The Rings of Power: Why does Waldreg want to join Adar?

• Waldreg is the respected innkeeper of Tirharad whose judgment is trusted.
• In his barn he hid a powerful sword powered by blood magic.
• An ardent supporter of the fallen Morgoth, he awaits the arrival of Sauron in Middle-earth.

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In “The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power” we meet numerous characters known from the “Lord of the Rings” films. However, the Amazon series also reinvented a ton of characters that Tolkien doesn’t mention in his books.

A recurring person is the innkeeper Waldreg (Geoff Morrell). A gruff older man who lives in the same village as Theo (Tyroe Muhafidin) and his mother Bronwyn (Nazanin Boniadi) in the Southlands.

Despite or because of his character, he plays an important role for the villagers. Many of the people of the village are still followers of Morgoth after the fall of Morgoth. So apparently also Waldreg.

In the innkeeper’s barn, the curious Theo finds a mysterious broken sword hilt. What initially looks like worthless junk turns out to be a powerful weapon powered by blood magic. For Sauron and his henchmen, this sword is of unspeakable value, which is why the orcs go in search of it.

After Theo returns injured and exhausted from his search for food, Waldreg confronts the boy about the gun. Theo initially denies knowing anything about the sword until the old man shows him the scars on his arm. Waldreg once wielded the sword himself, as evidenced by the marks on his body.

With a conspiratorial tone, the old man speaks of Morgoth’s venerable successor, Sauron. With that, the innkeeper admits to the boy that he is a follower of evil. The starfall in the sky signaled Waldreg and his kind that the Dark Lord would return. Which is why he is preparing for his master’s arrival.

When Adar gives the humans an ultimatum to join him, Waldreg sees his chance. He believes Sauron would have chosen him to fight for his plans. The old man kneels before Adar, mistakenly thinking that he is Sauron. When his error is noticed, he also swears allegiance to Adar. To prove his words, he is supposed to slit Theo’s friend Rowan’s throat.

Only Adar himself knows what will happen to Waldreg and the other villagers. However, it is doubtful whether it was a wise decision to join the evil. The next episodes of “The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power” Season 1 await us every Friday on Amazon Prime Video.