Narya (i.e. "Ring of Fire") was one of the three Rings of Power made originally for the Elves.

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Description

Narya is described as having the power to inspire others to resist tyranny, domination and despair, as well as having the power (in common with the other Three Rings) to hide the wielder from remote observation (except by the wielder of the One) and giving resistance to the weariness of time. It is also thought to have magical properties and fire powers, as when fighting Durin's Bane, Gandalf claims to wield the Flame of Anor.

History

Second Age

Created by Celebrimbor in the Second Age, along with Nenya and Vilya, after Sauron disguised as the mysterious Annatar and left Eregion, Narya was free of his influence, having been crafted only by Celebrimbor himself and later hidden from Annatar's grasp - but it still was bound to the One Ring. According to the Unfinished Tales, at the start of the War of the Elves and Sauron, Celebrimbor gave Narya together with the Ring Vilya to Gil-galad, High King of the Ñoldor. Gil-galad entrusted Narya to his lieutenant Círdan, Lord of the Havens of Mithlond, who kept it after Gil-galad's death.

Third Age

Upon the arrival of Gandalf in Middle-earth on TA 1000, Círdan, knowing Gandalf's true nature and duty, gave him Narya to aid him in his labours.[1]

None save Elrond, Galadriel and Cirdan knew that Gandalf bore it through the Third Age. It is unknown how or where Gandalf used it, but during the siege of Minas Tirith he inspires hope and courage in men wherever he passes. This may be one example of Narya's influence. It is unknown if the ring enhanced Gandalf's power over fire. Elrond firmly stated that while the Three Rings are not idle they were not made as weapons of war. They were made to preserve and heal. As they were made to ward off the effects of time, at best the rings could give the wielder extra stamina and endurance, as Cirdan stated when he gave Narya to Gandalf. The ring was revealed on Gandalf's finger at the Grey Havens, where he bore it back to the Undying Lands and presumably kept it as a relic.

Portrayal in adaptations

Peter Jackson's The Hobbit trilogy

In The Hobbit Extended Edition, specifically in the The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies, an additional scene includes Gandalf being questioned about Narya at Dol Guldur. True to the books, Narya itself is invisible, but reveals itself on Gandalf's hand when questioned.

Narya is also visible on Gandalf's hand at the end of The Lord of the Rings, The Return of the King during the Grey Havens scene.

The Fellowship of the Ring

While fighting Durin's Bane, Gandalf claims to be the wielder of the flame of Anor and servant of the Secret Fire. It is unlikely that Gandalf would reveal his ownership of Narya to an enemy. It could be that Gandalf was simply trying to scare the Balrog into fleeing (knowing the Balrog had no loyalties to Sauron at the time) by announcing himself as a servant of the Valar and through them Eru Ilúvatar, who alone possesses the Flame Imperishable within himself.

Etymology

In Quenya, Narya means "Fiery red", from narwa ("fiery red").[2]

Translations

Foreign Language Translated name Amharic ኛርያ Arabic ناريا Armenian Նարյա Belarusian Cyrillic Нарыа Bengali ণার্যা Bosnian Narja Bulgarian Cyrillic Нария Chinese 纳雅 Georgian ნარია Greek Ναρυα Gujarati નર્યા Hebrew נריה Hindi नार्या Japanese ナルヤ Kannada ನರಿಯಾ Kazakh Нарыя (Cyrillic) Narıya (Latin) Kyrgyz Cyrillic Наря Latvian Narja Macedonian Cyrillic Нарија Marathi नार्या Mongolian Cyrillic Нарыа Nepalese नार्य Pashto ناریا Persian ناریا Russian Нарья Sanskrit नार्या Serbian Нариа (Cyrillic) Naria (Latin) Sinhalese නාරියා Slovenian Narja Tajik Cyrillic Нариа Tamil நெறய Telugu నార్య Thai นาร์ยา Ukrainian Cyrillic Нариа Urdu ںاریا Uzbek Наря (Cyrillic) Narya (Latin) Yiddish נאַריאַ