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Elven Rings of Power

It is important to discuss the Elven Rings of Power as they were crafted by elves, controlled by them and never actually corrupted by Sauron. Celebrimbor was the main elven smith that led the construction of the 19 "lesser" rings. By using his ability to shape shift and high skill in deception, Sauron was able to trick Celebrimbor into making these rings for him. But only 16 - the ones for the dwarves and men - were actually completed as part of this. Celebrimbor's master pieces were the 3 rings for the elves, which he made in secret.   Sauron made the One Ring and put it on in an attempt to complete his plan. But it didn't actually work as intended. The elves picked up on what was going on instantly. They took their rings off and hid them the second they heard his voice in their minds. Sauron was rather angry at this turn of events and went to war to regain all the rings. He got the ones for the dwarves and men. But the elves were able to prevent their rings from being taken. This came at a huge cost, but they did prevail.   One thing that is important is the fact that the 16 rings given to the mortal species were not fundamentally different from the Elven Rings. In fact, the 16 other rings were actually intended for controlling the elves. Sauron just failed in this regard. Recognizing his failures, he took the rings he could control and fully corrupt and re-purposed them. Gandalf stated that he thought the life extending properties of the Rings were the result of their intended wearers being immortal elves. The different effects we see between the three sets of rings is in part due to the differences in the species wearing them.   Narya's power was based around keeping hope in the face of adversity and resisting evil. There is speculation of unspecified fire powers as well. Its description lends a lot of insight to me into Elven politics in that it specifically mentions tyranny and domination as elements of evil that Narya helps one resist. This says to me that the enlightened despotism idea would be part of what the elves would be fighting for. We can also assume then that some respect for human rights is a key element of their domestic politics. Eventually it was given to Gandalf. Because of its positive impact on morale, we can assume that Gandalf's possession of it is a critical factor in victory at Minas Tirith. Possibly also survival at the Black Gate.   Galadriel’s ring Nenya had power based around preservation of life, protection and concealment from evil. Through this ring, she was able to keep Lothlorien hidden from enemy eyes and keep it as such a beautiful area. On one hand, this power is described as significant enough that without Sauron having the One Ring and directly assaulting Lothlorien, it would not fall. But at the same time, orcs did attack on several occasions, including in pursuit of the Fellowship when it was fleeing Moria. Which means that it does not grant military powers exactly. But the later case with the Fellowship might have something to do with the presence of the One Ring acting as a pro-orc counterbalance.   Elrond's ring Vilya was focused on healing, but also helped Elrond’s gift for predictions and foresight. Lastly, there is indications that is grants minor control over the elements - seen in the flood blocking the Wraiths from getting to Frodo. Though is a bit of speculation, as its powers are not clearly stated as far as I could find. It is also suggested that like Nenya, Vilya allows the wearer to cast a spell to preserve life within a specified geographical area. The extent of this power remains unclear though.

Mechanics & Inner Workings

Because they never fell under Sauron's influence directly, we can assume they functioned much as intended and as their wielders thought they would. This makes the Elven Rings powerful counterbalances to Mordor during the War of the Ring, as Sauron did not have the One Ring. In fact, the elven rings were second only to the power of the One Ring itself. They are described as being more powerful than the 16 "mortal" rings.   One interesting thing about these rings is that it was possible they could become invisible even while their wearers did not. Yes, they could make the wearer invisible too, but apparently they were able to control which one went invisible and when. Also, the wearer of the One Ring could see the thoughts of whoever wore and Elven Ring. Though this took a lot of effort to pull off.   One thing that all the rings appear to have in common is that they all grant their wearers increased endurance and stamina. But the goal of the rings was to recreate the bliss of the Undying Lands, which one can assume means immortality. The result is healing and preservation of life is a key part of their intended purpose and thus power set. So we can also assume that they grant increased life span too, but we can't confirm this. All the wearers were immortal before they got one of these Rings.   There was one downside that appears to come with using one of the Elven Rings. Nenya is mentioned as making Galadriel's desire to return to the Undying Lands. The fact that Nenya was made by the same person and using the same methods, we can assume that the other rings had this same effect - just went unmentioned for Elrond. The fact Gandalf's ring increased his resistance to time induced weariness might be the impact of him being not an elf. After all - we know that the impacts on men and dwarves was based on the different biology of the two species leading to the same rings expressing their magic differently.

Manufacturing process

So, the magical processes that make the Rings of Power work were designed to facilitate the corruption of the wearer and Sauron's mind domination over them. Thus, at their foundation, they are linked to the One Ring. Hence why the Elven Rings lost their power when the One Ring was destroyed. But they were manufactured by elves outside the direct influence or even knowledge of Sauron. So their magical properties were not geared towards domination or war fighting. Instead, the elves took the methods of Sauron and used it for their own purposes - resisting evil, healing and keeping their realms beautiful. Celebrimbor keeping these rings secret meant that he was able to make them for different purposes, which then meant he used some different magical elements. Sauron also was not able to assert his direct control over them. Which explains the other critical difference between the effects of the elven and mortal rings.

Significance

They were tied to the One Ring to a degree in that their power began to decline once the One was destroyed. Elrond did note these rings are unable to stand up to the direct power of Mordor. However, the purity of both the elves and the rings themselves meant that as long as the elves never their rings at the same time Sauron wore the One Ring, they were not under his spell. Hence, the full power of the Elven Rings could be channeled into the fight, but Sauron's greatest asset and possible counter was lost to him.   But this is where Sauron getting the One Ring would be the most problematic from the perspective of the Free People. Yeah, Sauron getting better morale, discipline out of his troops and better control over them is a huge benefit to him. But it also costs the Free People one of their main abilities to resist. Gandalf's successes at Helm's Deep and Minas Tirith were in part due to his ring. As was Elrond's ability to block the Ring Wraiths when they were chasing Frodo. Lothlorien too would be a lot more exposed. The loss of the Elven Rings would be potentially fatal even if Sauron got nothing else out of regaining the One Ring.   Their significance is also seen after the War of the Ring. When the One Ring was destroyed, their life preserving powers started to decline. This meant that the elven realms under their protection could not be sustained to the same degree as before. Combined with the migration of elves to the Undying Lands, the loss of this protective magic essentially ensured the ruin of the elven domains. The domination of men was thus assured.
Item type
Magical
Current Location
Owning Organization
Raw materials & Components
Narya had a ruby stone and gold band. Nenya's had a diamond stone held in a flower shaped ornament and mithril band. This combination gave it a glow described as similar to stars. Elrond’s ring had a gold band and blue stone, most likely sapphire.

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