Rings of Power

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 and the 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 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.