''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,

One for the Dark Lord on his dark throne

In the Land of Mordor where the Shadows lie.

One Ring to rule them all, One Ring to find them,

One Ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them

In the Land of Mordor where the Shadows lie."

--- J.R.R. Tolkien's epigraph to The Lord of The Rings.

The Rings of Power were the masterwork of the elven-smiths of Eregion headed by Celebrimbor who was descended from Fëanor. Encouraged and assisted by Sauron, who could at that time still assume a fair appearance and came to Eregion under an assumed name, the Seven and the Nine were made with his assistance. The Three were made by Celebrimbor alone. Many other lesser rings were made, described in the The Silmarillion and by Gandalf, though they were generally looked upon as too weak to consider. In secret, Sauron forged the One Ring in the fires of Orodruin, seeking to bring all the rings and their wearers under his sway. The elves sensed his intention and hid the Three, not using them until after the One Ring had been lost in the Gladden Fields. The Seven and the Nine seemed to favor their bearers, but in time brought them to ruin. Men under Sauron's command as the Nazgul, dwarves, harder to dominate, overmastered by their greed for precious things.

Their purposes were put to use in the Third Age by the elves that used them to preserve the land and to gain insight into the present and the future. Sauron did have a hand in making the Rings of Power (although the Dwarves claim that the chief Dwarven ring was given to Durin III by Celebrimbor himself) but he never touched the three elven rings which is why they were not tainted by his power. The making of the rings was such an undertaking that when Sauron planned to make the One Ring he had to place a majority of his power in that ring in order to hold sway over the other rings made by the elves. That is why the rings were not used in the Second Age by the elves since Sauron wore his during that period. Sauron presented the other rings to the leaders of the races of Men and Dwarves in order to control them. Men proved easily controlled, but the Dwarves were too tough and unlike Elves or Men could not be controlled through their rings.

Contents 1 Several other lesser rings 2 The Three 2.1 Narya 2.2 Nenya 2.3 Vilya 3 The Seven 4 The Nine 5 The One Ring 6 Ring Poem 7 External links

Several other lesser rings Edit

Described in the works of Silmarillion, the elves made several other rings, not much use to Sauron, so he let them be without corrupting them. Many, if not most (some at least escaped) were taken by Sauron along with the Nine. It is not known what happened to them during and after the War of the Ring, but they were probably destroyed or kept in secret. Their exact number is unknown, but they were probably many. They may have been hundreds, possibly thousands of them.

The Three Edit

"Three were given to the Elves: Immortal, wisest and fairest of all beings"

—Galadriel

The Three Rings of the Elves of Eregion were forged by Celebrimbor alone, and were never touched by Sauron. They were called Narya, the Ring of Fire, held first by Círdan and then by Gandalf; Nenya, the Ring of Adamant, worn by Galadriel; and Vilya, the Ring of Air, borne first by Celebrimbor, who gave it to Gil-galad; and then by Elrond. They remained hidden, and the whereabouts of two were not revealed until the end of the Third Age, after the One Ring was destroyed, and the Dark Lord Sauron was overthrown (Galadriel reveals her possession of one of the rings to Frodo in Fellowship of the Ring).

It could, however, be argued that the possession of the three rings was hinted at during the council of the ring in the Fellowship of the Ring, where Elrond advises that that neither he nor Lórien nor the Havens have the power to withstand the might of Mordor. But Galadriel used Nenya to protect Lothlórien against the attacks from Dol Guldur, to protect the vegetation from dying, and even slowed down the time itself.

Narya Edit

Narya, also named the Ring of Fire or Red Ring, is one of the Three Rings.

According to Unfinished Tales, at the start of the War of the Elves and Sauron, Celebrimbor gave Narya

together with the Ring Vilya to Gil-galad, High King of the Ñoldor. Gil-galad entrusted Narya to his lieutenant Círdan, Lord of the Havens of Mithlond, who kept it after Gil-galad's death. According to The Lord of the Rings, Gil-galad receives only Vilya, while Círdan receives Narya from the very beginning along with Galadriel receiving Nenya from the start. In the Third Age Círdan, recognizing Gandalf's true nature as one of the Maiar from Valinor, gave him the ring to aid him in his labours. It is described as having the power to inspire others to resist tyranny, domination, and despair (in other words, evoking hope from others around the wielder), as well as giving resistance to the weariness of time: "Take now this Ring," he said; "for thy labours and thy cares will be heavy, but in all it will support thee and defend thee from weariness. For this is the Ring of Fire, and herewith, maybe, thou shalt rekindle hearts to the valour of old in a world that grows chill" (Círdan the Shipwright to Gandalf). Narya was worn by Gandalf at the Grey Havens. It was a gold ring adorned with a red ruby.

Nenya Edit

Nenya, also named as the Ring of Adamant, the White Ring and the Ring of Water, is one of the Three Rings. The name is derived from the Quenya Nén meaning water.

Nenya is described as being made of mithril and set with a "white stone", presumably a diamond (this is never stated explicitly, although the usage of the word "adamant", an old synonym, is strongly suggestive). The ring is wielded by Galadriel of Lothlórien, and possessing radiance that matches that of the stars; while Frodo Baggins can see it by virtue of being a Ring-bearer, Samwise Gamgee tells Galadriel he only "saw a star through your fingers" (This appears in many editions as "finger" — which sounds more magical, since it suggests that her finger has somehow become transparent — but The Treason of Isengard, ch. 13, note 34, mentions it as an error.)

Nenya's power was preservation, protection, and possibly concealment from evil because "there is a secret power here that holds evil from the land". However, the fact that Orcs from Moria entered Lórien after the Fellowship of the Ring entered the forest and Lórien itself had suffered previous attacks from Sauron's Orcs sent from Dol Guldur suggests the power of the ring did not constitute military prowess. It was said that, protected as it was by Nenya, Lothlórien would not have fallen unless Sauron had personally come to attack it. Galadriel used these powers to create and sustain Lothlórien, but it also increased in her the longing for the Sea and her desire to return to the Undying Lands. After the destruction of the One Ring and the defeat of Sauron, its power faded along with the other Rings of Power. Galadriel bore Nenya on a ship from the Grey Havens into the West, accompanied by the other two Elven Rings and their bearers. With the ring gone, the magic and beauty of Lórien also faded along with the extraordinary mallorn trees (save the one that Samwise Gamgee grew in Hobbiton) that lived for centuries and it was gradually depopulated, until by the time Arwen came there to die in FO 121 it was deserted and in ruin.

Vilya Edit

Vilya, the Ring of Air, Blue Ring, or Ring of Sapphire is one of the Three Rings.

When Sauron laid waste to Eregion, Vilya was sent to the Elven-King Gil-galad far away in Lindon, where it was later given to Elrond, who bore it through the later years of the Second Age and all of the Third. As Gil-galad was the High King of the Noldor elves at the time of the rings' distribution it was thought that he was best fit to care for the most powerful of the three Elven rings.

Like the other two Rings of the Elves, Vilya was jewelled: it contained a great blue stone set in a gold band, which contributed to its titles as the Ring of Sapphire and the Blue Ring. Vilya was also called the Ring of Air, signifying its preeminence even over the other Rings of the Elves; it is generally considered that Vilya was the mightiest of these three bands (as mentioned in the ending chapter in The Return of the King). The exact power of Vilya is not mentioned; however it is reasonable to speculate that it also possesses the power to heal and to preserve (it is mentioned in The Silmarillion that Celebrimbor had forged the Three in order to heal and to preserve, rather than to enhance the strengths of each individual bearers as the Seven, Nine, and the lesser rings did). There is some speculation that the ring controlled minor elements, considering the event where Elrond had summoned a torrent of water as the Nazgûl attempted to invade Rivendell.

Upon Sauron's destruction, the power of Vilya faded and it was taken over the sea by Elrond at the end of the Third Age.

The Seven Edit

"Seven to the Dwarf-lords: Great miners and craftsmen of the mountain halls."

—Galadriel

Sauron presented the Seven Rings to the Dwarf-lords (although according to dwarvish tradition the Elven smith Celebrimbor gave the mightiest to Durin III personally). Mighty dwarves such as Linnar, Sindri, and Uri recei

ved the Rings. The Dwarves used their Rings to establish their fabled treasure hoards (which in turn attracted dragons), but Sauron, according to portions of the Silmarillion, was unable to force the Dwarven bearers to submit to his will. Indeed, the rings did not even turn them invisible; they were immune to some of the more detrimental of the rings' effects. It is believed that the dwarves' natural hardiness, and the fact that it was only the more powerful dwarf lords who possessed them, made them resistant to Sauron's control. The net effect of these rings was to bring vast wealth to the wearer and cause him to become extremely greedy. At the time of The Lord of the Rings four rings had been consumed by dragon fire and the rest acquired by Sauron. The mightiest of the Seven was taken from Thráin II, heir of Durin, who had been captured, imprisoned, and tormented by the Necromancer (Sauron in disguise) in TA 2845.

A Man who gained possession of one of the Seven likely would have become a wraith, just as those who wore the Nine did.

The Nine Edit

"And nine...nine rings were gifted to the race of Men...who above all else, desire power."

—Galadriel

The nine rings for mortal men were those divided amongst those evil-hearted men doomed to become the Nazgûl, the Ringwraiths. None are mentioned specifically throughout the Lord of The Rings save their leader, the Witch-king of Angmar. His second-in-command is named in the Unfinished Tales as Khamûl, the Black Easterling.

The early Middle-earth Role Playing games name the eight other Ringwraiths, Er-Murazor (the Witch-king, of Númenórean race), Dwar, Ji Indur, Akhorahil, Hoarmurath (Númenórean), Adunaphel

(female Númenórean), Ren and Uvatha, but none of these names are considered canon, and especially the idea of a female Ringwraith is unlikely within the context of Tolkien's work, although possible, given that three Númenórean Queens ruled under their own power, Tar-Ancalimë, Tar-Telperiën and Tar-Vanimeldë. There is also an unlikely precedent for evil female characters in the entities of Ungoliant and Shelob.

In "The Battle for Middle-earth 2: The Rise of the Witch-king", one of the Nine, given the non-canon name Morgomir, is the Witch-king's second-in-command in Angmar.

The line from Tolkien's epigraph, "Nine for Mortal Men doomed to die" refers to the fate of men, uniquely among the creations of Eru to pass beyond Arda to a destiny unknown to the elves. It was this uncertainty, and men's envy of elven immortality in the Blessed Realm which Sauron exploited, leading to the destruction of Numenor.

In time, the Nine Rings caused their wearers to fade away, crossing into the twilight world of the undead permanently, denied the release of death which they had scorned. They remained permanently invisible, except to those Elves who had once dwelt in the Undying Lands (few indeed by the Third Age) and Maiar such as Sauron and the Wizards. Reduced to wraiths, they remained completely under the control of Sauron until the One was destroyed.

The One Ring Edit

Main article: One Ring

"But they were all of them deceived, for another ring was made. In the land of Mordor, in the fires of Mount Doom...the Dark Lord Sauron forged in secret a Master Ring...to control all others. And into this Ring he poured his cruelty, his malice...and his will to dominate all life. One Ring to rule them all."

—Galadriel

The One Ring, secretly forged by Sauron in the heart of Mount Doom, had the power to dominate the other 19 Great Rings. His dominion over the other rings was incomplete, but the force Sauron could bring to bear with the Ring was amazing nonetheless. This was due in part to his placing a large amount of his own power into it at its forging; a necessity that later led to his downfall at Frodo's hands. Sauron's intent was to command the minds of the other ring bearers through their rings of power. Each person who received such a ring would have been a king/queen or some other high leader of one of the three great races (Elves, Dwarves, Men). Sauron would then forge his "One Ring to rule them all," which, through the lesser rings, would allow Sauron direct influence over the thoughts of the other ring-bearers. Had it succeeded perfectly, Sauron would have achieved total dominance over Middle-Earth in one fell swoop, with no military action required. However, for this plan to be successful the Ruling Ring would have to be significantly stronger than the other rings, and Sauron put a great amount of his own power into the ring in order to achieve this. As the ruling ring, it had all the powers of the other rings, but to a greater extent, and had some powers uniquely its own. While Sauron's plan didn't succeed perfectly, the existence of the One Ring on his finger meant that the other rings, with which many kingdoms had been built, could not be used safely. Additionally, Sauron was not made weaker by the creation of the One Ring. On the contrary, this act of sorcery increased Sauron's power as long as he was in possession of the ring. Even though the plan fell through, Sauron was a much larger threat with the ring than before he had forged it.

Unlike the other great rings, the One Ring held no gem and had no intricate designs on it, at least at first glance. To an ordinary layman it would appear as a simple golden band. Heating the ring in even a small fire, however, would reveal part of Sauron's incantation in an elvish script written along the ring. According to Isildur, Sauron's hand was "black and yet burned like fire." (Fellowship of the Ring) He also references how the script was visible on the ring while Sauron wore it.

It was Isildur who cut the ring off Sauron's hand. He had the chance to destroy the One, but was corrupted by

the ring in the very chambers where it was forged. Later it betrayed him, resulting in his death. It was found, 2500 years later, by a Hobbit named Deagol. Deagol was killed by his cousin, Smèagol (later Gollum), who then took the Ring. Smèagol was quickly corrupted, but had a strong physical resistance to the Ring, and "for 500 years the Ring poisoned his mind." Later another Hobbit, Bilbo Baggins, found Smèagol living under the Misty Mountains. Bilbo got the Ring by chance, and at the end of all his adventures he still had it. Later the One was passed down to Frodo Baggins, who was forced to flee to Rivendell, chased by Black Riders. He was chosen there to take the chance Isildur threw away: to destroy the One in the fires of Mount Doom. Upon finding Frodo (as he believed) dead, Sam took the ring to protect it. After discovering Frodo alive, Sam returned the ring. Frodo, after a long and difficult journey, ultimately failed in his effort to destroy the One Ring. At the edge of the lava, the Ring corrupted Frodo, and he tried to take it to keep it for himself. Sméagol came up behind him, bit off his finger and the Ring, and fell off the edge into the lava below. The One Ring was destroyed, and Sauron defeated.

Ring Poem Edit

English:

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,
One for the Dark Lord on his dark throne
In the Land of Mordor where the Shadows lie.
One Ring to rule them all, One Ring to find them,
One Ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them
In the Land of Mordor where the Shadows lie.

Sindarin:

Corf neledh 'nin Ellerain nui venel,
Odo'ni Nauhírath vi rynd gonui în,
Neder'ni Fîr Fírib beraid fíred,
Êr am Morchír bo morn-orchamm dîn
Vi Dor e-Mordor ias i-Ndúath caedar.
Er-chorf a thorthad hain bain, Er-chorf a chired hain,
Er-chorf a thoged hain bain a din fuin an nuded hain
Vi Dor e-Mordor ias i-Ndúath caedar.

Quenya:

Neldë Cormar Eldaron Aranen nu i vilya,
Otso Heruin Naucoron ondeva mardentassen,
Nertë Firimë Nérin yar i Nuron martyar,
Minë i Morë Herun mormahalmaryassë
Mornórëo Nóressë yassë i Fuini caitar.
Minë Corma turië të ilyë, Minë Corma hirië të,
Minë Corma hostië të ilyë ar mordossë nutië të
Mornórëo Nóressë yassë i Fuini caitar.

Black Speech of Mordor:

Gakh Nazgi Golug durub-ûri lata-nût,
Udu takob-ishiz gund-ob Gazat-shakh-ûri,
Krith Shara-ûri matûrz matat dûmpuga,
Ash tug Shakhbûrz-ûr Ulîma-tab-ishi za,
Uzg-Mordor-ishi amal fauthut burgûli.
Ash nazg durbatulûk, ash nazg gimbatul,
Ash nazg thrakatulûk, agh burzum-ishi krimpatul
Uzg-Mordor-ishi amal fauthut burgûli.

External links Edit

• Rings of Power at Tolkien Gateway