LotR ring questions

[StarshipTitanic]

What's the difference between Sauron's ring and the other rings, other than Sauron making his own? What makes the difference?

What happened to the dwarves and elves that had rings? Did they turn evil, too?

[Joe]

Sauron's dark life force is tied to the Ring. It's a lot more powerful than the other rings, and it can control them (but not the Elven rings)

The Elven rings were never actually under Sauron's thumb. The Dwarven rings were indeed evil but the Dwarves were resitant to their magic.

[Joe]

resitant = resistant.

[StarshipTitanic]

Any particular reason?

How do they use the rings?

[Joe]

Any particular reason?

How do they use the rings?

The Elven Rings were made outside of the influence of Sauron altogether. So he didn't have any control over them.

I'm hardly one of this boards LoTR experts, but as far as I know, the Rings maintain the Elven realms by slowing the passage of time.

[StarshipTitanic]

Any particular reason?

How do they use the rings?

The Elven Rings were made outside of the influence of Sauron altogether. So he didn't have any control over them.

I'm hardly one of this boards LoTR experts, but as far as I know, the Rings maintain the Elven realms by slowing the passage of time.

I'm still not understanding much, but thanks.

[lgot]

Each group of ring was forged using different sittuations and materials. Sauron teached some of the ways the make the magical rings and was involved in the making of humans/dwarves. Then an elf artificer used what he learned and forged the 3 elf rings. Sauron in secret used his own skills to forge the One ring and when make it he used his power to give the ring the special qualities it have.
They are different but basically they did different things. For example, Elf rings are related to nature and manipulation of it, Only Sauron's ring could control others, Dwarf rings did not worked that well because the magic resistense of the dwarves and the human rings corrupted and transformed the humans in the Nazguls...
Some of the Dwarves rings are destroyed by a dragon but all the rest are taken back by Sauron. The elf rings are in hands of Galadriel, Elrond and later of Gandalf. When the one ring was destroyed, it symbolized the end of age and the rings, symbols of that age, are without power.

[Master of Ossus]

Sauron had no part in forging the Elven rings, and so they were not corrupted by him. Gandalf, Galadriel, and Elrond each had one of the elven rings.

Some of the dwarven rings were destroyed, but others appear to have survived. Dwarves have greater resistance to the rings' corrupting influence than men, but they were still vulnerable. Sauron recovered the surviving dwarven rings at the end of the Third Age, but it's not clear that he assigned them to anyone, and the consensus among fans seems to indicate that he was holding them in Mount Doom.

I'm not familiar with the use of the dwarven rings, but I can explain what the elven rings do.

The elves were somewhat ambitious during the Second Age. Elves are somewhat nostalgic on Middle Earth, because they see everything mortal die around them, but must continue to live as immortals. Usually, they tire of this and go across the sea to Valinor, but Valinor is ruled by the Valar, and the elves must be content to be second-class, there.

Some of the elves of the Second Age wanted to try to create a state on Middle Earth where things would not die, so they could rule over those areas themselves. Hence, the rings were imbued with the power to preserve life. Galadriel was keeping the woods of Lorien alive, using Nenya. Similarly, Elrond was trying to keep Rivendell and the surrounding area alive using his ring.

Obviously, the elven rings have additional powers, but those powers have not been elaborated on by Tolkien, to my knowledge. However, their original intent was the one that Galadriel was using her ring to accomplish--the effort to preserve the life around the elves.

[StarshipTitanic]

Hmmm, ok, that explains a lot. Thanks everyone.

[CaptainChewbacca]

The dwarven rings gave their owners wisdom and smithcraft, enabling them to create beautiful works. They also gave the wearers longer life and the ability to earn great wealth. Every great dwarven horde, including the Erebror and Khazad-dum, was founded by use of one of the seven rings. The last to be taken was the Ring of Thror, last lord of Erebror, which was taken by Sauron in the tower of Dol Goldur.

The human rings gave the men wisdom and long life, as well as the ability to influence men to their causes. They also trapped their souls.

[lgot]

No.
The Dwarves are created by Aule, the Valar smithing God and he teached the dwarves to do all that. Khazad-Dum was founded long ago when the first awakened by the first of the dwarves.
All of the great rings gave the wearer immortality, not just long live (Dwarves had already a long living trait)...

[CaptainChewbacca]

I didn't mean that the dwarven rings taught the dwarves smithcraft, just that they gave their owners GREATER smithcraft. The ancient cities flourished IN PART because of the influence of the rings on their dwarven owners. Gandalf said that each of the Seven Great Hordes was built thanks to a ring of power.

They didn't give their owners immortality, they were passed from father to son (Thror got the ring when his father Thrain died of old age). Elves are naturally immortal. The nine were to give long life in order to enslave the men.

[Dalton]

All of the great rings gave the wearer immortality, not just long live (Dwarves had already a long living trait)...

No. None of the rings granted immortality, and only the One Ring granted long life, else the bearers of the other rings wouldn't have had to pass down their rings (i.e. Thror to Thrain). This is why Gollum lived as long as he did. The Nine received long life through the power of Sauron, as I recall.

The three Elven rings were originally given to Galadriel, Gil-galad and Cirdan. Cirdan gave his ring, the Ring of Fire (Narya, IIRC), to Gandalf when he arrived. Galadriel held hers (Vilya?) for a long while and used it to keep Lorien. Gil-galad's ring (Nenya?) was given to Elrond before the Last Alliance.

[Dizzy D]

To add a bit more information:

The Dwarven rings did corrupt the wearers, but Sauron was unable to control them: it made the wearers more greedy, but they resisted any attempts by Sauron to control them.

Gandalf describes his ring as having the ability to "awaken the fire in the hearts of men". Obviously it helped him inspire others to battle Sauron.

[Luke Starkiller]

The three Elven rings were originally given to Galadriel, Gil-galad and Cirdan. Cirdan gave his ring, the Ring of Fire (Narya, IIRC), to Gandalf when he arrived. Galadriel held hers (Vilya?) for a long while and used it to keep Lorien. Gil-galad's ring (Nenya?) was given to Elrond before the Last Alliance.

Close, Gandalf did get Narya, the Red Ring, from Cirdan. Elrond was given Vilya, the Blue Ring and Greatest of the Three, by Gil-Galad. Galadriel was the original keeper of Nenya, the Ring of Adament.

[CaptainChewbacca]

Point of Order; It is CIRDAIN the shipwright. He gave Gandalf his ring when he saw the Istari emerge from the ocean.

[Dalton]

Point of Order; It is CIRDAIN the shipwright. He gave Gandalf his ring when he saw the Istari emerge from the ocean.

Actually, it is Círdan.

[Stormbringer]

The Elven Rings were made outside of the influence of Sauron altogether. So he didn't have any control over them.

The Elven Rings were controlled by Sauron as much as any other. The mere fact they faded like all the other Rings, great and small, is proof of that. It's just the Elves were smart enough not to use them while Sauron possessed the One Ring. In fact it's mentioned that they took them off as soon as they sensed the presence of Sauron through the Rings.

The Elven Rings were however free from the corrupting influence of the Sauron's touch. Because only Celebrimor had a part in their making they didn't steer their wearers to evil like all the other rings did.

I'm hardly one of this boards LoTR experts, but as far as I know, the Rings maintain the Elven realms by slowing the passage of time.

Yes, that's it. Sort of. It's a very complicated thing.

[lgot]

I didn't mean that the dwarven rings taught the dwarves smithcraft, just that they gave their owners GREATER smithcraft. The ancient cities flourished IN PART because of the influence of the rings on their dwarven owners. Gandalf said that each of the Seven Great Hordes was built thanks to a ring of power.

It was all fine, you just did not wrote that way and missed about Khazad but all is fine...

They didn't give their owners immortality, they were passed from father to son (Thror got the ring when his father Thrain died of old age). Elves are naturally immortal. The nine were to give long life in order to enslave the men.

eH, Thror father is Dain I and he died killed by Azog.

[Ted C]

What's the difference between Sauron's ring and the other rings, other than Sauron making his own? What makes the difference?

In general, the rings supposedly grant the wearer "power according to his gifts", which means that they make the wearer better at things they already do. Leaders become more charismatic, warriors become stronger and more skillful, wizards become more powerful, etc. The great rings also had some other standard effects; they granted unnaturally long life, for example.

The general purpose of the rings was to make the wearers great leaders among their races.

Sauron's ring has the unique purpose of controlling the wearers of the other great rings. This worked perfectly on the men wearing the Nine Rings; they quickly succumbed to Sauron's power and, over time, they became the Ringwraiths.

Sauron's magic didn't work well against the Dwarves who wore the Seven rings. The Dwarves had been specifically made (by the Valar Aule) to be resistant to the powers of Morgoth and Sauron (info from The Silmarillion), so they suffered little more than an increased goldlust.

IIRC, the maker of the Elven rings suspected that Sauron was up to something and spied on him, catching him in the act of forging the One Ring. He was able to warn the other wearers of the Elven rings in time for them to remove their rings before Sauron was finished making his, so they were never caught in Sauron's trap.

What happened to the dwarves and elves that had rings? Did they turn evil, too?

The Dwarf wearers didn't turn evil, but they did turn rather greedy.

The Elves took their rings off before Sauron used his.

After Gil-Galad and Elendil defeated Sauron and the One Ring disappeared, the Elves started using their rings again. Should Sauron get hold of the One again, the things they used their Rings to build (including Lothlorien and Rivendell) would immediately come under Sauron's control (as would the Ring wearers themselves).

[lgot]

IIRC, the maker of the Elven rings suspected that Sauron was up to something and spied on him, catching him in the act of forging the One Ring. He was able to warn the other wearers of the Elven rings in time for them to remove their rings before Sauron was finished making his, so they were never caught in Sauron's trap

It was Galadriel, not the ring's maker who suspect of the Sauron's and no one catch him making the ring, but as soon he put the Ring (No one have any idea of how Sauron make the ring acctually), the 3 weares felt the "trap" and took the rings off.

[Smiling Bandit]

None of the rings granted immortality, and only the One Ring granted long life, else the bearers of the other rings wouldn't have had to pass down their rings (i.e. Thror to Thrain).

Untrue: The RIngs for Men gave their users immortality, albeit at a terribel price. Ironically, some of the Human kings were not evil, at least not in the beginning, but none could hold out against Sauroin's corruption forever. Eventually, they faded into undead.

[Johonebesus]

I don't know that the dwarves were magically resistant to Sauron's power as much as they were too stubborn. Their wills could not be bent to anopther's will. The rings still corrupted them.