The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power On Amazon Prime Video part focuses on the creation of the rings of power famous through the opening to Lord of the Rings. While the One Ring is the most well-known, all 20 of the Rings of Power in Tolkien’s Middle-earth have their own history, granting wielders a variety of abilities. A brief history behind the rings of power is included in The Fellowship of the Ring – Rendered in live action by Peter Jackson’s 2001 movie adaptation.
Sauron helped make 20 rings of power, which he gifted to the various races of Middle-earth not out of the kindness of his cold, black heart, but to dominate and control them. Sauron gave nine to men, seven to dwarves, the elves had three, and the Dark Lord kept for himself the one ring to rule them all. Some of the rings of power are more important than others in the great tapestry of Middle-earth, but all have history on the fingers of important figures.
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The one ring to rule them all
The ring Sauron kept for himself
The most famous, most powerful, most precious Ring of Power is, of course, Sauron’s One Ring, forged in the fires of Mt. Doom as a master controller for the other 19. Crafting the ring required Sauron to pour a large portion of his own power into the melting pot, creating a symbiotic bond between the item and its master. Sauron would never be Really Killed while the Ring was still complete, Sauron could not wield his full Maia power without the Ring on his finger.
As mentioned in The Lord of the RingsSauron used the One Ring to bring Middle-earth to its knees, until the weapon was cut from his hand by Isildur at the Last Alliance of Elves and Men. Isildur put up a feeble fight against the ring’s temptation before deciding to keep it, but the next part of the ring’s history is less well known.
After many years of tragedy and struggle, Isildur realized that Hugo Weaving’s Elrond probably had a point about the ring being bad news, and decided to release it into the safe custody of the elven ruler himself. Isildur’s company was attacked by orcs during the journey, and although the king managed to slip away with the ring’s invisibility, it betrayed him by falling from its owner’s finger into the river Anduin, exposing Isildur to orc arrows.
Over 2000 years, the ring remained in its watery resting place until, as shown in Return of the Kings movie adaptation, Sméagol the Stork found it while fishing. The ring passed from Smeagol to Bilbo Baggins, from Bilbo to Frodo Baggins and after a short time with Samwise Gamgee into the fire from whence it came.
The elves’ three rings of power
Naria, Nenia, and Willia
While this one ring was the most powerful, there were 19 other rings of power in Middle-earth, and each of them was a considerable force in its own right. Although Sauron created the One Ring in secret from his Mordor fortress, the other 19 were made openly by the Elves – though not without a dark guiding hand. While Sauron gifted the three rings to the elves, they were crafted by Cerebrimbor himself. The three rings of power given to the elves are Naria (the ring of fire), Nenia (the ring of Adamant), and Vilia (the ring of air).
|
Ring of Power |
Other names |
Notable owners |
Abilities given |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Naria |
The Ring of Fire |
CÃrdan, Gandalf |
Protection from distant observation (such as through a palantir), inspiration from those in his presence to resist tyranny, prolonged life, possible fire magic (such as Gandalf’s Flame of Honor). |
|
Nenia |
The Ring of Adamant |
Galadriel |
Protection from remote observation (such as through a palantir). Nenia’s other powers are unclear, although it is known that Galadriel used it in some way to create Lothlorien. |
|
Willia |
Willia |
Elrond |
Protection from remote observation (such as through a palantir), healing powers, possible water control (this may have been behind the flood of water that stopped the Nazgul from pursuing Arwen and Frodo in The Fellowship of the Ring). |
After the fall of Morgoth (the original villain of Middle-earth) at the end of the first age, Sauron – Morgoth’s greatest lieutenant – spent 1500 years recovering his magical strength and military power, turning Mordor into a stronghold of evil. As part of his grand plan to dominate all species, Sauron infiltrated the elves of Eregion, adopting a “nice“Disguising himself and renaming himself Annatar. Operating in the shadows and sowing dissent among the already-fractured elven houses, Sauron offered Eregion magical knowledge and pushed them to craft the Rings of Power.
Celebrimbor, the greatest of the blacksmiths, over-obliged and personally made a trio of powerful rings – Naria, Nenia and Vilia. Since Celebrimbor himself made them, the Elves’ Rings of Power did not fall directly under Sauron’s sway, and lacked the same corrupting qualities other Rings of Power imbued on their unfortunate owners. Nevertheless, all three still came under the influence of the Dark Lord’s One Ring.
Although Tolkien is ambiguous in describing their abilities, each elven ring of power comes with unique benefits. Naria specializes in flame magic, and also gives the wearer the power to inspire others and resist fatigue. Nenia can be used as a shield and ward against evil forces. Willia, the strongest of the three, is suspected of possessing the same talent, but with an added affinity for controlling water.
Naria and Vilia were both originally held by Gil-galad, the elves’ high ruler who is briefly glimpsed during The Fellowship of the Rings flashback battle. Gil-galad gave Noria the scroll to Sirdan, one of the ancient elves in Middle-earth, but when Sirdan witnessed Gandalf’s arrival, he thought the wizard would find better use for it. Gandalf carries Naria through the whole Lord of the Rings Trilogy.
Willia meanwhile gave Gil-Gold to Elrond Long for the events of The Hobbit And The Lord of the Rings, And the third ring, Nenia, is constantly held by Galadriel. After the ruling ring is destroyed by Frodo, all three become inert – nice to look at, but as useful in battle as Sam Gamgee’s prized brain.
The Seven Rings of Power of the Dwarves
Sauron’s attempt to subjugate the seven dwarf clans of Middle Earth
It is known that the elves were not the only race in Middle-earth to receive rings of power, as seven were also given to the dwarf lords. However, this was not Sauron’s initial plan. Lord of the Rings‘ Famous rhyme implies that Sauron always intended to spread his rings of power among the various races of Middle-earth, but the beautiful verse does not tell the full story.
Sauron initially hoped that all 19 rings of power would be used to corrupt the elves, but after forging the one ring and setting his evil scheme in motion, his targets quickly showed up and took away their rings. Sauron then fought to get them back, and although the elves managed to hide the three strongest (Naria, Nenia and Vilia), the others were mostly reclaimed. Only at this point, thwarted by Flower Forest Folk, the Dark Lord gave seven rings of power to the dwarves and nine to the kings of men.
|
Dwarf Clan |
Place in Middle-earth |
|---|---|
|
Durin’s people |
Khazad-dûm |
|
Firebirds |
The Blue Mountains |
|
Broadbeams |
The Blue Mountains |
|
Iron feet |
Unknown place in eastern Middle-earth where they lived with the Stiffbeards |
|
Stiffbirds |
Unknown place in eastern Middle-earth where they lived with the Ironfists |
|
Blacklocks |
Unknown place in eastern Middle-earth where they lived with the Stonefoots |
|
Stonefoots |
Unknown place in eastern Middle-earth where they lived with the Blacklocks |
The seven rings of power of the dwarves are the ones Tolkien wrote the least about. As with the elves, Sauron let the dwarf-lords bear his gifts, then tried to corrupt them through the One Ring. He failed again, this time because the dwarves were too hardy and determined to be controlled. Rather than fall under Sauron’s spell, Dwarf Ring-bearers accumulated great wealth, but became even more consumed by their greed, setting in motion the events of The Hobbit. Only one of the seven is specified in Tolkien’s lore – the Ring of Terror, which was gifted by Celebrimbor, not Sauron.
As the dwarves’ rings of power drew considerable conflict from dragons, it was hardly surprising that four of the seven were dissolved under the beasts’ flaming breath. Sauron managed to recover the remaining three after his return to prominence, then boldly tried bargaining with the Dwarves, offering the trio in exchange for their loyalty. The dwarves, however, declined.
Mortal men’s nine rings of power
The method Sauron used to create the Nazgul
Of all the races that received rings of power, it was the humans who were the most corrupt of all the inhabitants of Middle-earth. It is safe to say that Sauron’s ambition with the Rings of Power was no different, although with the human kings of Middle-earth everything went according to his dark plan – which is how the Nazgûl eventually came to be.
Sauron finally tasted success with the nine human kings he bestowed rings of power on. Less magical than the elves and less resistant than dwarves, Sauron’s chosen people lap up his tempting gifts, succumbing completely to the One Ring’s invisible tendrils. As the Dark Lord promised, the Nine Kings acquired power, agelessness and riches – though this came at a heavy price.
The nine humans given rings of power would have known that Sauron’s price was very attached to the mortal realm if only they were not blinded by their greed. The kings gradually slipped into a nether plane, existing only as ghostly wraiths subject to the will of Sauron, and dependent on him for their power. The phantom slaves became known as the Nazgûl, or Ringwraiths, and continued to obey their master until vanquished for good.
Little is known about the identity of the Nazgul, with only the Witch-king of Angmar and Hamul the Estling named by Tolkien. The fate of the nine rings of power reserved for humans is also somewhat mysterious. The pieces themselves were never found, so either remained with Sauron in Mordor, or stayed with the physical bodies of their respective kings – wherever they were kept. The shroud of mystery surrounding so many of Sauron’s rings of power makes the subject ripe for exploration in The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power.