Who wrote...

[Sardy]

Who was the writer of...

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.

Was it Tolkien (that is, Tolkien, the author, breaking down the third wall), or does this poem exist in Middle-earth (I believe I recall Gandalf reciting bit of it to Frodo)...

Is it of Elvish origin? Or a modern day (i.e., "Third Age" parable of ancient times...) creation?

I'm curious as to the origin of this poem which so succinctly sets up the premise of the Trilogy... and moreso, I'm interested in knowing if it was contrived by someone "in the know" and under the thumb of Sauron, or rather, if it was is a fanciful indulgence of a later age playing upon the "myths" of ages past...

[Inziladun]

Gandalf does say it is "a verse long known in Elven-lore."

I would think it was composed by Noldorin Elves in the Second Age after they learned of Sauron's intention to use the One to dominate the Free Peoples of ME.
Gandalf's recitation to Frodo appears to be the only mention of the full verse in the books.

[Rumil]

I'd thought it was written by Sauron as part of the verse was enscribed upon the ring?

[Gordis]

More likely a part containing a translation of Sauron's Ring-spell was later incorporated into the Elven-made verse.

Originally Sauron's spell was likely uttered (and inscribed on the Ring) in the Black Tongue and contained only two lines (Ash nazg etc. = One Ring to Rule them all, one ring to find them, one ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them).

But in SA 1600 when the Ring was made, Sauron firmly hoped to rule Elves who had the 19 Rings. While making the One, he didn't suspect that the Elves would hear his spell and take off their Rings. It was much later, by 1695, when Sauron finally gave up on his plan A and changed to plan B - to take the Rings back from the Elves and distribute them to other races. But he hardly put his plan into verse at that time - it was meant to be a nasty surprise for the unsuspecting Dwarves and Men who were about to get his Rings. Also, at the time, he still hoped to take the Three back as well.

So, I guess the Elves made the verse much later - towards the end of the Second Age, when the ultimate fate of the Seven and the Nine became known to them. While speaking of the One, they used the ancient Sauron's spell translated from the Black Tongue.

[Alfirin]

I may be being dense, but exactly how could the elves have actually heard the verse? Sauron forged the ring at Orodruin, and I don't seem to recall anything about anyone else being there at the time with him. He may have been using the techniques he had shared with Celembrimbor, but the One ring was, as I recall forged in solitude. The elves could not have read the verse off the ring, as it's only visible when the ring is placed back in fire. There are only two possiblityies I can think of. Once is that the verse is actually a sort of charm or spell; when Sauron says it while wearing the ring it's what links the other rings in and that, intitally the spell had to be said in the presence of the other rings to bring them fully under the Master ring's control (i.e. Saron made the ring in Orodruin but then had to take it back to Eregion and say the spell to "link" the other rings in. The other possiblity is that it was read of the ring when Isildur had it, though this is less likely as it is doubful that he would had condescended to ever allow the ring to leave his presence and there would be no reason why he would trow it into a fire (though there is the possiblity that Sauron, in his "Great Warrior" body in fact emitted siginficant heat (which could explain the burned skin visible under the black armor) in which case the ring may have always been hot enough for the words to be visible.)

[Gordis]

I think the Elves (those who actually wore the Rings of power at the moment - and the Three and the Seven already had Elven owners) had indeed heard Sauron's binding Ring-spell all the way from Orodruin. Just by Ring-magic. The Ruling Ring, when wielded by Sauron, seems to be strongly connected with the other 19 and could, it seems, be used for broadcasting. Sauron, however, hardly intended this to happen - his mistake.

Remember that when Frodo put the Ruling Ring on and claimed it in Sammath Naur, Sauron was immediately aware of him. Perhaps partly it was due to the fact that Sauron at the moment had 12 rings in his possession?

[mark12_30]

Originally Posted by Alfirin

The other possiblity is that it was read of the ring when Isildur had it, though this is less likely as it is doubful that he would had condescended to ever allow the ring to leave his presence and there would be no reason why he would trow it into a fire (though there is the possiblity that Sauron, in his "Great Warrior" body in fact emitted siginficant heat (which could explain the burned skin visible under the black armor) in which case the ring may have always been hot enough for the words to be visible.)

In fact the text of The COuncil of Eldrond reads thus, in part:

‘But in that time also he made this scroll,’ said Gandalf; ‘and that is not remembered in Gondor, it would seem. For this scroll concerns the Ring, and thus wrote Isildur therein:

‘And after these words Isildur described the Ring, such as he found it.

‘When I read these words, my quest was ended. For the traced writing was indeed as Isildur guessed, in the tongue of Mordor and the servants of the Tower. And what was said therein was already known. For in the day that Sauron first put on the One, Celebrimbor, maker of the Three, was aware of him, and from afar he heard him speak these words, and so his evil purposes were revealed.

As far as exactly who wrote it... in the Shadow of the Past, Gandalf only says : 'It is only two lines of a verse long known in Elven-lore".