The Lord Of The Ring

                                                       Sauron

                                     Isildur

Long before the events of the novel, the Dark Lord Sauron forges the One Ring to dominate the other Rings of Power and corrupt those who wear them: the leaders of Men, Elves and Dwarves. He is defeated in battle, and Isildur cuts the One Ring from Sauron's finger, claiming it as an heirloom for his line. Isildur is later ambushed and killed by Orcs, and the Ring is lost in the River Anduin.

                                Deagol and Smeagol

                                                       Misty Mountains


 Over two thousand years later, the Ring is found by a river-dwelling hobbit called Déagol. His relative Sméagol strangles him to acquire it, and is banished for his crime. Sméagol 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.


                           Gollum

He loses the Ring and, as recounted in The Hobbit, Bilbo Baggins finds it. Meanwhile, Sauron remanifests in a new physical form and reoccupies his old realm of Mordor. Gollum sets out in search of the Ring, but is captured by Sauron, who learns from him that Bilbo Baggins now has it. Gollum is set loose and Sauron, who needs the Ring to regain his full power, sends forth his powerful servants the Ringwraiths to seize it.


                                          Frodo and Bilbo



                                           Gandalf


The novel begins in the Shire, with the hobbit Frodo Baggins inheriting the Ring from Bilbo, his cousin and guardian. Both are unaware of its origin, but Gandalf the Grey, a wizard and old friend of Bilbo, suspects the Ring's identity. When he becomes certain, he 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.

                     Sam,Frodo,Pipin,Merry

                                                      Ringwraiths

They nearly encounter the Ringwraiths 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 Aragorn, Isildur's heir. Though initially distrusted, he joins them as guide and protector.
  
                           Aragon                                               Elrond
They flee from Bree after narrowly escaping another assault, but the Ringwraiths 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.


                     The FellowShip of The Ring
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 best course of action is to destroy the Ring, which can only be done by returning it to the flames of Mount Doom in Mordor, where it was forged. Frodo volunteers to take on the 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.


                                                       Mines of Moria.
  
                      Balrog                                                                      Orcs
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. There, they are attacked by Orcs and the Watcher in the Water. Gandalf casts an ancient, powerful Balrog into a chasm, but is himself dragged in. The others escape and take refuge in the Elven forest of Lothlórien, where they are counseled by the Lady Galadriel and Celeborn.
 
           Lady Galadriel and Celeborn.

 
                       Boromir and Rohirrim.                                                         


With boats and gifts from Galadriel, the company then travel down the River Anduin to the hill of Amon Hen. Boromir succumbs to the lure of the Ring and attempts to take it. Frodo flees to continue the quest alone, though Sam guesses his intent and comes along. Meanwhile, Orcs sent by Sauron and Saruman 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 the Rohirrim.

                                  Treebeard    
                Merry and Pippin in Fangorn Forest 
                
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 battle with the Balrog.
 
                    "Gandalf the White"                                               Theoden
After Gandalf assures them that Merry and Pippin are safe, they go to rouse Théoden, King of Rohan, from a stupor of despair, and to aid the Rohirrim in a stand against Saruman's now unleashed armies. Théoden leads an army to the ancient fortress of Helm's Deep along with Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli, while Gandalf rides off to gather more of the Rohirrim. Helm's Deep is besieged by Saruman's forces, but Gandalf and reinforcements arrive just in time to rout the enemy.
 
                               Isengard                                                      Saruman


Meanwhile, the Ents, roused from their customarily peaceful ways by Merry and Pippin, attack Saruman's stronghold of Isengard, trapping the wizard in the tower of Orthanc. Gandalf, Théoden and the others arrive and confront Saruman. When Saruman rejects Gandalf's offer of redemption, Gandalf strips him of his rank and most of his powers. Merry and Pippin rejoin the others. Pippin is drawn to look into a palantír, a seeing-stone that Saruman had used to communicate with Sauron. This leads Sauron to think that Pippin is the Ring-bearer and that Saruman has captured him. For Pippin's protection, Gandalf takes him along to the kingdom of Gondor.
         
                          Shelob                                         Tower of Cirith Ungol
Frodo and Sam capture Gollum, who had been following them from Moria, and force him to guide them to Mordor. Finding Mordor's main gate impassable, they travel instead to a secret pass known to Gollum. Gollum 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 in fact only unconscious. Sam determines to rescue him from the tower of Cirith Ungol.

 
                           Minas Tirith                                                     Faramir


Sauron unleashes a military assault upon Gondor. Gandalf arrives with Pippin at the city of Minas Tirith to alert Denethor of the impending attack. The city is besieged, and Denethor, under the influence of Sauron through another palantír, despairs and commits suicide, nearly taking his remaining son Faramir with him.

    
                            Paths of the Dead


With time running out, Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli take the Paths of the Dead, where 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. The forces now freed from the south and Rohan's cavalry break the siege of Minas Tirith.


Sam rescues Frodo from Cirith Ungol, and they cross Mordor. The mental weight of the Ring's influence weakens Frodo more and more as they near Mount Doom, but he is aided by Sam.

                                            Black Gate of Mordor
 Meanwhile, in order to distract Sauron from his true peril, Aragorn leads the remaining Gondorian and Rohirrim soldiers in a march on the Black Gate of Mordor. In the climactic battle, the vastly outnumbered alliance of Gondor and Rohan fight desperately against Sauron's armies.

   

At 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 perishes along with the Ringwraiths, and his armies are thrown into confusion.

   
             Aragor  nand  Arwen                                                 Gríma Wormtongue


With the end of the War of the Ring, Aragorn is crowned Elessar, King of Arnor and Gondor, and marries his longtime love, Arwen, daughter of Elrond.
Saruman escapes from Isengard and enslaves the Shire. The four hobbits, upon returning home, raise a rebellion and overthrow him. Saruman is killed by his servant, Gríma Wormtongue, who is in turn killed by hobbit archers.
 
                             Grey Havens                                     Red Book of Westmarch

The War of the Ring thus comes to its true end on Frodo's very doorstep. Merry and Pippin are acclaimed heroes, and Sam marries Rosie Cotton, and uses his gifts from Galadriel to restore the Shire. Frodo, however, remains wounded in body and spirit after his difficult journey bearing the weight of the One Ring. Some 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 story and adventures of Bilbo, Frodo, Sam, Pippin and Merry. Sam is then said to have himself crossed west over the Sea, the last of the Ring-bearers, though his ultimate fate remains unknown.