The+Fellowship+of+the+Ring--Part+One+Commentary

=//The Fellowship of the Ring: The Extended Edition// Commentary=



Over the opening titles, you can hear Elvish chanting. What you are hearing is:

//Man sí minna//? (Who enters here?) //Man ammen toltha i dann hen Amarth//? (Who brings to us this token of Doom?) //I anann darthant dam morn// (That which has stood so long against the darkness) //Si dannatha.// (will now fall.)

You can hear it here from :0 to :30 seconds: The Prologue Note the famous "Ring Theme" leitmotif from :41-1:18.



The Forging of the Rings


"//It began with the forging of the Great Rings. Three were given to the Elves; immortal, wisest and fairest of all beings//." This shot is of the Three Elven Rings--they are called Narya, Vilya, and Nenya. After the [|One Ring], they are the most powerful of the twenty [|Rings] [| of Power].

The Three Rings were created by [|Celebrimbor] after [|Sauron], in the guise of //Annatar//, had left Eregion. These [|Rings of Power] were free of Sauron's influence, as he did not have a hand in their making; however they were still forged by Celebrimbor with the arts taught to him by Sauron and thus were still bound to the [|One Ring]. Upon perceiving Sauron's intent, the Elves hid the three from him. They were carried out of Middle-earth at the end of the [|Third Age], after the destruction of the One Ring.

The Three Rings were given to Gil-galad, Cirdan, and Galadriel.



You can see Gil-galad on the left, Cirdan in the middle, and Galadriel on the right.

The first ring, **Narya**, was adorned with a red stone. The name is derived from the [|Quenya] //nár// meaning //fire//. It was also called the **Narya the Great**, **Ring of Fire**, and **Red Ring**. In the Third Age, Círdan, recognizing [|Gandalf]'s true nature as one of the [|Maiar] from [|Valinor], gave him the ring to aid him in his labours. It is described as having the power to inspire others to resist tyranny, domination, and despair (in other words, evoking hope in others around the wielder), as well as giving resistance to the weariness of time: //"Take now this Ring," he said; "for thy labours and thy cares will be heavy, but in all it will support thee and defend thee from weariness. For this is the Ring of Fire, and herewith, maybe, thou shalt rekindle hearts to the valour of old in a world that grows chill"// (Círdan the Shipwright to Gandalf).



It is generally considered that Vilya was the mightiest of these three bands (as mentioned in the ending chapter in //[|The Return of the King]//). The exact power of Vilya is not mentioned; however it is reasonable to speculate that it also possesses the power to heal and to preserve (it is mentioned in //The Silmarillion// that Celebrimbor had forged the Three in order to heal and to preserve, rather than to enhance the strengths of each individual bearers as the Seven, Nine, and the lesser rings did). There is some speculation that the ring controlled minor elements, considering the event where [|Elrond] had summoned a torrent of water as the [|Nazgûl] attempted to capture [|Frodo] and the Ring. When Sauron laid waste to Eregion, Vilya was sent to the Elven-king [|Gil-galad] far away in [|Lindon], where it was later given to Elrond, who bore it through the later years of the [|Second Age] and all of the Third. As Gil-galad was the High King of the Noldor elves at the time of the rings' distribution it was thought that he was best fit to care for the most powerful of the three Elven rings. Upon Sauron's destruction, the power of Vilya faded and it was taken over the sea by Elrond at the end of the Third Age.
 * Vilya**, was made of gold and adorned with a "great blue stone". The name is derived from the [|Quenya] //vilya// meaning //air//. It is also called **Ring of Sapphire**, **Ring of Air**, **Ring of Firmament**, or **Blue Ring**.

The ring is wielded by [|Galadriel] of [|Lothlórien], and possesses radiance that matches that of the stars; while [|Frodo Baggins] can see it by virtue of being a [|Ring-bearer], [|Samwise Gamgee] tells Galadriel he only "saw a star through your fingers". Nenya's power gave preservation, protection, and possibly concealment from evil because "there is a secret power here that holds evil from the land". However, the fact that [|Orcs] from [|Moria] entered Lórien after //[|The Fellowship of the Ring]// and Lórien itself had suffered previous attacks from Sauron's Orcs sent from [|Dol Guldur] suggests the power of the ring did not constitute military prowess. It was said that, protected as it was by Nenya, Lothlórien would not have fallen unless [|Sauron] had personally come to attack it. Galadriel used these powers to create and sustain Lothlórien, but it also increased in her the longing for the Sea and her desire to return to the [|Undying Lands]. After the destruction of the One Ring and the defeat of Sauron, its power faded along with the other [|Rings of Power]. Galadriel bore Nenya on a ship from the [|Grey Havens] into the [|West], accompanied by the other two Elven Rings and their bearers. With the ring gone, the magic and beauty of Lórien also faded along with the extraordinary [|mallorn] trees (save the one that [|Samwise Gamgee] grew in [|Hobbiton] that lived for centuries) and it was gradually depopulated, until by the time [|Arwen] came there to die in [|F.A.] 121 it was deserted and in ruin.
 * Nenya**, was made of [|mithril] and adorned with a "white stone", presumably a [|diamond] The name is derived from the [|Quenya] //nén// meaning //water//. It is also called **Ring of Adamant** and **Ring of Water**.



//"Seven, to the Dwarf Lords, great miners and craftsmen of the mountain halls."// The 7 Dwarves' rings did not respond to the One's control as Sauron expected. In the Second Age he gave the Seven to various Dwarf-lords (though the Dwarves of [|Moria] maintained a tradition that the ring given to [|Durin III] came directly from the Elven smiths). [|Gandalf] mentions a rumour that the seven hoards of the dwarves began each with a single golden ring. The main power of the Seven on their wearers was to excite their sense of [|avarice], and the Dwarves used their rings to increase their treasure. The wearers did not become invisible, did not get extended life-spans, nor succumb directly to Sauron's control – though he could still influence them to anger and greed. Over the years, Sauron recovered three rings from the Dwarves, the last from [|Thráin II] during his final captivity in [|Dol Guldur] some years before the beginning of //[|The Hobbit]//. The remaining four, according to Gandalf, were destroyed by [|dragons]. Until the [|Council of Elrond], the Dwarves did not know that Thráin had held the ring of Durin's line and had lost it to Sauron. They thought instead that it might have been lost when [|Thrór] was killed by Azog in Moria. One of the motivations for [|Balin]'s doomed expedition to Moria was the possibility of recovering the ring. Sauron's messenger attempted to bribe the Dwarves of [|Erebor] for news of [|Bilbo] (the last known bearer of the One) with the promise of the return of the remaining three of the Seven.

//"And nine, nine rings were gifted to the race of Men, who above all else desire power. For within these rings was bound the strength and the will to govern over each race."//

Later in the Second Age Sauron gave the Nine to powerful men, kings and sorcerors, including three from [|Númenor], all of whom fell swiftly under the rings' domination. They became the [|nazgûl] or Ringwraiths: spirits of terror whom Sauron could command even without the One. Their lives were extended indefinitely by the rings, and they became Sauron's chief servants, especially during the first part of the [|Third Age] when he was too weak to act on his own behalf. Any of these Rings of Power seemed to render a man who wore it invisible. The nazgûl could not be seen directly by mortal eyes, but wore dark cloaks to give themselves form. [|Frodo] saw their true form when he put on the One Ring. It is fascinating to note that 8 of the Nine are given names in //The Lord of the Rings Trading Card Game//. Where the creators got these names is unkown and they clearly are not canon, but they sound darn good! The names and cards are __[|•Ulaire Attea]__ [|•Ulaire Cantea] [|•Ulaire Enquea] [|•Ulaire Lemenya] [|•Ulaire Nelya] [|•Ulaire Nertea] [|•Ulaire Otsea] [|•Ulaire Toldea]

It appears that the Lord of the Nazgul is the only one who is unnamed.

//"But they were all of them deceived, for a new ring was made. In the land of Mordor, in the fires of Mount Doom, the Dark Lord Sauron forged in secret, a master ring, to control all others. And into this ring he poured all his cruelty, his malice and his will to dominate all life. One ring to rule them all."// Unlike the other Rings of Power, the One was unadorned by any stone. It bore only the inscription of the incantation Sauron spoke when he made it, and even that was invisible unless the ring was heated. Though the other rings could be destroyed in dragon-fire, the One could be unmade only in the Cracks of Doom where it was forged. When Sauron made the ring, he was obliged to transfer much of his power into it so that it could control the other rings, themselves objects of great potency. With the ring, Sauron remained very powerful, and he could use it to dominate the will of others; he very quickly corrupted Númenor into the worship of [|Melkor] and open rebellion against the Valar. When [|Isildur] cut the ring from his hand, Sauron became much weaker. He required the ring to effect his conquest of Middle-earth, and spent most of the Third Age attempting to get it back. The ring had a great effect on the human bearers who held it in the interim. It granted them indefinite life; though the effort of living became more difficult as time went on, for it did not grant //new// life. If they wore it, it made them invisible, enhanced their hearing, and made the shadowy world of the wraiths visible to them. It exerted a malicious influence; Gandalf mentions that though a bearer might begin with good intentions, the good intentions would not last. The Ring would give his bearer a fraction of Sauron's power, proportionate with his strength and force of will. Gollum and Frodo could only become invisible, while Gandalf and Galadriel mentioned that, if they wanted, they could use the "full" power of the Ring, becoming even more powerful than Sauron himself (though they also mention that this in the end will corrupt them). Gandalf explained to Frodo that, with great concentration and training, even he could tap into the Ring's power, but probably at the cost of his sanity. The One Ring possessed something of a will of its own. Its only accepted master was Sauron himself while its other bearers were not its masters, and it would seek to leave them at opportune moments to return to Sauron. Bilbo warned Frodo of this, and Frodo kept it on a chain so that it would not slip off unnoticed. In the end, the malevolent influence of the ring on [|Gollum] leads Gollum to defy Frodo and take the ring for himself – and in so doing, Gollum falls into the Cracks of Doom in [|Orodruin] where the ring is destroyed. With the destruction of the Ring, Gandalf believes Sauron is weakened to the point that he will never be able to materialize again.



The Last Alliance of Elves and Men
//"A last alliance of men and elves marched against the armies of Mordor, and on the very slopes of Mount Doom, they fought for the freedom of Middle-Earth."// The great battle depicted in the Prologue of the film occured in the Second Age of Middle Earth. The Elves were led by Gil-galad, and the Men by Elendil.



Sam recites a beautiful poem about Gil-galad in the book which Bilbo taught him:

//"Gil-galad was an Elven-king.// //Of him the harpers sadly sing:// //The last whose realm was fair and free// //Between the mountains and the sea.// //His sword was long, his lance was keen.// //His shining helm afar was seen.// //The countless stars of heaven's field// //Were mirrored in his silver shield.// //But long ago he rode away,// //And where he dwelleth none can say.// //For into darkness fell his star;// //In Mordor, where the shadows are."// //Hear the song with images.//

//"It was in this moment, when all hope had faded, that Isildur, son of the king, took up his father's sword."//



A little history of Isildur and his father Elendil is in order:

As detailed in the appendices of //[|The Return of the King]//, Isildur was born in the year 3209 of the [|Second Age] in Númenor, the first son of [|Elendil] son of [|Amandil], the last Lord of [|Andúnië]. He had a younger brother, [|Anárion]. Isildur had four sons: [|Elendur], [|Aratan], [|Ciryon], and [|Valandil]. In Isildur's youth, Númenor's King [|Ar-Pharazôn] was corrupted by [|Sauron], who urged the [|White Tree] to be cut down. Isildur went to the courts of the king in disguise and stole a fruit of [|Nimloth], though the guards were alerted and he was severely wounded in his escape. He was badly wounded, but his sacrifice was not in vain; Nimloth was cut down and burned shortly afterwards, but the line of the White Tree continued. //The Silmarillion// explains that Isildur, together with his father and brother, fled when [|Númenor was destroyed] by [|Ilúvatar]. Isildur and Anárion landed in the south and established the realm of [|Gondor], and their father landed in the north, founding the realm of [|Arnor]. Isildur settled on the east bank of the [|Anduin] and established the city of [|Minas Ithil] (which would later be named //Minas Morgul//), as well as the province of [|Ithilien] and setting his throne alongside his brother [|Anárion] in the city of [|Osgiliath]. However, in 3429 (see the Appendix of The Return of the King, especially the chronology of the Second Age) [|Sauron] captured Minas Ithil and destroyed the White Tree. Isildur and his family escaped down the Anduin by boat, bearing with them a seedling of the tree. They sailed to [|Lindon], seeking the [|Elven] High King [|Gil-galad] and Elendil in Arnor. Meanwhile, Anárion bought time for Gondor by defending Osgiliath and driving the Dark Lord back to the mountains, while Elendil and Gil-galad marshalled their forces. As told in //[|The Fellowship of the Ring]//, he returned with his father and Gil-galad in the [|Last Alliance of Elves and Men] in 3434. After the Alliance was victorious over Sauron's host at the [|Battle of Dagorlad], they advanced into [|Mordor] and laid siege to [|Barad-dûr]. With Minas Ithil recaptured, Isildur sent his younger sons Aratan and Ciryon to man that fortress, which would prevent Sauron and his forces from escaping that way. Isildur was accompanied throughout the war by his eldest son Elendur. The campaign in Mordor was long and bitter, and [|Anárion] was slain by a stone from the Dark Tower. After seven years of besieging the Dark Tower, the enemy was all but defeated and Sauron appeared to challenge the king. During the final battle on the slopes of [|Mount Doom], Elendil and Gil-galad were both slain in combat with the Dark Lord, but Sauron's mortal form was slain as well.[|[][|1][|]] Isildur took the hilt-shard of his father's sword [|Narsil], which had broken beneath Elendil when he fell, and cut the [|One Ring] from Sauron's hand; causing Sauron's malignant spirit to flee. Despite the urging of [|Elrond] and [|Círdan], Gil-galad's lieutenants, Isildur did not throw the Ring into the fires of [|Mount Doom]; Instead, he claimed it as an heirloom for his House, and as [|weregild] for the deaths of his father and brother. After the fall of Sauron, the greater part of the army of Arnor returned home while Isildur stayed in Gondor for a year, restoring order and defining its boundaries. He planted the seedling of the White Tree in Minas Anor in memory of Anárion. As his brother's helm had been crushed during his death at Barad-dûr, Isildur left his helm from the overthrow of Sauron as the replacement for Gondor's crown. He placed Anárion's son [|Meneldil] in charge of Gondor, and returned north to [|Arnor] with his three sons. His wife and fourth son Valandil had stayed behind in [|Rivendell] throughout the [|War of the Last Alliance] and the aftermath, and Isildur also sought further counsel from Elrond.



At the [|Gladden Fields], Isildur's party was ambushed by roaming [|Orcs] of the [|Misty Mountains]. Tolkien wrote two differing accounts of the battle leading to Isildur's end: //The Silmarillion//, which is told from the point of the view of the [|Eldar], states that Isildur had set no guard in his camp at night, deeming all his foes had been overthrown, and was attacked there. In //Unfinished Tales//, Tolkien writes that Isildur was ambushed by Orcs while travelling: Isildur departed Minas Anor with a party of around 200 soldiers. His men had to march as they supposedly had around ten horses, mainly as beasts of burden and not for riding. They had two dozen archers who were armed with the deadly [|Númenórean] steel bows but their numbers were too few to be effective. Fatefully, he chose to travel the route along the Anduin, instead of the safer if longer [|North-South road]. Sauron had deployed an army of Orcs East of the Misty Mountains, however, to attack any stragglers of the [|Last Alliance]. The Orcs did not show themselves when the full armies of the Elves and Men passed by, but they were easily more than a match for a company. Isildur was assailed at sunset, and though the first Orc sortie were beaten off, they regrouped and surrounded Isildur's party to prevent his escape. When nightfall came, the Orcs assaulted him from all sides. The [|Dúnedain] were surrounded and outnumbered, with Ciryon slain and Aratan mortally wounded in a failed attempt to rescue Elendur, who urged his father to flee. Isildur, realizing his mistake in keeping the Ring and attempting to return it to the holders of [|the three], put on the Ring, hoping to escape under the cover of invisibility. Fleeing to the Anduin, he cast off his armour and tried to swim to the other side of the river, but the Ring slipped (of its own volition) from his finger. He was quickly overpowered by the Anduin's current, and so the Ring abandoned him. Isildur felt the Ring was missing and was compelled to give in to the river and drown, resigning his life at the loss of the Ring. Despite the darkness, the [|Elendilmir] that he was wearing gave his position away to the Orcs on the far bank who were seeking survivors from the attack, and they killed him with their poisoned arrows. Isildur's [|squire], [|Ohtar], saved Narsil from the enemy, fleeing into the valley before the Orcs encircled Isildur's company. [|Estelmo], Elendur's squire, was found alive under his master's body, stunned by a club. The Elves from [|Thranduil]'s kingdom quickly got word of the attack, although they were too late to save any of the [|Dúnedain]. They organized a counter-attack, destroying the Orcs before they could mutilate the bodies of Isildur's company. During the [|War of the Ring] (as chronicled in the //Lord of the Rings//), Sauron's servants had been searching the Gladden Fields but failed to find any traces of Isildur's remains. Their efforts were hampered by [|Saruman], who had deceived Sauron's servants — indeed, the White Wizard had gotten there first before the Dark Lord. After the overthrow of Saruman and the opening up of the [|Orthanc] (both portrayed in //[|The Two Towers]//), [|Gimli] found a hidden closet which contained the original [|Elendilmir], which was presumed lost forever when Isildur died.



Elendil was Isildur's father. He was a descendant of Numenor. The inhabitants of Númenor, usually called the **Númenóreans** or **Men of the West**, were descended from the [|Edain], a group of Men that dwelt in the north-west of Middle-earth and became the most advanced mortal culture. Aragorn is the direct descendant of Elendil and Isildur and is therefore the true King of Gondor. This is shown by the ring Aragorn wears--the Ring of Barahir which was given to the Men of the West by the Elves in the First Age. It was passed down to Elendil and it was given by [|Elrond] to [|Aragorn] son of [|Arathorn], when he was told of his true name and lineage, together with the shards of [|Narsil]. In the year 2980 of the [|Third Age], in [|Lothlórien] Aragorn gave the ring to [|Arwen Undómiel], and thus they were betrothed.



This scene is in //The Two Towers: EE//. A close-up of the Elvish Tengwar writing reveals:

The writing is translated:

// **The Ring of Barahir and Felegnd** [?] //

//** The ring was like to twin serpents whose **// //** eyes were emeralds, and their heads met beneath **// //** a crown of golden flowers, that **// //** the one upheld and the other devoured. That was **// //** the badge of Finarfin and his house. **//

The ring was given to [|Barahir] by the [|Elven] Lord [|Finrod Felagund], in reward for saving his life in [|Dagor Bragollach]. It was a sign of eternal friendship between Finrod and the House of Barahir. Barahir was most famous as the father of [|Beren Erchamion], who later was to marry Lúthien Tinúviel and result in the first union of [|Elves] and Men. Barahir's hand and ring were taken by the orcs that killed him, but were retrieved by his son [|Beren] when he avenged his father. Beren laid the hand to rest with the rest of his father's body, but kept and wore the ring. 'Death you can give me earned or unearned, but names I will not take from you of baseborn, nor spy, nor thrall. By the ring of Felagund, that he gave to Barahir my father on the battlefield of the North, my house has not earned such names from any Elf, be he king or no.' Thus spoke Beren Erchamion in the halls of mighty Thingol as he held aloft the ring, and the green jewels gleamed there that the Noldor had devised in Valinor. For this ring was like to twin serpents, whose eyes were emeralds, and their heads met beneath a crown of golden flowers, that the one upheld and the other devoured; that was the badge of Finarfin and his house. (//[|The Silmarillion]//, Chapter 19: 'Of Beren and [|Lúthien]') Beren later used it as a token when he sought Finrod's help in the quest for the [|Silmaril]. The ring was passed from Beren in direct line to [|Dior], then his daughter [|Elwing] and her son [|Elros], who brought it to [|Númenor] during the [|Second Age]. It was an heirloom of the kings of Númenor until [|Tar-Elendil] gave the ring to his eldest daughter [|Silmariën], who was not allowed to succeed him on the throne. She in turn gave the ring to her son [|Valandil], first [|Lord of Andúnië]. It was handed down to succeeding Lords of Andúnië to the last one, [|Amandil], father of [|Elendil], and so was saved from the Númenor catastrophe. In the [|Third Age] the ring was again passed in direct line from Elendil to [|Isildur] to the [|Kings of Arnor], and then [|Kings of Arthedain]. The last King of Arthedain, [|Arvedui], gave the ring to the [|Lossoth] of [|Forochel], thankful for the help he received from them. It was later ransomed from the Snowmen by the [|Dúnedain of the North], and it was kept safe at [|Rivendell]. Eventually, it was given by [|Elrond] to [|Aragorn] son of [|Arathorn], when he was told of his true name and lineage, together with the shards of [|Narsil]. In the year 2980 of the [|Third Age]

Aragorn sings of Beren in the film at this scene:



The script reads:
 * [//Frodo awakens to hear Aragorn singing in the dark//]**
 * [|Frodo]: Who is she? This woman you sing of?**
 * [|Aragorn]: 'Tis the Lay of Lúthien. The Elf-maiden who gave her love to Beren, a mortal.**
 * [|Frodo]: What happened to her?**
 * [|Aragorn]: She died.**
 * [//He sighs, turns back to Frodo//]**
 * [|Aragorn]: Get some sleep, Frodo.**

For the full Lay see: **The Lay of Leithian** and **Lay of Leithian full modern edition**

//"Rumor grew of a shadow in the East, whispers of a nameless fear, and the Ring of Power perceived. Its time had now come. It abandoned Gollum."//

The "//shadow in the East"// Sauron who returns as The Necromancer of Dol Guldor. Around the year 1050, a shadow of fear fell on the forest later called [|Mirkwood]. As would later become known, this was the first intimation of Sauron manifesting himself yet again, but the Elves did not recognise him at first. As mentioned in //[|The Hobbit]//, he was known as the [|Necromancer]. He established a stronghold called [|Dol Guldur], "Hill of Sorcery", in the southern part of the forest. As the power of Dol Guldur grew, the Wise came to suspect that the controlling force behind the Witch-king and the other Nazgûl was indeed their original master, Sauron. In 2063, Gandalf went to Dol Guldur and made the first attempt to learn the truth, but Sauron retreated and hid in the East. It would be almost 400 years before he returned to his stronghold in Mirkwood, and his identity remained undetermined. Sauron finally resurfaced with increased strength in 2460. About the same time, the long-lost Ruling Ring was finally recovered from the [|River Anduin], found by a [|hobbit] named [|Déagol]. His relative Sméagol killed him for the Ring, and was eventually corrupted into the creature [|Gollum]. Banished by his family, he took the Ring, which he called his "Precious," and hid in the [|Misty Mountains].