“a verse long known in Elven-lore”

[Alcuin]

Frodo … saw fine lines, finer than the finest pen-strokes, running along the ring, outside and inside: lines of fire that seemed to form the letters of a flowing script.
…
“It is only two lines of a verse long known in Elven-lore:

Three Rings for the Elven-kings under the sky,
…Seven for the Dwarf-lords in their halls of stone,
Nine for Mortal Men doomed to die,
…One for the Dark Lord on his dark throne
In the Land of Mordor where the Shadows lie.
…One Ring to rule them all. One Ring to find them,
…One Ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them
In the Land of Mordor where the Shadows lie.”

Who composed the poem of lore Gandalf quotes?

Sauron engraved two lines upon the Ring:

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

We can safely assume he composed those two lines himself: they are part of the spell he used to bind the Rings of Power to himself in order to dominate and control their wearers.

But the Rings of Power were intended for Elves, at least by their makers, for Sauron did not make them himself: he aided and guided the Noldor of Eregion. They had no intention of giving the Nine or the Seven to Men and Dwarves; though Celebrimbor gave the greatest of the Seven to his friend Durin III of Khazad-dûm, probably as Sauron and his army drew near Eregion and after he dispensed of the Three to Gil-galad and Galadriel.

So my question is: Did Sauron make the eight-line poem of lore, with Celebrimbor and the Elven-smiths hearing and remembering it, passing it along to their kinsfolk to remember? Or did the surviving Noldor -- or possibly even the Dúnedain of Arnor -- wrap the two-line curse into the other six to make recollection easier?

[Valandil]

I think the latter. I think much of what came to pass (which Rings went to whom) came well after the forging of the One Ring. And I don't know if Sauron would have cared to compose the rest of the poem. Or - if he had - if the Elves would make it part of their lore.

My first thought is that perhaps the Elves composed it on the eve of the first War of the Ring, at the end of the Second Age.

Or else - if the actual words on the Ring were unknown to any but Sauron - perhaps someone else knew what Isildur read on the Ring and composed the rest, whether Elf or Man. Or - maybe even Isildur composed the rest himself, and it somehow came to be known among the Elves.

Great question! I like it!

[Galin]

"out of a thicket of young trees an Elf stepped, clad in grey, but with his hood thrown back; his hair glinted like gold in the morning sun." Lothlórien

That guy

[Nerwen]

Originally Posted by Valandil

I think the latter. I think much of what came to pass (which Rings went to whom) came well after the forging of the One Ring. And I don't know if Sauron would have cared to compose the rest of the poem. Or - if he had - if the Elves would make it part of their lore.

My first thought is that perhaps the Elves composed it on the eve of the first War of the Ring, at the end of the Second Age.

Or else - if the actual words on the Ring were unknown to any but Sauron - perhaps someone else knew what Isildur read on the Ring and composed the rest, whether Elf or Man. Or - maybe even Isildur composed the rest himself, and it somehow came to be known among the Elves.

Great question! I like it!

But Celebrimbror heard the two lines uttered by Sauron (as you say. probably part of the spell that transferred power into the One Ring). Wouldn't he have told one of his fellow Ringmakers?

[Valandil]

I had forgotten that - but I think you're right. Celebrimbor heard him audibly, didn't he? I first remembered that "he was aware of him" - but yes, I think he heard the words. I'll have to dig up which account (or does someone know).

In that case - I'd say somewhere along a little later in the Second Age. After Sauron had distributed the Nine and the Seven (or the rest of the Seven, if we're protecting Durin's Folk).

[Alcuin]

In Fellowship of the Ring, “The Council of Elrond”,

Elrond ... told of the Elven-smiths of Eregion... Sauron ... learned all their secrets, and betrayed them, and forged secretly in the Mountain of Fire the One Ring to be their master. But Celebrimbor was aware of him, and hid the Three which he had made...

In Silmarillion, “Of the Rings of Power and the Third Age”, Tolkien wrote,

As soon as Sauron set the One Ring upon his finger [the Elves] were aware of him; and they knew him, and perceived that he would be master of them, and of an that they wrought. Then in anger and fear they took off their rings.

So far, it sounds like the Elven-smiths were only “aware” of Sauron, like someone trying to hack into your computer, or break into your house, only Sauron was trying to hack and break into their minds.

But when Gandalf told the Council of Elrond about his reading the scroll of Isildur and seeing the inscription upon the One Ring, the inscription by which he positively identified Frodo’s ring as Sauron’s ring, he told them (with my bolding),

When I read these words [Isildur’s scroll], my quest was ended. 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.

So yeah, I guess Celebrimbor did hear Sauron speaking, or at least, Gandalf described it in that way.

So who do you think wrote the rest of the Ring-verse, Nerwen?

[Butterbeer]

I've a fancy (and a notion) it might be from the 'Lay of Gil-Galad'. It's certainly 'A verse long known in Elven Lore', and it uses an almost exact same phrase:


'In the Land of Mordor where the Shadows are'

The last word 'are' is clearly different, but even from the little snippet that Samwise knows (or chose to remember) from Bilbo's full translation of the 'Lay of Gil-Galad'... the similarities are exceptionally clear - also, its worth noting that at this point in the lay the word 'are' rhymes within the structure, as does 'lie' in the more famous excerpt:


Nine for Mortal Men doomed to die,
…One for the Dark Lord on his dark throne
In the Land of Mordor where the Shadows lie.

So we have one Verse long known in Elven Lore, which deals directly with the relevant period and subject matter, and shares exceptionally close style and composition, and even shares the same flowerly 'travel guide' phrase describing Mordor.. (it's shadowy there you know!).


As to the ring, i agree with Alcuin's supposition that only the two lines:

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

were the actual spell and therefore were what Celebrimbor actually heard. I believe there is no doubt Celebrimbor actually heard it and became aware then, but i'd also contend further, that Sauron is an unlikely sort of chap to go into overly long nor flowery poetry... and therefore, that the two lines quoted above (that are indeed the only ones actually on the ring) pretty much say everything he needs for the spell!

It would also be more than enough for Celebrimbor to know clearly what was afoot.

Therefore its my belief that Sauron spoke these words as the binding spell for the one Ring, which were engraved onto the ring itself:


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

Celebrimbor literally heard the words and became aware.

The Lay of Gil-Galad a verse long known in Elven Lore, tells of this, explaining the events leading up to his death in Mordor ( btw, it's shadowy there..so if ever planning a visit, take a torch! Also note flying on eagles may be faster than walking..just a travel tip )

Here is the only part of a much longer Lay that Samwise remembers from the Chapter 'A Knife in the dark'

~~~~~*****~~~~~

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.

~~~~~*****~~~~~



Therefore its my belief it is from the 'Lay of Gil Galad' that Gandalf is quoting.