The One Ring of Power: History, Powers, & Travels | Tolkien Explained

Three

ring

s for the elven kings under the sky, seven for the dwarf lords in their stone halls, nine for the 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 b

ring

them all and bind them in the darkness, In the Land of Mordor where the Shadows lie. It was Sauron's greatest work of craftsmanship. The device that is at the center of perhaps his greatest deception. This small object would help Sauron cause confusion in the Second Age.

This ring would house the destiny of the Third Age and all of Middle Earth. Today, at Nerd of the Rings we cover The One Ring of Power: its

history

, its abilities, and its journeys. As we have seen in my previous videos in this series, the three, seven and nine rings of

power

are forged in Eregion by the Gwaith-i-Mirdain, the great elven smiths led by Celebrimbor. Around 1600 of the Second Age, Sauron returned to Mordor. Traveling to the volcanic Mount Doom, the dark lord forges his master ring in the fires of the mountain. Sauron puts his own will and

power

into his ring.

Although it would not diminish if he were not in possession of the ring, Sauron was most powerful when he wore it. When Sauron wielded the ring from him for the first time, Celebrimbor and the elven ringbearers in Eregion instantly realized Sauron's betrayal and Sauron knew where they were. The elves quickly take off their rings. The three, which were created without Sauron's help, are sent to Gil-galad and Galadriel for safekeeping, while the remaining rings are kept in a vault in the city. Sauron gathers his armies and makes war on the elves of Eriador in 1693. He destroys Eregion, kills Celebrimbor and claims the 16 rings of power.

Although he would eventually be expelled from Eriador and the three would remain lost to him, Sauron distributes the seven and nine among dwarves and men. The seven help their dwarven bearers accumulate great wealth and the nine men are granted long life and become great rulers, warriors and sorcerers. During the Dark Years, when Sauron had conquered or devastated much of the lands of Middle-earth, he built the great tower and fortress of Barad-dur, not far from Mount Doom. Additionally, he builds the Black Gate in an effort to prevent invasion of his land. Sauron also strengthens his armies of orcs, trolls, and men.

In this we see two great abilities of the One Ring that will likely serve the dark lord in his endeavors. We know that, like all Power Rings, the One enhances the natural

powers

of the wearer of it. It is also said that a person who wears the One Ring could dominate and command others more easily. This no doubt proved useful to Sauron, who was already a master at manipulation, in building his armies of men. We also see that, like the three elven rings, the One gives power to stop the decline of the world. Like Galadriel keeping Lorien fair beyond belief, Sauron would bind the very edifice of Barad-dur to the ring itself.

The One Ring also allows Sauron to control the Nine Rings of Men, corrupting them, banishing them into the invisible world and transforming them into the Nazgul, slaves under the dominion of his Master Ring. While there is no doubt that it was his intention to enslave the seven dwarven lords as well, his natural resistance against the domination of others saved them from this fate. Instead, his enormous treasures would attract the attention of the dragons, which would still work in Sauron's favor. With Sauron in his greatest power yet, he proclaims himself Lord of the Earth and King of Men, offending the arrogant Númenóreans who had been turning to darkness for centuries.

In 3262 SA, his king Ar-Pharazon lands a powerful fleet on Umbar and marches to confront the dark lord. Fearing the Númenóreans, Sauron's forces flee and the dark lord adopts a new tactic: surrender to Ar-Pharazon so he can corrupt Númenor from within. During his stay in Númenor, Sauron becomes the king's chief advisor and leads the kingdom to his destruction. With Sauron's body destroyed in the fall, a rather important question arises: Did Sauron have the One Ring during his time in Númenor? Tolkien seems to clarify that himself in Letter 211: Many of those who would assume that Sauron did not have the ring point to Sauron's body being destroyed as a reason why he should not have had the ring with him.

In the same letter, Tolkien also addresses this: With his body destroyed, Sauron returns to Mordor, where he would regain his form and his power. Over the following centuries, Sauron would attack the new kingdom of Gondor, founded by the surviving Númenóreans, for whom he harbored a deep hatred. When Isildur is driven from Minas Ithil, he flees to the kingdom of Arnor, the kingdom of his father. There, Elendil and Gil-galad form the Last Alliance to take the fight to Sauron. These massive forces meet on the battlefield, and after a seven-year siege of Barad-dur, Sauron himself appears, driving back the alliance in 3441.

There, on the slopes of Mount Doom, Gil-galad and Elendil fight against Sauron. deal. Both are killed by the dark lord, although Sauron himself would also be felled. Isildur approaches Sauron's fallen body and cuts the only ring from his finger, separating the dark lord from his great weapon. Sauron's spirit flees and hides for 1000 years. Isildur takes the One Ring as a reward for his fallen father and brother, declaring it a relic of his house, against the advice of Elrond and Cirdan that it should be destroyed at Orodruin. Gandalf would later read Isildur's account of the ring's claim: fire, and so Gil-galad was destroyed; and maybe if gold warmed up again, writing.

With Sauron defeated, his dark tower of Barad-dur would be razed to the ground. However, having been created with the power of the One Ring, its foundations could not be destroyed as long as the ring remained. As the Gondorians proceed to occupy the Black Gate in an attempt to guard against Sauron's return to Mordor, Isildur returns to Gondor to instruct his nephew in the governance of the Southern kingdom. In the second year of the Third Age, Isildur heads north to Rivendell to join his wife and youngest son and take his place as King of Arnor. As is his custom, he wears a ring around his neck, as it is implied that Isildur finds it physically painful to wear the ring.

The ring itself draws the orcs to Isildur's location, mysteriously drawing the enemy's servants to itself. Isildur and his company are attacked in the Gladfields Disaster (October 4, 2TA). His men and three eldest sons are killed in the ensuing battle and Isildur, using the One Ring, is able to escape, jumping into the river in an attempt to swim to the other side. In the fight across the mighty river, the One Ring intentionally slips from his finger. At first, Isildur feels an immense sense of loss and it is quite possible that he has drowned, as in his surprise he stops fighting the Anduin weeds.

But as quickly as it had come, the feeling passed. The pain had left him and with an overwhelming feeling that a great burden had been lifted from him, he rises from the mud. However, his appearance alarms a group of nearby orcs and they shoot him with arrows as they flee. And the ring's malice claims the life of the second wearer of it. While Saruman would later claim that during this time he was swept into the sea, for over two thousand years, the One Ring remains in the bed of the mighty Anduin. In 2463, two Stoor Hobbits are in the river.

One sniffs around the shores, while the other fishes. Deagol, the one fishing in his boat, is dragged by a large fish, where he finds a shiny object on the river bed. there on his hand lay a beautiful gold ring; and it shone and shone in the sun, so that his heart was glad. But Sméagol had been watching him from behind a tree, and while Déagol gloated over the ring, Sméagol gently approached from behind. 'No one ever knew what had become of Déagol; He was murdered far from home and his body was cunningly hidden.

But Sméagol returned alone; and he found out that none of his family could see him when he wore the ring. Powered by the One Ring, Sméagol commits his first murder and returns to his house. However, he would soon be banished by his family, and the ring leads him to settle deep in the Misty Mountains, not far from an orc colony and also in the same part of the world where Sauron resurfaced in Dol Guldur... And here we see the effects of the One Ring over centuries of possession, and our first hint at the hobbits' natural resilience.

Unlike men, who would gradually be drawn into the wraith world, Gollum would not suffer the same fate, despite possessing the ring for nearly 500 years. However, he would change him greatly physically, as he endures far beyond the natural lifespan of any halfling. As Sauron grows stronger in Dol Guldur, his dark thoughts turn to the Ring and, as if in response to his master, the One Ring slips from Gollum's finger when he returns to his cave after hunting a goblin in 2941. The ring wishes to be discovered by a new wearer, probably with the intention of being captured by one of the nearby goblins and more easily finding its way back to its master.

Instead, he is picked up by Bilbo Baggins, who would use the power of invisibility many times during the rest of his search for him with Thorin's company. Even with the ring in his possession for a relatively short time, Bilbo's first instinct is to keep it a secret from both Gandalf and the dwarves. Although they would soon tell everyone about Bilbo's ring, Gandalf would assume that it was one of the lesser rings: rings created before the Rings of Power, which Gandalf calls mere trials in the craft. These lesser rings, unlike the 19 rings of power, were not adorned with jewels, simply plain and golden, which explains why Gandalf would not immediately jump to the conclusion that he was the One.

It is in the year 3001 TA, as Bilbo celebrates his 111th birthday, that his relationship with the ring would reach its most critical point. He apparently hasn't aged in the last 60 years and is as obsessed with the ring as ever. His mind is often preoccupied with it, he does not want to keep it anywhere other than his person, he frequently feels the desire to use it, and sometimes he feels as if an eye is watching him. Despite his doubts, Gandalf convinces his friend to give up the ring and, for the first time, its bearer willingly gives up the One Ring.

This was a crucial point, as while Bilbo could continue his life in Rivendell, Gollum had spent the previous years searching for his precious one and the hobbit who took him. Gandalf, having become suspicious of Bilbo's behavior towards the ring,

travels

to Minas Tirith, where he finds the Scroll of Isildur and learns the details of the One Ring. Returning to Hobbiton 17 years after the Long-Awaited Feast, Gandalf throws Frodo's ring into the fire, much to the chagrin of its owner. The fire reveals lines of fire in fluid writing, and although Gandalf did not speak his words at the time, we later learn that it says: Not only was this confirmed to be the One Ring, but at that moment, Barad-dur had been rebuilt.

In Mordor and Sauron they had already begun their war for the ring. Gandalf tells Frodo that he should proceed to Rivendell, where the Wise Men could decide how best to proceed. It is also at this moment that we see Gandalf's fear and great restraint regarding the One Ring. He knows that if he agrees to take it himself, it would corrupt him completely. As

explained

in my video What would happen if Gandalf took the ring, and set out in Tolkien's own letters? Gandalf is one of the few powerful enough to truly become the master of Sauron's ring and overthrow him with it.

Fortunately, he leaves the task to Frodo, who over the next few weeks would manage to take him to Rivendell. On his journey, another being would briefly use the One Ring. As the hobbits pass through the old forest and reach Tom Bombadil's house, Frodo lets him see the ring. The ring has no effect on the mysterious Bombadil: when he places it on his finger, it does not disappear and Tom is not tempted by the power of the One in any way. Although Gandalf warned him not to do so, Frodo used the ring several times during his journey.

The most notable of these early occasions occurs at Weathertop, where the Ring tempts him to evade the Ringwraiths. However, we see here that what most perceive as invisibility is actually the ring's ability to make that person appear in the invisible world. Since wraiths exist primarily in the unseen world, this has the opposite effect and makes Frodo even easier to see. Regarding the real-world invisibility mentioned above, it should be noted that when men, as well as hobbits, wear the One Ring, they are not 100% indiscernible. You could see his faint, trembling shadow, but only in full sunlight. Although it was not technically complete invisibility, it was certainly almost complete.

Of course, Frodo would come to Rivendell, where at the Council of Elrond he would debate what to do about the Bane of Isildur. After Boromir suggests giving the ring to Gondor, other ideasThey include giving it to Tom Bombadil or sending it across the sea to the Valar. However, in the end, it is determined that the ring cannot be worn, hidden, or discarded in any way. Their only viable option, albeit remote, is to take the One Ring to Mount Doom so it can be truly destroyed. When the decision came as to who would bear the burden, Bilbo offers to finish the job he started.

However, Gandalf tells him that not only are Bilbo's days of adventures over, but he would not be able to get the ring back after having possessed it for so long. In the end, Frodo volunteers and the Fellowship leaves Rivendell on December 25, 3018. The ring heads south, and after a failed attempt to pass Caradhras, the Fellowship passes through Moria, where Gandalf falls with the balrog to the depths of the mountain. Led by Aragorn, they travel to Lorien, where Frodo would offer the One Ring to Galadriel. Although she was tempted, she, like Gandalf, would reject this offer, knowing that she would become great and terrible at the same time.

The next day, The Ring leaves Lorien as the fellowship descends the River Anduin. Nine days later, they pass Argonath and camp at Parth Galen. The Fellowship would break up the next day, and Frodo puts on the One Ring after Boromir attempts to take it by force. Retreating to Amon Hen, the Hill of Seeing, and still wearing the ring, Frodo sees signs of war everywhere he looks. Finally, his gaze reaches the dark tower of Barad-dur, where he feels the presence of the Eye, not a giant flaming eyeball, but the ceaseless watchfulness of Sauron himself. And he suddenly felt the Eye.

There was an eye in the Dark Tower that did not sleep. He knew he had noticed the look on his face. There was a fierce and eager will. He sprang towards him; almost like a finger he felt it, searching for it. Soon enough he would catch him and know exactly where he was. Amon Lhaw played. He looked at Tol Brandir: he threw himself off the seat, crouched down, and covered his head with his gray hood. Frodo would hear a second, mysterious voice, fighting the dark lord and telling Frodo to take off the ring, which he does.

Frodo does not realize it, but this voice is none other than that of a resurrected Gandalf, who still lies on Celebdil. As we know, Frodo would carry the ring for the next few weeks through the Emyn Muil, where they meet Gollum and he will swear himself to serve him. In Gollum, Frodo sees what could become of himself and feels a bond with the unfortunate creature. The trio heads to the Black Gate, before heading south through Ithilien. There they meet Boromir's brother, Faramir. After discovering the true purpose of the hobbits being in Gondorian territory, Faramir does what few have done before him.

There, in the forbidden pool, he rejects the temptation of the One Ring. He sends the three on their way as they head to the pass of Cirith Ungol, crossing into Mordor near the Witch-king's city, Minas Morgul. As they climb to reach the pass, they witness the forces of Mordor marching towards war: Rider stopped suddenly, just before the entrance to the bridge, and behind him the entire host stood still. There was a pause... Perhaps it was the Ring that called to the Lord of Wraiths, and for a moment he was worried, sensing some other power within the valley of him...

Frodo... felt... the order. that he should put on the Ring. But no matter how great the pressure was, he... knew that the Ring would only betray him... he sighed and bowed his head. At that moment, the Ghost King turned, spurred his horse and crossed the bridge, and his entire dark host followed him... Although he obviously did not know what the One Ring was, the Witch King ignores this mysterious power in his lands and He continues with the task at hand: his master's siege of Minas Tirith. Frodo and Sam are betrayed by Gollum, who has once again fallen into the temptation of his beloved.

After Shelob bites Frodo and assumes him dead, Samwise becomes the last bearer of the ring. He wears it for approximately two days as he works to free Frodo from the Tower of Cirith Ungol. Like all who come across it, the One Ring tempts the humble gardener. As he stood there, although the Ring was not on him but hanging from its chain around his neck, he felt enlarged, as if he were dressed in a robe. enormous distorted shadow of himself, and a vast, sinister menace held upon the walls of Mordor..." "Wild fantasies arose in his mind; and he saw Samwise the Strong, Hero of the Age, walking with a sword of fire across the dark land, and armies flocking to his call as he marched toward the overthrow of Barad-dur...

He had only to put on the Ring and claim it as yours, and all this could be. Sam escapes this temptation and decides to save Frodo from the orcs, which he does. After escaping Cirith Ungol, they cross the plains of Gorgoroth and finally reach Mount Doom. It is there, on the slopes, that Frodo reaches a point where he can go no further under his own power, and the ring has too strong a grip on him to allow Sam to carry it for him. So, Samwise takes his teacher up the mountain. There, they are attacked by Gollum, who is repelled by Frodo and Sam shows mercy.

Here we see an example of the ring's apparent ability to strengthen within the lands of its forge. When Frodo and Sam are attacked by Gollum, Frodo grabs the ring, without even putting it on his finger, and appears as a figure dressed in white holding a wheel of fire. Similarly, as Sam searches for Frodo at Cirith Ungol, he appeared to the orc as a powerful warrior cloaked in shadows, holding a nameless threat of power and doom. These are dramatic and powerful depictions of our humble hobbit heroes. Making one wonder how incredible it would have been to witness Sauron himself wielding the One Ring in his own lands.

Finally, on the edge of the abyss in the very crevice of Mount Doom, Frodo reaches the end: and suddenly, as he put it on his finger, he disappeared from Sam's sight. Sam gasped, but didn't have a chance to scream, as a lot happened at that moment. And far away, when Frodo put on the Ring and claimed it for himself, even in Sammath Naur, the very heart of his kingdom, the Power in Barad-dûr was shaken... The Dark Lord suddenly became aware of him. ... ... Sauron sends his Ringwraiths in a last-ditch effort to claim the One Ring, but Gollum had leapt on Frodo, bit his finger, and was finally reunited with his precious one.

While holding him, Gollum slips and falls into the fire below. The One Ring, the source of so much death and suffering across two eras of the world, is destroyed. destroyed. Barad-dur, whose foundations were built with the power of the One, is destroyed. As for Sauron, he is finally defeated. While not completely destroyed, he is permanently disembodied, unable to regain physical form or influence people and events in the world. From Sauron, the people of Middle Earth are finally free. The one ring is at the center of many things in both the second and third ages. Tell me in the comments below what your favorite One Ring moment is and what role you think it will play in the upcoming Amazon series.

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