Editing Rings of Power (section)

=== The Three ===

{{Rings of Power|upright=2.5|caption=The Rings of Power, their stones, and their bearers,<ref name="Rings of Power and the Third Age" group=T/> with clickable links}}

Named after the three [[classical element|elements]] of fire, water, and air, the Three were the last to be made before Sauron's solo creation of the One. Although Celebrimbor forged the Three Rings alone in Eregion, they were moulded by Sauron's craft and were bound to the One.<ref name="History of Galadriel and Celeborn" group=T/> Only after Sauron's defeat, when the One Ring was cut from his finger at the end of the Second Age, did the [[Elves in Middle-earth|Elves]] begin to actively use the Three to ward off the decay brought by time. Even then, the Rings could be worn without being seen.<ref name="Rings of Power and the Third Age" group=T/> After the One Ring, they are the most powerful of the twenty Rings of Power.<ref group=T>{{harvp|Tolkien|1977|loc="Of the Rings of Power and the Third Age": "Now these were the Three that had last been made, and they possessed the greatest powers"}}</ref> They are:

* {{Visible anchor|Narya}} (the Ring of Fire, the Red Ring), from  [[Quenya]] ''nár'', "fire",<ref group=T>{{harvp|Tolkien|1987|loc=entry "nar"}}</ref> was set with a ruby. Its metal is not stated. It gave its wielder resistance to the weariness of time, and evoked hope and courage in others. Its final bearer was the [[Wizards (Tolkien)|Wizard]] [[Gandalf]], who received it from Círdan at the Grey Havens during the Third Age. <ref name="Three Rings 1" group=T/>
* {{Visible anchor|Nenya}} (the Ring of Water, the White Ring, the Ring of Adamant), from Quenya ''nén'', "water",<ref group=T>{{harvp|Tolkien|1987|loc=entry "nen"}}</ref> was made of [[mithril]] and set with a "shimmering white stone". Galadriel used it to protect and preserve the realm of [[Lothlórien]].<ref name="Rings of Power and the Third Age" group=T/> "Adamant" means both [[Adamant|a type of stone]], usually a diamond, and "stubbornly resolute", a description that equally well suits the quality of Galadriel's resistance to Sauron.{{sfn|Hammond|Scull|2005|p=324}}
* {{Visible anchor|Vilya}} (the Ring of Air, the Blue Ring), from Quenya ''vilya'', "air",<ref group=T>{{harvp|Tolkien|1955|loc="Writing", "The Fëanorian Letters"}}</ref> was the mightiest of the Three. It was made of gold and set with a sapphire. Elrond inherited Vilya from Gil-galad and used it to safeguard [[Rivendell]].<ref name="Rings of Power and the Third Age" group=T/>