what happened to the nine rings?

[rutslegolas]

it is said in the books that after the nine fell the rings were gone

but my question after the witch king fell where did hid ring go?

did it vanish like the sword of merry?

hope this topic is not repeated

[Oroaranion]

I can see two things happening to it:

1) The ring disappears into the wind, as you said.

2) It stayed in the Witch-King's pile of empty clothes, until the One was destroyed and it too was destroyed, being tied to the fate of Sauron and the One Ring.

[Lostregiel]

it could have happened , too that Sauron has them, or maybe the Nazgul still have them and they are a sort of gosht rings.

Lostregiel

[Kransha]

I assumed that the Ring stayed there in the empty clothes pile, the "mantle and hauberk," I believe. It would not have helped anyone who picked it up, considering the darker gait of its power, so no one bothered looking. When Mount Doom blew the big one, the eight remaining Nazgul, fellbeasts, and rings were devoured in the flames. At that time, the ring back on Pelennor Fields lost all power.

[Noxomanus]

Sauron held the Nine. (and three of the Seven.)We can only assume they were destroyed in the fall of Baradúr,along with the palantír. If not, they were powerless after the One was destroyed.

[lathspell]

Rings of Power are hard to destroy and I do not believe that the Rings are gone. As Noxomanus pointed out: the Nine and three of the Seven were held by Sauron in Barad-dur and though this tower is made of Adamant I don't believe than the Rings were broken in it's fall.
The fate of the Three was to remain unharmed but with fading power. When Galadriel rides through the Shire she wares Nenya openly for everyone to see. I believe that the Nine and Seven were of the same fate. Still lying somewhere in the ruin of Barad-dur, but powerless!

greetings,
lathspell

[Knight of Gondor]

If Sauron held the nine rings (and not the Nazgul, as I had imagined) at his dark tower, then I'm figuring the nine were buried in the rubble of Mordor, which was left undisturbed after it was cast down. And of course, they most likely lost all their power.

[Knight of Gondor]

I read in The Council of Elrond today a part that changes my mind. Gandalf says, in regards to the Rings, that the seven are taken or destroyed. The Three are known. The Nine the Nazgul keep. So that changes that. I suppose they lost all their power and either feel to the earth below, or were destroyed.

[Sillabub]

GOOD QUESTION! I've been wondering that for a LONG LONG time!
I don't know.
if you find out, please tell me!

[Isowen]

I didn't really think about it but good point! I suppose they just disappeared after the witch-king was destroyed. either that, or they just became powerless and useless!

[Lachwen]

You know, I'd never actually thought about that? Hmm....

I think the Nine Rings self-destructed when the One was destroyed. After all, those Rings were so totally in the thrall of the One (and probably drew so much of their power from it) that the end of the One Ring meant the end of the Nine. I could be completely wrong, of course, but it wouldn't be the first time...

EDIT: post number 42!! This is the Ultimate Post!

[Boromir88]

It was said Dragon fire could destroy the rings of power, so if the rings of power (9 and 3 of the 7) didn't have Mount Doom lava flow over them I would imagine they would still be there. The 9 and 3 dwarven would be useless but not destroyed. As we see in The Grey Havens, the 3 elven-rings are now "worn openly" since they all lost there power, in the destruction of the one ring. They weren't destroyed or didn't blow up, they just lost power.

[Amrod the Hunter]

Definetly a good question.
If they weren't they destroyed with the fall of The One,I think they lost all of their power,so that is why Nazguls also dissapeared-there was nothing left to hold them in this world so they just banished.
Or that's what I think...

[gorthaur_cruel]

The Nine were destroyed after the One was. And it was Sauron who held them.

I read in The Council of Elrond today a part that changes my mind. Gandalf says, in regards to the Rings, that the seven are taken or destroyed. The Three are known. The Nine the Nazgul keep. So that changes that. I suppose they lost all their power and either feel to the earth below, or were destroyed.

Indeed, this is the biggest evidence that the Nazguls keep the Nine. But there is far much more evidence that Sauron holds them. Here are a few(emphasises mine):

Originally Posted by Letters #246

... Sauron, who still through their nine rings (which he held) had primary control...

Originally Posted by Unfinished Tales

...mightiest servants, the Ring-wraiths, who had no will but his own, being each utterly subservient to the ring that had enslaved him, which Sauron held

Originally Posted by Unfinished Tales

...were entirely enslaved to their Nine Rings, which [Sauron] now himself held

Originally Posted by The Lord of the Rings

...the Nine [Sauron] has gathered to himself; the Seven also, or else they are destroyed

Originally Posted by The Lord of the Rings

You saw the Eye of him that holds the Seven and the Nine

These evidences suggest that Sauron held the Ring. And the evidence that they are destroyed comes from the Silmarillion:

And so indeed it has since befallen: The One and the Seven and the Nine are destroyed, and the Three have passed away.

[rutslegolas]

Indeed your assumptions could be right , but I think the Dark Lord did not hold the nine . The phrase " he held the nine " can also be deciphered as that he had control over the nine rings , and the nazgul wore them so he also had control over the ringwraiths .

But indeed I have come to realise that after the One Ring is destroyed the nine would be also destroyed .

[Boromir88]

I don't see how you could also interpret the quotes as Sauron held control over the ringwraiths. Each quote talks about holding the nine rings. It's specific, now if they said "Sauron held the nine" or "he controlled the nine." Then I can see interpreting it as either the rings or the ringwraiths. But none of them do, each quote specifically talks about the nine rings; not the ringwraiths.

[gorthaur_cruel]

The last two Nine Ring quotes could be interpreted the way you said, rutslegolas, but I don't think the first two or three quotes can. They pretty much say that Sauron held the Nine Rings. It would also make more sense...how else would Sauron hold power over the Ringwraiths when he lost the Ring that gives him the power to control them?

[rutslegolas]

Well Boromir could be right , but then if the Dark Lord held the nine rings,do you suggest that the ringwraiths obeyed the Dark Lord's orders because he had the possession of their nine rings??

But I think that when the Dark Lord gave the wraiths their nine rings they were corrupted and would listen to the Dark Lord even if he did'nt have the One Ring ,because as long as the Ring survived the Dark Lord had control over his wraiths .

[Boromir88]

We see that the Ringwraiths aren't affective. They fail to get Frodo while he's in the Shire, they fail to get Frodo while he's on Weathertop, they fail to get Frodo wondering around in Mordor. We also see them fail against fighting Aragorn on Weathertop. Even Gandalf admits that he can not take on all nine by himself, they are tough opponents. Aragorn is able to take on five of them by himself, which suggests the Wraiths weren't at their full potential, maybe they didn't have their rings? Since they seem to not be at full "strength." This is just my own speculation though .

[Gil-Galad]

when the one ring was destroyed, the elvish rings lost its powers, so i would assume that hte nine rings would just be normal rings