The Rings Of Power: Is Theo's Blood Hilt The Sword Of Sauron?
Spoilers follow for "The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power."
"The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power" is making a big deal about concealing who is playing the evil Dark Lord Sauron, and most fan theories have been far from perfect. And while we still wonder which character will be revealed as the enigmatic villain, there is one thing that lingers in the back of my mind. A major aspect of this mystery is the appearance of a strange hilt that Theo (Tyroe Muhafidin) is in possession of. While the son of regular ol' human Bronwyn (Nazanin Boniadi) does not seem to be anyone specific from the dense J. R. R. Tolkien canon, the hilt Theo acquires could be the very weapon of the Dark Lord himself.
Since the first episode, Theo has been hiding the hilt, which is presumed to be connected to the evil forces that were seemingly destroyed in the First Age. It only manifests into a complete weapon once it comes into contact with his blood, which was tainted by an orc. The latest episode teases that the sword is directly connected to the return of Sauron, but may not be the Dark Lord's to use.
One sword to rule them all
In the fourth episode of "The Rings of Power," Theo comes across a group of orcs that are ransacking the village he used to live in. In doing so, Theo gets attacked by one, which forces him to stab the hilt into his arm and feed it blood, so it may reach its full power. But he's not the only one who has used the hilt in this manner. It's revealed near the end of the episode that the barkeeper Waldreg (Geoff Morrell) was originally in possession of the fractured sword. Moreover, Waldreg used it in the same way as Theo, teasing that it was "fashioned for our ancestors by his master's own hand."
The hilt seems to have been a sword that was gifted by Sauron to the loyal leaders of the Southlands during the First Age. Remember: A good chunk of humans in Middle-earth, particularly from the Southlands, were members of Morgoth's vast army. They were loyal to the Dark Lord's cause, to a fault. However, things were thought to have changed since then, as the Southlands have not overtly displayed any connection to evil. But if Waldreg is any indication, there seems to be many who await the return of Sauron.
The sword that Theo has is meant for the evil alliance that is impending; however, it's not clear what the weapon's true power is. It does not have an official name yet, but I think "The Rings of Power" might be pulling from the depths of mythology with this mysterious sword.
A blood-eating tool of destruction
Although the series heavily implies it was forged by Sauron (or Morgoth), the weapon in question could derive from another source in the Tolkien canon. The main option that comes to mind is the bloodthirsty weapon called Anglachel. Forged by the Dark Elf Eöl, the sword held great power that was infused with the iron of a meteorite and the essence of the maker himself. It drank the blood of those it struck, but was later reforged to forget its old ways by another elf, Túrin.
Túrin renamed the sword "Gurthang," and used it to slay dragons. But one day, for some complicated marital reasons, he fell upon the sword, killing himself and destroying the weapon at the hilt. This all happened during the First Age, so the timing tracks. However, the series would have to switch out some names to make it work.
"The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power" is no stranger to twisting parts of the canon to fit the overall narrative of the series. If they were to introduce the Anglachel as a weapon meant for the servants of Sauron, it would be a minor detail in the greater scheme of things.