What’s what in Middle-earth: A guide to the people and places of ‘The Rings of Power’

The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power is a series with an epic scope — and with that scope comes a massive ensemble cast and the expansive world of Middle-earth. If you’re worried about having to commit a whole slew of character and location names to memory, don’t be. We’ve got you covered.

Below, you’ll find a list of the key characters from The Rings of Power, as well as where in Middle-earth you’ll find them. You might recognize some characters from The Lord of the Rings or The Silmarillion, but many will be completely unfamiliar. That’s because The Rings of Power adds new characters who don’t appear in J.R.R. Tolkien’s work.

Old or new, here are the characters you need to know about in The Rings of Power — and where you’ll find them towards the start of the series.

In Lindon: Galadriel, Elrond, and Gil-galad

From left to right: Gil-galad, Galadriel, Elrond.
Credit: Ben Rothstein/Prime Video

First up in our tour of Middle-earth is Lindon. Lindon is an elven realm on the Western shores of Middle-earth. It is known in part as the home of the Grey Havens, the port city from which the elves sail west towards Valinor. Valinor, also known as the Undying Lands, is home to the powerful beings known as the Valar, as well as the elves who choose to leave Middle-earth. We’ve seen Lindon onscreen before: At the end of Return of the King, Frodo departs from the Grey Havens to go into the West.

Galadriel (Morfydd Clark): Galadriel is sure to be a familiar name to those who have read or seen The Lord of the Rings, but the Galadriel we meet in The Rings of Power is in a very different stage of her life. She’s a commander and a warrior looking to hunt down the evil Sauron.

Elrond (Robert Aramayo): Before he was Lord of Rivendell and father to Arwen, half-elven Elrond was the vice-regent and herald to Gil-galad.

Gil-galad (Benjamin Walker): All hail Gil-galad, the High King of the elves. Gil-galad established the kingdom of Lindon at the beginning of the Second Age of Middle-earth and has ruled it ever since.

In Eregion and Khazad-dûm: Celebrimbor, Prince Durin IV, and Princess Disa

From left to right: Durin and Disa.
Credit: Ben Rothstein/Prime Video

Eregion is another elven realm, located just on the western edge of the Misty Mountains. It’s right near a location that plays a large part in Fellowship of the Ring: the dwarven kingdom of Khazad-dûm, also known as Moria. At this point in time during the Second Age, Khazad-dûm is at the height of its power. No Balrog in sight yet.

Celebrimbor (Charles Edwards): Introduced in The Silmarillion, Celebrimbor is a master elven craftsman and the ruler of Eregion.

Prince Durin IV (Owain Arthur): Durin IV is the prince of Khazad-dûm: His father, Durin III, currently sits on the throne.

Princess Disa (Sophia Nomvete): A new addition to Middle-earth just for The Rings of Power, Disa is Durin’s wife and princess of Khazad-dûm.

In Rhovanion: Harfoots and a mysterious stranger

From left to right: Nori Brandyfoot, Marigold Brandyfoot, Largo Brandyfoot, and Poppy Proudfellow.
Credit: Ben Rothstein/Prime Video

Rhovanion, sometimes called Wilderland, is a large stretch of land in the northern part of Middle-earth, east of the Misty Mountains. Its most famous landmarks include the Great River Anduin and the forest of Mirkwood, which plays a large part in The Hobbit. Rhovanion is also home to the Harfoots, hobbit ancestors briefly mentioned in the prologue of Fellowship of the Ring. All the Harfoots we meet in The Rings of Power are new characters, and they’re portrayed as nomadic, as opposed to settling in cozy holes under hills.

Nori Brandyfoot (Markella Kavenagh): Chiefest among these Harfoots is Elanor “Nori” Brandyfoot, a young Harfoot with a taste for adventure. (Sound like any hobbits you may know?)

Largo Brandyfoot (Dylan Smith): Nori’s father, and patriarch of the Brandyfoots.

Marigold Brandyfoot (Sara Zwangobani): Nori’s mother, and matriarch of the Brandyfoots.

Poppy Proudfellow (Megan Richards): Nori’s best friend. The two of them get up to quite a bit of trouble together.

The Stranger (Daniel Weyman): Nothing spells trouble quite like a man falling out of the sky in a fiery blaze. That’s the Stranger, an unknown character in the show who might have a connection to Tolkien’s book. We don’t know much about him beyond the fact that he meets Nori, has magic powers, and knows how to make a killer entrance.

In the Southlands: Arondir, Bronwyn, and Theo

From left to right: Bronwyn, Arondir, Theo.
Credit: Ben Rothstein/Prime Video

The Southlands are just what they sound like: a region in the South of Middle-earth (and also a bit to the East). In The Rings of Power, our first point of entry into the Southlands is the village of Tirharad. Tirharad and its inhabitants may be show-only creations, but the Southlands — and their role in Middle-earth’s history — are extremely important.

Arondir (Ismael Cruz Córdova): A Silvan — or Woodland — elf, Arondir is a soldier tasked with surveying areas of the Southlands. This includes the village of Tirharad, where he meets and forms a connection with Bronwyn.

Bronwyn (Nazanin Boniadi): Bronwyn is Tirharad’s healer, as well as a single mother who bonds with Arondir on his visits to the village.

Theo (Tyroe Muhafidin): Bronwyn’s young son, who may have a few secrets of his own.

In Belegaer: Halbrand

Halbrand in “The Rings of Power.”
Credit: Ben Rothstein/Prime Video

Belegaer, also known as the Sundering Seas or the Great Sea, is the sea to the west of Middle-earth. It separates Middle-earth from the continent of Aman, which is home to Valinor.

Halbrand (Charlie Vickers): Another new character, Halbrand is a shipwreck survivor who crosses paths with Galadriel.

In Númenor: Míriel, Pharazôn, Kemen, Elendil, Isildur, and Eärien

From left to right: Kemen, Míriel, Pharazôn, Elendil, Eärien, Isildur.
Credit: Ben Rothstein/Prime Video

Númenor is a key location in Tolkien’s mythology of Middle-earth. It is an island nation that was gifted to the Men of Middle-earth in exchange for their help in the fight against the Dark Lord Morgoth. For some idea of how Númenor fits into The Lord of the Rings, know that Aragorn is one of the Dúnedain, meaning he is a descendant of the people of Númenor. The Númenóreans in The Rings of Power are a mix of book and show-only characters.

Míriel (Cynthia Addai-Robinson): Míriel is Queen-Regent of Númenor, and daughter of the previous king.

Pharazôn (Trystan Gravelle): Pharazôn is Míriel’s advisor. He plays a major role in Akallabêth, the fourth part of The Silmarillion.

Kemen (Leon Wadham): Kemen is Pharazôn’s son, and a rising political figure in Númenor.

Elendil (Lloyd Owen): A Númenórean sea captain, and father to Eärien and Isildur.

Isildur (Maxim Baldry): Isildur is Elendil’s son, and a Númenórean with wanderlust.

Eärien (Ema Horvath): Eärien is Elendil’s daughter. While Elendil and Isildur are both characters who appear in Tolkien’s works, Eärien is a new character created for The Rings of Power.

And then there’s this guy…

Whoever he is, he’s important.
Credit: Courtesy of Prime Video

While the above character (played by Anson Boon) has yet to be identified, he plays a big enough role in The Rings of Power’s trailers that we have to single him out. He’s creepy, he does magic, and he seems positioned to be one of the show’s antagonists. Originally, I thought he might be Sauron, but the Dark Lord is a trickier evil. He wouldn’t appear this villainous right off the bat, would he? Either way, this man is going to be important, and even though we don’t know who he is, be sure to keep an eye out for him!

The first two episodes of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power premiere on Prime Video at 9 p.m. ET on Sept. 1. New episodes release weekly Fridays at 12 a.m. ET.