# Elven Kings Under the Sky
**Elven Kings Under the Sky** is the first episode of the second season of *The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power*, the Amazon Prime Video fantasy series set in Middle-earth's Second Age. It aired on August 29, 2024, alongside the season's second and third episodes, and was directed by Charlotte Brändström and written by Gennifer Hutchison.[1](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt13580784/fullcredits/) • [2](https://the-rings-of-power.fandom.com/wiki/Elven_Kings_Under_the_Sky) The official synopsis reads: "Sauron bargains with Adar. The Stranger and Nori venture into new lands. The Three Elven Rings face judgment."[3](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/the_lord_of_the_rings_the_rings_of_power/s02/e01)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Season and episode | Season 2, Episode 1 of *The Rings of Power*; season premiere[2](https://the-rings-of-power.fandom.com/wiki/Elven_Kings_Under_the_Sky) |
| Air date | August 29, 2024, on Prime Video, released alongside episodes 2 and 3[2](https://the-rings-of-power.fandom.com/wiki/Elven_Kings_Under_the_Sky) |
| Runtime | 76 minutes[4](https://www.metacritic.com/tv/the-lord-of-the-rings-the-rings-of-power/season-2/episode-1-elven-kings-under-the-sky/) |
| Director and writer | Charlotte Brändström; Gennifer Hutchison (the series wiki also credits Jason Cahill and Justin Doble)[1](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt13580784/fullcredits/) • [2](https://the-rings-of-power.fandom.com/wiki/Elven_Kings_Under_the_Sky) |
| Title source | The first line of the Ring Verse, "Three Rings for the Elven-kings under the sky"[5](https://www.theonering.net/torwp/2024/09/05/119256-recap-the-lord-of-the-rings-the-rings-of-power-episodes-1-to-3/) |
| Composer | Bear McCreary, whose episode soundtrack album contains 9 tracks totaling 45 minutes 31 seconds[6](https://open.spotify.com/album/7wV55utnG1klP4wp2vSxS2) |
| Episode guide | Follows the season 1 finale "Alloyed"; followed by "Where the Stars are Strange"[2](https://the-rings-of-power.fandom.com/wiki/Elven_Kings_Under_the_Sky) |
## Title
The episode takes its name from the opening line of the Ring Verse, the poem in J.R.R. Tolkien's *The Lord of the Rings* that describes the distribution of the rings of power: "Three Rings for the Elven-kings under the sky, Seven for the Dwarf-lords in their halls of stone, Nine for Mortal Men doomed to die."[5](https://www.theonering.net/torwp/2024/09/05/119256-recap-the-lord-of-the-rings-the-rings-of-power-episodes-1-to-3/) The verse is the epigraph to *The Lord of the Rings* and, in Tolkien's drafts, went through several versions before the published form.[7](https://tolkiengateway.net/wiki/Poems_in_The_Lord_of_the_Rings) • [8](https://www.wordonfire.org/articles/a-first-look-at-the-collected-poems-of-j-r-r-tolkien/) The season's later episode titles include "[Halls of Stone](https://www.edgepedia.org/halls-of-stone)" (episode 5), drawn from a later line of the same poem.[4](https://www.metacritic.com/tv/the-lord-of-the-rings-the-rings-of-power/season-2/episode-1-elven-kings-under-the-sky/)
## Production
Charlotte Brändström directed the episode and also served as co-executive producer; Gennifer Hutchison received the written-by credit, with the series wiki additionally crediting executive producers Jason Cahill and Justin Doble among the writers.[1](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt13580784/fullcredits/) • [2](https://the-rings-of-power.fandom.com/wiki/Elven_Kings_Under_the_Sky) The episode's crew included cinematographer Alex Disenhof and editor Dan Crinnion.[1](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt13580784/fullcredits/)
[Bear McCreary](https://www.edgepedia.org/bear-mccreary) composed the score. The episode's soundtrack album, released on August 29, 2024, contains nine pieces totaling 45 minutes 31 seconds, including "Dawn of the Second Age" (12:55), "Círdan" (7:35), and "Three Rings for the Elven Kings" performed with [Benjamin Walker](https://www.edgepedia.org/benjamin-walker-actor).[6](https://open.spotify.com/album/7wV55utnG1klP4wp2vSxS2)
## Cast and characters
The credited cast includes [Charlie Vickers](https://www.edgepedia.org/charlie-vickers) as Sauron, Morfydd Clark as [Galadriel](https://www.edgepedia.org/galadriel), Robert Aramayo as Elrond, Benjamin Walker as High King Gil-galad, Charles Edwards as Lord Celebrimbor, Sam Hazeldine as Adar, Daniel Weyman as the Stranger, and Markella Kavenagh as Nori Brandyfoot.[9](https://tolkiengateway.net/wiki/Elven_Kings_Under_the_Sky) New to the season are [Ben Daniels](https://www.edgepedia.org/ben-daniels) as Círdan, Ciarán Hinds as the Dark Wizard, and Jack Lowden as the Forodwaith Sauron seen in the episode's opening flashback.[9](https://tolkiengateway.net/wiki/Elven_Kings_Under_the_Sky)
## Story
The episode opens with a prologue parallel to that of the season 1 premiere, answering questions left from season 1: what Sauron was doing after Morgoth's defeat, and where he obtained the sigil of the lost King of the Southlands.[5](https://www.theonering.net/torwp/2024/09/05/119256-recap-the-lord-of-the-rings-the-rings-of-power-episodes-1-to-3/) In the flashback, Sauron appears in a form credited to [Jack Lowden](https://www.edgepedia.org/jack-lowden) as the Forodwaith Sauron.[9](https://tolkiengateway.net/wiki/Elven_Kings_Under_the_Sky) The main storylines follow Sauron's bargain with Adar, the Stranger and Nori traveling into new lands, and the elves judging what to do with the three Elven Rings.[3](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/the_lord_of_the_rings_the_rings_of_power/s02/e01)
## Reception
Professional reviews were favorable: the episode holds an 86% Tomatometer on Rotten Tomatoes based on 14 reviews.[3](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/the_lord_of_the_rings_the_rings_of_power/s02/e01) [The A.V. Club](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-a-v-club)'s Matt Schimkowitz gave it a B, writing that the season opener has "more nuanced emotion, twistier plot turns, and goopy fantasy violence" and "a heart as big as its budget."[3](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/the_lord_of_the_rings_the_rings_of_power/s02/e01)
Audience responses were more divided. Metacritic recorded a user score of 5.2 for the episode,[4](https://www.metacritic.com/tv/the-lord-of-the-rings-the-rings-of-power/season-2/episode-1-elven-kings-under-the-sky/) while TVmaze users rated it 7.8 out of 10 from 76 votes.[10](https://www.tvmaze.com/episodes/2867111/the-lord-of-the-rings-the-rings-of-power-2x01-elven-kings-under-the-sky) In an aggregate rating heatmap of the series' episodes, the episode scored 7.2, in line with the season's early episodes.[11](https://tvshows.denialof.services/the-lord-of-the-rings-the-rings-of-power-t7631058)
## References
1. [Elven Kings Under the Sky (2024), Full cast & crew, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt13580784/fullcredits/)
2. [Elven Kings Under the Sky, The Rings of Power Wiki (Fandom)](https://the-rings-of-power.fandom.com/wiki/Elven_Kings_Under_the_Sky)
3. [The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power – Season 2, Episode 1, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/the_lord_of_the_rings_the_rings_of_power/s02/e01)
4. [The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power season 2, Episode 1 Reviews, Metacritic](https://www.metacritic.com/tv/the-lord-of-the-rings-the-rings-of-power/season-2/episode-1-elven-kings-under-the-sky/)
5. [Recap: The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Episodes 1 to 3, TheOneRing.net](https://www.theonering.net/torwp/2024/09/05/119256-recap-the-lord-of-the-rings-the-rings-of-power-episodes-1-to-3/)
6. [The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power (Season Two, Episode One) Soundtrack, Bear McCreary, Spotify](https://open.spotify.com/album/7wV55utnG1klP4wp2vSxS2)
7. [Poems in The Lord of the Rings, Tolkien Gateway](https://tolkiengateway.net/wiki/Poems_in_The_Lord_of_the_Rings)
8. [A First Look at 'The Collected Poems of J.R.R. Tolkien', Word on Fire](https://www.wordonfire.org/articles/a-first-look-at-the-collected-poems-of-j-r-r-tolkien/)
9. [Elven Kings Under the Sky, Tolkien Gateway](https://tolkiengateway.net/wiki/Elven_Kings_Under_the_Sky)
10. [Elven Kings Under the Sky 2x01, TVmaze](https://www.tvmaze.com/episodes/2867111/the-lord-of-the-rings-the-rings-of-power-2x01-elven-kings-under-the-sky)
11. [The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power TV Show Episode Ratings Heatmap, TV Heatmap](https://tvshows.denialof.services/the-lord-of-the-rings-the-rings-of-power-t7631058)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Seasons, episodes, and installments › Episodes and serial chapters › Individual episode articles › General episode articles › Fantasy and medieval drama episodes*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license