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Things of Middle-earth

One Ring, The

Type: Artifacts

Other Names:
The Ruling Ring
Isildur's Bane

Description:
[Gandalf quoting Saruman at the White Council:] "The Nine, the Seven, and the Three," he said, "had each their proper gem. Not so the One. It was round and unadorned, as it were one of the lesser rings; but its maker set marks upon it that the skilled, maybe, could still see and read."

The Fellowship of the Ring, LoTR Book 2, Ch 2, The Council of Elrond

[Gandalf quoting from the Scroll of Isildur]: It was hot when I first took it, hot as a glede, and my hand was scorched, so that I doubt if ever again I shall be free of the pain of it. Yet even as I write it is cooled, and it seemeth to shrink, though it loseth neither its beauty nor its shape. Already the writing upon it, which at first was as clear as red flame, fadeth and is now only barely to be read. It is fashioned in an elven-script of Eregion, for they have no letters in Mordor for such subtle work; but the language is unknown to me. I deem it to be a tongue of the Black Land, since it is foul and uncouth. What evil it saith I do not know; but I trace here a copy of it, lest it fade beyond recall. The Ring misseth, maybe, the heat of Sauron's hand, which was black and yet burned like fire, and so Gil-galad was destroyed; and maybe were the gold made hot again, the writing would be refreshed.

The Fellowship of the Ring, LoTR Book 2, Ch 2, The Council of Elrond

[Gandalf said:] '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. […]

‘ Ash nazg durbatulûk, ash nazg gimbatul, ash nazg thrakatulûk agh burzum-ishi krimpatul '

The Fellowship of the Ring, LoTR Book 2, Ch 2, The Council of Elrond

[Gandalf said:] ‘The letters are Elvish, of an ancient mode, but the language is that of Mordor, which I will not utter here. But this in the Common Tongue is what is said, close enough:

One Ring to rule them all, One Ring to find them,
One Ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them.


It is only two lines of a verse long known in Elven-lore

The Fellowship of the Ring, LoTR Book 1, Ch 2, The Shadow of the Past

Contributors: Tanaqui 17Apr05

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