Rings of Power trailer reveals the origin story of Tolkien's world

We know that Amazon’s pricey Lord of the Rings series, The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, takes place thousands of years before the Lord of the Rings saga by J.R.R. Tolkien. But the show’s newest trailer is taking audiences back even further.

In the newest trailer for Rings of Power, fans get a more indulgent glimpse at the Second Age, the period before The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. From Harfoots wandering from place to place to Galadriel (played by Saint Maud star Morfydd Clark) being positioned as the show’s de facto main character, the world of Middle-earth is as dangerous and exciting as it’s ever been.

One of the most interesting things about the trailer, however, is how it begins: As spoken in voice-over by Galadriel, the origins of Tolkien’s world are basically recapped. “There was a time when the world was so young, there had not yet been a sunrise. But even then, there was light.”

It’s at that moment that the trailer just barely shows two towering trees (no, not those trees) of silver and gold. These trees — the Silver Tree Telperion, and Golden Tree Laurelin — are the Two Trees of Valinor, which gave the world of Arda light for thousands of years. (They were also the second light source following Illuin and Ormal, which were destroyed by the first Dark Lord, Malkor.) These trees were located on Ezellohar, a hill outside the city Valmar where the angelic Valar people lived.

The trees existed long before the Second Age, which is when Rings of Power will take place. Towards the end of the First Age, these light sources were again destroyed by Malkor, who later became more widely known as Morgoth. It’s okay, though, because pieces of Telperion and Laurelin would evolve into the planet’s sun and moon.

This isn’t the first time Telperion and Laurelin have been seen in relation to Rings of Power. Almost a year ago, the series’ official Twitter account shared the trailer’s opening image with the Trees of Valinor just barely visible. The new trailer makes them hard to miss, though the rising morning sun is still radiant enough to blind viewers. At least there’s a helpful voice-over emphasizing the saga’s motifs of light overcoming darkness.

Elsewhere, we get bountiful looks at what’s in store for The Rings of Power. The trailer properly introduces Harfoots, the evolutionary predecessors of Hobbits. Unlike the chill folk Biblo and Frodo are part of, Harfoots are nomads who prefer to keep moving than stay in one place. That’s what separates them from other species, like elves (who dwell in forests), dwarves (who dwell in mines), and humans (who tend to fields). “But we Harfoots have each other,” says an unnamed Harfoot, played by actress Thusitha Jayasundera, “We’re safe.” But maybe they won’t be for long if they go anywhere near an ominous meteor that falls from the sky.

As for the royal Elf Galadriel, the trailer frames her as a sword-wielding adventurer who dares question the safety the Elves believe they have. “You have not seen what I have seen,” she ominously says in the trailer, to equally ominous imagery of war and hellfire. Unlike most characters in The Rings of Power, Galadriel has a storied history throughout the First and Second Ages. As the most fleshed-out character by Tolkien, it makes sense that Galadriel will be central to the overall story.

And of course, there’s immediate foreshadowing about the building of the Rings of Power, the series’ namesake. “This could be the beginning of a new era,” says Durin IV, played by actor Owain Arthur. How right he is.

The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power will begin streaming on Prime Video on July 14.