You Should Really Get to Know the Rings in ‘The Rings of Power’
The rings have names?!? It’s easily the most shocking thing I’ve learned during season 2 of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, which explores an arms race in Middle-earth set roughly 4,500 years before the events of the Lord of the Rings film trilogy. No one has spoken the rings’ names on the Amazon Prime Video series (so far), but we’ve also just begun to assemble them from Celebrimbor’s forge. By the end, we’ll have twenty rings in total.
Surprisingly, each piece of magical jewelry possesses its own abilities and storied history in author J.R.R. Tolkien’s celebrated fantasy saga. Think of them like Thanos’s infinity stones—just written more than forty years before that big purple alien terrorized Marvel comics. But even if you haven’t explored Tolkien’s deep lore, we’re here to help you through every fashionable rock in Rings of Power. Below, you’ll find a guide to all twenty rings, what powers they hold, and who wields them. To gain this knowledge, I must warn you that the following information contains spoilers for The Rings of Power season 2 and beyond.
First Off, Why Rings?
Great question. In Tolkien’s novels, the elven smith Celebrimbor creates the first three rings simply because he can—which is kind of badass, no? It’s suggested that Sauron had a hand in manipulating the elves in the ways of ringcraft, but Celebrimbor forged the first three on his own.
But why rings? Well, that’s at the heart of a major scene in The Rings of Power’s season 1 finale. The only way to restore the light of Valinor to Middle-earth is with the power of mithril. Mithril is a fictional metal alloy in Tolkien’s books that holds immense strength. But since mithril is a finite resource, Celebrimbor devises a way to bend its powerful light with a special curved object…like a ring. Therefore the power could be wielded, worn, and protected by its user. Neat!
The Three Rings for Elves
The first three rings are arguably the most powerful (save for, of course, a certain ring that is later crafted by Sauron). But since the Three were forged without Sauron’s influence, they maintained special properties and abilities not granted to the others. Forged to save the dying tree of Lindon and preserve elven life on Middle-earth, Narya, Nenya, and Vilya were given to the elves.
Narya
The red ring—also known as the Ring of Fire—was given to the elven shipwright Cirdan. In The Rings of Power season 2, he goes back on his promise to Elrond that he will destroy the rings after he is enticed by their power. Returning them to High King Gil-galad, he helps restore the light of the dying tree and claims the Ring of Fire for himself. Though he saves elvenkind, he does so at the risk of inviting Sauron’s influence over the elves.
In the Lord of the Rings trilogy, Cirdan gifts Narya to Gandalf. The three elven rings were hidden after the war between elves, man, and Sauron, but he recognizes the need for Narya’s return once Sauron’s evil returns. “Take this ring, master,” Cirdan tells Gandalf. “Your labours will be heavy; but it will support you in the weariness that you have taken upon yourself. For this is the Ring of Fire, and with it you may rekindle hearts in a world that grows chill.”
Nenya
Worn by Galadriel, Nenya holds the power of protection and concealment. The rings’ other well-known names include the Ring of Adamant, the Ring of Water, and the White Ring. According to The Lord of the Rings, Galadriel’s use of the ring is the reason she’s able to protect her home of Lothlórien from threats.
In The Rings of Power season 2, Galadriel acquires Nenya after it is dropped from Gil-galad’s hands and the ring rolls to her feet. Though Elrond warns Galadriel not to succumb to the ring, she places it on her finger. Its presence continues to place a rift between them throughout the season, especially as the ring shows Galadriel potential glimpses into the future.
Vilya
Known as the Ring of Air, High King Gil-galad wears Vilya himself. Not much is known of Vilya’s strength, but it’s pivotal in restoring the light of Lindon in The Rings of Power season 2. In the Lord of the Rings trilogy, Vilya is eventually passed down to the formerly ring-skeptic Elrond. He keeps it safe in Rivendell, following a major war that will likely occur at the very end of The Rings of Power.
The Seven Rings for Dwarves
In exchange for the mithril mined from the depths of Khazad-dûm, seven rings are forged for the kingdom of the dwarves. These seven are unknowingly corrupted by Sauron, eventually bringing about their destruction.
King Durin III wears the most powerful among them, the Ring of Thrór. Though it guides him to major mithril deposits below Khazad-dûm, it also corrupts his mind. He becomes greedy and power-hungry in a way that Durin IV has never seen his father act before, prompting him to question Celebrimbor on the rings’ potential “side effects.”
The Nine Rings for Mankind
If Celebrimbor had his way, construction of the rings would have stopped after the first nine. In Tolkien’s novels, he refuses to create more rings. Celebrimbor warns that mankind is too untrustworthy and corruptible to wield such power. But that’s high talk coming from the Celebrimbor of Rings of Power, who is corrupted left and right by Sauron.
Eventually, Sauron uses his knowledge to craft the nine rings himself. Though little is known about who wields them, the nine doomed men later form the Nazgûl under Sauron’s command. Those are the scary ringwraiths that terrorize Frodo in The Lord of the Rings, taking orders from Sauron’s second-in-command, the Witch-king of Angmar.
It’s possible that as season 2 continues, The Rings of Power will delve more into who acquires the nine rings for mankind and what tragedies befall them. The Prime Video series might explore the origin story for the Witch-king and the men’s transformation into the terrifying Nazgûl.
The One Ring to Rule Them All
Sauron forges the most famous ring in Tolkien’s novels himself: the One Ring to Rule Them All. Created in the fires of Mount Doom, the One Ring granted Sauron power over all nineteen other rings, completing his evil mission to rule Middle-earth. However, Sauron is briefly defeated in the War of the Last Alliance, when Isildur cuts off Sauron’s finger.
Instead of throwing the ring into the fires of Mount Doom, Isildur tragically succumbs to its power and loses the ring. It eventually falls into the hands of Smeagol/Gollum, before the events of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings passes the One True Ring to Bilbo and Frodo Baggins. Middle-earth can rejoice that Frodo eventually gets the job done.
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