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{{disambig-more|Rings of Power|[[Rings of Power (disambiguation)]]}}
[[File:Alan Lee - The Forging of the Ring.jpg|thumb|200px|''The Forging of the Ring'' by  [[Alan Lee]]]]
{{quote|In those days the smiths of [[Ost-in-Edhil]] surpassed all that they had contrived before; and they took thought, and they made Rings of Power. [...] Now the Elves made many rings; but secretly Sauron made [[One Ring]] to rule all the others, and their power was bound up with it, to be subject wholly to it and to last only so long as it too should last.|''[[The Silmarillion]]'', "[[Of the Rings of Power and the Third Age]]"}}

The '''Rings of Power''' were magic rings created by the [[Elves]] of [[Eregion]]. Nineteen '''Great rings''' were made with the knowledge obtained from [[Sauron]], guised as "Annatar", with him aiding in the creation of most. Sauron alone forged the twentieth Great Ring, called the One Ring or the Ruling Ring, secretly in the fires of [[Mount Doom]].

== Great Rings ==
A verse that summarizes the Great Rings and their ownership translates as follows:

{{blockquote|Three Rings for the Elven-kings under the sky,<br />
Seven for the Dwarf-lords in their halls of stone,<br />
Nine for Mortal Men doomed to die,<br />
One for the Dark Lord on his dark throne<br />
In the Land of Mordor where the Shadows lie<br />
One ring to rule them all, one ring to find them,<br />
One ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them<br />
In the Land of Mordor where the Shadows lie.|[[Ring-verse]]}}

The Three Rings, the Seven and the Nine were all set with their proper gem, but the One Ring was round and unadorned like the [[lesser rings]] of Power.<ref>
{{FR|Council}}, p. 251</ref>

=== The Nine ===
{{Main|Nine Rings}}
The ''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 Seven ===
{{Main|Seven Rings}}
Sauron gave some six Rings to the Dwarf-kings, although according to Dwarvish tradition the Elves already gave [[Ring of Thrór|one]] to [[Durin III]]. Sauron was unable to force the Dwarven bearers to submit, however the rings greatly amplified the Dwarven kings' desire for dominion. They became greedy, establishing great treasure holds which eventually brought destruction to their kingdoms.

=== The Three ===
{{Main|Three Rings}}
The ''Three Rings'' of the Elves were made last, forged by [[Celebrimbor]] alone, and were never touched by Sauron. However, 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.

=== The One ===
{{Main|The One Ring}}
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.

==History==
===Creation===
<!--"forging" in "Eriador#War with Sauron" and "Events" in Eriador infobox both link here-->
[[File:Ralph Damiani - The Forging.jpg|thumb|''The Forging'' by [[:Category:Images by Ralph Damiani|Ralph Damiani]]]]
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 of how to create Rings, which would grant the Elves who wore them certain powers. At first the Elves created some lesser rings, which were only essays in the craft before it was full-grown. In approximately {{SA|1500}}, the greater sixteen 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 the creation of the One Ring, heard Sauron speak the spell, and realized they had been betrayed.<ref>{{FR|Council}}</ref>

===Advent of Sauron===
As soon as Sauron put on the One, 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. Celebrimbor however managed to salvage the Three he created himself and secretly gave them to [[Gil-galad]], [[Círdan]], and [[Galadriel]]. They were originally given to the three greatest [[Eldar]] in [[Middle-earth]] at that time.<ref name="B" /><ref name="Rings" /> During the [[Sack of Eregion]], Sauron took the Nine Rings and other lesser works from them; but he could not find the rest. Then [[Celebrimbor]] was put to torment, and he revealed the existence of the Seven Rings.<ref>{{UT|Galadriel}}</ref>

Sauron then distributed them to Lords who desired secret power beyond their nature, hoping to bring them under his sway; [[Men]] who were the readiest to his will, became powerful sorcerers and Kings; and [[Dwarves]] who grew greedier and augmented their treasures. As Sauron had to do with their making, he easily perverted and accursed the Rings, betraying those who wore them.<ref name="Rings" />

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, but the wrath and greed brought upon them brought evils that benefitted Sauron. The Three were always held by the Elves, and [[Gandalf]] upon his arrival.<ref name="Rings" />

===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|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]].

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 name="Shadow">{{FR|Shadow}}</ref>

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]].

==Powers and properties==
The Rings of Power all had certain common properties. The Elves of Eregion created the rings to preserve their lands, attempting to make them as beautiful as [[Valinor]]. Thus, a primary power of the rings was to prevent and decelerate decay and change. The rings also increased a bearer's own natural powers, seemingly granting '[[magic]]' abilities.<ref name="L131">{{L|131}}</ref> 
[[File:Jef Murray - In Her Father's Garden.jpg|thumb|''In her father's garden'' by [[Jef Murray]]]]

The One Ring was the Master Ring, which would have allowed whoever mastered the it to have control over the others rings (except the Three), the works done through them, and also could perceive and control the thoughts of anyone wearing them. The wearer of the One Ring was also able to understand speech in languages the they did not know, or at least the [[Black Speech]].<ref>{{TT|Choices}}</ref> However, the Ring corrupted the heart and mind, making its holder obsessed with it.

Additionally, the One Ring, along with the Seven and the Nine, 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 name="L131" /> Men who wore a Ring of Power caused the wearer to ''fade'' and turn into a permanently invisible [[Wraiths|wraith]]<ref name="Shadow" />{{rp|51}} under Sauron's domination.<ref name="Shadow" />{{rp|47}}

The [[Dwarves]] were more resistant to most of these effects. They could hardly be dominated, it was hard to read their thoughts and they could not be turned into wraiths. They mostly suffered under an increased wrath and lust for gold and only used their Seven Rings to increase their wealth. It was said that a golden ring was the foundation on which each of the Seven Hoards of the Dwarf-kings of old.<ref name="Rings" />

The Three did not make their wearers invisible<ref name="L131" /> (though a wearer could make the ring itself invisible<ref>{{FR|Mirror}}</ref>). A wearer of one of the 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]] and [[Rivendell]]. Meanwhile Gandalf used [[Narya]] to inspire hope and courage in others.<ref>{{App|B2}}, [[Cirdan]]'s words to [[Gandalf]]</ref>

==Other versions of the legendarium==
[[File:J.R.R. Tolkien - The Fellowship of the Ring 2.jpg|thumb|The One Ring and the Three in the [[The Lord of the Rings/Original dust-jacket designs|dust-jacket]] design for ''[[The Fellowship of the Ring]]'' by [[J.R.R. Tolkien]]]]
In an early draft of ''[[The Lord of the Rings]]'', there were many different elements related to the Rings of Power:<ref>{{RS|Gollum}}, p. 78</ref> 
*Not the Elves of Eregion, but the dark master made many rings and distributed them to ensnare others. The Elves did not have three, but had many rings. There is no mentioning of the Elves discovering the intent of the Lord of the Rings and taking off their rings. Instead, it is mentioned that there were now many [[Ring-wraiths|Elf-wraiths]].
*The [[Goblins]] had some rings and their wraiths are very evil and totally under the command of the dark master.
*The elements that the Dwarves had seven rings, that they only turned them greedy and that a golden ring was the foundation of each of the seven hoards of the Dwarves were already present. However, it is not mentioned that the dwarves were hard to dominate, that their thoughts could not be read or that they could not be turned into wraiths, it is only said that their rings could not make them invisible.
*Instead of nine rings, Men had received three rings, but had found other rings in secret places that had been thrown away by Elf-wraiths. The men-wraiths were servants of the dark master and brought their rings back to him. Instead of Isildur the ring that was later found by Bilbo fell of the hand of an Elf, but the other elements that he fled from his pursuers in a war and that the ring betrayed him and fell from his hand when he swam across a river so that he became visible to Goblins that killed him are already present in this draft.
*Instead of a [[hobbit]] called [[Déagol]], a hobbit called Dígol found the ring and used its effect to turn him invisible for malicious purposes, turned to muttering to himself so that he was called ''Gollum'' and was told to go into exile by his relatives.

In an earlier draft it is mentioned that when overcome by the Ring you turn permanently invisible, everything becomes very faint for you, you can smell more clearly than you can hear or see, and you turn into a ringwraith under the command of the Lord of the Rings. It is also mentioned that you do not have the power to turn things invisible and that your clothes are visible.<ref>{{RS|Gollum}}, p. 75</ref>

==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) is often compared to ''[[Der Ring des Nibelungen|The Ring of the Nibelung]]'', 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, and 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 [[Prologue: One Ring to Rule Them All...|Prologue]], narrated by [[Galadriel]], the 19 initial Rings were shown being given to the [[Elves]], [[Men]], and [[Dwarves]]. The introduction states that all of these ring-holders were deceived by Sauron, who created the One Ring to rule them all.

'''2017: ''[[The Lord of the Rings Online]]'':'''
:Alongside the One Ring and the Three, names are also given to the Seven and the Nine:

:*The Seven rings of the Dwarves are given as Taurya, Sindya, Tínya, Tulcya, Úrya, Vanya, and Angya (the [[Ring of Thrór|Ring of Durin]]).

:*The Nine rings of Men are named Sâkhla, Adâsh, Orôm (the ring of the [[Khamûl|Lieutenant of Dol Guldur]]), Jûru, Mêbat, Khânto, Sapthân, Nitîr, and Ûri (the ring of the [[Witch-king]]).

'''2022: [[The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power]]: Season One'''
:'''Episode 9: ''[[Alloyed]]'''''
:All the lore related to the forging of the Rings of Power under the guidance of [[Annatar]] is ignored. No [[lesser rings]], nor any of the sixteen Rings is made before the Three Rings. Instead of the Three being the only ones unmarred by Sauron's intervention, they are the only ones done under [[Halbrand]]'s guidance. All the [[Magic|magical craft]] done by the [[Gwaith-i-Mírdain|Elven-smiths]] is reduced to the magical properties of [[mithril]] made up for the series.

==External links==
*[https://brownmath.com/general/ringfaq.htm FAQ of the Rings] by Stan Brown
*[https://middle-earth.xenite.org/who-were-the-rings-of-power-made-for/ Who Were the Rings of Power Made For?] by [[Michael Martinez]]

{{references}}
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[[Category:Rings and jewels]]
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[[fr:encyclo/artefacts/bijoux/anneaux/anneaux de pouvoir]]
[[fi:Mahtisormukset]]