is…”

Well, we don’t get to hear who he is, but knowing the Stranger is an Istar who compels evil back to shadow, hangs out with hobbits, and uses the exact same catchphrases as Gandalf… He is Gandalf.

WHAT IS RHÛN? ALL ABOUT THE PLACE NORI AND THE STRANGER ARE HEADED IN THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE RINGS OF POWER SEASON 2?

When the Dweller, the Nomad, and the Ascetic first get to chatting to the Stranger, they tell him that the stars he’s obsessed with are a constellation known as the Hermit’s Hat and they are only visible in their homelands. It’s a place in the far east called the lands of Rhûn. They believe that by taking the Stranger there, the “veil” that has been placed on his mind will be pulled back and he will finally be known as Sauron. Well, the problem with that plan is the Stranger’s not Sauron. But the Stranger still feels that he needs to journey to Rhûn. The harfoots decide that Nori must go with him on this adventure.

So what exactly do we know about Rhûn from Tolkien’s lore? Eh, not much.

In the Appendixes, Rhûn is described as a far-flung land to the east of Middle-earth. It’s so far east, it’s not on most maps. It is said that Sauron united the people of Rhûn by capitalizing on their hatred of the west. There are also specific races of elves, dwarves, and men who originated in this part of the world.

Overall, though, Rhûn is a land ripe for exploration so it will be interesting to see what The Lord of the Rings does with it in Season 2.

SO HALBRAND IS SAURON IN THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE RINGS OF POWER?

He certainly is! And he is the “sexy Sauron” the showrunners promised Decider way back in August!

Look, if a mysteriously lucky and good-looking dude with a penchant for buddying up to elves, manipulating situations, and working at forges didn’t tip off your Sauron alarms, it’s cool. Galadriel also fell for this giver of gifts.

A few key things happened in this episode besides Galadriel figuring out that Halbrand is Sauron. First, Halbrand helped Celebrimbor forge the first three Rings of Power. Later, Halbrand — armed with this knowledge of how to harness power via rings — returns to Mordor alone. Keep in mind that he still has Adar (Joseph Mawle) to deal with, but Halbrand has returned to the land of Mount Doom. That is, of course, where Sauron forges his One Ring.

Finally, one of the most chilling sequences in The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Season 1 finale was when Halbrand attempted to appeal to Galadriel one last time. He suggested that they rule Middle-earth together. She would temper him with her goodness and he would give her the power she craved. The version of this Galadriel echoes the vision that Galadriel treats Frodo to in The Fellowship of the Ring. If Galadriel took the One Ring, she would be all that Halbrand wishes her to be…but Galadriel resists this temptation.

In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power showrunners Patrick McKay and J.D. Payne explained that Season 2 of the series will focus more squarely on Sauron.

“Season one opens with: Who is Galadriel? Where did she come from? What did she suffer? Why is she driven?” Payne told THR. “We’re doing the same thing with Sauron in season two. We’ll fill in all the missing pieces.”

“Sauron can now just be Sauron,” McKay said. “Like Tony Soprano or Walter White. He’s evil, but complexly evil. We felt like if we did that in season one, he’d overshadow everything else. So the first season is like Batman Begins, and the The Dark Knight is the next movie, with Sauron maneuvering out in the open. We’re really excited.”