# Are the Silmarils and the Rings of Power of similar nature?



## hamstar (Nov 19, 2022)

I've seen previous discussions about the obvious parallels between the Silmarils and the Rings of Power: They're both discrete artifacts, they're intrinsically and abstractly of high value, they're coveted by good and evil alike, they may confer literal power over things by merely possessing them, and they're hard to craft; never more than a few (or just one) can exist. The problem is, all of these arguments are _technically_ circumstantial, and the Rings in particular may have other traits the Silmarils don't appear to have.

So what data points may be needed to bridge the gap between the Rings and the Silmarils to identify them in the same way? Here's the obstacles I see:

The Silmarils are noted for pertaining to light, but the Rings are not (usually).
There's not enough data on what directly handling the Silmarils does. Might they also be able to confer 'timeless preservation' powers, or even see into or enter the Unseen Realm like the One Ring?
The Silmarils and the Rings were created differently, though parallels seem to exist at least superficially in their creation process.
I'll (try to) supply the relevant missing information for each of the above items to complete this "one-and-the-same" theory:

"Light" as a concept does not appear to pertain only to visible light, as noted here. Therefore, the concept of 'light' (in the magical context) may be more aptly considered the concept of creation magic or even the ability to apply will upon things, which therefore gives it more physical qualities. It may be possible these qualities can exist without necessarily pertaining to what is visible. More on this later.
Though it's not known whether there's any way to rightly handle a Silmaril directly, one piece of information may suggest a literal effect: Eärendil's ability (and success) in fighting the most powerful dragon in all of history: Ancalagon the Black. It's not clear to me whether his ship Vingilot was able to fly by virtue of being made of (as Bilbo claims?) mithril and elvish-glass, or else if the Silmaril itself granted this power, or even if Eärendil/Vingilot obtained this sort of blessing on his return from Aman. Regardless, actually successfully dueling dragons historically only seem to be possible by way of powerful artifacts; be they cursed sentient swords, questionably-enchanted hierloom arrows, or in this case, a flying ship of mithril and whatever juice the Simaril puts out to let it go toe-to-toe with a literal kaiju dragon (with help from a few eagles, maybe).
The Rings of Power seem mainly to pertain to the ability to apply will upon people, places, and things, as I understand (hence the name). Hence why they were made for each race to (ostensibly) aid for ruling, and maybe for other notable effects, like Rivendell and Lothlórien retaining their timeless, heavenly qualities. This concept of power over things (and races) seems very similar to the nature of the Trees of Valinor, as best noted by this quote (source):


> The Silmarillion repeatedly states that those Elves who saw the Two Trees were mighty, with the light of Aman in their faces. As vassals of the Valar, the trees somehow bestowed otherworldly power and understanding on those exposed to them. Galadriel in particular had an affinity to Laurelin, as her hair was said to have captured the golden light of that tree. In turn this inspired Fëanor to make the jewels that could hold that same light; the Silmarils.



The creation of the Silmarils seems largely a mystery that only Fëanor could tell, but it did involve extraction of light from both of the Trees, and only a few were (able to be?) made. The creation of the Rings was a process that seems to involve expenditure or allocation of spiritual essence (fëa?), hence why Sauron's defeat occurs so decisively when his ring is destroyed, and his spirit is diminished almost entirely. If fëa and 'light' are similar concepts by nature, it would make intuitive sense that the Silmarils and the Rings are also similarly similar.
I might expand on this post later, when I get more time.


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