The Elven Rings of Power are three distinct rings created by the Elven-smith Lord Celebrimbor with unknowing aid from the dark Lord Sauron in the heart of Eregion. They melded the rare ore mithril with pure gold and silver from Valinor. The initial intention of the rings was to cure the Great Tree of the corruption that infected its bones.
They also allowed the Elves a deeper sense of understanding, making, and healing, to preserve all things unstained. The Three Rings for the Elves were not made for strength or domination or hoarded wealth.[1]
Galadriel wears the ring Nenya the Ring of Water, Círdan wears Narya the Ring of Fire, and High King Gil-galad wears Vilya, the Ring of Air.
History[]
Creation[]
The Elven High King Gil-galad discovered a corruption in the Great Tree of Lindon, and hoped he could quell the spread by sending the warrior Galadriel to the homelands.[2] He was wrong in his belief, as the corruption continued to spread and threatened the very lives of the Elves.[3] He collaborated with the Elven-smith Lord Celebrimbor to forge a cure for the tree, even sending his herald Elrond to work alongside him.[2] Elrond knew they had a deadline to create a new forge, and built a partnership with the Dwarven kingdom of Khazad-dûm to help the Elves build the forge quicker.[4] Elrond discovered the Dwarves had uncovered a mysterious new ore they called mithril that had great properties that exceeded any other they had excavated. The Dwarven Prince Durin IV accused Elrond and the Elves of only coming to his kingdom for the ore, though Elrond swore he had no knowledge of its existence.[5] To quell the mistrust that brewed between the species, the Elves extended an invitation to Durin to join them in Lindon for a dinner. It was here that Elrond learned the truth of High King Gil-galad's intentions, the disease in the Great Tree, and that mithril could be the very thing to save the Elven race from abandoning the shores of Middle-earth forever.[3]
Durin wanted to help his friend excavate more mithril, but King Durin forbade it and banished Elrond from his kingdom.[6] Elrond believed he had failed to save his people and returned to Eregion, where he was reunited with Galadriel. She had brought a man named Halbrand for the artificers to heal. The trio pleaded with High King Gil-galad to grant them more time, though he initially refused until Elrond personally, and privately, appealed to him. The plan was to create a crown that would be worn by the King and give him powers. Elrond sacrificed the small piece of mithril he had left, a symbol of his friendship with Durin, to Celebrimbor to experiment with. With Halbrand's help, plus a few trials and errors, the trio successfully used the power of mithril to forge a power over flesh. Galadriel uncovered the truth about Halbrand, that he was the dark Lord Sauron, but kept the truth from her acquaintances. She instead instructed Celebrimbor to make three rings; one would corrupt, two would divide, but three would create balance. Celebrimbor needed pure silver and gold from Valinor to fuse the power, so Galadriel sacrificed her brother's dagger, the last relic of him, to the cause. The three Elven Rings of Power were then forged.[7]
Healing the Great Tree[]
Elrond discovered Galadriel's secret and the identity of Sauron. He believed the rings were corrupted from Sauron's involvement and stole them. He fled to Lindon where he pleaded with the High King to destroy the rings. Gil-galad believed that using the rings was a risk they must take, as without them, the Elves would be forced to leave Middle-earth just as one of their greatest foes was rising again. He commanded Elrond to give him the rings, but Elrond refused, jumping from the high bluffs into the water below. Elrond sought out Círdan in the Grey Havens, hoping to convince the oldest and wisest of their race that the rings needed to be destroyed. Círdan questioned the wisdom in destroying something that could lead to the Elves departing Middle-earth and leaving it to its fate; Elrond told him that if it meant playing into the hands of a scheme set forth by their enemy, then it was worth it. As High King Gil-galad and Galadriel arrived in the Grey Havens to apprehend him, Elrond entrusted the rings to Círdan who set out to drop them in the deepest parts of the ocean. Círdan instead saw perfection in the rings, so he returned them to the High King. The rings, wielded by Círdan, Gil-galad, and Galadriel, restore the Great Tree. Elrond, dismayed at the price they had seemingly paid, left the assemblage.[8]
Wearers[]
Gallery[]
