Timeline of the Great Rings

[Huinesoron]

We've been discussing the Great Rings a fair bit recently (see here, here, and here), and I wanted to pull together a timeline of their movements, and the study of them.

Citations: [App.B] = LotR Appendix B, Second or Third Age timelines. [UT] = Unfinished Tales, The History of Galadriel & Celeborn. [Ak] = Silmarillion, Akallabeth. [SP] = FotR, Shadow of the Past. [CE] = FotR, Council of Elrond. [RP] = Silmarillion, Of the Rings of Power. [211] = Letters of JRR Tolkien, 211.

Second Age
1200 - Sauron makes first contact with Celebrimbor of Eregion. Over the centuries that follow the Elves forge many lesser rings under his guidance. [App.B]
1500 - The Nine and the Seven are forged. Sauron departs Eregion. [UT]
1590 - The Three are forged, without Sauron's involvement but using his knowledge. [App.B] Celebrimbor gifts Nenya to Galadriel, and keeps the other two to himself. [UT]
1600 - Sauron forges the One, and is sensed by Celebrimbor and Galadriel. [App.B] The bearers of the various Rings take them off, but cannot find the strength to destroy them. [UT]
1693 - Galadriel advises that Vilya and Narya should be hidden; Celebrimbor sends them to Gil-Galad in Lindon. [UT] Presumably at the same time, he begins to bestow the Seven on six unspecified bearers, and Durin III. [UT]
1695 - Sauron attacks Eregion. [App.B]
1697 - Fall of Eregion. [App.B] Sauron takes the Nine, and tortures Celebrimbor into giving up the location of the Seven (the distinction between the two sets is likely simply which ones Celebrimbor had managed to give away in time). [UT]
1701 - Sauron driven from Eriador. [App.B] Rivendell is established as the primary Elvish stronghold in eastern Eriador, and Gil-Galad gifts Vilya to Elrond. [UT]
Next 500 years. Sauron gifts the Nine to mortal Men, including three great Numenorean lords. [Ak] He also presumably gathers in six of the Seven, and gifts them to Dwarven bearers.
2251 - The Nazgul first appear. [App.B] This is implied to be all 9 of them. They are likely wearing their Rings themselves at this point.
3262 - Sauron taken captive to Numenor. [App.B] He wears the One Ring in his captivity and later domination of Numenor. [211]
3319 - Downfall of Numenor. [App.B] Sauron is reduced to a spirit carried on a black wind, [Ak] carrying the One Ring out of the depths. [211]
3320 - Sauron returns to Mordor as a after the fall of Numenor, [App.B] and takes up the One again in Barad-dur. [Ak]
3430 - The Last Alliance is formed. Gil-Galad gifts Narya to Cirdan.
3441 - Sauron defeated. The Nazgul disappear with their Rings. Isildur claims the One. Galadriel, Elrond, and Cirdan begin to wield the Three. [App.B]

Third Age
2 - Disaster of the Gladden Fields. The One is lost in Anduin. [App.B]
1050 - Sauron comes to Mirkwood, but is thought to be one of the Nazgul. The Istari arrive in Middle-earth; Cirdan gifts Narya to Gandalf. [App.B]
1300 - The Nazgul reappear. The Witch-King founds Angmar. [App.B] I theorise that they still held the Nine in person at this point; see later.
1975 - Fall of Angmar. The Witch-King disappears. [App.B]
1980 - The Witch-King assembles the Nazgul in Mordor. [App.B]
1981 - The Longbeards leave Moria with at least one of the Seven. [App.B]
1999 - Erebor founded by Thrain I, bearer of one of the Seven. [App.B]
2000-2002 - The Nazgul besiege and take Minas Ithil. [App.B]
2063 - Gandalf infiltrates Dol Guldur. Sauron retreats into the east. The Nine remain quiet in Minas Morgul. The Watchful Peace begins. [App.B] Possibly during this period Sauron gathers up any of the Seven which were in the east.
2210 - Thorin I takes his Ring to the Grey Mountains. [App.B]
2460 - Sauron returns to Dol Guldur. [App.B] His presence stirs up evil things, including the One. Possibly at this time, he reclaims the Nine from the Nazgul.
2463 - One Ring discovered by Deagol and taken by Smeagol. [App.B] Saruman returns from the east about this time (ca. 1500 years after he left). First meeting of the White Council, after which Saruman begins to study Ring-lore. [RP] Saruman learns Gandalf bears Narya about this time? [Silm: Istari] It is said to be "after a time", and since he went east almost immediately after arriving in Middle-earth, this is the first chance he really had.
2470 - Smeagol the Gollum hides under the Misty Mountains. [App.B]
2570 - The Dragons reappear in the far north and afflict the Dwarves. Over the ~200 years that follow, they devour four of the Seven. [App.B] If this is at Sauron's instigation, it might imply that reclaiming rings from Dwarves was almost too much of a hassle - he was willing to see five destroyed outright (having perhaps already reclaimed two in the east?).
2590 - Thror takes his Ring back to Erebor. [App.B]
2770 - Smaug destroys Erebor. Thror's Ring is taken into exile. [App.B]
2845 - Thrain II is captured by Sauron, and the last of the Seven taken from him. [App.B] His words imply he knows the fate of the other six, suggesting either the Dwarves talk a lot, or several of them were held by the Longbeards.
2850 - Gandalf enters Dol Guldur, confirms that the Necromancer is Sauron, and learns that he has reclaimed Thrain's Ring. [App.B] He returns to Elrond and says that Sauron is "gathering again all the Rings to his hand", and that he is looking for the One and the heirs of Isildur. [RP]
2851 - The White Council assembles. [App.B] Saruman declares that the One was washed out to Sea years before, [RP] but secretly begins to desire the One himself and searches the Gladden Fields. [App.B] Elrond foretells the One's re-emergence. [RP]
2939 - Sauron learns of the fate of Isildur and begins to search the Gladden Fields for the Ring. Saruman discovers this, presumably because his own servants are searching there already. [App.B]
2941 - The White Council assembles. Gandalf informs them that Sauron "rules" the Nine and has recovered three of the Seven, and that he must be overthrown before the One is found. [RP] Bilbo takes the One from Gollum. Sauron is driven from Dol Guldur. [App.B] Gandalf recognises that Bilbo has a Great Ring(?) [SP]
2942 - Bilbo returns to the Shire with the One. [App.B]
2951 - Sauron declares himself in Mordor. [App.B]
2953 - Last meeting of the White Council. [App.B] Saruman declares again that the One was lost to the Sea. [CE]
3001 - The Long-Expected Party. Bilbo gives the One to Frodo. Gandalf begins to suspect its identity, [App.B] and has the Dunedain set a redoubled watch on the Shire. [RP]
3017 - Gollum is released from Mordor. [App.B] While hunting for him on the borders of that land, Gandalf remembers Saruman's words about the One having no stone. He travels to Gondor, reads Isildur's scroll, and heads straight for the Shire, stopping only to interrogate Gollum in Mirkwood. [CE] Sauron sends a messenger to Erebor offering the three remaining of the Seven in exchange for information about the One. [CE]
3018-19 - The War of the Ring.

I'm not sure if that covers everything, but it's all I could pull together. If there's any more key dates, let me know and I'll add them.

hS

[Mithadan]

Bringing this back up to the top. Huinesoron's concise summary regarding the history of the Great Rings is useful and interesting particularly in light of the second season of Rings of Power. This summary provides a convenient basis for comparison showing where RoP followed and deviated from JRRT's writings (regardless of how you define "canon").

[Huinesoron]

I don't remember doing this at all, but I largely stand by it. Thankfully, Tolkien doesn't seem to have meandered on the Rings in later life the way he did with so much else!

In light of RoP's Meteor Man, one point might need highlighting: Appendix B doesn't quite say that the Istari landed in 1050 T.A. It says "the Istari or Wizards first appeared in Middle-earth. It was afterwards said they came out of the Far West...". A similar turn of phrase is used for the Nazgul in 2251 S.A.: "the Nazgul or Ringwraiths, slaves of the Nine Rings, first appear."

In the case of the Nazgul, I've always read it as "first come out into the open" - ie, Sauron didn't just grab nine Men who happened to be alive in 2251, he'd been slowly building up this force over 500 years. It is therefore possible by the text of Appendix B that the Istari were already in Middle-earth, but "undercover". Last Writings: The Five Wizards talks about how nobody except the three western wizards even knew the other two existed, so the Blue Dudes at least almost certainly didn't land at the Grey Havens.

But Gandalf definitely did. ^_^ Appendix B does say that Cirdan gave Narya to Gandalf when he landed at the Grey Havens, and that this was after Gil-Galad gave Vilya to Elrond. That doesn't mean it has to be 1050, but it can't be before the Last Alliance.

hS

[Arvegil145]

There is a peculiar 1:2:4 pattern to many things Dwarven related (i.e. 1 - Durin's Folk, 2 - Firebeards and Broadbeams, 4 - eastern Dwarves; 1 - Khazad-dum, 2 - Nogrod and Belegost, 4 - presumably other eastern mansions), and I'm about 60% certain that the two rings that Sauron captured before TA 2845 belonged to the leaders of the 2 westernmost clans, and that the 4 which were devoured by dragons belonged to the leaders of the 4 eastern clans.

I can't exactly prove it, but knowing Tolkien's sensibilities at least somewhat I'd say it isn't the most unreasonable assumption in the world.


EDIT: Also:

His words imply he knows the fate of the other six, suggesting either the Dwarves talk a lot, or several of them were held by the Longbeards.

I just have to point out that the Longbeards aren't really a "unique clan" in and of themselves (excepting Durin) - instead, it's a collection of some members of the other 6 clans that coalesced around Khazad-dum.

With that in mind, I imagine that practically everybody belonging to Durin's Folk had kinship with all other Dwarven clans, which could also imply regular or semi-regular contact. In fact, given how uniform Khuzdul is, I'd say it's all but certain.

[Arvegil145]

By the way:

3262 - Sauron taken captive to Numenor. [App.B] He seemingly leaves the One in Barad-dur. [Ak]

There is a letter (Letter 211, p. 279) where Tolkien outright states that Sauron had the Ring with him in Numenor:

He naturally had the One Ring, and so very soon dominated the minds and wills of most of the Númenóreans.

[Huinesoron]

Originally Posted by Arvegil145

There is a peculiar 1:2:4 pattern to many things Dwarven related (i.e. 1 - Durin's Folk, 2 - Firebeards and Broadbeams, 4 - eastern Dwarves; 1 - Khazad-dum, 2 - Nogrod and Belegost, 4 - presumably other eastern mansions), and I'm about 60% certain that the two rings that Sauron captured before TA 2845 belonged to the leaders of the 2 westernmost clans, and that the 4 which were devoured by dragons belonged to the leaders of the 4 eastern clans.

I can't exactly prove it, but knowing Tolkien's sensibilities at least somewhat I'd say it isn't the most unreasonable assumption in the world.

I just have to point out that the Longbeards aren't really a "unique clan" in and of themselves (excepting Durin) - instead, it's a collection of some members of the other 6 clans that coalesced around Khazad-dum.

With that in mind, I imagine that practically everybody belonging to Durin's Folk had kinship with all other Dwarven clans, which could also imply regular or semi-regular contact. In fact, given how uniform Khuzdul is, I'd say it's all but certain.

All of this is very plausible, but not proven by the text. Is there a source for the 7 Rings to 7 Clans in 7 Mansions connection we all seem to make, or did we just guess that? Neither the Three nor the Nine are evenly spread among their respective peoples - two of the Three are held by heirs of the Noldor, and three of the Nine went to Numenoreans. Several in one house of the Dwarves is entirely possible.

Originally Posted by Arvegil145

There is a letter (Letter 211, p. 279) where Tolkien outright states that Sauron had the Ring with him in Numenor:

Good catch! I've edited that in.

My big question of the day: when did Gandalf find out about Bilbo's Ring? He tells Frodo:

Originally Posted by Shadow of the Past

It was in the year that the White Council drove the Dark Power from Mirkwood, just before the Battle of Five Armies, that Bilbo found his ring. A shadow fell on my heart then, though I did not know yet what I feared. I wondered often how Gollum came by a Great Ring, as plainly it was - that at least was clear from the first. Then I heard Bilbo's strange story of how he "won" it, and I could not believe it.

But I haven't been able to pin down when Gandalf found out. Bilbo revealed his Ring to the Dwarves in Mirkwood, and lied to them about how he got it, after Gandalf had already left. He isn't stated to use it in Gandalf's presence at any point during the remainder of The Hobbit, and given his reluctance to mention it to the Dwarves even at the point of disaster, I'm not convinced he would have just randomly shared it. Certainly Gandalf never mentions it.

Was the "shadow on his heart" after Gandalf heard about the Ring, or when Bilbo found it? I don't think the text is clear, and Gandalf feeling ominous from being in the presence of the One even without realising it is plausible. If the "shadow" came before he knew Bilbo had any ring at all, it's entirely possible that he never heard a thing about it until he read Bilbo's book, during or after his visit with Balin, seven years after Bilbo returned to the Shire.

Or maybe (hopefully!) there's a reference that gives a firm date.

hS