Where is Rhûn in Middle-earth and why’s it important in Rings of Power?

*WARNING: Spoilers ahead for The Rings of Power episode 8*

After teasing fans with a number of mysteries throughout its first season, Amazon’s The Rings of Power finally offered up some answers in episode 8.

The riveting episode, at last, confirmed the identity of Sauron and also hinted that the Stranger may actually be a Wizard we’ve met before.

In the closing moments of the episode, Nori and the Stranger begin a new adventure together as they set off to explore the lands of Rhûn but where exactly is this mysterious location and why could it be important in The Rings of Power?

The Stranger and Nori must travel to Rhûn

After defeating the three Mystics earlier, the Stranger is revealed as one of the Istari, an Istari Wizard.

His last line of dialogue in episode 8 is also a nod at the audience. It confirms his identity as Gandalf.

But there is still much that the enigmatic character does not know about his place in Middle-earth and so he informs Nori that to learn more, he must travel to the land of Rhûn.

It looks as if this may be the final goodbye between the pair, but Nori’s family know that her destiny is not on the Harfoots’ trail, and they give their blessing for her to go with the Wizard.

Where is Rhûn in Middle-earth?

Rhûn is the eastern-most land in Middle-earth.

It is directly east of Rhovanion, where the Harfoots used to travel, as well as northeast of Mordor (formerly the Southlands).

Little is known about the geography of Rhûn as it is seldom explored by the Men, Elves and Dwarves from the western regions of Middle-earth.

The maps of Rhûn that do exist show the great inland Sea of Rhûn which is bordered by a forest and range of hills and further east there is known to be another inland body of water known as the Sea of Helcar.

A band of Men known as Easterlings inhabit the lands of Rhûn and many of them served Morgoth and later Sauron in the great wars of Middle-earth.

On top of that, several clans of Dwarves are also known to live in the region, some of which sought refuge in Middle-earth’s western lands when evil began to spread there.

Why Rhûn could be so important in The Rings of Power

Rhûn is a crucial location in Tolkien lore as it plays host to two ancient regions, Cuiviénen and Hildórien, where the first Elves and Men awoke after being created by Eru Ilúvatar, Middle-earth’s god.

As such, the lineages of most beings can be traced back to Rhûn and so the Stranger is almost certainly looking to find out more about his origins and purpose in Middle-earth.

In Tolkien’s original texts, it’s never revealed if Gandalf ever travelled to Rhûn so him doing so in The Rings of Power will make for his first visit to the region – and ours too, as the land has never been shown on screen before.

Later on in Middle-earth’s timeline, in the Third Age, Saruman and the two Blue Wizards travel to Rhûn but while Saruman returned to the west, the Blue Wizards were never seen again.

The land was also the home of Sauron for a while, after his defeat to Isildur and The Last Alliance. Sauron also found refuge there when he fled from Dol Guldur.

The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power can be streamed in its entirety on Amazon Prime VideoSeason 1 was completed on October 14, 2022.

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