This week, TORn Discord moderator Webcrawler returns with a new article delving into a concept that Tolkien developed called Ósanwe (a Quenya word meaning “interchange of thought”), and how the showrunnners have used it for various story purposes in Season 1 of The Rings of Power.
Examining The Rings of Power through Tolkien’s Concept of Ósanwe
by TORn Discord moderator Webcrawler
Much has been said about what the showrunners of The Rings of Power have access to in regard to the source material. For those who think the showrunners are not allowed anything beyond the appendices, or are not digging deep into the text, let me introduce the concept of “Ósanwe” as outlined by Tolkien in an essay titled “Ósanwe-kenta”, or “Enquiry into the Communication of Thought”, and show how it applies to many of Halbrand’s (aka Sauron’s) actions in S1 of The Rings of Power.
Hall of Lore has a great thread that covers the concept in detail from the text.
A superior mind (like Sauron) could communicate a desired vision direct into another person’s mind, who would then see it as something external. There are limitations to the solidity of the vision if the recipient is a mind of less power (which probably means men).
Hall of Lore: here and here
But for our purposes we’ll simplify it to apply it to what we are seeing in The Rings of Power. The most basic concept is that all minds are equal and open.
All minds (sáma, pl. sámar) are equal in status, though they differ in capacity in strength. A mind by its nature perceives another mind directly. But it cannot perceive more than the existence of another mind (as something other than itself, though of the same order) except by the will of both parties.
Ósanwe-kenta, Enquiry into the Communication of Thought
Another important idea is that conversation is necessary to gain access to the mind. The use of language can only be done in person. To gain access to someone’s mind, you first must meet them and start speaking in person. And that’s what we see Halbrand/Sauron do in S1.
For, as the Ósanwe-kenta essay states, “the will to converse in lambe [Quenya meaning “tongue, language”] is a will to communicate thought and lays the minds open”.
Knowledge may be gained or imparted by what the text calls a Guest (someone seeking to communicate), even when the Host (the person receiving the communication) is not seeking or intending to impart or learn information.
The act of G will be effective, if H is simply ‘open’ (láta; látie ‘openness’). This distinction, he says, is of the greatest importance.
Ósanwe-kenta, Enquiry into the Communication of Thought
[Editor’s note: to avoid confusion, the “he” in the above means the elven scholar/historian, Pengolodh. The entire essay is a commentary on Pengolodh’s thoughts about how Ósanwe function. If you’re interested in learning more, it’s easiest to find this essay in The Nature of Middle-earth.]
During my rewatch of Season 1 of The Rings of Power, I noticed that Galadriel is at first unwilling to talk to Halbrand. He tells her, “you needn’t keep your distance”. As the previous tweet implies, speech is needed for ósanwe to “link”. He’s trying to get her to open her mind.
It’s only when Halbrand tells her that “It was Orcs” that attacked his homeland, that she opens to communicating back with him, seeking information. That is all he needed to start “worming” his way into her mind. She wanted something, and here only he could give it to her.
Habrand: it was orcs.
The Rings of Power. S1, E1: Adrift.
Galadriel: your home. Where was it?
In the Ósanwe-kenta essay, Pengolodh outlines how by making himself seem useful, helpful, even friendly, Melkor could trick others into trusting him; Halbrand does the same with Galadriel here; she has been searching for proof of the return of the enemy, and he has just proved himself useful and being able to get that proof.
[Morgoth] would come by stealth to a mind open and unwary, hoping to learn some part of its thought before it closed… he was above all benevolent; he was rich and could give any gift that they desired to his friends; he had a special love for the one he addressed; but he must be trusted [emphasis mine].
In this way he won entry into many minds, removing their unwill [emphasis mine], and unlocking the door by the only key, though his key was counterfeit.
Ósanwe-kenta, Enquiry into the Communication of Thought
Halbrand hints at doing this: “Identify what your opponent most fears. Give them a means of mastering it. So that you can master them”. Halbrand’s gift to Galadriel is “knowledge”. By offering this gift, he gains Galadriel’s trust, and thus enter her mind.
He does this with Míriel and Pharazôn as well; When he appeals to Míriel to let them stay a few days, and when he offers to give Pharazôn intel on where Galadriel is going (Palantir’s Tower). Being willing to listen to him was enough to allow Halbrand into their minds; acceptance of advice creates a small enough amount of trust for Halbrand to create an opening.
Halbrand: Guards! My friends.
The Rings of Power. S1, E3: Adar
[crowd silences]
Halbrand: It seems to me that our leaving presents some complications. Perhaps it’d be better if we stayed…
Míriel: Stayed?
Halbrand: Long enough, good Queen, to give you and your advisors adequate time to weigh our request.
Halbrand: I wouldn’t advise that.
The Rings of Power. S1, E4: The Great Wave
Pharazôn: I can’t very well let her leave.
Halbrand: You could. If you knew exactly where she was going.
And this explains why Celebrimbor became ensnared in Episode 8 of S1. Here, Halbrand puts his powers of manipulation on full display: flattery, humility, advice and gratitude. “Call it a gift” he says of the knowledge he shared, giving him access to Celebrimbor’s mind. The hands touching represent the ósanwe connection being made.
Halbrand: Might there not be some alloy to amplify the qualities of your ore.
The Rings of Power: S1, E8: Alloyed
Celebrimbor: Well, that is… an intriguing suggestion.
Halbrand: Call it… a gift.
Later in this same episode, we get evidence of this mind infiltration: an image of Celebrimbor with a shadow of “chains” over him, while he speaks of using the mithril to craft a crown for Gil-Galad to wear to heal the elves.
Compare the dialogue and you see the Celebrimbor speaks the exact words that Adar spoke to Galadriel, yet he was not there in The Southlands to have heard it. He also says the words “over flesh” which Adar had told Galadriel about back in Episode 6: Udûn, when explaining to her why he killed Sauron. Galadriel most certainly did not tell Celebrimbor; so it must have been Halbrand. And yet, when asked, Celebrimbor “believes” those were his own words.
Lastly, when the spell is broken, and Galadriel realises Halbrand is not who she thought, she realises how much he planted ideas in her mind; wanting to get an army, and convincing Míriel to sail to Middle-earth. We are presented it as always having been her idea, but it’s not true.
Galadriel: There is no King of the South lands. The line was broken. The last man to bear your crest died over a thousand years ago. He had no heir.
The Rings of Power. S1, E8: Alloyed
Halbrand: I told you I found it on a dead man.
Galadriel: No. No, on the raft, you saved me…
Halbrand: On the raft, you saved me.
Galadriel: You convinced Míriel to save the Men of Middle-earth.
Halbrand: You convinced her. I wanted to remain in Númenor.
Galadriel: You fought beside me.
Halbrand: Against your enemy. And mine.
As shown by Beyond Darkness here, Halbrand was one who initially planted the idea within Galadriel that she needed an army. And he continually reinforced it throughout the Season 1, subtly pushing her towards this goal that she thought was hers at first.
And so, we can see that Sauron has been using Ósanwe to influence Galadriel and others throughout Season 1 whenever he needed; and then Celebrimbor when he got to Eregion. And, based on some of the trailers, we can see that in Season 2 he will continue to do this with Celebrimbor, until the reverie is broken for him as well, and Celebrimbor, along with the other elves, will realise that they have been deceived.
About the author: Webcrawler is a full-time data analyst and a part-time Tolkien aficionado and moderator on TheOneRing.net’s Discord Server. When he’s not working or in the discord, Webcrawler is horsing around on Twitter.
