The rings of the Nazgul?

[AslanC]

What happened to those rings do you suppose?

Were the lost? Collected up by the Elves? Destroyed? Any thoughts gang?

[Sarge]

As I understand things, even the powers of the three Elvish rings faded after the one was destroyed. The nine may be scattered across Mordor, little more than trinkets, but possibly with dark auras for those who can see such things.

If a dark sorceror were to gather all nine, he might be able to rekindle something of their ancient curse. Certainly a lost silmaril would have the power necessary to stir something in them. Remember that even the silmarils were effectively cursed by the Oath of Feanor.

[AslanC]

Originally posted by Sarge
If a dark sorceror were to gather all nine, he might be able to rekindle something of their ancient curse. Certainly a lost silmaril would have the power necessary to stir something in them. Remember that even the silmarils were effectively cursed by the Oath of Feanor.

How do you mean cursed?

also if one could forge a new One ring, then that could give power again to the 9 rings of men, no?

[AslanC]

Oh and one more thing... What do they do?

The nine rings of men?

I know the 7 of the Dwarves gave them great richness and the 3 of the elves were over their elemental aspect (air, water and ?), but what of the 9?

[ben hur]

Originally posted by AslanC
I know the 7 of the Dwarves gave them great richness and the 3 of the elves were over their elemental aspect (air, water and ?), but what of the 9? [/B]

The last Elven ring was the Ring of Fire, Narya, Gandalf's Ring which was given to him by Círdan the Shipwright.

As to what the Nine Rings for Mortal Men do, I have no idea. It might have something to do with command, as all the Nine were Kings of Old... or Sauron may have just given the Rings to men who were already Kings, I'm not sure. Try Erestor or Jason Durall.

[AslanC]

Perhaps that was simply it, it conves things like Display of Power and other Bearing related things. Allowing them to be very very very commanding.

Men would follow them into the mouths of hell with those rings... only to be betrayed...

[Jason Durall]

Tolkien is never explicit about the power of the Nine Rings - but it is likely that they enhanced the ability of Men to govern and to sway the minds of others, extending life, and possibly allowing them to move unseen in the world.

Sauron took back the nine rings once the kings of men had become Nazgul, and kept them (not sure where). He also managed to get his hands on all of the Dwarf-rings but for those destroyed in dragon-fire, and one which was just lost.

When the One Ring is gone, it is likely that all of the other rings lost their potency, and were rendered powerless.

Whether they could regain their former strength if a One Ring is forged anew is a question for the Narrator.

I'd be skeptical, as few other than Sauron and perhaps Saruman could forge a Ring of Power (and if Saruman could do it, he would have).

The final disposition of the Mannish and Dwarvish rings is never determined by Tolkien (unless in his letters or elsewhere).

[bombur]

I don't remember exactly where it says this, but I remember that Sauron took back the rings from the Nazgul and kept them from them, so as to control them utterly. In this way he exercised control over them, since he didn't have the One. If any of them stepped out of line, into Mt. Doom went his ring! (Or, Sauron could give it to another, but I don't know what that would do the the corresponding Nazgul.)

When Barad Dur fell, the Nine Rings would have been there, I would suspect, buried in all that rubble.

[Evan van Eyk]

Actually they do no longer exist. The thing is that evrythign which is created with the One Ring and touched by Sauron is no longer existing. When the One Ring was destroyed Baradur fell as well as did all Rings of power, with the exception of the Elvish Rings. They have never been touched by Sauron. But as the way to create them was tought to the Elves by Sauron they lost their power, still. But the Nine are gone and no longer exist on Middle-Earth.

[Sarge]

Evan has a point. Here's how I'd get around it: The Rings of Power were connected to the spirit world, and that was what gave them their magic. The destruction of the One caused the Nine to be destroyed... in the spirit world. The physical rings themselves still exist in Middle Earth, but are cut off from their source of power. However, with their long history of darkness and evil, a spiritual blackness clings to the Nine. One versed in Ringlore may yet be able to read their secrets and reconnect them to a source of dark power.

I don't think this interpretation is what JRRT intended, but it might work for an RPG.

[Sarge]

I was wrong about the Silmarils being cursed. What happened was, the sons of Feanor commited so many evil acts in recovering the Silmarils that their right of inheritance became void. The jewels burned the flesh of Maedhros and Maglor, but that was because the brothers were cursed, not the Silmarils.

[AslanC]

Yeah well like I said, the rings would be propped up by Herumor's magics and not the actuall power they once had.

But that said they are still dark talismans to be sure.

And yes I agree that the Prf might not have had anything remotely like this is mind, it is good for an RPG