Are the three witches in 'The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power" on Sauron's side? Their rather morally ambiguous actions deepen their mystery.
Warning: The following article contains spoilers for The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Episodes 5-7 on Prime Video.
A sudden appearance of three witches in a story can symbolize the presence of powerful, magical allies for the story's heroes — or hearken the onset of a new layer of conflict. Based on the actions of the three witches that were introduced in The Rings of Power Episode 5, we're going with the latter for these mysterious mages.
The three witches (played by Edith Poor, Bridie Sisson, and Kali Kopae) silently survey the area where the Stranger landed in the first episode of The Rings of Power.
In case you were wondering if they were good or bad witches, the ominous underscoring in the scene of the witch's introduction provides a necessary non-verbal context clue.
Who are the three witches in 'The Rings of Power'? The most likely theory.
OK — let's begin with the actual names of the witches. The witch clad in armor is known as the Nomad (Edith Poor), while the witch with the powerful staff and white veil is called the Dweller (Bridie Sisson). Finally, we have the third witch, named the Ascetic (Kali Kopae).
In case you were still wondering — the three witches don't appear to be on Team Good Guy. Seriously, if you're going to go after anyone in this story, why pick on the harmless Harfoots?
Let's backtrack. The kind Nori Brandyfoot (Markella Kavenagh) had attempted to throw the witches off the scent of the Stranger, who they were tracking. The witches didn't say anything, but appeared menacingly in front of Nori (apparently, they've got high BS meters), which prompted her fellow Harfoots to immediately take up arms in her defense.
They're good at two things: not talking and setting things on fire.
Without a word, the Dweller set their entire caravan of carriages on fire. (We hope the Harfoots had good carriage insurance!)
But why were the witches so mad that Nori was trying to keep them away from the Stranger? The prevalent (and most likely) theory that hit the internet was that the witches belong to some sort of magical cult that aims to resurrect Sauron, or essentially aid him in his rise to power.
Another interesting take from IGN poses this theory — that the witches are a reimagining of Tolkien's Blue Wizards.
The Blue Wizards were actually tasked with defending Middle-earth from Sauron and his powerful forces in Tolkien's novels. They were Istari, magical beings like Gandalf who wielded immense power.
It could be that the witches are aware of the dangers of the Stranger in a way that Nori failed to grasp, hence why they were angry when Nori distracted them from the Stranger's trail. Does that warrant burning down the carriages though? Well, there's no rule saying witches can't be morally ambiguous.
We'll have to keep watching to find out more about the mysterious witches in The Rings of Power. Will they finally speak in the first season's finale, or simply set more things on fire?
Find out when The Rings of Power Season 1 finale drops on Prime Video this Friday, Oct. 14, 2022.
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