A Guide To The Rings In J.R.R. Tolkien’s Lore

TV & Film

Sep 4

As the new season of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power unfolds new rings are being introduced that had only been quickly mentioned in the opening of The Fellowship of the Ring. Whether you are a lifelong Lord of the Rings fan or you are just now getting into the fandom thanks to the Rings of Power, it can be difficult to keep up with the different rings, and their importance. Sauron had wanted to create rings for the elves, dwarves, and men so that he could corrupt and enslave them.

Although knowledge was offered in hopes that the rings could be used for good, and possibly even against Sauron, in the end, each of the rings was linked to the one ring that Sauron forged himself. That one ring is what the original trilogy of films, and the Hobbit trilogy focuses on. In total, there were 20 rings, which is a lot to keep track of regardless of how much you know about Tolkien’s masterpieces.

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Three Elven Rings

The three elven rings were forged by Celebrimbor and they were named Narya, Nenya, and Vilya. It was believed that these rings were free of Sauron’s influence, and the rings were created to save the dying Tree of Lindon. This tree represented Eleven life on Middle Earth, and when the three rings were put on the Light of Eldar returned to the tree and the Elves were allowed to remain in Middle Earth. Narya was worn by Círdan, the Lord of Mithlond, and Gandalf. The ring was also referred to as the ring of fire because of the ruby that sits at the center of the ring.

The ring can inspire and unite others giving the wearer extra stamina and endurance. Nenya is worn by Galadriel and is also referred to as the Ring of Adamant or the Ring of Water. The ring possesses the power to protect and hide from evil forces. Vilya is worn by The High King Gil-Galad and Lord Elrond and is also referred to as the Ring of Sapphire, Ring of Air, and the Blue Ring. This is the most powerful of the three rings and is given to the Gil-Galad by Celebrimbor. The power of this ring is never revealed, but it is believed that it has the power to heal and preserve.

Seven Rings Of The Dwarves

The seven rings were forged by both Celebrimbor and Annatar, and they are given to the seven Lords of the Dwarf Kingdoms: Durin’s Folk, Firebeards, Broadbeams, Ironfists, Stiffbeards, Blacklocks, and Stonefoots. The Dwarves proved their resilience to Sauron’s power through their stubbornness. The rings granted the dwarves excessive wealth which, unfortunately, amplified the king’s greed and wrath.

Nine Rings Of Man

In The Silmarillion, Celebrimbor refused to make rings for mortal men because he knew how easily they could be corrupted. Sauron would not be deterred though, and he took the rings and gave them to the men himself. Only two of the mortal men are given names in the lore: the Witch-King of Angmar and Khamûl, the Black Easterling. The rest of the men are nameless and faceless pawns in Sauron’s game. The men are easily corrupted by the power, immortality, and wealth that the rings grant them and they eventually become agents of Sauron known as Nazgûl or Ringwraiths.

The One Ring

This is the most well-known ring in the Lord of the Rings universe since it is the focus of the films. The ring was forged by Sauron himself in Mordor to give him control over the other 19 rings. This ring was worn by Sauron, Isildur, Sméagol/Gollum, Bilbo Baggins, and lastly Frodo Baggins. The ring is known by many names such as The One Ring to Rule Them All, The Great Ring of Power, Ruling Ring, Isildur’s Bane, and “My Precious”. The ring grants its owner extended life, and when worn, makes them invisible to everyone but Suaron and the ringwraiths. Unlike the other rings that each have stones or other designs, this ring is a plain gold band. That is until it is heated and black speech appears around the band: “One Ring to rule them all, One ring to find them; One ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them”. This ring changed hands typically through violence. After Isildur defeats Sauron in the War of the Elves he chooses to keep the ring rather than destroying it in the fires of Mount Doom. He is betrayed by the ring and after being killed the ring falls into the river where many years later it is found by Deagol while he is out fishing with Sméagol. Upon seeing the ring Sméagol kills him, takes the ring, and then hides in the mountains becoming the character Gollum. The ring then passes to Bilbo when he stumbles upon it in the caves while fleeing from Trolls. The ring is then passed from Bilbo to Frodo when Bilbo decides he wishes to return to Rivendell to live out the rest of his days.

The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power is now streaming on Amazon Prime with new episodes every Thursday.

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