Fantasy fans worldwide are familiar withJ. R. R. Tolkien’sThe Lord of the Rings,which created the modern framework for the genre. However, Tolkien had an extensive history for his world, detailed in the appendices of the third book,The Return of the King, a collection of mythological history calledThe Silmarillion,and various other works considered Tolkien’s Legendarium. In 2022, Prime Video releasedThe Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, set during the Second Age, which introduces audiences to some of this history,particularly concerning the forging ofthe 19 rings of powerand the One Ring to control them.
Some have argued thatRings of Powerhas struggled to establish its own identity throughout the first and second seasons, partiallybecause it constantly calls back tothe film trilogy bySir Peter Jackson, which are still regarded as some of the best fantasy movies ever made. Some of these references include using the trilogy’sdesign for the Balrogand re-purposing lines of dialogue, which have had mixed results. However, a reference that has paid off a bit better while flying under the radar is the show’s homage to the film-only creation, the horse Brego.
Who Is Brego, and What Is His Role in the Trilogy?
InThe Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers,King Théoden of Rohan(Bernard Hill) and his people make for Helm’s Deep to prepare for the armies of the fallen wizard, Saruman (Sir Christopher Lee). Along the way, they are attacked by Orcs riding wargs, and Aragorn (Viggo Mortensen) falls off a cliff into a river.He is rescued by a horse who carries him to Helm’s Deep, and in the process allows Aragorn to see the size of the Uruk-hai army.
While a seemingly random event in the theatrical release,the extended editionexpands the horse’s role by giving him a name, backstory, and deeper connection to Aragorn. Called Brego, the horse was the personal mount of Théoden’s son, Prince Théodred (Paris Howe Strewe), who was killed in an Uruk-hai ambush. Though Brego was returned to the royal stables, the battle left him wild and resistant to commands. Aragorn was able to calm down Brego thanks to his teachings with the Elves, but recognized that Brego’s days of war were over and told the men to set him free.
This short scene goes a long way, not only in explaining why Brego rescued Aragorn, but also helps to shed more light on Aragorn’s personality. Aragorn comments that Brego’s name is kingly. Indeed, he is named after King Brego, the second king of Rohan, who went mad with grief after the death of his eldest son.This gives him a similar origin to Aragorn, who is descended from the kings of Gondor and Arnor, but has been trying to avoid his destiny out of fear that he willfall to corruption like his ancestor, Isildur(Harry Sinclair).
Thus, Aragorn setting Brego free symbolizeshis own desire to flee from his destiny. This makes it all the more powerful when Brego returns; despite suffering through the horrors of war and being given a new chance at life, Brego chooses to go back to help Aragorn, carrying him not only to Helm’s Deep but serving as his mount inThe Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, thus returning to his destined role as the mount to a king. It’s a small but crucial step in Aragorn’s journey to accepting his royal destiny and becoming the leader of Men who can unite them against the darkness threatening to consume them.
‘The Rings of Power’ Season 2 Establishes Berek’s Connection to Isildur
Season 1 ofThe Rings of Powerintroduced another important horse named Berek, the personal mount of a young Isildur (Maxim Baldry) during his time on the island of Númenor.He is first introduced after Isildurfinishes Sea Guard training in Episode 3 “Adar,“being led by his younger sister created for the show, Eärien (Ema Horvath). The series establishes that Isildur cares for Berek when he cheerfully welcomes the horse and all but ignores his sister. When Galadriel (Morfydd Clark) convinces the Númenóreans to conduct an expedition to drive an army of Orcs out of the Southlands and install her companion, Halbrand (Charlie Vickers), as king, Berek is recruited as a war mount. Isildur is eventually able to go with him after rescuing the son ofpolitician Ar-Pharazôn(Trystan Gravelle), Kemen (Leon Wadham), when he nearly dies sabotaging one of the ships.
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Isildur rides Berek to war but is kept in reserve by Queen Regent Míriel (Cynthia Addai-Robinson) until he is permitted to help his father, Elendil (Lloyd Owen), when he becomes surrounded by Orcs. After the battle,Mt. Doom erupts, covering the Southlands in volcanic ash, killing many humans and forcing the survivors to retreat. He tries to help Míriel rescue the survivors but isburied beneath a collapsing barn and presumed dead. At the Númenórean camp, Berek begins to go wild, and though Elendil tries to calm him down, he realizes that Berek refuses to abandon his rider, and releases him before returning to Númenor. Of course, since Isildur isn’t dead, Berek evades the Orcs and tracks down Isildur in the lair ofthe spider, Shelob. Berek is later taken by a band of wild-men trying to rob Isildur, but with help from Theo (Tyroe Muhafidin),the son of Bronwyn(Nazanin Boniadi), he recovers his beloved horse.
Similarities Can Be Drawn Between Berek and Brego
Right away, many similarities can be drawn between the two examples, such as both riders being presumed dead only to be rescued by their mount, and both riders lingering in a state of uncertainty. Similar to Aragorn’s hesitance to accept his role as the king of Gondor,Isildur is unsure if he wants to join the Sea Guard or not. He feels drawn to go and explore West Númenor, leading to him intentionally sabotaging his graduation trials and getting himself and his two friends kicked off. This selfishness continues when Isildur hopes to join the expedition simply because he is Elendil’s son, but his father rejects him due to his flaky nature. Yet when Isildur finds himself separated from the other Númenóreans and rescued by Berek’s kindness, it sets him on a path to being a more selfless hero by helping the surviving Southlanders who havetaken shelter at Pelargir.
As for Berek himself, whilehis connection to Isildurisn’t as strong as Aragorn and Brego’s from a thematic standpoint, it’s still a nice visualization of how kindness is paid off by further kindness, and little acts of good often lead to the downfall of evil. Isildur and Elendil’s fondness for Berek is contrasted by the Orcs, whose first thoughts are to try and capture the horse and torture him for sport before killing him. Elendil also explained that when a Numenorian horse goes to war with its rider, they form a powerful bond, which reflects the real-life bond that people can form in helping one another during times of crisis. Time will tell how else Berek’s relationship with Isildur will aid in the downfall of evil, andhow much it might mirror Aragorn’s journey in the trilogy.
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power
Epic drama set thousands of years before the events of J.R.R. Tolkien’s ‘The Hobbit’ and ‘The Lord of the Rings’ follows an ensemble cast of characters, both familiar and new, as they confront the long-feared re-emergence of evil to Middle-earth.
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Poweris available to stream on Prime Video in the U.S.
