'Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power' Character Guide From Elrond to Nori

Viewers are about to return to Middle Earth in The Rings of Power, a show that aims to rival its predecessor, The Lord of the Rings trilogy, in its scope.

This is particularly true of the show's characters, from elves to dwarves, Harfoots to the race of men—as author J. R. R. Tolkien called them—there are more than a dozen main characters to keep track of.

So, for those who need guidance on who is who in the fantasy show, look no further than Newsweek's guide to all the major players in the show. Some of the cast also give insight on their roles.

'Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power' Character Guide

The Rings of Power is based on the works of J. R. R. Tolkien, namely his collection of stories in The Silmarillion and the appendices of The Lord of the Rings, though it is set thousands of years prior to the events of the trilogy and The Hobbit.

The Elves

Galadriel

Galadriel is a character who will be familiar to fans of The Lord of the Rings, and she is played by Morfydd Clark in the TV show. In Peter Jackson's films, the role was taken on by Cate Blanchett.

The elf is depicted in her early life in the show, so she is not yet the Lady of Lothlórien. She is a warrior determined to draw out Sauron and get revenge for the deaths of her people.

Elrond

Elrond also features in The Lord of the Rings. Previously portrayed by Hugo Weaving, the character is now played by Robert Aramayo.

Not yet the ruler of Rivendell, the half-human elf is a politician on the rise during the events of The Rings of Power.

Speaking to Newsweek about his character, Aramayo said he was "definitely" excited to portray a different version of Elrond: "100 percent because at the end of the day he is half-elven, and so there's like a lingering mortality in Elrond which I was really excited to explore.

"And I think is a really interesting choice that Tolkien wrote into this character. So, I wanted to create a character that can feel both human and Elven. He makes some mistakes or some blunders, which you would class as elven, and some that you would class as human, probably some good things too."

High King Gil-galad

Gil-galad is one of the main Elven rulers in Middle Earth and he is a High King of the Ñoldor, one of the Elven races within Tolkien's world.

Portrayed by Benjamin Walker in the show, the Elven ruler helped found a new kingdom known as Lindon, which is featured in the Amazon Prime Video show.

Celebrimbor

Celebrimbor is an Elven-smith who is determined to make his own mark on the world, and in Tolkien's novels, he is the elf that Sauron manipulates into forging the titular Rings of Power.

Despite his dark future, actor Charles Edwards said of his character: "When we meet him at the beginning of the show, he is in a kind of state of creative and personal flux."

Arondir

Arondir is a new Elven character created for the show, portrayed by Ismael Cruz Córdova he is a Silvan Elf who watches over a region in which men live.

One village, Tirharad, is of particular importance to his story as that is where he meets and falls in love with Bronwyn.

The Dwarves

King Durin III

Portrayed by Peter Mullan, King Durin III is the ruler of the dwarf city of Khazad-dûm, which later becomes known as Moria.

Prince Durin IV

Prince Durin IV is King Durin's son, played by Owain Arthur. The royal is the heir to Khazad-dûm and he also has a close friendship with Elrond.

Princess Disa

Princess Disa, played by Sophia Nomvete, is the wife of Prince Durin IV and the first female dwarf to appear in an adaptation of Tolkien's work.

Nomvete told Newsweek of her character: "It's been an utter honor to play her and to host this incredible moment, this is the first time for sure that we're seeing a female dwarf, that's ever truly been seen.

"So it's a really exciting time for fans, the current fans and those of Lord of the Rings and Tolkien's Legendarium, but of course for the new fans that are set to join us on this journey."

The Harfoots

Elanor 'Nori' Brandyfoot

Nori Brandyfoot, played by Markella Kavenagh, is one of the Harfoots, an ancestor to Hobbits and who, like Frodo and Bilbo Baggins before her, wishes for adventure.

Nori is new to Tolkien's world as the author did not elaborate on the Hobbits' origins other than that their ancestors would keep their location secret by migrating often.

Sadoc Burrows

Portrayed by Lenny Henry, Sadoc Burrows is one of the Elders who leads the Harfoots during their time in Middle Earth.

The Men

Halbrand

Halbrand is a man who encounters Galadriel during the events of the first two episodes of The Rings of Power.

Played by Charlie Vickers, the character is new to the world of Tolkien and his importance to the story is not yet known.

Bronwyn

Bronwyn, as previously mentioned, is a woman from the village of Tirharad who encounters Arondir during his time watching over the region. She is played by Nazanin Boniadi and is key in helping guide her fellow villagers, whose ancestors supported Morgoth and Sauron.

Theo

Theo, played by Tyroe Muhafidin, is Bronwyn's son who the actor describes as being "quite angry at the world" and who is drawn to the dark powers of Sauron and Morgoth.

He said: "[He's] not the most likable person, I think we meet him as that. But I think as the season goes on, and as things happen to him, I think he sort of lets his guard down a little more and we see the real Theo and he's a sweet kid."

The Númenóreans

Isildur

Númenor was the greatest civilization of Men in Tolkien's Middle Earth and the royal family was gifted with long lifespans by the Valar, the deities who shaped and ruled the world.

Isildur is a Númenórean that fans will know from The Lord of the Rings. He becomes seduced by the One Ring after defeating Sauron prior to the events of the trilogy, allowing the villain to survive because he did not destroy the Ring.

Reflecting on this known history of his character, Maxim Baldry told Newsweek there was "a lot of weight of expectation" given "the bane of Isildur."

"I get a lot of comments like, 'why did you ruin the show?' Oh my god, I'm sorry it's not me it's my character," Baldry said. "It was a great weight of privilege as well to play a character that connects the Second Age with the Third Age and we see him as a young person trying to find himself, with a kind of strenuous relationship with his father.

"[We're] trying to make him relatable, and that's where we kind of see him in the first season, and [he's] very funny as well, he's a bit of a comedic relief."

Elendil

Elendil, portrayed by Lloyd Owen, is Isildur's father who will play a key part in the story to come in The Rings of Power.

When discussing his character, Owen told Newsweek: "If you know your Tolkien lore you know this is a very significant character in the history of Middle Earth and so much that happens in the books and The Lord of the Rings, they refer back to Elendil. Obviously, Aragorn (played by Viggo Mortensen in the films) is my 38th great, great, great, great-grandson.

"Actually, we know very little about Elendil other than he's a hero archetype, but that's because of the effect he's had on [the] generations that follow him.

"So [I feel] great excitement, great responsibility taking on this role because people have very firm opinion as to who Elendil is, and I think [showrunners] J.D. [Payne] and Patrick [McKay] have done a brilliant job of how we set him up in the first season as a widower trying to deal with these adult children that he has, who are grieving and the turbulence in the family because of that death, and him gradually getting sucked into the politics of Númenor."

Eärien

Eärien is the sister of Isildur who is portrayed by Ema Horvath in The Rings of Power, and she makes her debut in Episode 3 of the Prime Video series.

The character is another new addition to the franchise since, in Tolkien's books, Isildur only had a brother named Anárion. Little is known about Eärien other than she has been accepted into the Builder's Guild at Númenor.

Queen Regent Míriel

Cynthia Addai-Robinson portrays Queen Regent Míriel, the leader of Númenor who is forced to marry her cousin Ar-Pharazôn in Tolkien's books.

Addai-Robinson said of her character: "We have what I think is an incredibly exciting tale to tell, and many people are familiar with the legend of Atlantis so this is essentially that story but Tolkien-ized, if you can say that.

"So when the audience discovers Númenor we will also be watching characters who sort of discover it as well. I kind of want the audience to go on the journey, so what I can say is it's an advanced civilization and we just have a very intriguing story that I think the audience will really enjoy."

Pharazôn and Kemen

Pharazôn is played by Trystan Gravelle in the series, and he is described as a "very impressive political figure [operating] from the shadows" by Leon Wadham, who plays his son Kemen.

Gravelle said of Pharazôn and Kemen: "We're part of the regency of Númenor which is a very strong, powerful island kingdom of men.

"It has elvish roots, there are elvish traditions, and I guess there's a schism going down the middle there of some who are faithful [...] and the King's men who want to dispense with that way and want to be more innovative, and to pave their own way in this new world that they want to create, and we're at the forefront of that."

Wadham said of Kemen: "Pharazôn has seen a lot more than someone like Kemen who is pretty young and doesn't necessarily understand the fight to get to the point that they're currently in.

"And so a lot of [their] relationship is somebody who is thinking about his legacy and what he's going to leave behind and somebody who's never known struggle."

The Others

The Stranger

The Stranger is largely a mystery in The Rings of Power, played by Daniel Weyman. The character arrives suddenly in Middle Earth and is discovered by Nori.

Though his identity is not revealed in the first two episodes of The Rings of Power, there are some clues given as to who he could really be.

Sauron

Sauron, for fans of Tolkien, should be well known by now. The villain originally began as an avid follower and chief lieutenant to Morgoth, the first Dark Lord of Middle Earth.

Following Morgoth's demise, Sauron seeks to regain his power by having the Rings of Power forged, one of which is the One Ring.

The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power premieres with its first two episodes on Friday, September 2 on Prime Video, and it airs weekly thereafter.

Update 09/09/22 6:05 a.m. ET: This article was updated to include details about Eärien, a new character introduced in Episode 3 of the show.