What happened to Sauron's other rings?
November 24, 2012 6:11 PM Subscribe
TolkienFilter: What happened to the rings Sauron gave to the elves, dwarves, and men?
Best answer: From Wikipedia:
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 6:13 PM on November 24, 2012 [3 favorites]
To follow up: they all lost their power when the One Ring was cast into the fires of Mt. Doom. Which is why the Elves had to go across the sea: their rings could no longer preserve their way of life.
posted by vogon_poet at 6:16 PM on November 24, 2012 [8 favorites]
posted by vogon_poet at 6:16 PM on November 24, 2012 [8 favorites]
Dwarves' rings were mostly lost. Elves were worn by Gandalf, Galadriel, and... Elrond? And the nine to men were worn by the Nazgul, as that bit points out. Much more than what I remembered off the top of my head here.
On preview: do you mean the passage of the rings before the One was destroyed, or what happened to them after?
posted by supercres at 6:17 PM on November 24, 2012
On preview: do you mean the passage of the rings before the One was destroyed, or what happened to them after?
posted by supercres at 6:17 PM on November 24, 2012
Response by poster: do you mean the passage of the rings before the One was destroyed
That.
The Fellowship film begins with Galadriel wearing her ring and looking as if she's already fallen prey to it. Begging the question of where it is and what it's doing when the Fellowship shows up.
Apparently this is a difficulty Jackson created for himself.
posted by Egg Shen at 6:27 PM on November 24, 2012
That.
The Fellowship film begins with Galadriel wearing her ring and looking as if she's already fallen prey to it. Begging the question of where it is and what it's doing when the Fellowship shows up.
Apparently this is a difficulty Jackson created for himself.
posted by Egg Shen at 6:27 PM on November 24, 2012
Well, as long as the One Ring was out of the hands of Sauron, they could use the Rings of Power without being corrupted.
posted by vogon_poet at 6:29 PM on November 24, 2012
posted by vogon_poet at 6:29 PM on November 24, 2012
The Fellowship film begins with Galadriel wearing her ring and looking as if she's already fallen prey to it. Begging the question of where it is and what it's doing when the Fellowship shows up.
You should not expect to understand Tolkien by watching the LOTR movies any more than you would understand the Bible by watching the Ten Commandments.
In the books, Galadriel is able to use the power of one of the there elven rings because (1) the elven rings were not made by Sauron nor ever touched by him, and (2) Sauron was not in possession of the one ring. She has not fallen prey to her ring. She has, however, been tempted by the power that would come with possession of the one ring. That is her test: to refuse the one when it is freely offered to her.
What Peter Jackson had in mind during the scene you're thinking of, I have no idea. He made lots of changes to the order of things in his movies. While they're visually spectacular, they really don't reflect the depth of moral ordering that Tolkien created in his books. So the detail you're asking about may just not make deep sense.
posted by alms at 6:52 PM on November 24, 2012 [12 favorites]
You should not expect to understand Tolkien by watching the LOTR movies any more than you would understand the Bible by watching the Ten Commandments.
In the books, Galadriel is able to use the power of one of the there elven rings because (1) the elven rings were not made by Sauron nor ever touched by him, and (2) Sauron was not in possession of the one ring. She has not fallen prey to her ring. She has, however, been tempted by the power that would come with possession of the one ring. That is her test: to refuse the one when it is freely offered to her.
What Peter Jackson had in mind during the scene you're thinking of, I have no idea. He made lots of changes to the order of things in his movies. While they're visually spectacular, they really don't reflect the depth of moral ordering that Tolkien created in his books. So the detail you're asking about may just not make deep sense.
posted by alms at 6:52 PM on November 24, 2012 [12 favorites]
Best answer: Expanding on EmpressCallipygos above:
The Three: Narya was kept by Cirdan, then given to Gandalf. Vilya was worn by Elrond, Nenya by Galadriel. All three were taken into the West when the wearers left Middle-Earth on the White Ship.
The Nine: Corrupted the men who received them into Nazgûl. Sauron himself kept the rings, until his destruction.
The Seven: Three were recovered by Sauron, the other four were destroyed by dragons.
posted by Chrysostom at 7:55 PM on November 24, 2012 [4 favorites]
The Three: Narya was kept by Cirdan, then given to Gandalf. Vilya was worn by Elrond, Nenya by Galadriel. All three were taken into the West when the wearers left Middle-Earth on the White Ship.
The Nine: Corrupted the men who received them into Nazgûl. Sauron himself kept the rings, until his destruction.
The Seven: Three were recovered by Sauron, the other four were destroyed by dragons.
posted by Chrysostom at 7:55 PM on November 24, 2012 [4 favorites]
Mod note: Some comments deleted. Sorry guys, but we need to stick to answering the original question.
posted by taz (staff) at 11:47 PM on November 24, 2012
posted by taz (staff) at 11:47 PM on November 24, 2012
Plot-point for The Hobbit: the last Dwarf to own one of the Seven Rings was Thràin, father of Thorin. Towards the end of his life, he was taken prisoner by Sauron, who took the ring and tortured him to death. Otherwise, Thorin would have had the last of the Seven.
posted by Pallas Athena at 3:59 AM on November 25, 2012 [1 favorite]
posted by Pallas Athena at 3:59 AM on November 25, 2012 [1 favorite]
Which is why the Elves had to go across the sea: their rings could no longer preserve their way of life.
No, not really anything to do with the rings. The Elves were weary of Middle-Earth. Their time was over.
Elrond leaves because his daughter chooses to become a mortal woman. Galadriel leaves because her personal ban was lifted.
posted by daveje at 4:10 AM on November 25, 2012 [1 favorite]
No, not really anything to do with the rings. The Elves were weary of Middle-Earth. Their time was over.
Elrond leaves because his daughter chooses to become a mortal woman. Galadriel leaves because her personal ban was lifted.
posted by daveje at 4:10 AM on November 25, 2012 [1 favorite]
Just clarifying on the scene in movie with Galadriel wearing the ring: this is not really inconsistent with the books. In the books it says that the moment Sauron first put on his ring, the elves sensed his evil, and that's when they took them off. This implies that they did wear the rings and use them for some time (possibly for years or even decades, considering how Elves perceive time) before realizing the full implications.
(The only thing that is "compressed" is that the film shows Galadriel, some elf that pretty much seems like he is Cirdan, and some other elf all receiving their rings together, but I think they received them at different times and places.)
posted by lesli212 at 9:32 AM on November 25, 2012 [1 favorite]
(The only thing that is "compressed" is that the film shows Galadriel, some elf that pretty much seems like he is Cirdan, and some other elf all receiving their rings together, but I think they received them at different times and places.)
posted by lesli212 at 9:32 AM on November 25, 2012 [1 favorite]
Best answer: From the Lord of Rings Wiki - everything you want to know about the rings and their fates.
posted by never used baby shoes at 10:12 AM on November 25, 2012 [1 favorite]
posted by never used baby shoes at 10:12 AM on November 25, 2012 [1 favorite]
the film shows Galadriel, some elf that pretty much seems like he is Cirdan, and some other elf all receiving their rings together
The other elf is Gil-Galad, last High King of the Noldor. He wore Vilya, the Ring of Air, from its making until he passed it on to Elrond when Elrond built Rivendell.
posted by Pallas Athena at 4:09 PM on November 25, 2012 [1 favorite]
The other elf is Gil-Galad, last High King of the Noldor. He wore Vilya, the Ring of Air, from its making until he passed it on to Elrond when Elrond built Rivendell.
posted by Pallas Athena at 4:09 PM on November 25, 2012 [1 favorite]
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