The History of the Rings of Power

Amazon’s The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power has finally hit our screens and it’s bringing us more of the lore and history that surrounds Middle Earth. With a new look at the Second Age of Middle Earth, we’re getting a lot more information about what happened before The Lord of the Rings.

With 20 rings of power (and many lesser magical rings) in Middle Earth, there’s a lot to keep track of. While there are a lot of rings that we don’t have too much information about, some of the more important ones have a deep history, and each plays its own special part.

In The Beginning

To understand the rings of power, we need to know a little more about Sauron. Originally, he was called Mairon and was one of the Maiar – lesser spirits that helped the Valar shape the world. He was a student of the Vala, Aulë, and he learnt a great deal about smithing and handiwork. He went on to become a great craftsman.

Mairon’s greatest virtue at this time was his love for order, planning, and coordination. But eventually, this would also be his downfall. His love for order overshadowed everything else and no other living thing was important to him. Mairon then grew to admire another for their ability to achieve their plans quickly.

The one he grew to admire was Melkor. Melkor was one of the divine spirits known as the Ainur, who were the first beings created before the beginning of the world. Melkor was considered to be the mightiest of the Ainur, and he eventually rebelled against Ilúvatar, the creator of everything. He became known as Morgoth, after committing many crimes.

Mairon joined Morgoth and became his most trusted servant. This is when he became known as Sauron. He was not as evil as Morgoth, and they had different goals. Melkor wanted to completely corrupt the world. Sauron wanted to rule it and do as he wished.

During the First Age, there were great battles that Morgoth waged on Elves and Men, with Sauron at his side. Eventually, Morgoth was captured and forced to return to Valinor, the home of the Valar that is far to the west of Middle Earth. After this, Sauron went into hiding in middle earth, as he did not want to suffer the humiliation of returning to Valinor.

The Forging of the Rings

Sauron hid away in Middle Earth for 500 years into the Second Age (S.A.). He then started to slowly re-emerge and started amassing the great armies that he had once commanded for Morgoth. As suspicions grew around this shadow emerging in Middle Earth, Sauron set up his stronghold in Mordor.

In S.A. 1200, Sauron disguised himself as the Lord of Gifts, Annatar. He knew that Men would be easy to corrupt, but he wanted to sway the Elves into his service. While not all Elves trusted him, such as Galadriel and Elrond, some welcomed him. He befriended the Elven smiths of Eregion, a region close to the western gates of Khazad-dûm, which was later known as Moria. While there, he was also welcomed by Celebrimbor who was the ruler of Eregion, and the greatest craftsman.

Disguised as Annatar, Sauron taught the Elves a great deal about art and magic. Eventually, they began crafting the Rings of Power. In secret, Sauron created the One Ring, and all other Rings would be tied to it. In this way, Sauron hoped to rule over all beings in Middle Earth, using the magic that bound them all together to corrupt those who wore them.

Over time, there were many magic rings created. There were a lot of lesser rings that were made as practice for the Elven craftsmen, but their fate is unknown. But the main Rings of Power were the 20 created to rule over the people of Middle Earth. Sauron had a hand in the creation of almost all of them, but his teachings ensured all of the rings were somehow tied to him.

When Sauron created the One Ring, the Elves sensed its creation and refused to wear the 19 others that had been created. When Sauron realised the Elves did not wear their Rings, he waged a war on them in S.A. 1693. Sauron was able to claim almost all of the other Rings, but the Three eluded him. At the end of the Second Age, when Sauron was defeated in the War of the Last Alliance, the keepers of the Three were able to wear them once more.

Three Rings for the Elven Kings…

These are the Rings we know the most about. They were created by Celebrimbor alone, and Sauron never touched them. They were the last rings to be forged, however, and their creation used some of the techniques of the disguised Sauron. This meant that they were still bound to the One Ring by magic, yet they weren’t fully tainted by him.

Each of the Three Rings was created for understanding, making, and healing. They gave the power of preservation and were used by their bearers throughout the Third Age (T.A.) to preserve the lands they protected. Unlike the other Rings of Power, the Three do not turn the wearers invisible, but they themselves can turn invisible.

Narya

Narya (meaning fire) is known as the Ring of Fire or the Red Ring. Celebrimbor gave this Ring to Círdan, who was the Lord of the Grey Havens. It had the ability to inspire others to resist tyranny, as well as the power of preservation.

In the Third Age Círdan gave Narya to Gandalf. As he knew Gandalf was one of the Maiar, he knew he could use the Ring in his quest. Gandalf kept Narya hidden, but if you look closely at the end of The Return of the King, you can see him wearing it as he prepares to sail into the West.

Nenya

Nenya (meaning water) is also called the Ring of Water, the White Ring, or the Ring of Adamant. It was described as being made from mithril and set with a white stone. It was given to Galadriel and had the power of preservation and concealment from evil.

Galadriel used Nenya to create and preserve Lothlórien. After the One Ring was destroyed, Galadriel sailed into the West. Over time, Lothlórien faded and became depopulated, until eventually it was left deserted.

Vilya

Vilya (meaning air) is known as the Ring of Air, Blue Ring or the Dominant Ring. It was the most powerful of the Three. In the Second Age, Vilya was given to Gil-Galad, who was the last High King of the Ñoldor, and the highest authority among the elves. Later, Gil-Galad gave Vilya to Elrond, who wore it throughout the Third Age.

While the exact powers of Vilya are unknown, it is assumed that it can be used to heal and preserve. Elrond used this Ring to create joy and prevent the effects of time, keeping things unchanged.

Seven for the Dwarf-lords…

Originally, all of the Rings were supposed to be gifted to the Elves, so that Sauron could corrupt them and use them to control Middle Earth. After the Elves refused to wear them, and Sauron waged his war, he sought out the Rings in order to use them to his power. He then gifted seven to the Dwarf-lords.

While Sauron had hoped this would sway the Dwarves to his side. But they proved to be stronger than he thought and showed great resistance to the evil of the Rings. Dwarves are known to be hardy and only the strongest Dwarves wielded them. This made them immune to some of the darker aspects of the Seven.

They used them to amass great wealth and created huge hoards of treasure. However, this proved to be their downfall. The magic of the Rings brought a great deal of wealth, but it also intensified the greed of the dwarves and led to their demise.

By the time of the War of the Ring, four of the Seven had been destroyed by dragon fire. Sauron had been able to retrieve the remaining three, which he used to try and Bribe the Dwarven King Dáin, the King under the Mountain. But Dáin refused to help, and instead prepared for war.

Nine for the Mortal Men…

Like the Seven for the Dwarf-lords, the Nine Rings were originally meant to go to the Elves. Once Sauron had retrieved them, he gifted them to powerful men, including 3 Númenóreans and one Easterling.

Sauron had always known that Men would be the easiest to corrupt, and he wasn’t wrong. Men had the strange trait that they would die and pass beyond Arda (Earth), into an unknown destiny. This was their weakness, along with their jealousy of the Elves’ immortality.

The Nine Rings gave these Men great power and wealth. They appeared to have immortality and never age, and also became powerful Sorcerers. Eventually, their lives became unbearable, and they would be haunted by phantoms and delusions of Sauron whenever they wore the Rings. They all fell, one by one, to Sauron’s permanent control, and eventually became the Nazgûl, or Ring Wraiths.

The Nazgûl would remain permanently invisible to all, except Elves who had once lived in the Undying Lands, Maiar, and whoever wore the One Ring. They were also linked in a much deeper way to Sauron at this point, and their own power would be tied to the power of Sauron.

One for the Dark Lord…

The final Ring of Power to be created was The One Ring, also known as the Ruling ring, the Master Ring, the Ring of Power, or Isildur’s Bane. It was the most powerful of the Rings, and one of the most powerful (and dangerous) artefacts to have been created in all of Middle Earth.

After Sauron had tasked the Elven smiths with creating the other Rings of Power, he created this last one in secret in S.A. 1600. This would be the one to control all others, and he would use it to corrupt the elves and bring them under his control.

During its creation, he needed to imbue the Ring with a great deal of power. To do this, he merged a part of his own soul with the Ring. This meant that his fate was tied to that of the Ring. If any injury or destruction should come to the Ring, then Sauron’s strength would also fail.

For over 1800 years of the Second Age, Sauron waged a Great War against the Elves and Men, and almost succeeded in beating them several times. He even brought about the Fall of Númenor after tricking the leaders and turning them against the Valar.

However, at the end of the Second Age, in the year 3441, the Ring was cut from Sauron’s hand by Isildur. This brought an end to the war and the start of a new age. However, the joy would not last for long, as the Ring slipped (intentionally) from Isildur’s finger, causing him to be ambushed by Orcs, and leading to his death.

One Ring to Rule Them All

For those of us who have seen The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings series, we know what happens next. The Ring goes to Gollum, then to Bilbo, and finally to Frodo, who eventually destroys the Ring in Mount Doom, where it was forged.

All of the books and stories that surround Middle Earth have a vast and rich history. Tolkien didn’t shy away from giving as much information as possible, and in doing so, he created enough lore to fascinate people for many years.

Whether you’re a new fan or a Tolkien scholar, there’s so much to love and learn about this world. With shows like The Rings of Power and films like The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit bringing his works to life, more and more people are being drawn to the world of Middle Earth. And with the wealth of material Tolkien created, you’ll never go short of some new reading material for this impressive universe.

Please note that this section of the article may contain sponsored links, from which The Cinema Spot LLC may earn a small commission

The Lord of The Rings: The Rings of Power is now streaming on Amazon Prime.

Want to know more about Middle Earth? Check out some of the other books of J.R.R Tolkien!

The Silmarillion, The Fall of Númenor, and The Unfinished Tales of Númenor & Middle-Earth are all available to buy on Amazon!