History and Description
The Ring of Power was the Ring of Sauron, the Great evil Lord of Mordor, the eastern country. The Ring was forged in the 1600s of the Second Age by Sauron, sometime after the making of the Three Rings Nenya Vilya, and Narya, the Seven Rings, and the Nine Rings.
The Ring of Fire had power over these other Rings, and it was made with a lot of will and strength of Sauron in the fires of Mount Doom. Engraved upon it was a passage saying in the Black Speech:
"One Ring to rule them all, One Ring to find them,
One Ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them."
One could only see this passage when the Ring was heated. When it was cool, it was simply a gold ring with no jewels or diamonds. The Ring resized itself to fits its master's pointer finger. If a master put the Ring on, he would become invisible. He could also see evil and cruelty and the will of Sauron, especially the searching Nazgul. If Sauron put the Ring on, he could cover all the lands in a second darkness. Despite its cruelty, bearers of the Ring treasured it much and, after touching it, would kill for it.
Sauron used the Ring to control the thinking of the a bearer of one of the other Rings of Power. Also, the Ring made it so that its bearer was blessed with long life. Sauron lived throughout the ages, Gollum almost lived 600 years, and Bilbo Baggins lived over 120 years before leaving Middle-Earth for the Undying Lands.
In the 1500s of the Second Age, Sauron came to Eregion in fair form and confused the smith Celebrimbor. He tricked him into making the Seven Rings and the Nine Rings. Celebrimbor soon after made the Three Rings. But in the 1600s, Sauron made his own Ring and when he engraving the passage upon, the bearers of the other Rings quickly took them off, knowing they had been tricked. Sauron soon built his forces and attacked Eregion, seeking the Nine Rings, which he soon gave to men who became the Nazgul.
In 1693, The War of the Elves and Sauron began. He wanted their Three Rings and Durin III's ring and other dwarf rings. Elves hid their rings: Galadriel was given Nenya, Gil-Galad was given Vilya, and Cirdan was given Narya. They agreed not to use the Rings when the Ring of Power existed. Little did they know, anything that was created by the Rings of Power would be destroyed once the Ring of Fire was no longer existant.
After the ruin of Eregion in 1697, Mordor was defeated temporarily. Sauron's forces retreated to Mordor with the Ring by the 1700s. Soon after, the men who had taken the Nine Rings, which included Khamul the Easterling and some great Numenoreans, were turned to darkness. Their shadow-like bodies were cloaked and they became those who could smell the Ring's power. Therefore, if Sauron lost his Ring, the Nazgul could fetch it for him and kill the one who bore it.
With the Nazgul in his favor and the Ring on his finger, Sauron was able to rule nearly every section of Middle-Earth. It was the Ring that first put the Easterlings and Haradrim under the influence of Sauron. It is thought that at first they had attempted to rebel him. Also, smaller cultures like the Northmen, Eotheod, and Druedain became unable to stand against the growing shadow of Mordor and power of the Ring. But there were those who resisted.
In 3262, Ar-Pharazon of Numenor attacked Mordor with a giant army of Numenoreans. Sauron at this time was unable to successfully rebel them. So, he and his Ring went to Numenor with the army to seduce the Kingdoms of the western country. Soon came its utter ruin.
Sauron escaped the downfall of Numenor and went to Mordor to create a terrifying form of himself using the Ring. He awaited the attack of the survivors of Numenor. Since they did not attack by 3429, he attacked them in Gondor, in their new capital of Minas Tirith.
They grew angry and gathered all forces of Elves and men possible to attack Mordor in the War of the Last Alliance, fought in 3434. Sauron wore his Ring to war. Many of the free peoples feared the magic Ring. Sauron eventually struck two great leaders: Elendil and Gil-Galad. Elendil's son Isildur struck Sauron with Narsil out of rage, and the Dark Lord's finger fell to the ground in ash. He was defeated. His sceptre burned. His forces all fell to the ground. The Ring was Isildur's own, and soon was called Isildur's Bane.
At Mount Doom, Elrond tried to convince Isildur to burn the evil Ring in the fires of Mount Doom, the only place that it could be destroyed. However, Isildur could not physically destroy his Ring because it would not allow anyone to destroy by themselves. So he simply denied Elrond's request and decided to keep the Ring for himself. Years and years he kept it in Minas Tirith, in the King's Palace near the White Tree. But Sauron again took a more fair form and fled to seduce the Easterlings, who happily aided him, for he told them lies of the cruelty of the West. Meanwhile, orcs hunted the Ring.
One day in year 2 of the Third Age, Isildur was walking through Gladden Fields to Arnor with all of his sons but Valandil. The Ring he wore around his neck along with the Elendilmir. Orcs attacked his company and threatened Isildur. He jumped into the Anduin River and was shot, but the Ring fell off his neck and sank to the bottom of the river. There it lay for 2 and a half thousand years and passed out of most knowledge.
Over the years, the only one who remembered the Ring was Sauron. He took to living in Dol Guldur in Mirkwood. He put his Nazgul on duty for searching for the Ring. They could not find it, however, despite their sense of smell.
The Ring missed Sauron and wanted to help him rule Middle-Earth. By chance, in 2463, the Hobbit Deagol caught a fish on the Anduin. It dragged him off his boat and he followed it under water. It escaped, and he saw the glimmering Ring in the seaweed of the riverbed. When he returned to his row boat, his friend Smeagol wanted the Ring. Deagol protested that he found it. Smeagol said that it would be the perfect birthday gift for himself. They then fought over it and Smeagol ended up killing Deagol. The murder of Deagol was, of course, the will of the Ring. Smeagol then took the Ring and ran away from the Anduin.
He took it into the Misty Mountains in 2470, far away from any other life. The nearest threat was the goblin tribes, who could not quite find it because it was so deep in the Mountain mines of Moria. Smeagol became known as Gollum and he called the Ring his precious. Hundreds of years he spent in the shadows, worshipping his Ring. He had little use for it, but he still treasured it greatly. Like other bearers, Gollum was blessed with long life.
In 2939, the Anduin was attacked by the forces of Sauron and the river was searched for the Ring. But it had been gone at this point for hundreds of years.
In 2941, the Ring's will caused it to leave Gollum in hope to be found by its true master Sauron. But once again, it was found by a Hobbit. Bilbo Baggins was his name. When finding it, he stuck it into his pocket. Gollum soon learned of this after Bilbo left. Unlike other bearers who had murdered, Bilbo did not kill for the Ring. In fact it helped him, for he became invisible when putting it on, so he was able to slip through a group of Goblin guards and the watch of Gollum. But it did cause him to lie to the company of Dwarves waiting for him.
Bilbo told them that Gollum had given him the Ring. Gandalf finally put him under his staff and forced the truth out of him. Gandalf did not know what to do about this.
Soon after the finding of the Ring, the Wizard Saruman realized he wanted, if not needed, the Ring. He was worried that it would fall into the hands of Sauron or Gandalf. He thought about it much, and came to the conclusion that it would be best to join with Sauron, in hope that Sauron would give him the Ring as a gift. When he finally realized this would never be so, he attempted to find it himself. This caused him many visits to the Shire and he discovered many customs like Pipe-Weed.
Bilbo took his Ring to Bag End in Hobbiton, and there he treasured it. He would take it with him wherever he went, and he too was blessed with long life. Other hobbits referred to his Ring as a Mathom.
On Bilbo's birthday in 3001, he came up with a plan. At his party on Party Field, he would put the Ring on and become invisible. He did so that night during his speech. While the confusion was going on, Bilbo snuck up to his house to be confronted by Gandalf, who thought that magic among hobbits was unwise. Bilbo soon abandoned the Ring and set out for Rivendell. He became the only one to give up the Ring.
The Ring was passed down to his nephew Frodo Baggins. Gandalf told Frodo the Ring's history and powers. Frodo instantly offered the Ring to Gandalf out of fear. He rejected and told Frodo not to tempt him.
Gandalf rushed to the Library at Minas Tirith and was assisted by a Librarian. He learned the engravings on the Ring and later showed them to Frodo. Aragorn also learned of the whereabouts of the Ring from Gollum. Gollum was also captured by a spy of Sauron and brought to Mordor for questioning. It was then that Sauron discovered that the Ring was in the Shire and he sent his Nazgul out.
In 3018, Gandalf returned to Bag End. Frodo had not become too attached to his Ring by this time. Gandalf told Frodo to bring the Ring to Rivendell. He claimed that he would meet Frodo at Bree. He also told Frodo of the Ring Wraiths that were after him and that they had entered the Shire abruptly and killed a Bounder.
Frodo was accompanied by Sam Gamgee and Pippin Took. While still in the Shire, the three were forced to hide from several Ring Wraiths including Khamul. Farmer Maggot had also taken the three in for dinner and said that he also had been confronted by a Wraith earlier that day. The wraiths also burned Crickhollow, Frodo's new house, thinking the Ring was there. Fatty had to run with all his might away. Merry Brandybuck met them in Buckland.
In the Old Forest, they were nearly swallowed by Old Man Willow. It is thought that he did not want the Ring, but mistook the travelers for orcs. They were soon met by Tom Bombadil, who took them to his home. He was a good person, and he held the Ring and was not affected. He played with it and tossed it about, and then returned it to Frodo. The four hobbits were given food and shelter by Tom's wife Goldberry.
At the Barrow-downs, a Barrow-wight captured the hobbits, attempting to fetch the Ring for the Witch-King. Frodo almost put the Ring on, but in do time he was saved by Tom Bombadil.
Tom gave Frodo and his companions directions to Bree. They were very excited to meet Gandalf there. They found the Prancing Pony Inn and reserved a room. Gandalf was not there, however, because he had been captured by Saruman the traitor.
Once inside, they sat down for a drink at the bar. They began performing hobbit jigs and such dances, and Breelanders cheered them on. Frodo put the Ring on his finger and became invisible to everyone but the Nazgul. They instantly knew that the Ring was in Bree and they entered. Also, many Breelanders had fell under the influence of Sauron and gladly told them where the Ring was. Bill Ferny's guest the Squint-eyed Southerner encouraged Breelanders to tell all they knew.
In the morning, the four hobbits left Bree with Aragorn. They camped at Weathertop that night and again the Ring nearly fell into the hands of the Witch-King. For at the top of Weathertop, Frodo put the Ring on in the presence of the Nazgul. They appeared as the ghosts of the Kings that they had once been. They could still see him and the Witch-King stabbed him with the Morgul-knife.
The Ring wanted to be found by the Nazgul and it became heavy. Frodo was slightly cured by the Athelas
given to him by Aragorn, but he needed Elvish medicine. So, he was brought to Rivendell by Glorfindel with the Ring in his pocket. Gandalf and Elrond drowned the Nazgul in the Ford of Bruinen. However, they did not die, only there horses did.
Frodo was never completely healed, but he recovered temporarily once under the care of Elrond. The Ring was soon put around his neck, being held by a chain. On October 25, 3018, the Council of Elrond met.
The Council was held in Rivendell, in a courtyard next to a royal palace of the Elves. The council members discussed the matters of the Ring and Sauron. They included Elrond, Gandalf, Aragorn, Frodo, dwarf emissaries, emissaries of Thranduil, Men of Dale, Men of Gondor, and possibly men of Rohan. Long hours they discussed what to do about the Ring.
Several suggestions were put out. Glorfindel suggested that the Council toss the Ring in the middle of the Great Sea. Gandalf pointed out that it could rise and be found. Erestor suggested that the Council give the Ring to Tom Bombadil, since he was immuned to its power. Gandalf again pointed out that Tom could not overcome the Ring and, though it would not devour him, he would not be able to withstand the forces of Mordor.
It was finally agreed that the Ring must be destroyed in Mordor. Frodo automatically volunteered to take it, though he did not know how the get there. So Gandalf said he would show him the way. Then Aragorn volunteered to defend the them and Boromir, Legolas, and Gimli followed. Sam, Pippin, and Merry were spying on the Council and jumped out seeking to be members of the Fellowship. So it was, nine walkers to challenge the nine riders. On that very date, the Fellowship was born.
On December 25, the Fellowship left Rivendell. They journeyed over Caradhras, the snowy mountain, in late December, for the passage through Dunland was guarded by Saruman and the Crebain. On the tops of Caradhras, it was extremely snowy, too snowy for the hobbits to withstand. Frodo dropped his Ring and Boromir picked it up by the chain and became attracted to it. Frodo quickly snatched it back. The Fellowship reached Moria at the end of January and were first attacked by the Watcher in the Water, who obviously wanted in the Ring, seeing as he took a particular interest in Frodo. In Moria, the Cave Troll and Goblin Chief took an interest in Frodo as well, seeing as they were undoubtedly servants of Sauron. Gollum was also hiding in Moria and picked of the trail of the Fellowship and began following the Ring.
After escaping the goblins of Moria and losing Gandalf temporarily to the Balrog, the Fellowship went to Lothlorien. They met Galadriel there. She let Frodo look into her Mirror. He did, and he saw the evil Eye of Sauron. With that, Ring grew heavy, for it greatly desired to return to Mordor and help Sauron dominate Middle-Earth. Frodo grew fearsome and offered Galadriel the Ring. She desired it greatly, for she wanted to be queen of the elves, not just those of Lorien. She eventually turned down Frodo's request and told him that he must bare the Ring throughout the quest.
They then sailed from Lorien to Amon Hen. There the Fellowship of the Ring stopped to ponder over whether to go to Mordor. They could have also gone to Minas Tirith in Gondor to defend the country, then carried on. Boromir tried to steal the Ring from Frodo that very day, but ended up being slain by Lurtz, who led a group of Uruk-Hai to attack the Fellowship. Aragorn was wounded by Lurtz but eventually killed him. Frodo meanwhile tried to escape in a boat with the Ring and enter the Emyn Muil and then Mordor. Sam caught up with him and insisted upon accompanying him. After accepting, the two were attacked by Gollum, who sought the Ring.
Gollum finally agreed to lead the hobbits to Mordor. This was only after the rope made of Hithlain was placed around his neck. After agreeing, he did not know that his precious Ring would be destroyed if the mission was successful.
As they approached Mordor, the Ring felt heavier on Frodo's neck. It weighed him nearly all the way down to the ground at times. When the Black Gate opened and the Men of the Wide Eastlands poured in, Frodo's Ring felt so heavy he soon realized he could not follow their force. Gollum also realized this, and he told Frodo that if he entered Mordor, the precious would surely be found by Sauron. He offered to take the hobbits through the passage of Cirith Ungol, which he assured them would be safe. Little did they know, trouble awaited them there, and Gollum planned it.
One day, as the travelers made their way through the Dead Marshes, they saw a Nazgul. They were forced to hide and the Ring once again felt heavy around Frodo's neck. Later, Frodo fell into one of the bogs at the marsh and was nearly killed by the Dead in the Marshes, who apparently desired the Ring.
After leaving the Marsh, Frodo and Sam heard the horns of the South. They went to look, and were followed by Gollum. The forces of Haradrim tribes passed in astonishing numbers, and Gollum explained that they were going to Mordor to fight under shadow. Southron Explorers camped ahead. Within a short amount of time, Rangers of Ithilien shot down the Harad forces which included Mumakil.
The Ranger captain Faramir took Frodo, Sam, and Gollum captive at Henneth Annun. The Ring was very close to the hands of men again. Men who were so easily seduced by its power. Denethor II, Steward of Gondor and father to Boromir and Faramir, greatly desired the Ring. He wished to save Gondor, little dd he know the Ring could only destroy. After Boromir failed at getting the Ring, it was up to Faramir to fetch it. He, however, came so close, but eventually realized that the Ring could not save Gondor and he sent the hobbits off.
Soon after, the Hobbits reached Minas Morgul. There, the Nazgul emerged from the gates and their Fell Beasts squealed. The Ring once again felt heavy and Frodo was tempted to put it on. But then he felt the cut of the Morgul Blade and decided not to.
As the forces of Sauron came forth, Frodo, Sam, and Gollum climbed Cirith Ungol's secret stair. In due time, they reached the cave. It had thick cob webs which included dead bats and birds. As Frodo entered the cave, he got stuck in some of the webs. He called to Gollum, who did not answer. Soon, an evil giant Spider called Shelob came forth and stung Frodo. Sam fought her using the Phial and his sword. She eventually fled into the caves, but the light of Sting lit blue, meaning orcs were near. Sam quickly took the Ring of Fire and Sting. He carefully did not touch the actual Ring, which could quickly put him under its influence if he did. Gorbag and Shagrat of the Tower of Cirith Ungol found Frodo and their terrifying company kidnapped him. They stripped him of his clothes and brought him to their tower, where a battle took place.
Shagrat and his company wanted the Mithril Mail, as did Gorbag and his company. For a while they fought, and then they took out swords and began slaughtering each other. Almost all of the orcs died and Sam came into the tower to save his companion. Frodo had believed that orcs had the Ring and were bringing it to Sauron. Sam came and returned the Ring to Frodo, who snatched greedily and thankfully. He then wished he had been less worried and greedy.
They put on Orc armor and pretended to be orcs. They made their way down a hill and were encountered by an orc army making their way to the Black Gate. The Orc Captain whipped them into the line, thinking they were lazy orcs. They walked with the orcs for a while, but soon the Orc Inspector was summoned. He sensed the Ring and chased it, and the two bearers caused confusion and pandemonium in the line.
The soon escaped on to the plains of Gorgoroth. In the center, Sauron's Eye caught a glimpse of the Ring on his plains. His eye searched the land and saw nothing, for Frodo and Sam ducked behind a rock. Eventually, his eye looked to the Battle at the Black Gate, which was happening at that very moment.
On Mount Doom, the Ring became extremely heavy. Sam had to carry Frodo half way up, but then Gollum attacked. He aimed most of his anger at Sam, though Frodo possessed his precious. While Sam was fighting, Frodo used what little strength he had to climb Mount Doom to its door. He was on a small bridge over a pit of lave when he realized that he could not physically destroy the Ring himself. H stared at it for a while and then decided that it was his. Gollum knocked Sam out and began to battle Frodo. Frodo put the Ring on his finger and became invisible. Sauron instantly knew that the Ring was about to be destroyed and he ordered his Nazgul to take care of this. They tried, but Gollum quickly bit the Ring of Frodo's finger, which fell into the fire, and celebrated. He danced and danced and lost his balance and fell into the fires of doom. The Ring was thus destroyed and Sauron followed.
Frodo and Sam were rescued by Gandalf and Gwaihir. Frodo's burden had been lightened greatly, for he could barely feel it. Though he could still feel the blade of the Nazgul.
He left Middle-Earth with Bilbo and Gandalf on September 25, 3021. In Middle-Earth, men lived and ruled from north to south to east to west. They soon became grateful for the loss of the Ring and Sauron, even those who had joined him.
Aragorn was crowned King of Gondor and Arnor and married Arwen and made the Easterlings repair the lands where the Ring had been destroyed.
The Ring of Fire had power over these other Rings, and it was made with a lot of will and strength of Sauron in the fires of Mount Doom. Engraved upon it was a passage saying in the Black Speech:
"One Ring to rule them all, One Ring to find them,
One Ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them."
One could only see this passage when the Ring was heated. When it was cool, it was simply a gold ring with no jewels or diamonds. The Ring resized itself to fits its master's pointer finger. If a master put the Ring on, he would become invisible. He could also see evil and cruelty and the will of Sauron, especially the searching Nazgul. If Sauron put the Ring on, he could cover all the lands in a second darkness. Despite its cruelty, bearers of the Ring treasured it much and, after touching it, would kill for it.
Sauron used the Ring to control the thinking of the a bearer of one of the other Rings of Power. Also, the Ring made it so that its bearer was blessed with long life. Sauron lived throughout the ages, Gollum almost lived 600 years, and Bilbo Baggins lived over 120 years before leaving Middle-Earth for the Undying Lands.
In the 1500s of the Second Age, Sauron came to Eregion in fair form and confused the smith Celebrimbor. He tricked him into making the Seven Rings and the Nine Rings. Celebrimbor soon after made the Three Rings. But in the 1600s, Sauron made his own Ring and when he engraving the passage upon, the bearers of the other Rings quickly took them off, knowing they had been tricked. Sauron soon built his forces and attacked Eregion, seeking the Nine Rings, which he soon gave to men who became the Nazgul.
In 1693, The War of the Elves and Sauron began. He wanted their Three Rings and Durin III's ring and other dwarf rings. Elves hid their rings: Galadriel was given Nenya, Gil-Galad was given Vilya, and Cirdan was given Narya. They agreed not to use the Rings when the Ring of Power existed. Little did they know, anything that was created by the Rings of Power would be destroyed once the Ring of Fire was no longer existant.
After the ruin of Eregion in 1697, Mordor was defeated temporarily. Sauron's forces retreated to Mordor with the Ring by the 1700s. Soon after, the men who had taken the Nine Rings, which included Khamul the Easterling and some great Numenoreans, were turned to darkness. Their shadow-like bodies were cloaked and they became those who could smell the Ring's power. Therefore, if Sauron lost his Ring, the Nazgul could fetch it for him and kill the one who bore it.
With the Nazgul in his favor and the Ring on his finger, Sauron was able to rule nearly every section of Middle-Earth. It was the Ring that first put the Easterlings and Haradrim under the influence of Sauron. It is thought that at first they had attempted to rebel him. Also, smaller cultures like the Northmen, Eotheod, and Druedain became unable to stand against the growing shadow of Mordor and power of the Ring. But there were those who resisted.
In 3262, Ar-Pharazon of Numenor attacked Mordor with a giant army of Numenoreans. Sauron at this time was unable to successfully rebel them. So, he and his Ring went to Numenor with the army to seduce the Kingdoms of the western country. Soon came its utter ruin.
Sauron escaped the downfall of Numenor and went to Mordor to create a terrifying form of himself using the Ring. He awaited the attack of the survivors of Numenor. Since they did not attack by 3429, he attacked them in Gondor, in their new capital of Minas Tirith.
They grew angry and gathered all forces of Elves and men possible to attack Mordor in the War of the Last Alliance, fought in 3434. Sauron wore his Ring to war. Many of the free peoples feared the magic Ring. Sauron eventually struck two great leaders: Elendil and Gil-Galad. Elendil's son Isildur struck Sauron with Narsil out of rage, and the Dark Lord's finger fell to the ground in ash. He was defeated. His sceptre burned. His forces all fell to the ground. The Ring was Isildur's own, and soon was called Isildur's Bane.
At Mount Doom, Elrond tried to convince Isildur to burn the evil Ring in the fires of Mount Doom, the only place that it could be destroyed. However, Isildur could not physically destroy his Ring because it would not allow anyone to destroy by themselves. So he simply denied Elrond's request and decided to keep the Ring for himself. Years and years he kept it in Minas Tirith, in the King's Palace near the White Tree. But Sauron again took a more fair form and fled to seduce the Easterlings, who happily aided him, for he told them lies of the cruelty of the West. Meanwhile, orcs hunted the Ring.
One day in year 2 of the Third Age, Isildur was walking through Gladden Fields to Arnor with all of his sons but Valandil. The Ring he wore around his neck along with the Elendilmir. Orcs attacked his company and threatened Isildur. He jumped into the Anduin River and was shot, but the Ring fell off his neck and sank to the bottom of the river. There it lay for 2 and a half thousand years and passed out of most knowledge.
Over the years, the only one who remembered the Ring was Sauron. He took to living in Dol Guldur in Mirkwood. He put his Nazgul on duty for searching for the Ring. They could not find it, however, despite their sense of smell.
The Ring missed Sauron and wanted to help him rule Middle-Earth. By chance, in 2463, the Hobbit Deagol caught a fish on the Anduin. It dragged him off his boat and he followed it under water. It escaped, and he saw the glimmering Ring in the seaweed of the riverbed. When he returned to his row boat, his friend Smeagol wanted the Ring. Deagol protested that he found it. Smeagol said that it would be the perfect birthday gift for himself. They then fought over it and Smeagol ended up killing Deagol. The murder of Deagol was, of course, the will of the Ring. Smeagol then took the Ring and ran away from the Anduin.
He took it into the Misty Mountains in 2470, far away from any other life. The nearest threat was the goblin tribes, who could not quite find it because it was so deep in the Mountain mines of Moria. Smeagol became known as Gollum and he called the Ring his precious. Hundreds of years he spent in the shadows, worshipping his Ring. He had little use for it, but he still treasured it greatly. Like other bearers, Gollum was blessed with long life.
In 2939, the Anduin was attacked by the forces of Sauron and the river was searched for the Ring. But it had been gone at this point for hundreds of years.
In 2941, the Ring's will caused it to leave Gollum in hope to be found by its true master Sauron. But once again, it was found by a Hobbit. Bilbo Baggins was his name. When finding it, he stuck it into his pocket. Gollum soon learned of this after Bilbo left. Unlike other bearers who had murdered, Bilbo did not kill for the Ring. In fact it helped him, for he became invisible when putting it on, so he was able to slip through a group of Goblin guards and the watch of Gollum. But it did cause him to lie to the company of Dwarves waiting for him.
Bilbo told them that Gollum had given him the Ring. Gandalf finally put him under his staff and forced the truth out of him. Gandalf did not know what to do about this.
Soon after the finding of the Ring, the Wizard Saruman realized he wanted, if not needed, the Ring. He was worried that it would fall into the hands of Sauron or Gandalf. He thought about it much, and came to the conclusion that it would be best to join with Sauron, in hope that Sauron would give him the Ring as a gift. When he finally realized this would never be so, he attempted to find it himself. This caused him many visits to the Shire and he discovered many customs like Pipe-Weed.
Bilbo took his Ring to Bag End in Hobbiton, and there he treasured it. He would take it with him wherever he went, and he too was blessed with long life. Other hobbits referred to his Ring as a Mathom.
On Bilbo's birthday in 3001, he came up with a plan. At his party on Party Field, he would put the Ring on and become invisible. He did so that night during his speech. While the confusion was going on, Bilbo snuck up to his house to be confronted by Gandalf, who thought that magic among hobbits was unwise. Bilbo soon abandoned the Ring and set out for Rivendell. He became the only one to give up the Ring.
The Ring was passed down to his nephew Frodo Baggins. Gandalf told Frodo the Ring's history and powers. Frodo instantly offered the Ring to Gandalf out of fear. He rejected and told Frodo not to tempt him.
Gandalf rushed to the Library at Minas Tirith and was assisted by a Librarian. He learned the engravings on the Ring and later showed them to Frodo. Aragorn also learned of the whereabouts of the Ring from Gollum. Gollum was also captured by a spy of Sauron and brought to Mordor for questioning. It was then that Sauron discovered that the Ring was in the Shire and he sent his Nazgul out.
In 3018, Gandalf returned to Bag End. Frodo had not become too attached to his Ring by this time. Gandalf told Frodo to bring the Ring to Rivendell. He claimed that he would meet Frodo at Bree. He also told Frodo of the Ring Wraiths that were after him and that they had entered the Shire abruptly and killed a Bounder.
Frodo was accompanied by Sam Gamgee and Pippin Took. While still in the Shire, the three were forced to hide from several Ring Wraiths including Khamul. Farmer Maggot had also taken the three in for dinner and said that he also had been confronted by a Wraith earlier that day. The wraiths also burned Crickhollow, Frodo's new house, thinking the Ring was there. Fatty had to run with all his might away. Merry Brandybuck met them in Buckland.
In the Old Forest, they were nearly swallowed by Old Man Willow. It is thought that he did not want the Ring, but mistook the travelers for orcs. They were soon met by Tom Bombadil, who took them to his home. He was a good person, and he held the Ring and was not affected. He played with it and tossed it about, and then returned it to Frodo. The four hobbits were given food and shelter by Tom's wife Goldberry.
At the Barrow-downs, a Barrow-wight captured the hobbits, attempting to fetch the Ring for the Witch-King. Frodo almost put the Ring on, but in do time he was saved by Tom Bombadil.
Tom gave Frodo and his companions directions to Bree. They were very excited to meet Gandalf there. They found the Prancing Pony Inn and reserved a room. Gandalf was not there, however, because he had been captured by Saruman the traitor.
Once inside, they sat down for a drink at the bar. They began performing hobbit jigs and such dances, and Breelanders cheered them on. Frodo put the Ring on his finger and became invisible to everyone but the Nazgul. They instantly knew that the Ring was in Bree and they entered. Also, many Breelanders had fell under the influence of Sauron and gladly told them where the Ring was. Bill Ferny's guest the Squint-eyed Southerner encouraged Breelanders to tell all they knew.
In the morning, the four hobbits left Bree with Aragorn. They camped at Weathertop that night and again the Ring nearly fell into the hands of the Witch-King. For at the top of Weathertop, Frodo put the Ring on in the presence of the Nazgul. They appeared as the ghosts of the Kings that they had once been. They could still see him and the Witch-King stabbed him with the Morgul-knife.
The Ring wanted to be found by the Nazgul and it became heavy. Frodo was slightly cured by the Athelas
given to him by Aragorn, but he needed Elvish medicine. So, he was brought to Rivendell by Glorfindel with the Ring in his pocket. Gandalf and Elrond drowned the Nazgul in the Ford of Bruinen. However, they did not die, only there horses did.
Frodo was never completely healed, but he recovered temporarily once under the care of Elrond. The Ring was soon put around his neck, being held by a chain. On October 25, 3018, the Council of Elrond met.
The Council was held in Rivendell, in a courtyard next to a royal palace of the Elves. The council members discussed the matters of the Ring and Sauron. They included Elrond, Gandalf, Aragorn, Frodo, dwarf emissaries, emissaries of Thranduil, Men of Dale, Men of Gondor, and possibly men of Rohan. Long hours they discussed what to do about the Ring.
Several suggestions were put out. Glorfindel suggested that the Council toss the Ring in the middle of the Great Sea. Gandalf pointed out that it could rise and be found. Erestor suggested that the Council give the Ring to Tom Bombadil, since he was immuned to its power. Gandalf again pointed out that Tom could not overcome the Ring and, though it would not devour him, he would not be able to withstand the forces of Mordor.
It was finally agreed that the Ring must be destroyed in Mordor. Frodo automatically volunteered to take it, though he did not know how the get there. So Gandalf said he would show him the way. Then Aragorn volunteered to defend the them and Boromir, Legolas, and Gimli followed. Sam, Pippin, and Merry were spying on the Council and jumped out seeking to be members of the Fellowship. So it was, nine walkers to challenge the nine riders. On that very date, the Fellowship was born.
On December 25, the Fellowship left Rivendell. They journeyed over Caradhras, the snowy mountain, in late December, for the passage through Dunland was guarded by Saruman and the Crebain. On the tops of Caradhras, it was extremely snowy, too snowy for the hobbits to withstand. Frodo dropped his Ring and Boromir picked it up by the chain and became attracted to it. Frodo quickly snatched it back. The Fellowship reached Moria at the end of January and were first attacked by the Watcher in the Water, who obviously wanted in the Ring, seeing as he took a particular interest in Frodo. In Moria, the Cave Troll and Goblin Chief took an interest in Frodo as well, seeing as they were undoubtedly servants of Sauron. Gollum was also hiding in Moria and picked of the trail of the Fellowship and began following the Ring.
After escaping the goblins of Moria and losing Gandalf temporarily to the Balrog, the Fellowship went to Lothlorien. They met Galadriel there. She let Frodo look into her Mirror. He did, and he saw the evil Eye of Sauron. With that, Ring grew heavy, for it greatly desired to return to Mordor and help Sauron dominate Middle-Earth. Frodo grew fearsome and offered Galadriel the Ring. She desired it greatly, for she wanted to be queen of the elves, not just those of Lorien. She eventually turned down Frodo's request and told him that he must bare the Ring throughout the quest.
They then sailed from Lorien to Amon Hen. There the Fellowship of the Ring stopped to ponder over whether to go to Mordor. They could have also gone to Minas Tirith in Gondor to defend the country, then carried on. Boromir tried to steal the Ring from Frodo that very day, but ended up being slain by Lurtz, who led a group of Uruk-Hai to attack the Fellowship. Aragorn was wounded by Lurtz but eventually killed him. Frodo meanwhile tried to escape in a boat with the Ring and enter the Emyn Muil and then Mordor. Sam caught up with him and insisted upon accompanying him. After accepting, the two were attacked by Gollum, who sought the Ring.
Gollum finally agreed to lead the hobbits to Mordor. This was only after the rope made of Hithlain was placed around his neck. After agreeing, he did not know that his precious Ring would be destroyed if the mission was successful.
As they approached Mordor, the Ring felt heavier on Frodo's neck. It weighed him nearly all the way down to the ground at times. When the Black Gate opened and the Men of the Wide Eastlands poured in, Frodo's Ring felt so heavy he soon realized he could not follow their force. Gollum also realized this, and he told Frodo that if he entered Mordor, the precious would surely be found by Sauron. He offered to take the hobbits through the passage of Cirith Ungol, which he assured them would be safe. Little did they know, trouble awaited them there, and Gollum planned it.
One day, as the travelers made their way through the Dead Marshes, they saw a Nazgul. They were forced to hide and the Ring once again felt heavy around Frodo's neck. Later, Frodo fell into one of the bogs at the marsh and was nearly killed by the Dead in the Marshes, who apparently desired the Ring.
After leaving the Marsh, Frodo and Sam heard the horns of the South. They went to look, and were followed by Gollum. The forces of Haradrim tribes passed in astonishing numbers, and Gollum explained that they were going to Mordor to fight under shadow. Southron Explorers camped ahead. Within a short amount of time, Rangers of Ithilien shot down the Harad forces which included Mumakil.
The Ranger captain Faramir took Frodo, Sam, and Gollum captive at Henneth Annun. The Ring was very close to the hands of men again. Men who were so easily seduced by its power. Denethor II, Steward of Gondor and father to Boromir and Faramir, greatly desired the Ring. He wished to save Gondor, little dd he know the Ring could only destroy. After Boromir failed at getting the Ring, it was up to Faramir to fetch it. He, however, came so close, but eventually realized that the Ring could not save Gondor and he sent the hobbits off.
Soon after, the Hobbits reached Minas Morgul. There, the Nazgul emerged from the gates and their Fell Beasts squealed. The Ring once again felt heavy and Frodo was tempted to put it on. But then he felt the cut of the Morgul Blade and decided not to.
As the forces of Sauron came forth, Frodo, Sam, and Gollum climbed Cirith Ungol's secret stair. In due time, they reached the cave. It had thick cob webs which included dead bats and birds. As Frodo entered the cave, he got stuck in some of the webs. He called to Gollum, who did not answer. Soon, an evil giant Spider called Shelob came forth and stung Frodo. Sam fought her using the Phial and his sword. She eventually fled into the caves, but the light of Sting lit blue, meaning orcs were near. Sam quickly took the Ring of Fire and Sting. He carefully did not touch the actual Ring, which could quickly put him under its influence if he did. Gorbag and Shagrat of the Tower of Cirith Ungol found Frodo and their terrifying company kidnapped him. They stripped him of his clothes and brought him to their tower, where a battle took place.
Shagrat and his company wanted the Mithril Mail, as did Gorbag and his company. For a while they fought, and then they took out swords and began slaughtering each other. Almost all of the orcs died and Sam came into the tower to save his companion. Frodo had believed that orcs had the Ring and were bringing it to Sauron. Sam came and returned the Ring to Frodo, who snatched greedily and thankfully. He then wished he had been less worried and greedy.
They put on Orc armor and pretended to be orcs. They made their way down a hill and were encountered by an orc army making their way to the Black Gate. The Orc Captain whipped them into the line, thinking they were lazy orcs. They walked with the orcs for a while, but soon the Orc Inspector was summoned. He sensed the Ring and chased it, and the two bearers caused confusion and pandemonium in the line.
The soon escaped on to the plains of Gorgoroth. In the center, Sauron's Eye caught a glimpse of the Ring on his plains. His eye searched the land and saw nothing, for Frodo and Sam ducked behind a rock. Eventually, his eye looked to the Battle at the Black Gate, which was happening at that very moment.
On Mount Doom, the Ring became extremely heavy. Sam had to carry Frodo half way up, but then Gollum attacked. He aimed most of his anger at Sam, though Frodo possessed his precious. While Sam was fighting, Frodo used what little strength he had to climb Mount Doom to its door. He was on a small bridge over a pit of lave when he realized that he could not physically destroy the Ring himself. H stared at it for a while and then decided that it was his. Gollum knocked Sam out and began to battle Frodo. Frodo put the Ring on his finger and became invisible. Sauron instantly knew that the Ring was about to be destroyed and he ordered his Nazgul to take care of this. They tried, but Gollum quickly bit the Ring of Frodo's finger, which fell into the fire, and celebrated. He danced and danced and lost his balance and fell into the fires of doom. The Ring was thus destroyed and Sauron followed.
Frodo and Sam were rescued by Gandalf and Gwaihir. Frodo's burden had been lightened greatly, for he could barely feel it. Though he could still feel the blade of the Nazgul.
He left Middle-Earth with Bilbo and Gandalf on September 25, 3021. In Middle-Earth, men lived and ruled from north to south to east to west. They soon became grateful for the loss of the Ring and Sauron, even those who had joined him.
Aragorn was crowned King of Gondor and Arnor and married Arwen and made the Easterlings repair the lands where the Ring had been destroyed.