Rings of Power: Difference between revisions

From Tolkien Gateway
(Fixed Ringwraith link)
(116 intermediate revisions by 39 users not shown)
Line 1: Line 1:
'''The Rings of Power''' or '''Great Rings''' were twenty Rings of Power. The [[Elves]] of [[Eregion]] made nineteen of the Rings of Power (and many other lesser rings) with knowledge obtained from [[Sauron]], and several of them with Sauron aiding the creation. Sauron forged the twentieth Great Ring, called the [[One Ring]] or the Ruling Ring, secretly in the fires of [[Mount Doom]].
'''The Rings of Power''' were Rings created by the [[Elves]] of [[Eregion]], nineteen '''Great Rings''' (and many other lesser rings) with knowledge obtained from [[Sauron]], and several of them with Sauron aiding the creation. Sauron forged the twentieth Great Ring, called [[the One Ring]] or the Ruling Ring, secretly in the fires of [[Mount Doom]].
 
==The Twenty Rings==
* The ''[[Three Rings]]'' of the Elves were forged by [[Celebrimbor]] alone, and were never touched by Sauron. They were made last, however, and their forging involved some of the arts taught by "Annatar". Thus they too were bound to the One Ring to some extent. They were named [[Narya]] the Ring of Fire, [[Nenya]] the Ring of Water and [[Vilya]] the Ring of Air; they remained hidden from Sauron.
* Sauron gave some six Rings to the Dwarf-kings, although according to Dwarvish tradition the Elves already gave [[Ring of Thrór|another]] to [[Durin III]]. The Dwarves used their ''[[Seven Rings]]'' to establish their treasure hoards, but Sauron was unable to force the Dwarven bearers to submit. 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, yet allowed them to accumulate treasure. The [[Ring of Thrór|final ring]] to leave the possession of the dwarves occurred when [[Thráin II]] was captured.
* The remaining ''[[Nine Rings]]'' were divided amongst those evil-hearted men who saw their abilities increase, and became sorcerers and Kings among Men. They gained longevity but then faded away to become the Nazgûl, the [[Nazgûl|Ringwraiths]], dominated under Sauron's will.
* The ''[[The One Ring|One Ring]]'', secretly forged by Sauron in the heart of [[Mount Doom]], had the power to dominate the sixteen rings owned by Dwarves and Men. His domain over the other rings was incomplete, but he placed a large amount of his own power into it at its forging; a necessity that later led to his downfall at [[Frodo Baggins]]' hands.


A verse that summarizes the Great Rings and their ownership is an important part of the lore of Middle-earth.  It translates as follows:
A verse that summarizes the Great Rings and their ownership is an important part of the lore of Middle-earth.  It translates as follows:


==The Creation of the Rings of Power==
<poem style="font-style:italic; margin-left:20px;">Three Rings for the Elven-kings under the sky,
According to Appendix B of [[The Lord Of The Rings]], in approximately S.A. 1500 the Seven and Nine were created first,  in Eregion by an alliance of the Elven smiths led by [[Celebrimbor]] and Sauron. Sauron departed, and Celebrimbor went on to forge the three, finishing around S.A. 1590, using the knowledge he had gained from Sauron but without his involvement. The one, created around S.A. 1600, was finally completed by Sauron, alone, in the heart of Mount Doom. Sauron created it to rule over all the other rings, and he put a great part of his power into the One. The Elves, upon creation of the One, heard Sauron speak the closing lines of the preceding poem's verse, and realized they had been betrayed. They defied Sauron, and though they fought valiantly, Sauron gained all the rings still in their posession save the Three.
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.</poem>
 
==History==
=== The Creation of the Rings of Power ===
<!--"forging" in "Eriador#War with Sauron" and "Events" in Eriador infobox both link here-->
[[Image:Angus McBride - Celebrimbor.gif|thumb|left|Celebrimbor forges the Rings of Power]]
Around {{SA|1200}}, Sauron started to corrupt the [[Elves]].<ref name="B">{{App|B1}}</ref> He did not manage to approach [[Gil-galad]] and [[Elrond]] but he had better luck with the Elven-smiths of [[Eregion]]. The [[Gwaith-i-Mírdain]] of [[Eregion]] were mostly [[Noldor]], and wished to have the same joys in [[Middle-earth]] as the Elves who had returned to [[Valinor]]. Sauron therefore presented himself as "[[Annatar]]", an emissary from the [[Valar]],<ref name="Rings">{{S|Rings}}</ref> and tempted the Elves by offering the knowledge to transform Middle-earth.
 
"Annatar" taught the smiths the knowledge how to create Rings, which would grant the Elves who wear them certain powers. At first the Elves created some [[lesser rings]] were only essays in the craft before it was full-grown. In approximately {{SA|1500}} the Greater 16 were created.<ref name="B"/> When Annatar departed from Eregion, [[Celebrimbor]] went on to forge the [[Three Rings]] using the knowledge he had gained from him, but without his involvement, and finished them around {{SA|1590}}.  


Sauron then created [[The One Ring]] around {{SA|1600|n}}, alone, in the heart of [[Mount Doom]]. Its purpose was to rule over all the other rings, and Sauron put a great part of his power into it. The Elves, upon creation of the One, heard Sauron speak the [[Ring Poem|spell]], and realized they had been betrayed.<ref>{{FR|Council}}</ref>
===Advent of Sauron===
As soon as Sauron put on The One Ring, the bearers of the Three became aware of him and took them off in fear and anger. They defied Sauron and refused to use the Rings. Seeing this, Sauron attempted to claim the Rings to distribute them to other peoples; he [[War of the Elves and Sauron|waged War against the Elves]], and although the Elves fought valiantly, Eregion was destroyed. Celembribor however managed to salvage the Three he created himself and secretly gave them to Gil-galad and [[Galadriel]]. During the [[Sack of Eregion]], Sauron took Nine Rings and other lesser works from them; but he could not find the rest. Then [[Celebrimbor]] was put to torment, and he revealed about the Seven of them.<ref>{{UT|Galadriel}}</ref>


==The Three==
Sauron then distributed them to Lords who trusted him, [[Men]] who became powerful sorcerers and Kings; and [[Dwarves]] who grew greedier and augmented their treasures.<ref name="Rings"/>


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, worn by [[Gandalf]]; [[Nenya]], the Ring of Water, worn by [[Galadriel]]; and [[Vilya]], the Ring of Air, borne 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 posession of one of the rings to [[Frodo]] in [[Fellowship of the Ring]]).
The Mannish lords who held the Nine were consumed by them and entered the [[wraith-world]], becoming the [[Nazgûl|Ringwraiths]], servants of Sauron without will. The Dwarves who held the Seven were largely (but not totally) unaffected. The Three were always held by the Elves, and [[Gandalf]] upon his arrival.


==The Seven==
===Final disposition===
During the [[Third Age]], four of the Seven were destroyed during the Dwarves' conflicts with [[Dragons]], and after Sauron's return he recaptured the remaining three, the [[Ring of Thrór|last]] from [[Thráin II]]. The Nine he took back from his [[Nazgûl|Ringwraiths]], and they were still in his possession at the time of the [[War of the Ring]].


Sauron gave the Seven Rings to the Dwarf-kings (although according to Dwarvish tradition the Elves gave one of them to the Dwarf [[Durin III]]) and the Nine Rings to Mortal Men. The Dwarves used their Rings to establish their treasure hoards, but Sauron, according to portions of the [[Silmarillion]], was unable to force the Dwarven bearers to submit. 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, yet allowed them to accumulate treasure. Of the Seven the dwarves now possess none. The final ring to leave the possession of the dwarves occured when Thráin II was captured, and imprisoned by Sauron (in the guise of the necromancer) in 2845 of the Third Age.
Nothing is known of the fate of the [[lesser rings]], made as essays to the craft, but, according to [[Gandalf]], still dangerous for mortals that might have found them.<ref>{{FR|Shadow}}</ref>


==The Nine==
The One was lost and refound until it was destroyed in the [[Cracks of Doom|Crack of Doom]]. With its destruction, the existing Rings were freed from Sauron's control, but may have lost their power altogether. They were presumably buried in the ruins of [[Barad-dûr]], or perhaps simply faded, while the (powerless) Three were taken with their bearers to [[Aman]].


''Full article: [[Nazgûl]]''
== Powers and properties ==
The Rings of Power all had certain abilities, shared amongst them; the only different ones were the three. The chief power of all the rings was the prevention or slowing of decay, the preservation of what is desired or loved. [[Men]] and [[Hobbits]] would see their lifespan increase.


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]].  
They also enhanced the natural powers of the wearer, thus seemingly granting ‘[[magic]]’ abilities (a motive easily corrupted into evil) and increasing lust for domination. Additionally, they had the ability to tap into the [[Unseen]] at different degrees. The One could completely shift the wearer to the Spirit World, rendering the material body invisible to mortals.<ref>{{L|131}}</ref> The Nine and the Seven were so strongly under Sauron's control that they could cause the wearer, especially Men, to ''fade'' and turn into a [[Wraiths|wraith]] under Sauron's domination.<ref>{{FR|Shadow}}</ref>
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 extremely unlikely within the context of Tolkien's work.


==The One==
The [[Dwarves]] however were more resistant to most of these effects. They mostly sufferd under an increased lust for gold, which provided occasion for quarrels among themselves. They used their rings to increase their treasure troves; the treasure hoards of these dwarves drew the mightiest of [[dragons]] and opponents.<ref name="Rings" />
''Main Article: [[One Ring]]''


The one ring, secretly forged by Sauron in the heart of Mount Doom, had the power to dominate all nineteen other rings. His domain 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.
The Three did not do as the other rings. They did not make one invisible (though they themselves could be made so<ref>{{FR|Mirror}}</ref>), and their benefits were largely secondary to the main effect the Elves achieved - that of stasis. A wearer of one of the Rings of Three gained the power to heal and preserve, in many different ways, whatever they controlled. Galadriel's and Elrond's Rings allowed them to fend off Sauron and protect and preserve [[Lothlórien|Lothlorien]] and [[Rivendell]]. [[Narya]] also had the power to inspire hope and courage<ref>{{App|B2}}, [[Cirdan]]'s words to [[Gandalf]]</ref> in those around the bearer.


==The Power Of The Rings==
=== The One ===
The Rings of Power all had certain abilities, shared amongst them; the only different ones were the three. Below are some of the abilities they granted.
For The One to have the ability to control The Three, it was necessary for Sauron to allow a significant amount of his power and will to flow into it during its forging. Any bearer could use this power, though it would take time, determination, skill, and knowledge to do so. As it was the Master Ring, whoever mastered the One also had control over the other rings and, in a limited sense, over the bearers


===The Nine and the Seven===
The wearer also was able to understand speech in languages he/she didn't know.<ref>{{TT|Choices}}</ref>
*'''Invisibility''' - According to Tolkien, all the rings save the Three made the wearer invisible. Note that, though the Seven did presumably grant invisibility, it did not do so for any dwarf. Dwarves are largely immune to the Rings of Powers effects in this area; prevention of invisibility in this case also defended them from the fate of those Men who wore the Nine.
*'''Ability Enhancement''' - All these rings granted the bearer an increased ability in his innate talents; the Dwarves specifically are made mention of having used their rings to increase their treasure troves; arguably the ring's corruption can be seen even here. The treasure hoards of these dwarves drew the mightiest of dragons and opponents.


===The Three===
However the Ring corrupted the heart and mind, making its wearer obsessed with it.
The Three do not do as the other rings. They do not make one invisible (though they themselves can be made so, as Galadriel showed Frodo), and they have the ability enhancement, but it is largely secondary to the main effect the Elves achieved - that of stasis. A wearer of one of the Rings of Three gains the power to preserve, in many different ways, whatever they control. Galadriel's allows her to fend off Sauron and preserve [[Lothlorien]]. Elrond's allows him to do much the same in his domain.


===The One===
==Other versions of the legendarium==
*'''Control''' - Control, over the other rings and in a limited sense the bearers was gained by whomever controlled the power caged inside the One Ring.
In one draft it is said that the [[Rings of Power]] transformed their bearers into [[wraiths]], thus creating ''elf-'', ''goblin-'', ''men-'', or ''dwarf-wraiths''.<ref>{{RS|Gollum}}, p. 78</ref>
*'''Power''' - In its forging, to give it the ability of control, it was necessary for Sauron to allow a fatal amount of his power into the One Ring. Any bearer could use this power, though it would take time, determination, skill, and knowledge to do so.
*'''Invisibility''' - As is seen many times the One confers invisibility upon the wearer.


==The Final Disposition of the Rings of Power==
==Inspiration==
[[Dragons]] destroyed four of the Seven Rings, and after Sauron's return he recaptured the remaining three (the last from Thrain, father of [[Thorin Oakenshield]], just before or during the action of ''[[The Hobbit]]'').
The Rings were the background story as fleshed out by Tolkien, out of the Ring that appeared in ''[[The Hobbit]]''. The lore of the Rings (especially the One) are often compared to the "Ring of the Nibelungs" although Tolkien denounced any direct inspiration.<ref>{{L|229}}, “Both rings were round, and there the resemblance ceases.”</ref>
==Portrayal in adaptations==
'''[[1978]]: [[The Lord of the Rings (1978 film)|Ralph Bakshi's ''The Lord of the Rings'']]'''
:In the introduction of the movie, the Rings are portrayed as a purely Elven conception and creation, which the Elves generously gave to the Dwarves and Men. It was when Sauron 'learned of the Ring-making' when he forged the One Ring.
:It contrasts the canonical account according to which the Rings were always a part of Sauron's plan. Sauron distributed them to the Dwarves and Men, after the Elves turned against him.


The Nine he took back from his Ringwraiths, and they were still in his posession at the time of his fall.
'''2001: ''[[The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring]]'':'''
:In the introduction, narrated by [[Galadriel]], the Rings were portrayed as all being made by [[Sauron]] and given to the [[Elves]], [[Men]], and [[Dwarves]].


The Three were hidden from him.
==External links==
*[http://oakroadsystems.com/genl/ringfaq.htm FAQ of the Rings] by Stan Brown
*[http://middle-earth.xenite.org/2013/04/03/who-were-the-rings-of-power-made-for/ Who Were the Rings of Power Made For?] by [[Michael Martinez]]


The One was destroyed in the Crack Of Doom in [[The Return of the King]].
{{references}}
{{rings}}


The power of the three still present of the Seven, the Three Elven rings, and the Nine were all shattered upon the destruction of the One.
[[Category:Rings and Jewels]]
[[de:Ringe der Macht]]
[[fr:encyclo/artefacts/bijoux/anneaux/anneaux_de_pouvoir]]
[[fi:Mahtisormukset]]

Revision as of 16:35, 28 July 2014

The Rings of Power were Rings created by the Elves of Eregion, nineteen Great Rings (and many other lesser rings) with knowledge obtained from Sauron, and several of them with Sauron aiding the creation. Sauron forged the twentieth Great Ring, called the One Ring or the Ruling Ring, secretly in the fires of Mount Doom.

The Twenty Rings

  • The Three Rings of the Elves were forged by Celebrimbor alone, and were never touched by Sauron. They were made last, however, and their forging involved some of the arts taught by "Annatar". Thus they too were bound to the One Ring to some extent. They were named Narya the Ring of Fire, Nenya the Ring of Water and Vilya the Ring of Air; they remained hidden from Sauron.
  • Sauron gave some six Rings to the Dwarf-kings, although according to Dwarvish tradition the Elves already gave another to Durin III. The Dwarves used their Seven Rings to establish their treasure hoards, but Sauron was unable to force the Dwarven bearers to submit. 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, yet allowed them to accumulate treasure. The final ring to leave the possession of the dwarves occurred when Thráin II was captured.
  • The remaining Nine Rings were divided amongst those evil-hearted men who saw their abilities increase, and became sorcerers and Kings among Men. They gained longevity but then faded away to become the Nazgûl, the Ringwraiths, dominated under Sauron's will.
  • The One Ring, secretly forged by Sauron in the heart of Mount Doom, had the power to dominate the sixteen rings owned by Dwarves and Men. His domain over the other rings was incomplete, but he placed a large amount of his own power into it at its forging; a necessity that later led to his downfall at Frodo Baggins' hands.

A verse that summarizes the Great Rings and their ownership is an important part of the lore of Middle-earth. It translates as follows:

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.

History

The Creation of the Rings of Power

Celebrimbor forges the Rings of Power

Around S.A. 1200, Sauron started to corrupt the Elves.[1] He did not manage to approach Gil-galad and Elrond but he had better luck with the Elven-smiths of Eregion. The Gwaith-i-Mírdain of Eregion were mostly Noldor, and wished to have the same joys in Middle-earth as the Elves who had returned to Valinor. Sauron therefore presented himself as "Annatar", an emissary from the Valar,[2] and tempted the Elves by offering the knowledge to transform Middle-earth.

"Annatar" taught the smiths the knowledge how to create Rings, which would grant the Elves who wear them certain powers. At first the Elves created some lesser rings were only essays in the craft before it was full-grown. In approximately S.A. 1500 the Greater 16 were created.[1] When Annatar departed from Eregion, Celebrimbor went on to forge the Three Rings using the knowledge he had gained from him, but without his involvement, and finished them around S.A. 1590.

Sauron then created The One Ring around 1600, alone, in the heart of Mount Doom. Its purpose was to rule over all the other rings, and Sauron put a great part of his power into it. The Elves, upon creation of the One, heard Sauron speak the spell, and realized they had been betrayed.[3]

Advent of Sauron

As soon as Sauron put on The One Ring, the bearers of the Three became aware of him and took them off in fear and anger. They defied Sauron and refused to use the Rings. Seeing this, Sauron attempted to claim the Rings to distribute them to other peoples; he waged War against the Elves, and although the Elves fought valiantly, Eregion was destroyed. Celembribor however managed to salvage the Three he created himself and secretly gave them to Gil-galad and Galadriel. During the Sack of Eregion, Sauron took Nine Rings and other lesser works from them; but he could not find the rest. Then Celebrimbor was put to torment, and he revealed about the Seven of them.[4]

Sauron then distributed them to Lords who trusted him, Men who became powerful sorcerers and Kings; and Dwarves who grew greedier and augmented their treasures.[2]

The Mannish lords who held the Nine were consumed by them and entered the wraith-world, becoming the Ringwraiths, servants of Sauron without will. The Dwarves who held the Seven were largely (but not totally) unaffected. The Three were always held by the Elves, and Gandalf upon his arrival.

Final disposition

During the Third Age, four of the Seven were destroyed during the Dwarves' conflicts with Dragons, and after Sauron's return he recaptured the remaining three, the last from Thráin II. The Nine he took back from his Ringwraiths, and they were still in his possession at the time of the War of the Ring.

Nothing is known of the fate of the lesser rings, made as essays to the craft, but, according to Gandalf, still dangerous for mortals that might have found them.[5]

The One was lost and refound until it was destroyed in the Crack of Doom. With its destruction, the existing Rings were freed from Sauron's control, but may have lost their power altogether. They were presumably buried in the ruins of Barad-dûr, or perhaps simply faded, while the (powerless) Three were taken with their bearers to Aman.

Powers and properties

The Rings of Power all had certain abilities, shared amongst them; the only different ones were the three. The chief power of all the rings was the prevention or slowing of decay, the preservation of what is desired or loved. Men and Hobbits would see their lifespan increase.

They also enhanced the natural powers of the wearer, thus seemingly granting ‘magic’ abilities (a motive easily corrupted into evil) and increasing lust for domination. Additionally, they had the ability to tap into the Unseen at different degrees. The One could completely shift the wearer to the Spirit World, rendering the material body invisible to mortals.[6] The Nine and the Seven were so strongly under Sauron's control that they could cause the wearer, especially Men, to fade and turn into a wraith under Sauron's domination.[7]

The Dwarves however were more resistant to most of these effects. They mostly sufferd under an increased lust for gold, which provided occasion for quarrels among themselves. They used their rings to increase their treasure troves; the treasure hoards of these dwarves drew the mightiest of dragons and opponents.[2]

The Three did not do as the other rings. They did not make one invisible (though they themselves could be made so[8]), and their benefits were largely secondary to the main effect the Elves achieved - that of stasis. A wearer of one of the Rings of Three gained the power to heal and preserve, in many different ways, whatever they controlled. Galadriel's and Elrond's Rings allowed them to fend off Sauron and protect and preserve Lothlorien and Rivendell. Narya also had the power to inspire hope and courage[9] in those around the bearer.

The One

For The One to have the ability to control The Three, it was necessary for Sauron to allow a significant amount of his power and will to flow into it during its forging. Any bearer could use this power, though it would take time, determination, skill, and knowledge to do so. As it was the Master Ring, whoever mastered the One also had control over the other rings and, in a limited sense, over the bearers

The wearer also was able to understand speech in languages he/she didn't know.[10]

However the Ring corrupted the heart and mind, making its wearer obsessed with it.

Other versions of the legendarium

In one draft it is said that the Rings of Power transformed their bearers into wraiths, thus creating elf-, goblin-, men-, or dwarf-wraiths.[11]

Inspiration

The Rings were the background story as fleshed out by Tolkien, out of the Ring that appeared in The Hobbit. The lore of the Rings (especially the One) are often compared to the "Ring of the Nibelungs" although Tolkien denounced any direct inspiration.[12]

Portrayal in adaptations

1978: Ralph Bakshi's The Lord of the Rings

In the introduction of the movie, the Rings are portrayed as a purely Elven conception and creation, which the Elves generously gave to the Dwarves and Men. It was when Sauron 'learned of the Ring-making' when he forged the One Ring.
It contrasts the canonical account according to which the Rings were always a part of Sauron's plan. Sauron distributed them to the Dwarves and Men, after the Elves turned against him.

2001: The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring:

In the introduction, narrated by Galadriel, the Rings were portrayed as all being made by Sauron and given to the Elves, Men, and Dwarves.

External links

References


Rings of Power
The One Ring | Three Rings (Narya · Nenya · Vilya) | Seven Rings (Ring of Thrór) | Nine Rings