Only True Tolkien Fans Noticed the Hidden Meaning Behind the 'Rings of Power' Opening Credits
Not just swirling sand — it’s a coded tribute to Middle-earth lore.
The title sequence of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power might look like abstract patterns forming in sand, but there’s more going on. Every shape and shift is packed with references from Tolkien’s mythology.
The creators drew from the Music of the Ainur in The Silmarillion to build a sequence shaped by literal and symbolic vibration.
As someone who’s been fascinated by Tolkien since childhood, I was thrilled to realize what the show was doing. Exploring Middle-earth and its histories has always been a passion — and this opening feels like a reward for those who pay attention.
The sequence uses Chladni plates — where sound vibrations create patterns in particles — as a visual metaphor. Just like in Tolkien’s myth, where the Ainur sang the world into being, the title shapes emerge and dissolve through sound. It’s creation through music, mirroring the origin of Arda itself.
It opens with nine rings — for men — then seven for dwarves, three for elves. Soon, we see the Two Trees of Valinor, symbols of the First Age. But then black sand tears through the order. That’s Melkor’s discord: his corrupted music disrupting harmony. Evil, in this world, is born from dissonance.
The sequence ends with Morgoth’s iron crown, which becomes central to the season’s finale. Adar wounds Sauron with it. Galadriel nearly dies. Sauron ultimately wears it, marking his rise.
It’s impressive how the show uses the intro not just for style, but for storytelling. Good and evil aren’t shouted — they build slowly, through visual cues and careful references.
