Movies - TV
What Are The Lands Of Rhûn? The Lord Of The Rings' Eastlands Explained
By DEBOPRIYAA DUTTA
Spoiler Warning!
This story contains spoilers for Season 1 of "The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power."
The Season 1 finale of “The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power” featured many big reveals, such as the identity of Sauron and The Stranger, and indicated where the next story might lead. When the Cult of Melkor approaches The Stranger and mistakenly identifies him as Sauron, they disclose that he must travel to Rhûn, or the Eastlands.
While the denizens of Middle-earth know little about Rhûn, J.R.R. Tolkien’s work explains how the first Elves, Dwarves, and Men awoke in the far east before some eventually migrated west, which created divergent cultures and ways of life. Those Men who remained in Rhûn, later known as the Easterlings, would become servants of Morgoth.
Rhûn has a deep history in Tolkien’s lore, serving as the home of Easterlings, some Dwarven clans, and the Avari and the Umanyar Elves who rejected the Valar’s summon. During the Fourth Age, Gondor eventually subjugated the area during Aragorn’s rule, and the two peoples entered a peace accord.