The Rings of Power or Great Rings are fictional artifacts from J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth legendarium. There were twenty Rings of Power. The Elves of Eregion made nineteen of the Rings of Power (and many other lesser rings) with knowledge obtained from Sauron. Sauron forged the twentieth Great Ring, called the One Ring or the Ruling Ring, secretly in the Fires of Mount Doom. Sauron created it to rule over all the other rings, and he put a great part of his power into the One. The Elves realized that Sauron wished to control them, and refused to use the rings. Sauron made war on the Elves and took possession of most of the Rings of Power, but the Elves fled Eregion with the Three Rings, the greatest of all the rings forged. Sauron gave the Seven Rings to the Dwarf-kings (although according to Dwarvish tradition the Elves gave one of them to the Dwarf Durin III) and the Nine Rings to Mortal Men. The Dwarves used their Rings to establish their treasure hoards, but they did not submit to Sauron. Dragons destroyed three of the Seven Rings, and after Sauron's return he recaptured the remaining four. The Men who had received the Nine Rings came under the power of the One Ring and became the Nazgûl, the Ringwraiths.

The Three Rings of the Elves of Eregion were forged by Celebrimbor alone, and were never touched by Sauron. They were called Narya, Nenya, and Vilya. They remained hidden and their whereabouts were not revealed until the end of the Third Age, after the One Ring is destroyed, and the Dark Lord Sauron was overthrown.

A verse that summarizes the Great Rings and their ownership is an important part of the lore of Middle-earth. It translates as follows:

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.

See also

• Of the Rings of Power and the Third Age

External links

• Rings of Power
• Lord of the Rings Fanatics Library - Celebrimbor and the Rings
• The FAQ of the Rings