TheOne Ring, also called theRuling Ring andIsildur's Bane, is a central plot element inJ. R. R. Tolkien'sThe Lord of the Rings (1954–55). It first appeared in the earlier storyThe Hobbit (1937) as amagic ring that grants the wearerinvisibility. Tolkien changed it into a malevolentRing of Power and re-wrote parts ofThe Hobbit to fit in with the expanded narrative.The Lord of the Rings describes thehobbitFrodo Baggins's quest to destroy the Ring and saveMiddle-earth.

The One Ring
Artist's representation
First appearance	The Hobbit(1937)
Created by	J. R. R. Tolkien
Genre	Fantasy
In-universe information
Type	Magical ring
Owners	Sauron (creator)
Function	Invisibility Power augmentation Will domination Control over otherRings of Power made withSauron's ring magic
Traits and abilities	Plain gold ring; glowing inscription appears when ring is placed in flames; can change in size by its own will

Scholars have compared the story with the ring-based plot ofRichard Wagner's opera cycleDer Ring des Nibelungen; Tolkien denied any connection, but at the least, both men drew on the same mythology. Another source is Tolkien's analysis ofNodens, an obscurepagan god with a temple atLydney Park, where he studied the Latin inscriptions, one containing a curse on thethief of a ring.

Tolkien rejected the idea that the story was anallegory, saying that applicability to situations such as theSecond World War and theatomic bomb was a matter for readers. Other parallels have been drawn with theRing of Gyges inPlato'sRepublic, which conferred invisibility, though there is no suggestion that Tolkien borrowed from the story.

The One Ring was forged by the Dark LordSauron during theSecond Age to gain dominion over the freepeoples of Middle-earth. In his deceptive disguise asAnnatar, or "Lord of Gifts", he aided theElven smiths ofEregion and their leaderCelebrimbor in the making of theRings of Power. He then deceitfully and secretly forged the One Ring in the fires ofMount Doom.^{[T 1]}

Sauron intended the One Ring to be the most powerful of all Rings, able to rule and control those who wore the others. Since the other Rings were powerful on their own, Sauron was obliged to place much of his own power into the One to achieve his purpose.^{[T 2]}

Creating the Ring simultaneously strengthened and weakened Sauron. With the Ring, he could control the power of all the other Rings, and thus he was significantly more powerful after its creation than before;^{[T 3]} but by binding his power within the Ring, Sauron became dependent on it to the point that if it were to be destroyed, then he would lose all his power and be reduced to a shadow.^{[T 1][T 3]}

The Ring seemed to be made simply of gold, but it was completely impervious to damage, even to dragon fire (unlike other rings).^{[T 1]} It could be destroyed only by throwing it into the pit of the volcanicMount Doom where it had been forged. Like some lesser rings, but unlike the other Rings of Power, it bore no gem. It could change size, and perhaps its weight, and could suddenly expand to escape from its wearer.^{[T 1]} Its identity could be determined by placing it in a fire, when it displayed a fiery inscription in theBlack Speech that Sauron had devised. This was written in the ElvishTengwar script, withtwo lines in the Black Speech from thefull Ring Verse:^{[T 4]}

WhenIsildur cut the Ring from Sauron's hand, it was burning hot, its inscription legible; he transcribed it before it faded. Gandalf learned of the secret inscription from Isildur's account, and heatedFrodo's ring to reveal it, proving it to be the One Ring. Gandalf recited the inscription inBlack Speech atthe Council of Elrond, causing everyone to tremble:^{[T 5]}

The change in the wizard's voice was astounding. Suddenly it became menacing, powerful, harsh as stone. A shadow seemed to pass over the high sun, and the porch for a moment grew dark. All trembled, and the Elves stopped their ears.^{[T 5]}

After forging the ring, Sauron waged war on the Elves. He destroyed Eregion and killedCelebrimbor, the maker of the three Elf-rings. King Tar-Minastir ofNúmenor sent a great fleet to Middle-earth, and with this aidGil-galad destroyed Sauron's army and forced Sauron to return to Mordor.^{[T 2]}

Later, Ar-Pharazôn, the last and most powerful king of Númenor, landed atUmbar with an immense army, forcing Sauron's armies to flee. Sauron was taken to Númenor as a prisoner.^{[T 6]} Tolkien wrote in a 1958 letter that the surrender was both "voluntary and cunning" so he could gain access to Númenor.^{[T 7]} Sauron used the Númenóreans' fear of death to turn them against theValar, and manipulate and deceive them into worshipping his old master,Morgoth, withhuman sacrifice.^{[T 6]}

Sauron's body was destroyed in theFall of Númenor, but his spirit travelled back to Middle-earth and wielded the One Ring in renewed war against the Last Alliance of Elves and Men.^{[T 6]} Tolkien wrote, "I do not think one need boggle at this spirit carrying off the One Ring, upon which his power of dominating minds now largely depended."^{[T 7]}

Gil-galad andElendil destroyed Sauron's physical form at the end of the Last Alliance, at the cost of their own lives. Elendil's son,Isildur, cut the Ring from Sauron's hand on the slopes of Mount Doom. Though counselled to destroy the Ring, he was swayed by its power and kept it "asweregild for my father, and my brother". A few years later, Isildur was ambushed by Orcs by the River Anduin near theGladden Fields; he put on the Ring to escape, but it chose to slip from his finger as he swam, and, suddenly visible, he was killed by the Orcs. Since the Ring indirectly caused Isildur's death, it was known inGondorian lore as "Isildur's Bane".^{[T 2]}

The Ring remained hidden on the river bed for almost two and a half millennia, until it was discovered on a fishing trip by aStoorhobbit namedDéagol. His friend and relative Sméagol, who had gone fishing with him, was immediately ensnared by the Ring's power and demanded that Déagol give it to him as a "birthday present"; when Déagol refused, Sméagol strangled him and took the Ring. It corrupted his body and mind, turning him into the monstrousGollum. The Ring manipulated Gollum into hiding in a cave under theMisty Mountains nearMirkwood, where Sauron was beginning to resurface. There Gollum remained for nearly 500 years, using the Ring to hunt Orcs. The Ring eventually abandoned Gollum, knowing it would never leave the cave whilst he bore it.^{[T 1]}

Gollum eventually left the Misty Mountains to track down the Ring. He was drawn to Mordor, where he was captured. Sauron tortured and interrogated him, learning that the Ring had been found and was held by one "Baggins" in the land of "Shire".^{[T 1]}

The Ring began to strain Bilbo, leaving him feeling "stretched-out and thin", so he decided to leave the Shire, intending to pass the Ring to his adopted heirFrodo Baggins. He briefly gave in to the Ring's power, even calling it "my precious"; alarmed, Gandalf spoke harshly to his old friend to persuade him to give it up, which Bilbo did, becoming the first Ring-bearer to surrender it willingly.^{[T 8]}

By this time Sauron had regained much of his power, and theDark Tower in Mordor had been rebuilt. Gollum, released from Mordor, was captured byAragorn. Gandalf learned from Gollum that Sauron now knew where to find the Ring.^{[T 5]} To prevent Sauron from reclaiming his Ring,Frodo and eight companions set out fromRivendell for Mordor to destroy the Ring in the fires ofMount Doom.^{[T 9]} Duringthe quest, Frodo gradually fell under the Ring's power. When he and his faithful servantSam Gamgee discovered Gollum on their trail and "tamed" him into guiding them to Mordor, Frodo began to feel a bond with the wretched, treacherous creature, while Gollum warmed to Frodo's kindness and made an effort to keep his promise.^{[T 10]} Gollum however gave in to the Ring's temptation, and betrayed Frodo to the spiderShelob.^{[T 11]} Believing Frodo to be dead, Sam bore the Ring himself for a short time and experienced the temptation it induced.^{[T 12]}

Sam rescued Frodo from Orcs at the Tower ofCirith Ungol.^{[T 13]} The hobbits, followed by Gollum, reached Mount Doom, where Frodo was overcome by the Ring's power and claimed it for himself. At that moment, Gollum bit off his finger, taking back the Ring, but, gloating, he and the Ring fell into the fires of Mount Doom. The Ring and Sauron's power were destroyed, and Sauron was reduced a shadow with no influence.^{[T 14]}

The Ring's primary power was control of the other Rings of Power and domination of the wills of their users.^{[T 3]} The Ring also conferred power to dominate the wills of other beings whether they were wearing Rings or not—but only in proportion to the user's native capacity. In the same way, it amplified any inherent power its owner possessed.^{[T 3]}

A mortal wearing the Ring became effectively invisible except to those able to perceive the non-physical world, with only a thin, shaky shadow discernible in the brightest sunlight.^{[T 3]} All the same, when Sam wore the ring on the edge of Mordor, "he did not feel invisible at all, but horribly and uniquely visible; and he knew that somewherean Eye was searching for him".^{[T 12]} Sam was able to understand theBlack Speech of Orcs in Mordor during his brief possession of the One Ring.^{[T 15]}

The Ring extended the life of a mortal possessor indefinitely, preventing natural aging. Gandalf explained that it did not grant new life, but that the possessor merely continued until life became unbearably wearisome.^{[T 1]} The Ring did not protect its bearer from destruction; Gollum perished in the Crack of Doom,^{[T 16]} and Sauron's 'fair' body was destroyed in the downfall of Númenor. He may not have worn it at the time, but he "took [it] up again" when his spirit returned to Mordor. Like the Nine Rings, the One Ring physically corrupted mortals who wore it, eventually transforming them intowraiths. Hobbits were more resistant to this thanMen: Gollum, who possessed the ring for 500 years, did not become wraith-like because he rarely wore the Ring.^{[T 1]} Except forTom Bombadil, nobody seemed to be immune to the corrupting effects of the One Ring, even powerful beings like Gandalf and Galadriel, who refused to wield it out of the knowledge that they would become like Sauron himself.^{[T 5]}

Within the land of Mordor where it was forged, the Ring's power increased so significantly that even without wearing it the bearer could draw upon it, and could acquire an aura of terrible power. When Sam encountered an Orc in the Tower of Cirith Ungol while holding the Ring, he appeared to the terrified Orc as a powerful warrior cloaked in shadow "[holding] some nameless menace of power and doom".^{[T 13]} Similarly at Mount Doom, when Frodo and Sam were attacked by Gollum, Frodo grabbed the Ring and appeared as "a figure robed in white... [that] held a wheel of fire". Frodo told Gollum "in a commanding voice" that "If you touch me ever again, you shall be cast yourself into the Fire of Doom",a prophecy soon fulfilled.^{[T 14]}

As the Ring contained much of Sauron's power, it was endowed with a malevolent agency. While separated from Sauron, the Ring strove to return to him by manipulating its bearer to claim ownership of it, or by abandoning its bearer.^{[T 17]}

To master the Ring's capabilities, a Ring bearer would need a well-trained mind, a strong will, and great native power. Those with weaker minds, such as hobbits and lesser Men, would gain little from the Ring, let alone realize its full potential. Even for one with the necessary strength, it would have taken time to master the Ring's power sufficiently to overthrow Sauron.^{[T 17]}

The Ring did not render its bearer omnipotent. Three times Sauron suffered military defeat while bearing the Ring, first byGil-galad in the War of Sauron and the Elves, then byAr-Pharazôn when Númenórean power so overawed his armies that they deserted him, and at the end of theSecond Age with his personal defeat by Gil-galad and Elendil.^{[T 2]} Tolkien indicates in a speech by Elrond that such a defeat would not have been possible in the waning years of theThird Age, when the strength of the free peoples was greatly diminished. There were no remaining heroes of the stature of Gil-galad, Elendil, or Isildur; the strength of the Elves was fading and they were departing to theBlessed Realm; and the Númenórean kingdoms had either declined or been destroyed, and had few allies.^{[T 5]}

Of the Ring-bearers, three were alive after the Ring's destruction: the hobbits Bilbo, Frodo, and Sam. Bilbo, having borne the Ring the longest, had his life much prolonged. Frodo was scarred physically and mentally by his quest. Sam, having only briefly kept the Ring, was affected the least. In consideration of the trials Bilbo and Frodo faced, theValar allowed them to travel to theUndying Lands, accompanyingGaladriel,Elrond, andGandalf. Sam is also said to have been taken to the Undying Lands, after living in the Shire for many years and raising a large family. Tolkien emphasized that the restorative sojourn of the Ring-bearers in the Undying Lands would not have been permanent. As mortals, they would eventually die and leave the world ofEä.^{[T 17]}

The Ring began as a plot device, not a central narrative theme. As told inThe Hobbit, Bilbo found the Ring while lost in the tunnels near Gollum's lair. Inthe first edition, Gollum offers to surrender the Ring to Bilbo as a reward for winning theRiddle Game. When Tolkien was writingThe Lord of the Rings, he realized that the Ring's grip on Gollum would never permit him to give it up willingly. He therefore revisedThe Hobbit: in the second edition, after losing the Riddle Game to Bilbo, Gollum went to get his "Precious" to help him kill and eat Bilbo, but found the Ring missing.^[1] From Bilbo's last question—"What have I got in my pocket?"—Gollum guessed correctly that Bilbo had found the Ring. Gollum sought Bilbo through the caves, not realizing that Bilbo had discovered the Ring's power of invisibility and was following him to the cave's mouth. Bilbo escaped Gollum and the goblins by remaining invisible, but he chose not to tell Gandalf and thedwarves that the Ring had made him invisible. Instead, he told them a story that followed the first edition: that Gollum had given him the Ring and shown him the way out. Gandalf was immediately suspicious of the Ring, and later forced the real story from Bilbo.^{[T 1][T 18][T 19]}

Scholars have identified numerous more or less plausible sources for, or at least parallels with, the One Ring, acknowledging that Tolkien may have made use of multiple influences, and had intentionally set about to update the myths.^[2]

Tolkien's use of the Ring was influenced byNorse mythology. While at King Edward's School in Birmingham, he read and translated from theOld Norse in his free time. One of his first Norse purchases was theVölsunga saga. While a student, he read the only available English translation,^[3][4] the 1870 rendering byWilliam Morris of the VictorianArts and Crafts movement and Icelandic scholarEiríkur Magnússon.^[5] That saga and the Middle High GermanNibelungenlied were coeval texts that used the same ancient sources.^[6][7] Both of them provided some of the basis forRichard Wagner's opera series,Der Ring des Nibelungen, featuring in particular a magical but cursed golden ring and a broken sword reforged. In theVölsunga saga, these items are respectivelyAndvaranaut andGram, and they correspond broadly to the One Ring and the swordNarsil (reforged as Andúril).^[8]

Tolkien dismissed critics' direct comparisons to Wagner, telling his publisher, "Both rings were round, and there the resemblance ceases."^{[T 20][T 21]} Some critics hold that Tolkien's work borrows so liberally from Wagner that it exists in the shadow of Wagner's.^[9] Others, such asGloriana St. Clair, attribute the resemblances to the fact that Tolkien and Wagner had created works based on the samesources in Norse mythology.^[10][9]Tom Shippey and other researchers hold an intermediary position, stating that the authors indeed used the same source materials, but that Tolkien was indebted to some of the original developments, insights and artistic uses of those sources that first appeared in Wagner, and sought to improve upon them.^[11][12][13]

In 1928, a 4th-century pagan mystery cult temple was excavated atLydney Park, Gloucestershire.^[14] The archaeologistSir Mortimer Wheeler asked Tolkien to investigate aLatin inscription there, which mentioned the theft of a ring, with acurse upon its thief:^[15]

For the godNodens.Silvianus has lost a ring and has donated one-half [its worth] to Nodens. Among those who are called Senicianus do not allow health until he brings it to the temple of Nodens.^[16]

The curse is matched by the inscription on theRing of Silvianus, a Roman gold ring of around the 4th century, found near a former Roman town,Silchester; both it and the curse stone name Senicianus as the ring-thief.^[17]

The Anglo-Saxon name for the place was Dwarf's Hill, and in 1932 Tolkien traced Nodens to the Irish heroNuada Airgetlám, "Nuada of the Silver-Hand".^{[T 22]} Shippey thought this "a pivotal influence" on Tolkien's Middle-earth, combining as it did a god-hero, a ring, dwarves, and a silver hand.^[18]The J. R. R. Tolkien Encyclopedia notes the "Hobbit-like appearance of [Dwarf's Hill]'s mine-shaft holes", and that Tolkien was extremely interested in the hill's folklore on his stay there; it cites Helen Armstrong's comment that the place may have inspired Tolkien's "Celebrimbor and the fallen realms of Moria and Eregion".^[18][19] The scholar of English literature John M. Bowers writes that the name of the Elven-smith Celebrimbor, who forged the Elf-rings, is the Sindarin for "Silver Hand".^[20]

•  
  Tolkien visited the temple ofNodens at a place called "Dwarf's Hill" and translated an inscription with acurse upon the thief of a ring. It may have inspired his dwarves, mines, rings, andCelebrimbor "Silver-Hand", the Elven-smith who forgedRings of Power.^[18]
•  
  TheRing of Silvianus is a Roman gold ring of around the 4th century, found near a former Roman town,Silchester. Like the stone tablet at the temple of Nodens, it is inscribed with a curse on the ring-thief Senicianus.^[17]

A source that Tolkien "might have borrowed"^[21] from, though there is no evidence for this, isPlato'sRepublic. Its second book tells the story of theRing of Gyges that gave its owner the power of invisibility. In so doing, it created amoral dilemma, enabling people to commit injustices without fearing they would be caught.^[21] In contrast, Tolkien's Ring actively exerts an evil force that destroys themorality of the wearer.^{[T 1]}

The scholar of humanitiesFrederick A. de Armas notes parallels between Plato's and Tolkien's rings, and suggests that both Bilbo and Gyges, going into deep dark places to find hidden treasure, may have "undergone aCatabasis", apsychological journey to the Underworld.^[22]

The Tolkien scholar Eric Katz, without suggesting that Tolkien was aware of the Ring of Gyges, writes that "Platoargues that such [moral] corruption will occur, but Tolkienshows us this corruption through the thoughts and actions of his characters".^[23] In Katz's view, Plato tries to counter the "cynical conclusion" that moral life is chosen by the weak; Glaucon thinks that people are only "good" because they suppose they will be caught if they are not. Plato argues that immoral life is no good as it corrupts one's soul. So, Katz states, according to Plato a moral person has peace and happiness, and would not use a Ring of Power.^[23] In Katz's view, Tolkien's story "demonstrate[s] various responses to the question posed by Plato: would a just person be corrupted by the possibility of almost unlimited power?"^[23] The question is answered in different ways: Gollum is weak, quickly corrupted, and finally destroyed; Boromir begins virtuous but like Plato's Gyges is corrupted "by the temptation of power"^[23] from the Ring, even if he wants to use it for good, but redeems himself by defending the hobbits to his own death; the "strong and virtuous"^[23] Galadriel, who sees clearly what she would become if she accepted the ring, and rejects it; the immortal Tom Bombadil, exempt from the Ring's corrupting power and from its gift of invisibility; Sam who in a moment of need faithfully uses the ring, but is not seduced by its vision of "Samwise the Strong, Hero of the Age"; and finally Frodo who is gradually corrupted, but is saved by his earlier mercy to Gollum, and Gollum's desperation for the Ring. Katz concludes that Tolkien's answer to Plato's "Why be moral?" is "to be yourself".^[23]

Tolkien stated thatThe Lord of the Rings was not a point-by-pointallegory, particularly not of political events of his time such as theSecond World War.^{[T 23]} At the same time he contrasted 'applicability' which "resides in the freedom of the reader", with 'allegory' which resides in "the purposed domination of the author".^{[T 23]} He stated that had the Second World War "inspired or directed the development of the legend" as an allegory, then the fate of the Ring, and of Middle-earth, would have been very different:^{[T 23]}

Anne C. Petty, writing inThe J. R. R. Tolkien Encyclopedia, notes that Tolkien was all the same quite capable of using "allegorical elements when it suited his purpose", and that he agreed that the approach of war in 1938 "had had some effect on it":The Lord of the Rings was applicable to the horror of war in general, as long as it was not taken as a point-by-point allegory of any particular war, with false equations like "Sauron=Satan orHitler orStalin, Gandalf=God orChurchill, Aragorn=Christ orMacArthur, the Ring=theatomic bomb, Mordor=Hell or Russia or Germany".^[24]

One aspect of such applicability, which the Tolkien scholarTom Shippey notes is rarely picked up by readers, is that Tolkien chose dates of symbolic importancein Christianity for the quest to destroy the Ring. It began inRivendell on 25 December, the date ofChristmas, and ended onMount Doom on 25 March, a traditionalAnglo-Saxon date for thecrucifixion.^[25]

The scholar of the humanitiesBrian Rosebury noted thatThe Lord of the Rings combines a slow, descriptive series of scenes or tableaux illustrating Middle-earth with a unifying plotline in the shape of the quest to destroy the Ring. The Ring needs to be destroyed to save Middle-earth itself from destruction or domination by Sauron. The work builds up Middle-earth as a place that readers come to love, shows that it is under dire threat, and – with the destruction of the Ring – provides the "eucatastrophe" for a happy ending. The work is thus, Rosebury asserted, very tightly constructed, the expansive descriptions and the Ring-based plot fitting together exactly.^[26]

The Ring offers power to its wearer, and progressively corrupts the wearer's mind to evil.^[27][28] The Tolkien scholarTom Shippey appliesLord Acton's 1887 statement that "Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Great men are almost always bad men" to it. He notes that the opinion is distinctively modern, and thatother modern authors such asGeorge Orwell withAnimal Farm (1945),William Golding withLord of the Flies (1954), andT. H. White withThe Once and Future King (1958) similarly wrote about the corrupting effects of power. When the criticColin Manlove described Tolkien's attitude to power as inconsistent, arguing that the supposedly overwhelming Ring was handed over easily enough by Sam and Bilbo, and had little effect on Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli, Shippey replies in "one word" that the explanation is simple: the Ring is addictive, increasing in effect with exposure.^[29] Other scholars concur about its addictive nature.^{[27][28][30][31]}

In the 1981BBC Radio serial ofThe Lord of the Rings, theNazgûl chant the Ring-inscription; theBBC Radiophonic Workshop's sound effects for the Nazgul and the Black Speech of Mordor have been described as "nightmarish".^[32][33]

In Peter Jackson'sThe Lord of the Rings film trilogy, the wearer of the Ring is portrayed as moving through a shadowy realm where everything is distorted. The effects of the Ring on Bilbo and Frodo are obsessions that have been compared withdrug addiction; actorAndy Serkis, who playedGollum, cited drug addiction as an inspiration for his performance.^[34] The actual ring for the films was designed and created byJens Hansen Gold & Silversmith inNelson, New Zealand, and was based on a simplewedding ring.^[35][36]Polygon highlighted that "the workshop produced approximately 40 different rings for the films. Most expensive were the 18 carat solid gold 'hero' rings, sized ten for Frodo’s hand and 11 for the chain. [...] To save money — though not time — the workshop used gold-plated sterling silver for most of the rings. [...] For many fans, the ring used in close-ups — like the scene where the Ring slips away from Frodo to lure Boromir in the snow at Caradhras, or when arguing participants in the Council of Elrond are shown reflected in the Ring’s surface — is the real hero ring. In order to capture the ring’s sheen in high definition, that prop was a full eight inches wide — too big even for Hansen’s tools. Instead, a local machine shop made and polished the shape that Hansen’s team then plated".^[36]

A tabletop Middle-earthroleplaying game,The One Ring, was manufactured by Cubicle 7;^[37] a new edition is planned by a partnership of Sophisticated Games and Free League Publishing from 2020.^[38][39]

Cards representing the One Ring were included in aLord of the Rings-themedMagic: The Gathering set, of which one copy was unique, printed with its own artwork andTengwar text. That unique card was purchased by the singerPost Malone for US$2 million, making it one of themost expensive CCG cards.^[40]

• Byock, Jesse L. (1990).The Saga of the Volsungs: The Norse Epic of Sigurd the Dragon Slayer.University of California Press.ISBN 0-520-06904-8.
• Carpenter, Humphrey (1977).J. R. R. Tolkien: A Biography. New York:Ballantine Books.ISBN 978-0-04-928037-3.
• Carpenter, Humphrey, ed. (2023) [1981].The Letters of J. R. R. Tolkien: Revised and Expanded Edition. New York:Harper Collins.ISBN 978-0-35-865298-4.
• Clark, George; Timmons, Daniel, eds. (2000).J. R. R. Tolkien and His Literary Resonances: Views of Middle-Earth.Greenwood Publishing Group.ISBN 0-313-30845-4.
• Hammond, Wayne G.;Scull, Christina (2005).The Lord of the Rings: A Reader's Companion. HarperCollins.ISBN 978-0-00-720907-1.
• Shippey, Tom (2002).J. R. R. Tolkien: Author of the Century.HarperCollins.ISBN 978-0261104013.
• Simek, Rudolf (2005).Mittelerde: Tolkien und die germanische Mythologie [Middle-earth: Tolkien and the Germanic Mythology] (in German). C. H. Beck.ISBN 978-3406528378.
• Tolkien, J. R. R. (1937).Douglas A. Anderson (ed.).The Annotated Hobbit. Boston:Houghton Mifflin (published 2002).ISBN 978-0-618-13470-0.
• Tolkien, J. R. R. (1954a).The Fellowship of the Ring.The Lord of the Rings. Boston:Houghton Mifflin.OCLC 9552942.
• Tolkien, J. R. R. (1954).The Two Towers.The Lord of the Rings. Boston:Houghton Mifflin.OCLC 1042159111.
• Tolkien, J. R. R. (1955).The Return of the King.The Lord of the Rings. Boston:Houghton Mifflin.OCLC 519647821.
• Tolkien, J. R. R. (1977).Christopher Tolkien (ed.).The Silmarillion. Boston:Houghton Mifflin.ISBN 978-0-395-25730-2.
• Williams, Hamish, ed. (2021).Tolkien and the Classical World. Zurich.ISBN 978-3-905703-45-0.OCLC 1237352408.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)