The Rings of Power | Tolkien Explained

today we delve into the lore of the Rings of power how did they come to be who forged them in exactly how corruptive were they to each race were the dwarves affected as much as the humans and why were the elves able to use the power of their three rings without fear of sauron's domination the films leave it vague at best but that's why I'm here let's discuss the rings of power hi everyone and welcome to fables of the fellowship my name is Eric and on this channel we will take a journey throughout the world of Arda traversing all the ages of Middle Earth as well as the times before and after what you may have seen in the films so relax grab a warm beverage and join me as we sail through the genius of JRR toen you have my sword and you have my bow and my axe after the defeat of morgoth near the end of the first age Sauron sought to dominate Middle Earth by subtler means it's also important to note Sauron originally served the Vala Al the Smith of the Valor under Al Sauron became unsurpassed in the techniques of the forge he knew his skills would be of great desire so he assumed a more pleasing form to deceive the elves and Aid them in the creation of the Rings of power however his real intent was to corrupt and control them as anatar Lord of gifts he approached various Elven kingdoms with his offer of knowledge and assistance in ring making significantly he was rejected by the elves of Linden where gilgalad the high King of the Noor and elron his Herald were wary of him they mistrusted anatar due to their Keen perception and foresight gadriel also residing in lyen at the time advised against trusting anatar as well her intuition and experience having lived in valinor and witnessed the deception of melor himself made her suspicious of his true intentions and that brings us to the Elvin Smiths of Aon led by master smith Kell bribor Kell rimbor was an unbelievable Craftsman his grandfather was none other than feanor who created the three similar the most treasured jewels in the history of Arda side note you Gamers out there may have heard this name before if you've ever played Shadow of Mordor or shadow of War Kella bribor is one of the main protagonists the game follows his Fall From Grace and they're amazing but back to the story Sauron is welcomed by kellmore with open arms in the year 1200 of the second age unlike gilgalad elron and gadriel he was deceived by anatar gu and fair words his desire for knowledge and experience coupled with his ambition to create something great made him susceptible to his manipulation Salon as anatar plays on these desires teaching kellmore and the Smith of Aron the art of ring making over the next four centuries this leads to the creation of the Lesser rings of power to which we don't know the exact amount as well as 16 great rings of power that Sauron was aware of Kell bribor forges the three Elven rings in secret without sauron's direct involvement or knowledge Nya was given to gadriel naria to High King gilgalad and Vila to Elon after centuries of Deceit we come to the year 1600 of the second age in the fiery depths of Mount Doom Sauron secretly forges the One Ring a Master Ring to control all others in cribed with the ominous words three rings for the Elven Kings under the sky seven for the dwarf Lords in their Halles of stone nine for Mortal men doomed to die one for the dark lord on his dark throne in the land of moror 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 moror where the Shadows [Music] lie this was the Lynch pin of sauron's plan to conquer Middle Earth this ring held a part of sauron's own power making it an object of immense and perilous might it may be best to think of the ring as sauron's essence or soul to dominate The Others he had to give everything to the ring it granted him unrifled power but if the ring was lost or destroyed the same fate would befall the Creator as Sauron places the one ring on his finger the elves wearing the three immediately become aware of his presence and intentions they sensed his attempt to dominate their WI s revealing his true nature and the deceit he had employed this sudden and alarming Revelation forced the elves to remove their rings to escape sauron's influence Sauron had bited his time for 400 years he has revealed his true identity by putting on the one ring and he declares war against the elves he will do whatever it takes to steal his Creations back from kinbor his army invades oron and the Realms suffer devastating losses it's Capital oltin Ed Hill where the Rings were forged is destroyed kellmore is captured by sauron's forces and tortured Sauron manages to recover the nine rings for men and the seven for the dwarves but he fails to locate the three Elven Rings the elves had manage to hide them successfully kellmore dies under torture refusing to yield to sauron's demands the Rings were distributed thus nine to Mortal men who fell into Shadow as nasar seven to the dwarves who proved resistant to Direct Control and three to the elves used to preserve and protect their Realms each ring wielded influence according to its bearer's nature playing a pivotal role in the unfolding history of Middle Earth we will start with the three Elven Rings Nya powered by the element of water naria powered by fire and Vila by air unlike the others these Rings were untouched by sauron's direct influence as kellmore forged them secretly but they could not be used while Sauron wore the one so they stayed hidden until Sauron was defeated by the last Alliance of elves and men here High King gilgalad is struck down and his ring is passed to Kyon after sauron's defeat this allowed the elves to use them without falling under sauron's control but with a critical caveat their power was directly tied to the One Ring should Sauron ever reclaim it he would again dominate all each of these Rings bestowed unique abilities aligned with their respective bearers nature and Realms Nya the Ring of water worn by gadriel had the power of preservation and protection sustaining the beauty and timelessness of lothorian narya the Ring of Fire now given to Gandalf by Kyon kindled courage and resistance against tyranny and despair particularly during dark times and finally Vila the Ring of air the mightiest of the three was worn by Elon it had the power to heal and preserve playing a crucial role in maintaining the sanctity of Rivendell as a refuge and a place of wisdom the Elven Rings thus were instruments of healing preservation and inspiration they countered the Decay and desolation brought by Sauron embodying the El's deep connection with the natural world and their desire to maintain Harmony and Beauty in Middle Earth another quick side note if you wanted to know why Gandalf was given the ring by Kyon go check out my first video posted about a week ago of who is Gandalf the Journey of Olin the Maya where we detail who Gandalf was and why he was so pivotal to the quest of defeating Sauron now moving along to the resistance and influence of the Dwarven Rings after we discussed the Elven Rings let's delve into The Seven Rings given to the dwarves unlike men the dwarves proved remarkably resistant to sauron's influence their resilience stemmed from their creator Al the Smith who imbued them with a strong will and a natural resistance to external domination the dwarfen Rings however did amplify certain traits within their bearers they heightened the dwarf's innate passion for craftsmanship and their desire for wealth particularly gold this led to increased mind and treasure hoarding which inadvertently awoke dangerous creatures like dragons and bogs sauron's intent was to corrupt the dwarves through greed and material Obsession but he could not bend their will to his own as he did with men each ring also granted its wearer increased longevity and the ability to amass great wealth which contributed to the prosperity but also the isolation of their Realms the Rings while not enslaving the dwarves SED seeds of Discord and strife indirectly furthering sauron's agenda of spreading malice and distrust among the free peoples of Middle Earth ultimately most of the Dwarven Rings were consumed by dragon fire or reclaimed by Sauron their Fates intertwined with the tumultuous history of the dwarves in the second and third ages these Rings serve as a testament to the dwarf's endurance and their ability to resist external corruption albeit at the cost of internal strife and greed moving from the dwarves to men the story takes a darker turn these nine Rings had the most dramatic and devastating effects unlike the dwarves men were far more susceptible to their corrupting influence this susceptibility can be attributed to the inherent human traits of ambition and the desire for power which Sauron exploited masterfully the Rings granted their bearers great power and unnaturally long lives appealing to their deepest desire desires for dominance and Rule they became glorious Kings and warriors however the power came at a grave cost over time the ringbearers became enslaved to the will of Sauron losing their Free Will and Humanity they quite literally faded into darkness mere Shadows of their former selves known in Legend as the nasgo or ring race their transition into these ghostly figures symbolized the loss of their souls and identities to the one ring Dominion just as Sauron was they were now bound to the fate of the One Ring the nasgo became sauron's most feared servants they were formidable in battle inspiring Terror on the ground and in the air I believe this tragic fate illustrates the central theme of tol keen's work the corrupting influence of power and the Peril of yielding to temptation but I'm definitely open to your thoughts please let me know what you think in the comments okay we probably know most of what happens next but let's catch up Sauron was immediately defeated by the destruction of the ring at the cracks of Doom along with all eight remaining nasgul it is said that their mounts were killed in the eruption whilst their form and power dissipated forever all 16 Rings had now lost their power and as such they were no longer of Aid to their bearers the struggle to destroy the One Ring forms the heart of Lord of the Rings narrative from mildor to Gollum and finally from Bilbo to Frodo's perilous Quest the ring weaves a tale of corruption heroism and sacrifice this Quest against overwhelming odds highlights the enduring theme of Hope in token's work another quick side note islor's name has been tarnished by the movies and I tend to write that wrong in a future video but I digress okay let's bring it home I don't want you to fall into the Trope of light versus dark Tolen deserves more of us than that it's there but the rings of power remind us of the Allure of power and the Peril it brings not just to those who wield it but to all who are touched by it they represent the duality of creation and destruction the fine line between using one's skills for the greater good or for dominion over others true power lies not in a piece of jewelry but in the enduring qualities of compassion friendship and sacrifice the Journey of the Rings of power is a mirror to our own challenges and choices it is a reminder that while Darkness may rise the Light Of Hope unity and courage will always stand against it so do you think I'm way off am I missing anything please I would love any comments of what you guys think thematically that the Lord of the Rings is all [Music] about all right folks we've reached our destination and the ship has come to dock in the undying lands if you've enjoyed your trip I can grant you free travel every week all you have to do is Click subscribe and if you'd like to support even further check out my patreon page for for some extras that I don't share here my sincerest thank yous until next time friends

Channel: Fables of the Fellowship

Views: 2,594

Keywords: Tolkien, Character breakdown, character analysis, LOTR, lotr, Tolkien analysis, Rings of power, Celebrimbor, Shadow of war, Sauron, The Rings of Power, Lord of the Rings, narration, soft voice, rings of power analysis

Id: 42dio1gj7N0

Length: 14min 37sec (877 seconds)

Published: Tue Jan 30 2024