Of the Rings of Power

[Findegil]

This is the first draft of the chapter Of the Rings of Power in the part The Black Years.

There is no Basic Text in this chapter and I will give source information for each part that is used. They are mostly from The History of Galadriel and Celeborn in UT and Of the Rings of Power and the Third Age from Sil77.

The markings are:
BY-HL-zz for Black Years, Head-Lines, marking all headlines for the chapters in this part.

RP-SL-zz for Of the Rings of Power, Story-Line, to document all changes that construct the main text.

Some conventions of my writing:
Normal Text is from the text that is mentioned in the source information of each insert.
Bold Text = source information, comments and remarks
{example} = text that should be deleted
[example] = normalised text, normally only used for general changes
<source example> = additions with source information
example = text inserted for grammatical or metrical reason
/example/ = outline expansion
Normally if an inserted text includes the beginning of a new § these is indicated by a missing “>” at the end of the § and a missing “<” at the beginning of the next.

BY-HL-12<Of the Rings of Power
> RP-SL-01<The history of Galadriel and Celeborn Sauron himself departed from Eregion about the year 1500, after the Mírdain had begun the making of the Rings of Power. >RP-SL-02<Of the Rings of Power Now the Elves made many rings; but secretly Sauron made One Ring to rule all the others, ... and he could see and govern the very thoughts of those that wore them.
But the Elves were not so lightly to be caught. ... and he came against them RP-SL-03{ with open war}, demanding that all the rings should be delivered to him, since the Elven-smiths could not have attained to their making without his lore and counsel.>
RP-SL-04<The history of Galadriel and Celeborn Now Celebrimbor was not corrupted in heart or faith, ... They should have destroyed all the Rings of Power at this time, {"}but they failed to find the strength.{"} Galadriel counselled him that the Three Rings of the Elves should be hidden, never used, and dispersed, far from Eregion where Sauron believed them to be.> RP-SL-05<Of the Rings of Power Now these were the Three that had last been made, and they possessed the greatest powers. ... yet they also were subject to the One.> RP-SL-06<The history of Galadriel and Celeborn It was at that time that {she}Galadriel received Nenya, the White Ring, from Celebrimbor, and by its power the realm of Lórinand wasRP-SL-07<editorial addition later> strengthened and made beautiful; but its power upon her was great also and unforseen, for it increased her latent desire for the Sea and for return into the West, so that her joy in Middle-earth was diminished. RP-SL-08{9} Celebrimbor followed her counsel that the Ring of Air and the Ring of Fire should be sent out of Eregion; and he entrusted them to Gil-galad in Lindon. RP-SL-09{ (It is said here that at this time Gil galad gave Narya, the Red Ring, to Círdan Lord of the Havens, but later in the narrative there is a marginal note that he kept it himself until he set out for the War of the Last Alliance.)} RP-SL-10 <LotR, Appendix A III It was believed by the Dwarves of Durin's Folk, that{ to be} the first of the Seven that was forged{; and they say that it} was given to the King of Khazad-dûm, Durin III, by the Elven-smiths themselves and not by Sauron, though doubtless his evil power was on it, since he had aided in the forging of all the Seven. But the possessors of the Ring did not display it or speak of it, and they seldom surrendered it until near death, so that others did not know for certain where it was bestowed.>
When Sauron learned of the repentance and revolt of Celebrimbor his disguise fell and his wrath was revealed; and gathering a great force he moved over Calenardhon (Rohan) to the invasion of Eriador in the year 1695. RP-SL-11<Of the Rings of Power But the Elves fled from him. RP-SL-12{; and three of their rings they saved, ... yet they also were subject to the One.
}From that time war never ceased between Sauron and the Elves RP-SL-13{; and Eregion was laid waste, and Celebrimbor slain, and the doors of Moria were shut. In that time the stronghold and refuge of Imladris, that Men called Rivendell, was founded by Elrond Half-elven; and long it endured}.> RP-SL-14<The History of Galadriel and Celeborn; Appendix D: The Port of Lond Dear The denuding of RP-SL-15{the lands}Minhiriath and Enedwaith was increased during the war in Eriador; ... burning many of the great wood-stores of the Númenóreans.
>RP-SL-16<The history of Galadriel and Celeborn When news of this reached Gil-galad he sent out a force under Elrond Half-elven; … with a different power and purpose. RP-SL-17{ [It is not actually said here that Sauron at this time took possession of the Seven Rings, though the implication seems clear that he did so. In Appendix A (III) to The Lord of the Rings it is said that there was a belief among the Dwarves of Durin's Folk that the Ring of Durin III, King of Khazad-dûm, was given to him by the Elven-smiths themselves, and nothing is said in the present text about the way in which the Seven Rings came into possession of the Dwarves.]} Concerning the Three Rings Sauron could learn nothing from Celebrimbor; … and that must mean to Galadriel and Gil-galad.
In black anger he turned back to battle; ... and it was at that time RP-SL-18{[}in the year 1697, according to the Tale of Years{]} that he established a refuge and stronghold at Imladris (Rivendell). ... all Orcs were commanded to harry Dwarves whenever they might.
But now Sauron attempted to gain the mastery of Eriador: ... prevent him coming down upon his rear.
Now for long years the Númenóreans ... The Númenórean admiral Ciryatur sent part of his ships to make a landing further to the south.
Sauron was driven away south-east after great slaughter at Sarn Ford ... for Ciryatur had put a strong force ashore at the mouth of the Gwathló (Greyflood), {"}where there was a small Númenórean harbour.{"} RP-SL-19{[}This was Vinyalondë of Tar-Aldarion, afterwards called Lond Daer{; see Appendix D. p. 274.]} In the Battle of the Gwathló Sauron was routed utterly ... but lay largely in ruins.> RP-SL-20<The History of Galadriel and Celeborn, Appendix D: The Prot of Lobd Daer When Sauron was at last defeated and driven east out of Eriador most of the old forests had been destroyed. The Gwathló flowed through a land that was far and wide on either bank a desert, treeless but untilled.>
RP-SL-21<Relations of the Longbeard Dwarves and Men{Very great changes came to pass as the Second Age proceeded. ... that had formed an alliance also with the Longbeards of Moria.} This marked also the end of the Alliance of the Longbeards with Men of the North. ... and lived mostly in caves or in the borders of the Forest.>
RP-SL-22<The History of Galadriel and Celeborn At this time the first RP-SL-23<The History of Galadriel and Celeborn, note 10 White >Council was held, RP-SL-24{10} and it was there determined that an Elvish stronghold in the east of Eriador should be maintained at Imladris rather than in Eregion. At that time also Gil-galad gave Vilya, the Blue Ring, to Elrond, and appointed him to be his vice-regent in Eriador; but the Red Ring he kept.RP-SL-25{, until he gave it to Círdan when he set out from Lindon in the days of the Last Alliance.11} For many years the Westlands had peace, and time in which to heal their wounds; but the Númenóreans had tasted power in Middle-earth, and from that time forward they began to make permanent settlements on the western coasts RP-SL-26{ [dated "c. 1800" in the Tale of Years]}, becoming too powerful for Sauron to attempt to move west out of Mordor for a long time.
RP-SL-27{In its concluding passage the narrative returns to Galadriel, telling that the}At this time the sea-longing grew so strong in {her}Galadriel that (though she deemed it her duty to remain in Middle-earth while Sauron was still unconquered) she determined to leave Lórinand and to dwell near the sea. She committed Lórinand to RP-SL-28{Amroth}[Amdír], and passing again through Moria with Celebrían she came to Imladris, seeking Celeborn. There (it seems) she found him, and there they dwelt together for a long time; and it was then that Elrond first saw Celebrían, and loved her, though he said nothing of it. It was while Galadriel was in Imladris that the Council referred to above was held.> RP-SL-29<The History of Galadriel and Celeborn; Amroth and Nimrodel
The people of Lórien were even then {[i.e. at the time of the loss of Amroth]} much as they were at the end of the Third Age: Silvan Elves in origin, but ruled by princes of Sindarin descent (as was the realm of Thranduil in the northern parts of Mirkwood RP-SL-30{; though whether Thranduil and Amroth were akin is not now known.}) RP-SL-31{15} They had however been much mingled with Noldor (of Sindarin speech), who passed through Moria after the destruction of Eregion by Sauron in the year 1697 of the Second Age. At that time Elrond went RP-SL-32{westward [sic; probably meaning simply that he did not cross Misty Mountains]}[northward] and established the refuge of Imladris; Celeborn went at first to Lórien and fortified it against any further attempts of Sauron to cross the Anduin.> RP-SL-33<The History of Galadriel and Celeborn; Amroth and Nimrodel {The implication of the extract just given is that after Eregion’s fall Celeborn led this migration to Lórien, while Galadriel joined Gil-galad in Lindon; but elsewhere, in writing contemporary with this, it is said explicitly that they both}Both Galadriel and Celeborn at that time {‘}passed through Moria with a considerable following of Noldorin exiles and dwelt for many years in Lórien{‘}.> RP-SL-34<The History of Galadriel and Celeborn; Amroth and Nimrodel When however Sauron withdrew to Mordor, and was (as reported) wholly concerned with conquests in the East, Celeborn rejoin¬ed Galadriel in Lindon.{
}Lórien had then long years of peace and obscurity under the rule of its own king Amdír.
> RP-SL-35<The History of Galadriel and Celeborn; Note 2 {In a note in unpublished material the}The Elves of Harlindon, or Lindon south of the Lune, are said to have been largely of Sindarin origin, and the region to have been a fief under the rule of Celeborn.>
RP-SL-36<The History of Galadriel and Celeborn To Lórien Celeborn and Galadriel returned {twice}a second time before the Last Alliance and the end of the Second Age.> RP-SL-37<The History of Galadriel and Celeborn But at some later time RP-SL-38{ [there is no indication of the date]} Galadriel and Celeborn together with Celebrían departed {from}and over Imladris{ and} went to the little-inhabited lands between the mouth of the Gwathló and Ethir Anduin. There they dwelt in Belfalas, at the place that was afterwards called Dol Amroth; there Amroth RP-SL-39{ their}, son of Amdír, at times visited them, and their company was swelled by Nandorin Elves from Lórinand.> RP-SL-40<The History of Galadriel and Celeborn; Amroth and Nimrodel {Thus in a discussion of linguistic and political interrelations in Middle-earth (dating from 1969 or later) there is a passing reference to the fact that in the days of the earlier settlements of Númenor}/In that time/ the shores of the Bay of Belfalas were still mainly desolate {"}except for a haven and small settlement of Elves at the south of the confluence of Morthond and Ringló{"} (i.e. just north of Dol Amroth). RP-SL-41{

}This, according to the traditions of Dol Amroth, had been .established by seafaring Sindar from the west havens of Beleriand who fled in three small ships when the power of Morgoth overwhelmed the Eldar and the Atani; but it was later increased by adventurers of the Silvan Elves seeking for the sea who came down Anduin. RP-SL-42{

}The Silvan Elves RP-SL-43{(it is remarked here) "}were never wholly free of an unquiet and a yearning for the Sea which at times drove some of them to wander from their homes. RP-SL-44{" To relate this story of the "three small ships" to the traditions recorded in The Silmarillion we would probably have to assume that they escaped from Brithombar or Eglarest (the Havens of the Falas on the west coast of Beleriand) when they were destroyed in the years after the Nirnaeth Arnoediad (The Silmarillion p.196), but that whereas Círdan and Gil-galad made a refuge on the Isle of Balar these three ships' companies sailed far further south down the coasts, to Belfalas.}
{But a}A quite different account, making the establishment of the Elvish haven later, … There was already a primitive harbour there of fisherfolk, but these in fear of the Eldar fled into the mountains.{"}[Footnote to the text: The place of the Elvish haven in Belfalas is marked with the name Edhellond ("Elf-haven{,}" RP-SL-45{ see the Appendix to The Silmarillion under edhel and lond}) on the maps.{decorated map of Middle-earth by Pauline Baynes; but I have found no other occurrence of this name. See Appendix D, p. 274. Cf. The Adventures of Tom Bombadil (1962), p. 8: "In the Langstrand and Dol Amroth there were many traditions of the ancient Elvish dwellings, and of the haven at the mouth of the Morthond from which 'westward ships' had sailed as far back as the fall of Eregion in the Second Age."}]
>
RP-SL-46<Of the Rings of Power But Sauron gathered into his hands all the remaining Rings of Power; and he dealt them out to the other peoples of Middle-earth, hoping thus to bring under his sway all those that desired secret power beyond the measure of their kind. Seven Rings he RP-SL-47{gave}[dedicated] to the Dwarves; ... and some Sauron recovered.
Men proved easier to ensnare. … and they cried with the voices of death.>

Some comments on my editing:

BY-HL-12: The title is taken of course from the part of Sil77. It is used here only in part to dedicate the chapter that tells about the making of these Rings and the War about the possession of these Rings that followed immediately.

RP-SL-01 & RP-SL-02: I start with the statement when Sauron left Eregion. As in the next paragraph Sauron is reported to smith the One Ring, this seems the logical arrangement.

RP-SL-03: I skiped the open war, since the speed of the narrative as I constructed it is much slower than that of Sil77, so that this seemed not to fit.

RP-SL-04, RP-SL-05 & RP-SL-08: This construction of text should transport the counsel of Galadriel and Celbrimbor and the difference in power of the Elven-Rings.

RP-SL-07: As it is clear from all we know about the Rings, that Galadriel could not at that time (and for a long time in future) us the Ring she received, I added the later here to avoid a false impression that she used it immediately.

RP-SL-08, RP-SL-24, RP-SL-31: A Footonte with comments of Christopher removed.

RP-SL-09, RP-SL-17, RP-SL-26, RP-SL-27, RP-SL-30, RP-SL-38, RP-SL-45: Comment of Chirstopher Tolkien about the construction of the text removed.

RP-SL-10: Here I worked into the narrative the story of Durin reviving the first of the Seven directly by the Elves and not via Sauron.

RP-SL-11, RP-SL-12 & RP-SL-13: I did not use over much of this passage, but wanted to document what I left out or better replaced by the more full telling from UT.

RP-SL-14: This is the first step in the war: Sauron is causing disarrangement about the friends of his foes.

RP-SL-15: The reference had become unclear by my arrangement of the text.

RP-SL-16: UT has the fullest account of the War in Eriador.

RP-SL-18: I am not sure, if we should include this date, so I am open for a different editing.

RP-SL-20: I added this to show some of the results of that war.

RP-SL-21: Now the War was not restricted to Eriador and here we report what we know about the other battle-places.

RP-SL-22: Here we change back to Eriador and report in special the history of Galadriel and Celeborn.

RP-SL-23: The reference to this council as the first has to carry a long with reader if he should make the connection, therefore I added the ‘White’ to help that process.

RP-SL-25: I think we should report the giving of Narya to Círdan when it realy happens.

RP-SL-28: As we know that Amroth came to rule in Lórinand onlky after the death of his father in the Battle on Dagorlad, we have to change this. We also may discuss here if the name is Amdír or Malgalad.

RP-SL-29: Maybe this is a bit redundant, but I felt that some ‘intro’ was usefull for what follows.

RP-SL-32: I think we have to simply this.

RP-SL-33 & RP-SL-34: Here we come to the difficult part of the movement of the pair. As I see it Galadriel left Lórinand in the care of Amdír in search for Celeborn and a home nearer to the Sea. She found Celebron in Imladris but after the council she moved with him back to Lórinand to farther prepare it for the defence. But in the end her longing for the West made her after ‘many years’ go to Lindonm where later Celeborn rejoined her.

RP-SL-35: I think the note referred to is published in the meant time. I will look for it, but if anybody has an idea I would be thankful for a hint.

RP-SL-36 & RP-SL-37: As this is the only fiting place I see, I added here the full story of the movement of the pair.

RP-SL-39: Amroth is now the son of Amdír not of Galadriel, but still since she had been in Lórinand more than once and also for some considerable time, it is quite likely that young Amroth die visit Galadriel at Edhellond. We might remember here that there was a custom among the Edain leaders of Beleriand to send their sons to other relams for education. It could well be that they did so following a custom among the Eldar (e.g. beside Amroth here Gil-galad in the First Age).

RP-SL-40, RP-SL-41, RP-SL-42, RP-SL-43 & RP-SL-44: I took up both stories about the first founding of the heaven as alternatives. This can be discussed of course.

RP-SL-46: Here at the end of the chapter we come back to Sauron and the Rings of Power.

Respectfully
Findegil