Interestingly, ‘The Rings of Power’ Offers a Better Explanation for the 19 Rings Than Tolkien Did

Despite facing significant fan backlash and criticism, The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power achieved notable success on Amazon. As we’ve covered in previous reports, the show was renewed for a second season, which premiered on August 29, 2024, and has been widely regarded as an improvement by both fans and critics. It will be interesting to see how the series continues to evolve, especially in light of recent major revelations from the showrunners.

Fans have been discussing the series extensively online. While the second season has been praised for its greater adherence to Tolkien’s lore, the series’ relationship with the original canon has been a persistent issue from the start.

As the show continues to develop new narratives and reinterpret familiar stories, some innovations make more sense than others. Notably, a recent explanation provided by the series about the Rings seems to be more coherent than Tolkien’s original explanation in the canon.

As you know, there are a total of 20 Rings of Power in the lore: nine for Men, seven for Dwarves, three for Elves, and the One Ring to Rule Them All. Excluding the One Ring, this leaves us with 19 rings—a number that seems somewhat arbitrary. Given Tolkien’s meticulous nature and his deep attention to detail in crafting his world, this randomness feels out of character for him. Yet, he did include it.

The original books did not adequately explain why there are exactly 19 rings. The seven Dwarven rings make sense, aligning with the seven Dwarven kings, but what about the nine rings for Men and the three for the Elves? Surely there were more than nine Human kings in Middle-earth, and why did the Elves, who are considered superior, receive only three? Tolkien never fully addressed these questions, leaving them somewhat of a mystery—until now.

The Rings of Power has recently provided an explanation that addresses this issue in a way that actually aligns well with Tolkien’s lore. While the series maintains the explanation for the seven Dwarven rings, it introduces a new rationale for the three Elven and nine Human rings. The series draws on the symbolic significance of the number three, which appears in many mythological systems and cultures, reflecting an idea Tolkien himself appreciated.

According to the series, there are three Elven rings due to the symbolic perfection of the number three, and nine Human rings because nine is a multiple of three. This explanation is coherent and feels like something Tolkien might have used himself. Kudos to the writers for this insightful addition!

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