Rings of Power

The Rings of Power were forged by the Elven-smiths (also known as the Gwaith-i-Mírdain) of the Noldorin settlement of Eregion.[T 2] They were led by Celebrimbor, the grandson of Fëanor and a friend of the dwarf-smith Narvi; the two smiths had made the West-gate of Moria together. In the year 1200 of the Second Age, the Dark Lord Sauron, disguised as a fair-looking emissary of the Valar named Annatar, the Lord of Gifts, persuaded Celebrimbor to help him.[T 2] Humiliated by the fall of his master Morgoth, Sauron had evaded the summons in Valinor to surrender and face judgment, opting instead to remain in Middle-earth and seek dominion over the Elves and the men of Númenór.[T 3] He was shunned by the Elven leaders Gil-galad, Círdan, Elrond and Galadriel, but was successful in persuading Celebrimbor.[T 3] Teaching him and his fellow smiths the craft of forging magic rings, they were able to create sets of Seven and Nine rings. While Celebrimbor created a set of Three alone, Sauron left for Mordor in the year 1500 and forged a master ring, the One, in the fires of Mount Doom, to control all the others.[T 2]

Once the One was made using the Black Speech, the Elves immediately became aware of Sauron's motives and quickly hid the Three.[T 3] Despite Galadriel's advice to destroy all the rings, Celebrimbor can not bear to ruin them.[T 2] He instead entrusted one of the Three to her, and sent the other two to Gil-galad and Círdan.[T 4][T 5] In an attempt to seize all the Rings of Power for himself, Sauron waged an assault upon the Elves. Desolating Eregion, he was successful in capturing the Nine and Celebrimbor, who died revealing the Seven but failed to reveal the Three.[T 6] He then launched an invasion of Eriador, but Gil-galad victoriously defended the region by the aid of the Númenóreans, who took Sauron as their prisoner.[T 3] Sauron dared what he could not achieve by force to accomplish by cunning, slowly corrupting the men of Númenor which led to its downfall.[T 3]

The exiled Númenóreans who survived its fall led by Elendil and his sons Isildur and Anárion established the realms of Arnor and Gondor.[T 3] Together with Elves of Lindon, they formed a last alliance against Sauron, who fell in the hands of Elendil and Gil-galad.[T 3] Isildur then took the One Ring for his own and was eventually lost for centuries.[T 7] During this time, the Elves were able to use the Three Rings while the Nine, which Sauron had previously gave to several leaders of Men, corrupted them, and later became the Nazgûl (also known as Ringwraiths and his chief servants).[T 1] The Seven, however, failed to succumb directly to Sauron's will, but ignited a sense of avarice within them.[T 3] Over the years, Sauron sought to recapture the Rings, primarily the One, but was only successful in recovering the Nine and three out the Seven.[T 7] During the Third Age, The One was found by Bilbo Baggins (in The Hobbit) and a Fellowship was formed to destroy it (in The Lord of the Rings), led by Bilbo's nephew Frodo.[T 8][T 7][T 1] Following the destruction of the One Ring and the ultimate fall of Sauron, the power of the rings eventually faded. While the Nine were destroyed, the Three were carried out to the Sea at the end of the Third Age, giving the rise to the Dominion of Men.[1][T 9][T 3]

The Rings of Power were made using the craft taught by Sauron to give their respective wearers "wealth and dominion over others", though the main purpose of the Three Rings was to "heal and preserve".[3] Tolkien explained that the primary power of the rings was to "the prevention and slowing of decay", which appealed to the Elves in their pursuit of preserving what they desire or loved in Middle-earth.[4][T 18] Tolkien noted in his letters that the Elves can only be immortal as long as the world endures, leading them to be concerned to burdens of deathlessness in time and change. Wanting the bliss and perfect memory of Valinor, and yet to remain in Middle-earth with their prestige as the fairest, as opposed to being relegated at the bottom of the hierarchy in the Undying Lands, they became obsessed with "fading".[T 19] As changeless beings in a changing world, the Elves who remained in Middle-earth, have sought to forge the rings in an attempt to delay the inevitable—the rise of the Dominion of Men.[5][T 20][T 21] He also pointed out that each ring can enhance the "natural power" of its possessor, thus approaching its "magical aspect", which can be "easily corruptible to evil and lust of domination".[T 18] In The Fellowship of the Ring, Galadriel explains to Frodo that the Rings can only "give power according to the measure of each possessor" and that before one can use that power one would need to become far stronger, and to train their will to the domination of others.[T 21]

Mortals who take possession of it will "fade" much more rapidly, as it unnaturally preserves their life-span, eventually turning them into wraiths.[T 22] This power can manifest by rendering their material body invisible and making things of the invisible world visible, as half of the wearer is temporarily transported into the spirit world.[T 7][6][T 18] By carrying it, the One Ring was able to give Gollum and Bilbo an unnatural long life, while the Nine had turned the Nazgûl completely invisible.[T 7][T 23] Immortal beings, however, can preserve their material things over long periods of time, as evidenced when Nenya was used by Galadriel to preserve Lothlórien.[4] Gandalf explained to Frodo that a Ring of Power can "look after itself"—the One Ring in particular, can "slip off treacherously" and take advantage of a situation where it can to go back its master, such as betraying Isildur, Déagol, and Gollum when an opportunity arrives.[T 7]

As the ruling band, the One enabled a sufficiently powerful wielder to perceive what was done by means of the lesser rings, and to see and govern the thoughts of those who wore them.[T 24] Tom Bombadil, the only person unaffected by its power, could see its wearer as a visible being and did not become invisible when he wore it.[T 25] Tolkien notes that forging the One Ring meant that Sauron was obliged to put almost all his own power into it—when worn, it enhanced his power; but even unworn, it remained aligned to him unless another seized it and took control of it.[T 19] A prospective possessor could, if sufficiently strong, overthrow Sauron and usurp his place.[T 19] As the One was made in the fires of Mount Doom, only there it can be unmade.[T 1] Once destroyed, its power would immediately dissolve, and Sauron would fade to a memory of malicious will. But the Dark Lord never contemplated nor feared it, as the One was unbreakable by anyone other than him and indissoluble unless thrown to the fires of the unapproachable dark mountain, and any prospective possessor would be corrupted by the lust for it, as such that person could not bear to destroy it.[T 19] Samwise, who possessed the One Ring for a limited amount of time, was able to understand the Black Speech of Orcs in Mordor.[T 16]

Unlike the Seven and the Nine, the Three Rings were forged by Celebrimbor without the direct assistance from Sauron, as such the Three can not make their wearers invisible, but can be invisible themselves (except to a ring-bearer).[T 21] Three have also shown to summon other powers—Narya can rekindle hearts and inspire others to resist tyranny, domination, and despair; Nenya has been described as a having a secret power that can protect from evil; while Vilya can heal and preserve wisdom.[T 3]

The One Ring had originally appeared in Tolkien's children's fantasy novel The Hobbit in 1937, only as a mysterious magic ring which the titular character, the Hobbit Bilbo Baggins, had stumbled upon and was left unexplained after the book was published.[7] Following the successful response to the novel, Tolkien was persuaded by his publishers Allen & Unwin to write a sequel.[T 26][8] Originally intending to give the character another adventure, he instead devised a background story behind the Ring upon remembering its powers of invisibility and used it as a framework to which plot of the new novel will take place.[T 27] He later added several mythical elements from the unfinished manuscripts from The Silmarillion until the first publication of The Lord of the Rings in 1955.[9] His conception of the lore behind these rings were closely linked to his development of the One Ring.[10] Initially deciding as Sauron as instrumental in helping the forging of the Rings,[T 28] Tolkien later briefly considered making Fëanor, who created the Silmarils, as also the maker of the Rings of Power, under the influence of Morgoth, the first Dark Lord. But he ultimately decided on Celebrimbor, a descendant of Fëanor, as its principal maker, under the tutelage of Sauron, Morgoth's chief servant.[T 29]

For a short period while writing a background lore behind the ring, Tolkien was struggling with the idea that the Elven rings must be given a "special status"—somehow linked to the One Ring, and thus endangered by it, but also "unsullied" that it would involve them having no direct connection with Sauron.[11] By the time he was writing the chapter "The Mirror of Galadriel", Tolkien resolved to write that the Seven and the Nine were made by the Elven-smiths of Eregion under Sauron's guidance; but the Three were made by Celebrimbor alone, while Sauron secretly made the One, which has the power over the others, and once the Elves have finally realised what his deception, they immediately hid the Three.[11] He also drafted an idea that upon the destruction of the One, the Three will be freed from being bound to it, but he ultimately decided to discard it.[11] Tolkien's subsequent posthumous works such as The Silmarillion, Unfinished Tales and The History of Middle-earth also offer additional material relating to creation of the Rings.[T 2][T 30][T 31]

According to Philosophy professors Gregory Bassham and Eric Bronson, the Rings of Power can be seen as a modern representation of the relationship between power and morality, remarking that it portrays an idea that "absolute power is in conflict with behaviour that respects the wishes and needs of others".[6] They also observed that several of Tolkien's characters have responded in different ways when faced with the possibility of possessing the One Ring—characters such as Samwise Gamgee and Galadriel have rejected it; Boromir and Gollum were seduced by its power; and Frodo Baggins, though in limited use, ultimately succumbs to it; while Tom Bombadil can transcend from its power entirely.[6] They also noted out that for Tolkien, the crucial moment of each character in the story is the moment in which they are tempted to use a Ring, a choice which will determine their fate.[12]

Writer Isaac Asimov wrote that the Rings of Power can also be seen as a symbol of industrial technology.[13][14] In a literary documentation of Tokien's mythological works, David Day observed that there is "a sense that those who possessed the rings were destroyed by their own desire of wealth and power" and characterized the rings' mastery of the world as an "illusion", and that "the ring comes to enslave its owner."[15] Though Tolkien himself had explicitly denied such interpretations are allegorical, he also admitted that it can be applicable to an external situation and recommended it as an examination of "placing power in external objects".[4]

Rings of Power and its wearers as depicted on The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring— (above, from left) The Three Rings being worn by the Elves Gil-galad, Círdan, and Galadriel; (middle) The Dwarves raising their Seven Rings; (below) The Nine Kings of Men wielding their Rings of Power.

Ralph Bakshi's 1978 animated film The Lord of the Rings begins with the forging of the Rings of Power and the events of the War of the Last Alliance against Sauron, all of which are animated in a silhouette against a red background using rotoscope.[16]

The forging of the Rings of Power opens the prologue of Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings film series, primarily with The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001). In the film, the Three Elven Rings are shown being cast using a cuttlebone mold, an ancient primitive casting technique. These were given to Gil-galad (portrayed by Mark Ferguson), Círdan (Michael Elsworth), and Galadriel (Cate Blanchett).[17] Tolkien illustrator Alan Lee, employed as conceptual designers for the films, had a cameo as one of the nine human Ring-bearers who would later become the Nazgûl, while Sauron (Sala Baker) is seen forging the One Ring at the chamber of Mount Doom.[18] The One Ring was also shown to have the ability to adjust in size to the finger of its wearer, such as when it became smaller to fit Isildur (Harry Sinclair). In the extended version of the film, Galadriel also properly introduces Nenya, the Ring of Adamant, to Frodo. In the concluding sequel, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003), the final wearers of the Three Rings—Gandalf (Ian McKellen), Elrond (Hugo Weaving), and Galadriel, appear openly at the Grey Havens wearing the Three, with Galadriel proclaiming the end of its power and the beginning of the Dominion of Men.[19]

Four Rings of Power have also appeared in Jackson's The Hobbit film series. In The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (2012), the One Ring was found by Bilbo Baggins (portrayed by Martin Freeman).[20] In the extended version of the succeeding film The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (2013), Gandalf discovers that Sauron took the Ring of Thrór from Thráin (Antony Sher), who revealed in a flashback scene his possession of the Ring during a siege of Moria.[21] In the concluding film The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies (2014), Galadriel (Blanchett) reveals Nenya in rescuing Gandalf (McKellen) from Sauron (Benedict Cumberbatch), aided by Saruman (Christopher Lee) and Elrond (Weaving), who is wearing Vilya, the Ring of Air. In the film's extended edition, an Orc tries to cut Narya, the Ring of Fire, from Gandalf's finger before being rescued by Galadriel.[22]

In the gameplay of the 2014 video game Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor, the player controls a Gondorian ranger named Talion, who is imbued by the wraith-like spirit of Celebrimbor. In the game, Celebrimbor recalls how Sauron had deceived him into forging the Rings of Power.[23] Continuing the narrative in its sequel, Middle-earth: Shadow of War, Celebrimbor (using Talion's physical body) forges a new Ring of Power free and unsullied from Sauron's influence.[24]

• Andvaranaut – a magical ring that can give its wielder wealth
• Ring of Gyges – a ring that grants the power invisibility to its wearer when worn
• Draupnir – a self-multiplying ring that holds dominion over all the other rings it creates
• The Palantíri - indestructible crystal stones that enable the user to see past and future, and to communicate with other Palantíri
• The Silmarils – jewels crafted by Fëanor, Celebrimbor's ancestor, which played a titular role in Tolkien's companion book The Silmarillion
• Morgoth's Ring