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One Ring

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"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."

The One Ring was a ring of power created by the dark lord Sauron. Sauron used the ring to rule all of the other rings. It was forged during the Second Age of Middle-Earth in the fires of Mount Doom. When a lesser individual wears it, the ring makes the wearer invisible. Sauron, as a divine spirit powerful, was not rendered invisible but it can be inferred that he could use this power if he wished.

History[]

The One Ring was forged by Sauron in Mount Doom. As soon as Sauron put on the ring, the Elves who had the Elven Rings of Power, felt his treachery and took off their rings.

Sauron wore and used the ring against the Last Alliance of Elves and Men during the Battle of Dagorlad. With it, Sauron proved nigh unstoppable; blasting aside scores of Elves and Men with a single strike of his mace. Elendil was caught on the head and slain and Isildur rushed to his side. Sauron advanced on Isildur and crushed Narsil, the King's blade beneath his foot as Isildur attempted to retrieve it. Letting his guard down, Sauron reached out with his ring-hand. Isildur hacked at it and the fingers fell off, separating Sauron from his ring and defeating him temporarily.

Isildur grabbed the ring and Elrond immediately took him up Mount Doom and told him to throw it into the fire. Isildur refused and took the ring, wearing it around his neck and letting the ring use his human greed to survive.

Lost[]

Isildur wore the ring around his neck in the Gladden Fields, where he was suddenly ambushed by Orcs. Isildur put on the ring and vanished, attempting to escape by diving into the river. Like it did to Celebrimbor, the ring betrayed Isildur and slipped off his finger in the water, suddenly reappearin. Isildur was subsequently spotted by Orcs and shot by arrows, dying in the river. The ring fell to the bottom of the river and vanished from history for at least 2,500 years.

Return to the world[]

At last the ring resurfaces when Deagol and Smeagol are out fishing. Deagol is pulled into the river by a large fish, which pulls him down to the river bed where the ring is waiting. Deagol is entranced and promptly grabs it. When he resurfaces, he pauses to silently gloat over the ring, which appears so fair and bright under the sun. Smeagol sees the ring and lusts for it upon first seeing it. He quietly demands it from Deagol, who refuses, and the two fight over it. After a vicious struggle, Smeagol throttles Deagol and claims the ring as "My... precious!"

The ring's return to the world had already claimed two lives; Deagol had been murdered, while Smeagol became a wretched creature that was unrecognisable to his former self. Smeagol slowly turns into this creature over the years as he wanders around in the wild. He grows to resent the ring for bringing ruin on his life, but his attachment to it is too great. Smeagol's constant gurgling earns him the name Gollum. With time Gollum forsakes living under the sun and retreats into the Misty Mountains. The ring goes into the dark with him, vanishing from the world of light.

Abandoning Gollum[]

The ring remains in Gollum's cave for 500 years. Gollum's mind has been twisted and virtually destroyed by the ring's corrosive influence, but the ring itself realises that it can no longer lie hidden in the tunnel. The ring also senses that its master, Sauron, has returned to the world. Therefore, when Gollum is attacking a Goblin, it willingly slips from his pocket. However, it is picked up by the Hobbit Bilbo Baggins, who keeps it as a trinket. Gollum wails in despair at the loss of the ring, but it remains in Bilbo's keeping for the next 60 years.

The Shadow of the Past[]

Gandalf is already aware of Bilbo's ring and how he acquired it. Bilbo uses it to vanish from his birthday party, mostly intended as a joke to scare the inhabitantas but also as a means of a quick getaway. Gandalf beats him to Bag End however and reminds him that magic rings are perilous to use. The Wizard suggests that he leaves it for Frodo. intially Bilbo complies, but the ring starts to work its influence over the hobbit. Bilbo becomes angry and possessed, until Gandalf becomes angry in turn and threatens to reveal his power. The essence of Sauron's spirit, which lies in the ring, immediately withdraws its hold on Bilbo.

With some effort, Bilbo manages to cast it away and leave, becoming the only one to willfully give up the ring. Gandalf later inspects it, but he briefly sees a fiery apparition of Sauron within the ring and recoils from it. Frodo Baggins enters Bag End looking for Bilbo, only to find he is gone. He finds the ring on the floor and Gandalf sitting by the fire place. Gandalf tells Frodo that the ring is his now, but he must "keep it secret... keep it safe". The Wizard then departs in search of answers.

One night Frodo is startled by Gandalf's sudden return. The Wizard demands to see the ring, and when Frodo retrieves it, the Wizard throws it into the fire. Gandalf then retrieves it with some tongues and passes it back to Frodo. Sure enough, the fiery writing on the ring briefly shines through again for the first time in thousands of years. Frodo is alarmed by the writing and Gandalf reveals that it is a sinister script translating into "One ring to rule them all, one ring to find them, one ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them!"

Gandalf reveals to Frodo that this ring is Sauron's ring, the master ring, forged to enslave the world. Gandalf stresses that Sauron must never find it, lest the Dark Lord should destroy all of Middle-Earth. Frodo tries to offer it to Gandalf, but the Wizard declines out of fear that it will turn him into a powerful and terrible Dark Lord. Therefore he instructs Frodo to leave for Bree. After Sam is caught eavesdropping, Gandalf enlists him to join Frodo on his quest.

Journey to Rivendell[]

Frodo and his friends briefly encounter the Nazgul while they are travelling. When one of them comes close to finding the hobbits while they are hiding, the ring calls out to Frodo, compelling him to put the ring on as it will make Frodo more visible to the Nazgul. Luckily Sam sees this and shakes Frodo out his trance. When the hobbits reach Bree, the ring tries to reveal itself in the open. In a small accident involving Pippin, Frodo falls and the ring flies into the air before landing on the hobbit's finger. Frodo vanishes and enters the wraith world, making him visible to the Nazgul and the Eye of Sauron. The Eye threatens him until Frodo manages to remove the ring.

The Hobbits manage to escape the Nazgul, however the wraiths are drawn to the ring's power and pursue them to Weathertop. There the ring compels Frodo to put it on again and this time Frodo yields. Though it renders Frodo invisible to the physical world, it makes him highly visible int he wraith world. The Witch-King tries to take the ring from Frodo. Luckily Frodo withholds the ring, although he is stabbed by the Witch-King for this. However, Aragorn arrives in time to drive the Nazgul away.

Fate of the Ring[]

One Frodo and his companions reach Rivendell, its fate is debated by Gandalf and Elrond before they decide to hold a great Council. There Frodo places the ring on a stone plinth in the middle of the council. It whispers out to certain individuals throughout the debate. When Gimli tries to destroy it, the rings flares with Sauron's spirit and breaks Gimli's axe, throwing the Dwarf down. It also stirs an uneasy reaction in Frodo. It continues to whisper, until at last the council descends into quarelling. Frodo sees it burn with flames, which prompts him to volunteer to destroy the ring. Subsequently, the council drops their arguing and several members offer to join Frodo on his quest. The Fellowship is forged.

Powers and uses[]

The One Ring is the most powerful artifact in Middle-Earth. It is infamous for its destructive potential and it is highly coveted by forces on both sides of the War of the Ring. This ability alone was a temptation for many who saw it as a weapon that could bring victory. The ring itself has its own sentient will, as Sauron imparted his own soul into the ring.

  • Power enhancement - the function of the rings of power were to increase the innate strength of the wielders. The One Ring certainly enhanced Sauron's power over the earth. Even though he had to transfer some his own essence into the ring, the ring itself held a store of power to enhance the might of Sauron. One strike from his mace unleashed devastating blasts of energy, and Sauron broke a sword by stomping on it. Those who held their own innate strength would become immensely strong if they chose to wield it, but doing so would run the risk of falling under the ring's corruption. Gandalf speculated that he would gain powers beyond his comprehension if he were to take it. Galadriel briefly took on a powerful and terrifying visage while tempted by the ring.
  • Mind Control and corruption - the One Ring's chief purpose was to dominate the minds of the free peoples. Even when separated from Sauron, its sentient will can influence or tempt individuals. Its influence was enough to dissuade Frodo and Isildur from destroying it. It is for this reason that Gandalf and Galadriel know that they cannot use the ring themselves as a weapon, as it would dominate them in the end. In the hands of the Elf, Celebrimbor, the Ring enabled him to brand Orcs and control their minds to follow him against their master Sauron.
  • Dominance over the other Rings - the One Ring is magically bound to all of the other rings. Therefore it can actively influence the minds of the ring bearers themselves. The Nazgul fell right into this trap when they accepted their own rings, allowing Sauron to corrupt their minds from afar and enslave them. This was the One Ring's original purpose, as Sauron hoped to enslave the free peoples without military force. This plan backfired as the Elves sensed his presence and, after hearing his fell words, removed their rings before Sauron could enslave them.
  • Nigh indestructibility - the One Ring is so strong that it cannot be destroyed by conventional means. When Gimli attempted to destroy it, his axe exploded on impact with the ring. Only the fires of Mount Doom were hot enough to destroy it.
  • Invisibility - regular individuals such as hobbits can use the ring to vanish from the physical world and enter the wraith world. This does not happen with powerful individuals such as Sauron, as the Dark Lord already exists at once in both worlds seeing as he is already a divine spirit. It is possible however that Sauron can use this invisibility if he wishes.

Appearances[]

Non-canon Appearances[]

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