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The '''Rings of Power''' are a set of magical rings forged in the [[Second Age]] of [[Middle-earth]], the greatest works of the Elven-smiths of [[Eregion]] under the guidance of [[Sauron]] in disguise. There were twenty Rings of Power in total: three for the [[Elves]], seven for the Dwarf-lords, nine for mortal Men, and the [[One Ring]], which [[Sauron]] forged in secret to rule them all. The making and corruption of these rings is among the central events of the history of [[Middle-earth]].

The Rings conferred great powers upon their bearers, including the slowing of aging, the preservation of things made or held, and heightened abilities, but those who bore rings answering to the One were ultimately subject to [[Sauron]]'s domination.

== The forging ==
In the [[Second Age]], [[Sauron]] came to the Elven-smiths of [[Eregion]] in fair guise, calling himself Annatar, the Lord of Gifts, and taught them deep crafts. Together they forged the Rings of Power. The [[Three Rings]] of the Elves were made by [[Celebrimbor]] alone, untouched by Sauron's hand, which is why they remained unsullied. But Sauron secretly forged the [[One Ring]] in the fires of [[Mount Doom]] to master all the others, and when he put it on, the Elves perceived his treachery and took off their rings.

== The distribution ==
After the ensuing war, [[Sauron]] seized the [[Seven Rings|Seven]] and the [[Nine Rings|Nine]]. The Seven he gave to or recovered from the Dwarf-lords; the Dwarves proved resistant to domination, but the rings inflamed their greed, and over the ages the Seven were consumed by dragons or reclaimed by Sauron. The Nine he gave to mortal Men, who were more easily corrupted: they became the [[Nazgûl|Ringwraiths]], wraiths enslaved to his will. The [[Three Rings]] alone were kept hidden and unused while Sauron held the [[One Ring]], and were employed by the [[Elves]] only after he had lost it.

== Significance ==
The tale of the Rings of Power is the foundational backstory of ''[[The Lord of the Rings]]'', establishing the source of [[Sauron]]'s enduring threat and the reason the [[One Ring]] holds such terrible importance. The differing fates of the bearers, preserved [[Elves]], maddened Dwarves, and enslaved Men, illustrate Tolkien's themes of power, temptation, and the corruption that follows the desire to control others.

[[Category:Lord of the Rings]]
[[Category:Lore]]