In “The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power,” who is the Stranger? Here is what we know about the Meteor Man from Middle-earth, along with some of our opinions. Characters on the ground gazing up in shock as a flaming meteor streaked through the sky were a major theme in Amazon’s marketing for “The Rings of Power” (Gil-Galad, Elrond & Celebrimbor, Arondir & Bronwyn). The happy trailers showed that this object was actually a hairy, human guy, whose landing caused a crater on earth to burst into flames. Daniel Weyman portrays this celestial guest, who is credited as “the Stranger” but is more generally known by the nickname “Meteor Man.” Nori the Harfoot, portrayed by Markella Kavenagh, discovers him.
Since the start of “The Rings of Power’s” marketing campaign, Amazon has kept Meteor Man’s identity and motivations a secret, and even after seeing episodes 1 and 2, that cloak of mystery has scarcely lifted. The two young Harfoots assist the Stranger in getting better after his fall, but they are miserably out of their element and are even less aware of what is happening than the audience is. Nori (together with her reluctant friend Samwise Gamgee Poppy Proudfellow).
Fortunately, not everything is a mystery. By the time the two-part Amazon premiere was over, Meteor Man’s abilities, personality, and purpose had all been discussed. Here is every significant clue that has so far been revealed about the mysterious Meteor Man from “The Rings of Power,” along with some rough predictions and hypotheses about where this plot will go in episode 3.
Meteor Man from “The Rings of Power” revealed via omens
The first thing “The Rings of Power” make clear about Meteor Man is that he wasn’t unexpected in his arrival. The more cautious of the two hunters exclaims, “Something’s amiss here,” during the opening Harfoot sequence of “The Rings of Power” episode 1. Two hunters comment on how unusual it is that there is “nothing to hunt.” Then, in a later scene, Sadoc Burrows of Lenny Henry accuses the stars of shining when they shouldn’t be as if they are “watching for something,” and remarks that hunters showing up out of season is a terrible omen.
It almost seems as though Middle-Earth itself can detect something that Harfoots and hunters cannot—that the unusual behavior of wolves and stars are portents of the advent of Meteor Man. Burrows also carries a large, dusty book with pictorial references to stars, hunters, and wolves; this book may contain an old Harfoot prophecy that predicts the arrival of Meteor Man. “The Rings of Power” watchers can at least presume that this bearded mumbler hasn’t just sprung out of nowhere, but rather is a part of a larger plan that fate has already written.
How Memory Loss & Meteor Man’s Magic Work
It’s not science fiction to crash after soaring into the air in a ball of flame. When Nori discovers that this fire doesn’t burn her, the imaginative gibberish begins. Daniel Weyman’s figure from “The Rings of Power” spins the nearby flame and rock into the air in the astonishment of awakening, demonstrating beyond a shadow of a doubt that he is a magical being. The Stranger then bends trees to tower menacingly over Nori on another occasion, and his ultimate ruse involves whispering commands to fireflies. In addition to the aforementioned omens, Meteor Man’s magic thus far has focused exclusively on the manipulation of nature, which could indicate an underlying connection to Tolkien’s Middle-earth.
A darker side is also hinted at in “The Rings of Power.” Nori’s dad breaks his foot when Meteor Man angrily smashes his painting stick. The back-and-forth editing of the episode suggests that magic was to blame for Largo’s accident, and the plot intensifies in “The Rings of Power” episode 2 when Nori observes that her new friend’s firefly exhibition kills the animals as soon as their function is completed. These ominous scenes can suggest that Meteor Man lacks control over his abilities as well as a covert lack of compassion for other living things.
Unfortunately, Meteor Man himself is more interested in eating snails and drawing in the dirt than he is in offering solutions. The deceased spaceman is unable to speak clearly and is unaware of his identity or species. It’s possible that Meteor Man’s traumatic entry into Middle-earth caused his memory loss, but it’s also possible that entering Middle-earth forced him to forget who he really was, just like Gandalf and the wizards only vaguely recall Valinor.
The Goal of Meteor Man Is To Find The Stars
“The Rings of Power” episode 2’s closing scenes give viewers a glimpse of Meteor Man’s motivation as he uses Nori and Poppy’s firefly lights to trace constellations in the night sky. The right answer from Nori is that Meteor Man is searching for these specific stars (which were probably also the same shapes sketched into the dirt earlier). Since Nori doesn’t exactly recognize the stars her big buddy is looking for, “The Rings of Power” is, as expected, making her new mission difficult.
Maybe there’s only one area in Middle-Earth where you can see the constellation of Meteor Man. The constellations could have been from millennia ago when young Harfoot like Nori Brandyfoot wouldn’t have known about stars that have since burned out. Nori may learn precisely which ancient stars the Stranger is charting with a simple conversation with Sadoc Burrows and a glance through his enormous book of secrets. Of all, our mysterious traveler must be quite old if he can recall stars that haven’t existed for hundreds of years, despite the fact that he obviously lacks pointed ears and good looks.
Nori should be asking Meteor Man why he is looking for stars, not which stars he is looking for. The arrangement of the stars at night will probably signpost to a particular place in Middle-earth, and it is there that the Stranger’s true mission rests.
Could Meteor Man be Sauron from “The Rings of Power”?
It is just a matter of time before Sauron makes an appearance in “The Rings of Power,” and multiple suspicious hints already point to Meteor Man as the elusive foe. First of all, Galadriel’s decision to leave Valinor because she is determined to first vanquish Sauron occurs precisely at the same time as his entrance. It would be profoundly poetic for the elf to make this choice as Sauron shouts back into Middle-earth. His magical abilities are congruent with Sauron’s status as a Maia, and the shape his crater creates at that moment resembles something like a burning eye (particularly one associated with flame). The destruction of the firefly and transformation of Largo Brandyfoot into Largo Brokenfoot suggest inner darkness, and arriving in Middle-earth through the skies with no recollection explains why Galadriel was unable to locate her archrival after spending many years looking.
The Lindon leaf that falls before Gil-Galad as Meteor Man approaches is another significant indicator. The underside of the leaf is covered in a deadly poison that is black, as though in response to this new existence in Middle-earth. In “The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power,” Sauron may plan to assemble his army at this location and build Mordor, according to the constellations the Stranger paints for Nori.
Prediction: Tilion Could Be Meteor Man
There is no doubt that Daniel Weyman is portraying an Ainur in “The Rings of Power” episodes 1 and 2, a Vala or Maia who is originally from Valinor. He may be really old and has magic that is beyond that of the native Middle-Earthians. He has a strong connection to nature but, like the Istari (wizards) who first came to Middle-earth, has no memory of his past life or identity. While Gandalf’s spells were featured in Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings films, Meteor Man’s magic parodies their depictions. His bending of the trees recalls to mind Gandalf the White’s entry into the Fangorn Forest, and his talking to the fireflies reminds one of Gandalf giving a moth directions.
Another reason an Ainur would pick Nori Brandyfoot to land next to is explained by “The Rings of Power.” Nori feels as though Meteor Man fell closest to her of all creatures for a reason, and she intended to locate him. Poppy mentions how Nori once nursed a fledgling eagle with a broken wing back to health in a quiet, throwaway statement. By curing an eagle, Nori demonstrated to the Ainur that she was a compassionate, brave, and trustworthy person who would assist if, for example, someone crashed in the middle of a forest and suffered from memory loss. Eagles are the messengers of the Valar themselves.
Tilion would be the most appropriate if Meteor Man actually is an Ainur. Tilion, also referred to as the “Man in the Moon,” was a Maia who resembled a Vala and took Telperion’s last bloom before ascending into the sky to take charge of the moon. Tilion is described as a maverick (just like Gandalf) which would explain why he breaks ranks and descends to Middle-earth alone. Tilion appears in Tolkien’s poems and songs about the Man in the Moon descending down to Middle-earth. Tilion would be prohibited from his actual self, like all Maia who takes physical form, which accounts for his patchy memory and gray, bearded appearance. With Sauron, an evil that the Valar bravely fought to vanquish, ready to make a comeback, Tilion might have arrived to defend Middle-earth from yet another devastating menace.
The Shire Has a Relationship With Meteor Man, Prediction
It is only fair that Meteor Man repay Nori Brandyfoot for risking life, limb, and a beating from Sadoc Burrows in order to assist him. Nori’s displeasure with the Harfoots’ nomadic way of life is already made clear in “The Rings of Power,” and she longs for a happier existence free of concealing and fleeing. The Harfoots should move to Eriador and establish the settlement that will later be known as the Hobbits’ Shire, a wide haven where hobbit kids can play freely without continual dread of being seen, perhaps as a result of whatever Meteor Man teaches Nori throughout the course of their adventures.
Although J.R.R. Tolkien claims that Hobbits didn’t truly settle the Shire until the middle of the Third Age, the author also fails to explain why they chose Eriador as their permanent home instead of roving around Rhovanion. The relationship between Meteor Man and Nori in “The Rings of Power” may eventually lead to all three Hobbit races migrating far to the west in an effort to establish their beautiful utopia in the fields of Eriador. It would make perfect sense for Bilbo Baggins to sing songs about Meteor Man if he were the one who directed Harfoots toward the Shire.
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