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Summary
- New images of Hobbit ancestors in Middle-earth, the Stoors, give clues about season 2 of
The Rings of Power
. - The Stoors, a group living in desert areas of Rhûn, are explored with insight from the actors playing key roles.
- The Stoors’ settled culture and focus on survival add depth to Tolkien’s world, with hints at connections to familiar characters.
New images from The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power season 2 showcase a first look at new Hobbit ancestors from J.R.R. Tolkien’s Middle-earth, alongside clues from the actors about their roles in the story. The Rings of Power season 1 ended with another Hobbit ancestor, the Harfoot Nori, leaving her people to go with the Stranger to Rhûn, in order to find out more about his origins. While the area doesn’t show up much in Tolkien’s original works, it allows for unexpected surprises as it grows more fleshed-out in the series.
Now, Entertainment Weekly has released new images of the Stoors, a group of Hobbit ancestors living in the desert areas of Rhûn. Check out the first looks at the new characters below:
In addition, Tanya Moodie, who plays Stoor leader Gundabel, and Gavi Singh Chera, who plays another Stoor, Merimac, explained the new group’s role in the story, as well as what makes them different from Tolkien’s original writings on Middle-earth. Check out what Moodie and Chera had to say below:
Moodie: The stoors’ ancestry at some point was nomadic. But over the years, we as a group have settled and that has become our culture, to look after one another.
Chera: There’s this beautiful carving made by Kristian [Milsted], our wonderful production designer, that’s like a mural of the history of the stoors’ and harfoots’ origins. I loved looking at that while we were on set. It made me feel at home with family. It always helped me get into character as Merimac.
Moodie: My character’s intentions are always focused on what will protect us, what will keep us alive, and hopefully thrive. While I was doing it, I was wondering whether or not I’m related to Sméagol. But I couldn’t justify any sort of narrative like, ‘Oh, I’m his great-great-grandmother.’ That felt like a bit of a reach.
Chera: In the books, the stoors are known for loving water. I think it’s so interesting that their origins are a really arid and dry environment, a place where water is sacred. So if you then travel and you come across a river, and this is your history, it must seem like the ultimate oasis.
More to come…
Source: EW
