Diksha Sundriyal
In its second season, Prime Video’s ‘The Rings of Power’ continues its world-building by introducing characters and things that are well-known in the LOTR lore. There is the highly anticipated arrival of Tom Bombadil, who, despite being a key character in the books, has only now graced the screens, with Rory Kinnear donning the hat. But he is not the only major reference from the books to make it into Season 2. “The Sûzat” is another huge name drop in the episode, spoken of by the Stoor leader, Gundabel, who speaks of another Stoor, named Rorimas Burrows, who ventured in search of the place, never to be seen again. SPOILERS AHEAD
Rorimas Burrows is Original to Rings of Power, while Sûzat is an Iconic Location in LOTR
Sûzat in ‘The Rings of Power’ refers to none other than the Shire of the Hobbits. At the time of the events in the Prime Video series, the Shire doesn’t exist. In fact, we are most likely to neither see nor, possibly, hear of it again for the rest of the season because the Shire isn’t settled until the story is well into the Third Age. For reference, the events of the show take place in the Second Age, which means there are still thousands of years before the Hobbits will find their permanent home. In the meantime, the Harfoots will continue to be nomadic while the Stoors make a home for themselves in different places.
While Sûzat finds reference in ‘The Lord of the Rings,’ Rorimas Burrows’ character is unique to ‘The Rings of Power.’ He is mentioned by Gundabel as the Stoor who went out in search of the promised land while assuring his people that he will eventually come back for them and lead them there so they can all live happily ever after. He painted an idyllic picture of the place, “with endless streams of cold water and rolling hills so soft a family could dig a hole and live in it in less than a month.” Considering how the Shire eventually turns out, Rorimas, revealed to be an ancestor of Poppy and Nori’s clan leader, Sadoc Burrows, wasn’t making things up when he talked about it.
The reason that he is not remembered in the Hobbit history is probably because he never found the place. Even thousands of years later, when his descendants do settle down there, they do it after a treacherous journey through the Misty Mountains while running away from another evil presence taking its hold over Middle Earth. It is a trying journey as is, and considering that the Stoors and the Harfoots have barely explored their world, it makes sense that they haven’t found the Shire yet. Moreover, like Hobbits, the Stoors and the Harfoots are known for being non-adventurous, preferring not to get involved in anything that might pull them out of the comfort of their homes or, in this case, their nomadic encampment. Ones like Poppy, Nori, and the Baggins are a rarity as they have the in-built drive for exploration and adventure.
While we won’t get to see the Shire in ‘The Rings of Power,’ we do get an early version of it, a prototype, so to speak. Unlike the nomadic Harfoots, the Stoors have put down their roots in one place and have learned to make a home for themselves in a unique way. The Stoors have employed the art of making their homes in holes in the ground and living there comfortably, which is something that the Hobbits will master when they land in the Shire, never to leave again.
Read More: Are the Elven Rings Corrupted in The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power?
