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Ring-inscription

2009-05-16T21:41:06Z

81.154.58.78: /* Portrayal in adaptations */

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[[Image:Tim Baker - The One Ring.jpg|thumb|right|250px|''The One Ring'' by Tim Baker]]
The '''Ring-inscription''' was a [[Black Speech]] inscription in [[Tengwar]] upon the [[One Ring]], symbolising the Ring's power to control the other [[Rings of Power]], and perhaps being part of the ''spell'' that gave it its powers.
==Description==
Normally the One Ring appeared perfectly plain and featureless, but when heated in a fire the inscription appeared in fiery letters inside the Ring.

It seemed that the inscription used Elvish lettering because the other Rings of Power were made by the Elves. [[Isildur]] was the first to notice the letters. When he had cut the ring from Sauron's hand, it was burning hot, and so Isildur was able to transcribe the inscription before it faded. He described them to be of a [[Tengwar#The_General_Use|style]] "of [[Eregion]]" but was not able to understand the language. The mode of writing was the one used also in [[Westron]].

[[Gandalf]] first learned of the Ring-inscription when he read the [[Isildur's scroll|account]] that Isildur had written before marching north to his death and the loss of the Ring. When Gandalf subsequently heated the ring that [[Bilbo Baggins]] had found and passed on to [[Frodo Baggins|Frodo]] the inscription appeared, leaving him in no doubt that it was the One Ring.

==Translation==
The inscription read:

<blockquote>''Ash nazg durbatulûk, ash nazg gimbatul, ash nazg thrakatulûk, agh [[Burzum-ishi|burzum-ishi]] krimpatul''</blockquote>

These words were physically painful to any [[Elves|Elf]] who heard them (as well as any other words of that language), most probably because of the power and the shadow they brought (the Shadow being the more harmful to the elves).

Roughly translated, these words mean:

<blockquote>''One Ring to rule them all, One Ring to find them, One Ring to bring them all, and in the darkness bind them''</blockquote>

==Ring-verse==
On the creation of the One Ring, the Smiths of Eregion heard in their minds Sauron's voice reciting the two-verse spell; then they realized Sauron's plans and removed the Rings from their fingers. Obviously this was the basis for the creation of a poem about the [[Rings of Power]] that also contained these lines. It was probably composed by the [[Free Peoples]] during the wars with Sauron.

<poem style="font-style:italic; margin-left:20px;">
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.<ref>Some recent editions{{fact}} of ''[[The Fellowship of the Ring]]'' accidentally omit the first two clauses of this phrase from Chapter 2.</ref>
</poem>

==Portrayal in adaptations==
'''1978: [[Ralph Bakshi's The Lord of the Rings|Ralph Bakshi's ''The Lord of the Rings'']]:'''
:The Ring Inscription poses a plot gap in the movie. Gandalf makes Frodo to throw the Ring in the fireplace, and later they both notice it is cold. The Inscription does not appear nor is mentioned, although Gandalf recites the verse; all these remain without giving any explanation why the Ring was thrown in the fireplace in the first place, since the non-existant Inscription was not the point.

'''1981: [[The Lord of the Rings (1981 radio series)|BBC Radio's ''The Lord of the Rings]]'':'''
:The Black Speech words form the "background" sound in various scenes about the Ring, and Gandalf speaks them at the Council of Elrond.

'''2001-3: [[Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings|Peter Jackson's ''The Lord of the Rings]]'':'''
:In the book, Gandalf mentions the Black Speech phrase in the [[Council of Elrond]] in order to prove his concerns about the Ring, the atmosphere darkens and the Elves seem to suffer to hear the words. In [[Peter Jackson's The Fellowship of the Ring|the first film]] he utters the words while the participants begin to argue and shout in order to "darken" the atmosphere and make them stop. It is not mentioned anywhere in the context that these lines were the Inscription of the Ring and he appeared like as he was conjuring a "spell". That event was a bit controversial to the fans of the books, since it was like somehow Gandalf made use of the Shadow in order to restore order, performing thus "dark [[magic]]"{{fact}}.

'''2002: [[The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (video game)|Vivendi's ''The Fellowship of the Ring]]'':'''
:The Ring-inscription is found only on the outer side of the ring. Gandalf speaks the words several times, both in Bag End and Rivendell. The Black Speech version can also be found on the cover art and disc, however, it is written in poor quality [[Angerthas Erebor]]. A writer who was unfamiliar with the [[Daniel Steven Smith#Keymapping|keyboard values]] of most [[fonts|Elvish fonts]] simply typed "a-s-h n-a-z-g (et cetera)", so the runes read "l-lh-ng ô-l-e-s (et cetera)" in proper Angerthas Erebor.

{{References}}
* [[J.R.R. Tolkien]], ''[[The Fellowship of the Ring]]'', [[The Shadow of the Past]]
* [[J.R.R. Tolkien]], ''[[The Fellowship of the Ring]]'', [[The Council of Elrond]].

[[Category:Rings and Jewels]]
[[Category:Black Speech words]]

Rings of Power

2008-08-26T23:30:23Z

81.154.58.78: /* The Three */

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'''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]].

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

{{quote|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.|}}
== The Creation of the Rings of Power ==
According to [[Appendix B]] of [[The Lord of the Rings]], in approximately [[Second Age 1500|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 [[Second Age 1590|S.A. 1590]], using the knowledge he had gained from Sauron but without his involvement. The one, created around [[Second age 1600|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 possession save the Three.

== The Three ==
:''Main article: [[Three Rings]]''
The Three Rings of the Elves of Eregion were forged by [[Celebrimbor]] alone, and were never touched by Sauron. However, their forging involved some of the arts taught to Celebrimbor by Annatar (Sauron); thus they too were bound to the One Ring to some extent. They were named [[Narya]], the Ring of Fire, worn by [[Círdan]] then later given to [[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 possession of one of the rings to [[Frodo Baggins|Frodo]] in [[Fellowship of the Ring]]).

== The Seven ==
:''Main article: [[Seven Rings]]''
Sauron gave the Seven Rings to the Dwarf-kings, although according to Dwarvish tradition the Elves gave [[Ring of Thrór|one of them]] to [[Durin III]]. 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 effects of the rings. 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 occurred when Thráin II was captured, and imprisoned by Sauron (in the guise of the Necromancer) in 2845 of the Third Age.

== The Nine ==
:''Main article: [[Nazgûl]]''
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 ''[[Unfinished Tales]]'' as [[Khamûl]], the Black [[Easterlings|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 extremely unlikely within the context of Tolkien's work.

== The One ==
:''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 Power Of The Rings ==
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.

=== The Nine and the Seven ===
* '''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 ===
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 heal and preserve, in many different ways, whatever they control. Galadriel's ring, Nenya, allows her to fend off Sauron and protect and preserve [[Lothlorien]]. Vilya allows Elrond to do much the same in his domain. Narya also has the power to inspire hope and courage in those around the bearer.

=== The One ===
* '''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.
* '''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 ==
[[Dragons]] destroyed four of the Seven Rings, and after [[Sauron|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]]''). At the end of the [[War of the Ring]], they were presumably buried in the ruins of [[Barad-dûr]].

The Nine he took back from his [[Ringwraiths]], and they were still in his possession at the time of his fall. These, too, probably lie in the ruins of Barad-dûr.

The Three were hidden from him, and their bearers eventually took them to [[Aman]].

The One was destroyed in the [[Crack of Doom]] in [[The Return of the King]]. With its destruction, the remainder of the Seven, the Nine, and the Three Elven rings all became powerless.

[[Category:Rings and Jewels]]