Rings of Power

"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, The Lord of the Rings

Lore

Tolkien's essay in The Silmarillion gives the background of the making of the rings.

At the end of the First Age, Sauron evaded the call of the Valar to surrender, and fled to Middle-earth. Midway through the Second Age he came in disguise as Annatar ("Lord of Gifts") to the Elven smiths of Eregion, who were led by Celebrimbor, and taught them the craft of forging magic rings. Tolkien writes that the Elves made many lesser rings as essays in the craft, but eventually with Sauron's assistance they forged the Seven and the Nine. The Three were made by Celebrimbor himself without Sauron's assistance; they remained unsullied by his touch.

The Great Rings, forged in sets of seven, nine, and later three, were intended by Celebrimbor to protect and preserve the lands of those who wore them. The Seven and the Nine were given to Dwarves and Men by Celebrimbor himself before Sauron's betrayal, according to Bregoleth, though this contradicts most other accounts, wherein Sauron took the Seven and the Nine by force when he invaded Eregion during the War of the Elves and Sauron and then gave out as he saw fit.

The Rings of Power forged by the Gwaith-i-Mírdain were all subject to the One Ring, forged by Sauron alone in the heart of Orodruin in Mordor. Much of Sauron's power was passed into the One in order to dominate the lesser rings and their bearers- even the Three, though he had no direct hand in their making, were still made with his knowledge and were bound to the Ruling Ring.

The Three Rings of the Elves

The Three Rings of the Elves were the last made, and they possessed the greatest powers.

The Three Rings were created by Celebrimbor after Sauron, in the guise of Annatar, had left Eregion. These rings were free of Sauron's influence, as he did not have a hand in their making; however they were still forged by Celebrimbor with the arts taught to him by Sauron and thus were still bound to the One Ring. Upon perceiving Sauron's intent, the Elves hid the three from him. They were carried out of Middle-earth at the end of the Third Age, after the destruction of the One Ring.

The location and bearers of the Three were kept secret even from others of the Wise, and their bearers did not speak of them openly- indeed, it was forbidden to discuss them.

Narya

Narya was adorned with a red stone. The name is derived from the Quenya nár meaning fire. It was also called the Narya the Great, the Ring of Fire, and the Red Ring.

Narya was given, variously, directly to Círdan the Shipwright, Lord of Mithlond (The Lord of the Rings & The Silmarillion) or to Gil-galad, High King of the Noldor, and only later to Círdan (Unfinished Tales). According to Elendil's account as uncovered in Mordor Besieged, Narya and Vilya both came first to Gil-galad who then entrusted them to Círdan and Elrond, respectively. The two rings were used in concert by Gil-galad during the War of the Last Alliance to break the Black Gate.

In the Third Age, Círdan, recognizing Gandalf's true nature as one of the Istari 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 in others around the wielder), as well as giving resistance to the weariness of time:

"Take this ring, Master" he said, "for your labours will be heavy; but it will support you in the weariness that you have taken upon yourself. For this is the Ring of Fire, and with it you may rekindle hearts in a world that grows chill." (Círdan the Shipwright to Gandalf).

Narya was worn by Gandalf at the Grey Havens when the Ring-bearers departed Middle-earth.

Nenya

Nenya was made of mithril and adorned with a white stone. The name is derived from the Quenya nén meaning water. It is also called Ring of Adamant and Ring of Water.

The ring is wielded by Galadriel of Lothlórien, and possesses 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".)

Nenya's power gave 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 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 protect and sustain Lothlórien, but it also increased in her the longing for the Sea and her desire to return to the Undying Lands.

Galadriel bore Nenya when she and Celeborn marched on Minas Ithil during the War of the Last Alliance, and with its power broke the gates.

After the destruction of the One Ring and the defeat of Sauron, Nenya's power faded along with the other Rings. Though it lost much of its strength within months, Galadriel entrusted Nenya to Celeborn long enough for him to return to Cirith Ungol and slay the great spider Shelob. 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 the Party Area that lived for centuries) and it was gradually depopulated.

Vilya

Vilya was made of gold and adorned with a "great blue stone". The name is derived from the Quenya vilya meaning air. It is also called Ring of Sapphire, Ring of Air, Ring of Firmament, or Blue Ring.

Vilya was the mightiest of the Three. 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 . 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.

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. Vilya was used by Gil-galad in concert with Narya during the War of the Last Alliance to break the Black Gate. 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 Rings of the Dwarves

The Seven Rings of the Dwarves were among the great Rings. The exact powers of these rings were never enumerated, but it was said that the heart of the great treasure hoards of all seven Houses was a single gold ring. The Dwarves proved resistant to the direct domination of Sauron even through their Rings, but the goldlust stoked in some caused trouble enough to suit the Dark Lord. By the end of the Third Age, Sauron had recovered three of the Seven Rings to himself, and the other four had been consumed by dragons later known as the Ring-drakes- Hrímil Frost-heart, Thostír the Rank, and Fingar the Greedy. The Seven were kept secret much as the Three were, to the point that even among the line of Durin none knew that Angya had been recovered save Gandalf and Thráin until the Council of Elrond.

Angya

Angya, also known as the Ring of Durin and Handórm by Dwarves, was the ring given to Durin III. The Longbeards hold that Angya was first-forged of the Seven and given directly to Durin III by the Gwaith-i-Mírdain, though the others of the Seven were dispensed by Sauron. Angya was carried over from king to king until it came to Thráin II, who lost it at last in the dungeons of Dol Guldur in 2845 of the Third Age, last of the Seven to be recovered by Sauron. Unlike the others of the Seven, Angya was never pursued by great force for fear of the Longbeards' strength.

Tínya and Sindya

To the king of the Zhélruka was given the ring Tínya. It was swallowed by the cold-dragon Hrímil Frost-heart who used its influence for her own causes until the Gúrzyul Karazgar was sent to subdue and imprison her in Glúrakul, the Pit of Frost in the depths of Mordor. Hrímil was released with the destruction of Sauron and the upheaval of Mordor and the fading power of Tínya remained with her until her death.

Sindya, also known as Manthríf by Drása's Folk, was given to the Kámbrada. When Sauron demanded the Ring's return, Drása's Folk refused. Their homes were ruined and a large part of their people were taken as thralls into Mordor, where they became the Stout-axes, or Khirvísa. The last king of the Stout-axes in Mordor, Váskmun Greytooth, was held in the dungeons of Barad-dûr for 78 years while being forced to wear Manthríf until it drove him mad. On his release, Váskmun led many of his surviving people under the new name of the Firehorns into the Abyss of Mordath in an effort to reclaim his ring.

Tulcya and Taurya

Tulcya was given to the Temámir or the Abnúzhu. It was swallowed by the fire-dragon Thostír the Rank in the Third Age. Like Hrímil, Thostír was subdued by Karazgar, the Weeping Warrior, and imprisoned in the Abyss of Mordath, in Glúrghash, the Pit of Flame. Also like Hrímil, Thostír escaped his prison after the destruction of the One Ring and fled Mordor, Tulcya still inside him.

To the other House was given Taurya which was reclaimed by Sauron around the same time as Sindya.

Vanya and Úrya

Vanya and Úrya, the last of the rings swallowed by dragons, were given to the Dwarves of the Blue Mountains, the Narfanghoth and the Landorrim, and were devoured by Fingar the Greedy, who had long lain hidden until the allure of two great treasure hoards proved too strong. Like Hrímil and Thostír, Fingar was brought to Mordor by Karazgar with the rings still inside him. Fingar was not so fortunate as Hrímil and Thostír and remained in Glurnákh, the Pit of Greed even after the downfall of Sauron, and there he stayed until his death, Vanya and Úrya with him.

The Nine

Nine Rings were given to lords of mortal Men of many lands- lords of Númenor and Harad and Rhûn.

The Nine gave to these Men great power, and in their living days they became powerful warriors, magicians, and kings, and though their lives were greatly extended, the rings did not give to them more strength to endure it. The Nine also let them walk, invisible, and see things hidden to mortal eyes. Under Sauron's influence, by way of the Ruling Ring, each bearer of the Nine came entirely under his dominion sooner or later. By the end of the Second Age they faded entirely into the world of shadows, invisible to any save the bearer of the One Ring, unless they cloaked themselves intentionally in physical form- they became the Nazgûl, the Ringwraiths, Sauron's most feared servants.

The names of the Nine are as follows:

• Ûri, the Heart-stopper, worn by the Witch-king of Angmar
• Sâkhla, The Cruel One, worn by the Bane of Rhûn
• Adâsh, the Foe-maker, worn by the Woe of Khand
• Orôm, the Warmonger, worn by the Cursed Rider
• Jûru, the Herald of Mourning, worn by the Grim Southron
• Mêbat, the Mirth-eater, worn by the High Sorcerer of Harad
• Khânto, the Pain-giver, worn by the Forsaken Reaver
• Sapthân, the Foolstone, worn by the Black Blade of Lebennin
• Nitîr, Terror's Sting, worn by the Gloom of Nurn

Lesser Rings

Several lesser rings were made in Eregion before the Great Rings. Among these were:

• Narchuil, the Ring of Truth, borne by Amarthiel, the Champion of Angmar, and forged by the elven-smith Narmeleth in Eregion
• Manadgam
• Meletya, Nírya, and Tyelca, rings borne by High Elf characters, said to have been forged before Sauron's influence fell over the smiths of Eregion