Know Your LotRO Lore: Creation of the Rings

The best way to begin an article about the origins of the Rings of Power is to recite an ancient rhyme of lore told to Frodo Baggins by Gandalf:

Three Rings for the Elven-kings under the sky,
Seven for the Dwarf-lords in their halls of stone,
Nine for Mortal Men doomed to die,
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.

After Sauron lost favor with the Valar, he turned his evil attention to what most villains do: try to take over the world. To succeed, he knew he couldn't do it alone, so he enlisted the help of the Elves through deceit and trickery. During the Second Age, Sauron disguised himself as the angelic Annatar, Lord of the Gifts. He called upon the Elven smiths of Eregion, who were merely thirsty for knowledge and technical achievement. Sauron took advantage of the Elves' love for preservation and told them that these rings would prevent change and enhance the natural powers of the possessor. While this was true to a degree, the preservation was not exactly as they had imagined. We see this with Bilbo Baggins' extended life and the existence of the Ring-wraiths later in the story.

The forging process began around S.A. (Second Age) 1500. The Seven and Nine Rings mentioned in the rhyme were forged at this time under the direct supervision of Sauron. Later, the leader of the Eregion smiths, Celebrimbor, forged the Three Rings for the Elves without the aid of Sauron, yet utilizing methods taught by him. This was accomplished in S.A. 1590 and it is implied by Tolkien that there were also other lesser rings forged at this time, although their powers are said to be limited and unspecified.

Finally, the One Ring was forged by Sauron himself in S.A. 1600 at Mount Doom. He created this one as the final and most powerful ring to rule all other rings. He poured his own power directly into the ring, with the sole purpose of dominating the ring-bearer and opening their thoughts and wills for his control. He actually poured so much of his power into it, that it later came back to haunt him and ultimately led to his downfall. Ironically, once Sauron slipped the One Ring over his finger, the Elves became aware of his intentions and immediately removed their own rings. They remained hidden from Sauron and completey untouched by him. During the Third Age, these three rings were used to preserve and enhance of the three remaining realms of the Eldar.

It is said that Sauron cursed the Nine and the Seven Rings after they were made, which means that the Three Rings created by Celebrimbor were not cursed in the same way. This curse affected each race differently, as we will explore further in this article.