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Did the Nazgûl Wear Their Own Rings or Did Sauron Hold Them?
This is a hotly debated issue. Some believe that the Nazgûl kept
their own rings and were enslaved and controlled by Sauron through
their rings. This side also believes that the Nazgûl derived their
power as Ringwraiths by wearing their own rings. The only clear
statement for this stand is during the Council of Elrond where
Gandalf states that "The Nine the Nazgûl keep." There are faults
with this position;
- Why was there no ring left on the ground
after the Witch-king was defeated by Eowyn and Merry, whereas
Sauron's Ring was left for the taking by Isildur when defeated by
Gil-galad and Elendil?
- Why didn't Frodo, as Ring Bearer, see
the rings on the Ringwraiths on Weathertop and at the Ford of
Bruinen when he saw their swords, pale faces, their eyes, and their
crowns?
Compare this to the fact that while in Lothlórien he was
able to see Galadriel's ring, Nenya, upon her finger when Sam could
not.
Most of the evidence points to the opinion that Sauron himself held
the rings. In the Fellowship of the Ring, Gandalf explains the
history of the Rings to Frodo and tells him that:
"So it is now; the Nine he had gathered to himself; the Seven
also, or else they are destroyed. The Three are hidden
still." [The Fellowship of the Ring]
This statement is clearly in context with rings and not wills as
mention of the Seven is made. We know of no wraiths or slaves that
wear the remaining Seven. Therefore, gathering the Nine and Seven
to himself means just that - Sauron has the Nine and remaining
Seven Rings in his physical possession.
Galadriel also confirms this by telling Frodo while in Lothlórien:
"You saw the Eye of him that holds the Seven and the Nine."
[The Fellowship of the Ring]
Then we have the following accounts from The Hunt for the Ring in
Unfinished Tales:
"At length he (Sauron) resolved that no others would serve him
in this case but his mightiest servants, the Ringwraiths, who
had no will but his own, being utterly subservient to the ring
that had enslaved him, which Sauron held."
"They were by far the most powerful of his servants, and the
most suitable for such a mission, since they were entirely
enslaved to their Nine Rings, which he now himself held..." [Unfinished Tales]
These statements clearly show that it was Sauron who held the rings
and so controlled the Nazgûl.
The most definitive statement comes from one of his letters
describing the situation of Frodo at the Cracks of Doom and is
extremely informative concerning the nature of One Ring:
"Sauron sent at once the Ringwraiths. They were naturally
fully instructed, and in no way deceived as to the real
lordship of the Ring...But the situation was now different to
that under Weathertop, where Frodo acted merely in fear and
wished only to use (in vain) the Ring's subsidiary power of
conferring invisibility. He had grown since then. Would they
have been immune from its power if he claimed it as an
instrument of command and domination? Not wholly. I do not
think they could have attacked him with violence, nor laid
hold upon him or taken him captive; they would have obeyed or
feigned to obey any minor command of his that did not
interfere with their errand - laid upon them by Sauron, who
still through their nine rings(which he held) had primary
control of their wills..." [The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien #246]
It would appear from the above body of evidence that when Sauron
first claimed the Nine he then gave the Nine Rings to Mortal Men
who used the power of their rings for dominance and control. In
the end, they faded and became Wraiths - at which point Sauron took
their rings back to hold and so control his most feared servants.
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