One Ring

The forging of the One Ring is a central event planned for the series' third season within the War of the Elves and Sauron.

The One Ring was an ancient artifact created by the Dark Lord Sauron for the purpose of ruling over the Free peoples of Middle-earth, mainly the Elves. It was also known as the Ruling Ring, Great Ring of Power, and Isildur's Bane. Made as the Master Ring, it was forged to control all the other Rings of Power and thereby dominate their bearers. Sauron allowed much of his will and power to go into it, and the Ring was virtually impervious to damage, only able to be destroyed in the fires where it had originally been forged.

Quick Facts

Creator: Sauron
Material: Gold (enchanted)
Primary ability: Invisibility and domination of other Ring-bearers
Location of creation: Orodruin (Mount Doom), Mordor
Key wielder: Frodo Baggins (War of the Ring)
Current status: Destroyed in the fires of Mount Doom

Lore & Background

The timeline of Middle-earth includes the Second Age, which spans more than three thousand years. The showrunners decided to condense these events so that key moments occur closer together. A major structural element of the series involves 'major tentpole moments' from Tolkien's history. Specifically, the third season is scheduled to take place during the 'War of the Elves and Sauron,' a period that includes the forging of the ruling One Ring. The first season ends with Sauron's emergence and the creation of rings for the Elves, while the second season covers rings for Dwarves and Men ending with the Siege of Eregion. The fall of Númenor and the Last Alliance are also noted as events to be covered by the series, but no narrative details about the Ring's corruption of bearers or its physical properties are provided in this text.

Reader's Guide

The source serves as a guide to the series' production and planned narrative scope rather than an in-universe manual for the One Ring. It clarifies that the series is based primarily on material from the appendices of The Lord of the Rings (1954–55). It confirms that the Third Age, where the War of the Ring takes place, begins around three thousand years into that period and ends with the start of the Fourth Age. The guide confirms the existence of Orcs as corrupted Elves and the presence of various creatures but omits the functional mechanics of the One Ring found in other parts of Tolkien's legendarium.

Did You Know?

The series is set thousands of years before The Hobbit (1937) and The Lord of the Rings, primarily covering events of the Second Age.
Showrunners condensed the more than three thousand year duration of the Second Age to keep key human characters from dying off due to short lifespans.
Production for future seasons moved from New Zealand to the United Kingdom and other European locations in August 2021.