Lord of the Rings’ Barrow-Wights Are Following Tom Bombadil to Rings of Power Too

We already had word that Tom Bombadil, noted merry fellow, was going to be heading to Amazon’s take on Middle-earth when The Rings of Power returns for season two. But it looks like he’ll be bringing a few frightful figures often associated with his material in Lord of the Rings—the ghoulish Barrow-wights.

Our first look at Rings of Powers’ take on the Barrow-wights comes from a new subscriber cover for the latest issue of Empire Magazine, featuring concept art from Einar Martinsen depicting a whole host of red-robed spirits:

Creepy! While we don’t know just how the wights will play into Ring of Power season two yet, in The Lord of the Rings, the wights of the form a major threat in early on in the books, when Frodo and his friends were assaulted by the spirits as they traveled through the Barrow-downs shortly after their first encounter with Tom Bombadil. Just as a wight prepared a ritual to kill the hobbits, Frodo steeled himself to attack the wight, severing its hand while calling upon Bombadil, who forced the Barrow-wight to flee in fear with a magical song.

Because Tom himself is so rarely left in adaptations of the books, the Barrow-wights too often join him in being consigned to the edit room floor. We know that Tom—played in Rings of Power by Rory Kinnear—will not be appearing in his usual abode in the show, relocating to Rhûn in the far east, where he’ll cross paths with the mysterious Stranger and his Harfoot companion Nori, after the revelation at the end of season one that the Stranger appears to be one of the magical Istari. But where Bombadil goes, do Barrow-wights follow? We’ll find out when Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power returns for season two on Amazon Prime starting August 29.

Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.