The Lord of the Rings
The Lord of the Rings is an epic high fantasy novel written
by English philologist and University of Oxford professor J. R. R. Tolkien. The
story began as a sequel to Tolkien's 1937 children's fantasy novel The Hobbit,
but eventually developed into a much larger work. It was written in stages
between 1937 and 1949, much of it during World War II. It is the second
best-selling novel ever written, with over 150 million copies sold.
The title of the novel refers to the story's main
antagonist, the Dark Lord Sauron, who had in an earlier age created the
One Ring to rule the other Rings of Power as the ultimate weapon in his
campaign to conquer and rule all of Middle-earth. From quiet beginnings in the
Shire, a Hobbit land not unlike the English countryside, the story ranges
across north-west Middle-earth, following the course of the War of the Ring
through the eyes of its characters, the hobbits Frodo Baggins, Samwise
"Sam" Gamgee, Meriadoc "Merry" Brandybuck and Peregrin
"Pippin" Took, but also the hobbits' chief allies and travelling
companions: the Men Aragorn, a Ranger of the North and Boromir, a Captain of
Gondor; Gimli, a Dwarf warrior; Legolas, an Elven prince; and Gandalf, a
Wizard.
The work was initially intended by Tolkien to be one volume
of a two-volume set, the other to be The Silmarillion, but this idea was
dismissed by his publisher. For economic reasons The Lord of the Rings was
published in three volumes over the course of a year from 29 July 1954 to 20
October 1955, thus creating the now familiar Lord of the Rings trilogy. The
three volumes were entitled The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers, and The
Return of the King. Structurally, the novel is divided internally into six
books, two per volume, with several appendices of background material included
at the end of the third volume. Some editions combine the entire work into a
single volume. The Lord of the Rings has since been reprinted numerous times
and translated into many languages.
Tolkien's work has been the subject of extensive analysis of
its themes and origins. Although a major work in itself, the story was only the
last movement of a larger epic Tolkien had worked on since 1917, in a process
he described as mythopoeia. Influences on this earlier work, and on the story
of The Lord of the Rings, include philology, mythology, religion and the
author's distaste for the effects of industrialization, as well as earlier
fantasy works and Tolkien's experiences in World War I. The Lord of the Rings
in its turn is considered to have had a great effect on modern fantasy; the
impact of Tolkien's works is such that the use of the words
"Tolkienian" and "Tolkienesque" have been recorded in the
Oxford English Dictionary.
The enduring popularity of The Lord of the Rings has led to
numerous references in popular culture, the founding of many societies by fans
of Tolkien's works, and the publication of many books about Tolkien and his
works. The Lord of the Rings has inspired, and continues to inspire, artwork,
music, films and television, video games, and subsequent literature.
Award-winning adaptations of The Lord of the Rings have been made for radio,
theatre, and film.
Summary
Long before the events of the novel, the Dark Lord
Sauron forges the One Ring to rule the other Rings of Power and corrupt those
who wear them: the leaders of Men, Elves and Dwarves. He is vanquished in
battle by an alliance of Elves and Men. Isildur cuts the One Ring from Sauron's
finger, claiming it as an heirloom for his line, and Sauron loses his physical
form. When Isildur is later ambushed and killed by Orcs, the Ring is lost in
the River Anduin at Gladden Fields.
Over two thousand years later, the Ring is found by
one of the river-folk called Déagol. His friend Sméagol immediately falls
under the Ring's influence and strangles Déagol to acquire it. Sméagol is
banished and hides under the Misty Mountains, where the Ring extends his
lifespan and transforms him over the course of hundreds of years into a
twisted, corrupted creature called Gollum. He loses the Ring, his
"precious", and, as recounted in The Hobbit, Bilbo Baggins finds it.
Meanwhile, Sauron re-assumes physical form and takes back his old realm of
Mordor. Gollum sets out in search of the Ring, but is captured by Sauron, who
learns from him that "Baggins" in the Shire now has it. Gollum is set
loose, and Sauron, who needs the Ring to regain his full power, sends forth his
powerful servants, the Nazgûl, to seize it.
The story begins in the Shire, where the Hobbit
Frodo Baggins inherits the Ring from Bilbo, his cousin[note 2] and guardian.
Neither is aware of its origin and nature, but Gandalf the Grey, a wizard and
old friend of Bilbo, suspects the Ring's identity. When he becomes certain, he strongly
advises Frodo to take it away from the Shire. Frodo leaves, accompanied by his
gardener and friend, Samwise ("Sam") Gamgee, and two cousins,
Meriadoc ("Merry") Brandybuck and Peregrin ("Pippin") Took.
They nearly encounter the Nazgûl while still in the Shire, but shake off
pursuit by cutting through the Old Forest, where they are aided by the
enigmatic Tom Bombadil, who alone is unaffected by the Ring's corrupting
influence. After leaving the forest, they stop in the town of Bree where they
meet Strider, who is later revealed to be Aragorn, Isildur's heir. He persuades
them to take him on as guide and protector. They flee from Bree after narrowly
escaping another assault, but the Nazgûl follow and attack them on the hill of
Weathertop, wounding Frodo with a Morgul blade. Aragorn leads the hobbits
toward the Elven refuge of Rivendell, while Frodo gradually succumbs to the
wound. The Ringwraiths nearly overtake Frodo at the Ford of Bruinen, but flood
waters summoned by Elrond, master of Rivendell, rise up and overwhelm them.
Frodo recovers in Rivendell under the care of
Elrond. The Council of Elrond reveals much significant history about Sauron and
the Ring, as well as the news that Sauron has corrupted Gandalf's fellow
wizard, Saruman. The Council decides that the Ring must be destroyed, but that
can only be done by returning it to the flames of Mount Doom in Mordor, where
it was forged. Frodo volunteers to take on this daunting task, and a
"Fellowship of the Ring" is formed to aid him: Sam, Merry, Pippin,
Aragorn, Gandalf, Gimli the Dwarf, Legolas the Elf, and the Man Boromir, son of
the Ruling Steward Denethor of the realm of Gondor.
After a failed attempt to cross the Misty Mountains
via the pass below Caradhras, the company are forced to try a more perilous
path through the Mines of Moria, where they are attacked by the Watcher in the
Water before the gate. Inside, they discover the fate of Balin and his colony
of Dwarves. After repulsing an attack, they are pursued by orcs and an ancient
and powerful demonic creature called a Balrog. Gandalf confronts the Balrog,
but in their struggle, both fall into a deep chasm. The others escape and take
refuge in the Elven forest of Lothlórien, where they are counselled by
Galadriel and Celeborn.
With boats and gifts from Galadriel, the company
travel down the River Anduin to the hill of Amon Hen. Boromir succumbs to the
lure of the Ring and attempts to take it from Frodo. Frodo escapes and
determines to continue the quest alone, though Sam guesses his intent and comes
along. Meanwhile, orcs sent by Saruman and Sauron kill Boromir and kidnap Merry
and Pippin.
After agonizing over which pair of hobbits to
follow, Aragorn, Gimli and Legolas pursue the orcs bearing Merry and Pippin to
Saruman. In the kingdom of Rohan, the orcs are slain by a company of the
Rohirrim. Merry and Pippin escape into Fangorn Forest, where they are
befriended by Treebeard, the oldest of the tree-like Ents. Aragorn, Gimli and
Legolas track the hobbits to Fangorn, and encounter Gandalf, resurrected as the
significantly more powerful "Gandalf the White" after his mutually
fatal duel with the Balrog. Gandalf assures them that Merry and Pippin are
safe. They then ride to Edoras, the capital of Rohan, where they free Théoden,
King of Rohan, from the influence of Saruman's henchman Gríma Wormtongue.
Théoden musters his fighting strength and rides to the ancient fortress of
Helm's Deep, but en route Gandalf leaves to seek help from Treebeard.
Meanwhile, the Ents, roused from their customarily
peaceful ways by Merry and Pippin, attack Isengard, Saruman's stronghold, and
trap the wizard in the tower of Orthanc. Gandalf convinces Treebeard to send an
army of Huorns to Théoden's aid. Gandalf and Rohirrim reinforcements arrive at
Helm's Deep just in time to defeat and scatter Saruman's army. The Huorns
dispose of the fleeing orcs. Gandalf then parleys with Saruman at Orthanc. When
Saruman rejects his offer of redemption, Gandalf strips him of his rank and
most of his powers. Pippin looks into a palantír, a seeing-stone that Saruman
had used to communicate with Sauron and through which he was enslaved. Gandalf
rides for Minas Tirith, chief city of Gondor, taking Pippin with him.
Frodo and Sam capture Gollum, who had been
following them from Moria, and force him to guide them to Mordor. Finding
Mordor's Black Gate too well guarded to attempt, they travel instead to a
secret passage Gollum knows. Torn between his loyalty to Frodo and his desire
for the Ring, Gollum eventually betrays Frodo by leading him to the great
spider Shelob in the tunnels of Cirith Ungol. Frodo is felled by Shelob's bite,
but Sam fights her off. Sam takes the Ring and leaves Frodo, believing him to
be dead. When orcs find Frodo, Sam overhears them say that Frodo is only
unconscious, and chases after them.
Sauron unleashes a heavy assault upon Gondor.
Gandalf arrives at Minas Tirith to alert Denethor of the impending attack. The
city is besieged, and Denethor, deceived by Sauron, gives up hope and commits
suicide, nearly taking his remaining son Faramir with him. With time running
out, Aragorn feels he has no choice but to take the Paths of the Dead,
accompanied by Legolas, Gimli and the Dúnedain Rangers from the North. There
Aragorn raises an undead army of oath-breakers bound by an ancient curse. The
ghostly army help them to defeat the Corsairs of Umbar invading southern
Gondor. Commandeering the ships of the Corsairs, Aragorn leads reinforcements
up the Anduin to relieve the siege of Minas Tirith, and the forces of Gondor
and Rohan defeat Sauron's army in the Battle of the Pelennor Fields.
Meanwhile, Sam rescues Frodo from the tower of
Cirith Ungol, and they set out across Mordor. In order to distract Sauron from
his true danger, Aragorn leads the armies of Gondor and Rohan in a march on the
Black Gate of Mordor. His vastly outnumbered troops fight desperately against
Sauron's forces. Reaching the edge of the Cracks of Doom, Frodo is unable to
resist the Ring any longer, and claims it for himself. Gollum suddenly
reappears, struggles with Frodo and bites off his finger, Ring and all.
Celebrating wildly, Gollum falls into the fire, taking the Ring with him. With
the destruction of the One Ring, Sauron is permanently shorn of his power, the
Nazgûl perish, and his armies are thrown into such disarray that Aragorn's
forces emerge victorious.
With the end of the War of the Ring, Aragorn is
crowned Elessar, King of Arnor and Gondor, and marries his long-time love,
Arwen, daughter of Elrond. Saruman escapes from Isengard and enslaves the Shire
through Lotho Sackville-Baggins. The four hobbits, upon returning home, raise a
rebellion and overthrow him. Gríma turns on Saruman and kills him, and is slain
in turn by hobbit archers. The War of the Ring thus comes to its true end on
Frodo's very doorstep. Merry and Pippin are acclaimed heroes, while Sam marries
Rosie Cotton and uses his gifts from Galadriel to help heal the Shire. Frodo,
however, remains wounded in body and spirit after having borne the weight of
the One Ring so long.
Several years later, accompanied by Bilbo and
Gandalf, he sails from the Grey Havens west over the Sea to the Undying Lands
to find peace. After Rosie's death, Sam gives his daughter the Red Book of
Westmarch, containing the account of Bilbo's adventures and the War of the Ring
as witnessed by the hobbits. Sam is then said to have crossed west over the Sea
himself, the last of the Ring-bearers.
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