# Nine



## Sarah (Oct 12, 2005)

A question came up among my friends:

Is it just a coincidence that there were nine members of the fellowship and nine wringraiths, or is there a deeper meaning to that?


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## GuardianRanger (Oct 12, 2005)

I remember a great thread from years gone by on a bunch of the numbers that appear in Tolkien's mythology.

Click here to read it.


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## Urambo Tauro (Oct 12, 2005)

In _The Ring Goes South_, Elrond explains:


> The Company of the Ring shall be Nine; and the Nine Walkers shall be set against the Nine Riders that are evil.


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## Ingwë (Oct 14, 2005)

>>>Added to The Links-thread 

We can find everything in the Rings of Power: *Three* Rings for the Elven Kings, *Seven* for the Dwarf lords, *Nine* for the Mortal men. 
These are speficic numbers in the Works of Tolkien and probably not only in his books. 



Urambo Tauro said:


> In _The Ring Goes South_, Elrond explains:
> 
> 
> > The Company of the Ring shall be Nine; and the Nine Walkers shall be set against the Nine Riders that are evil.


But are the fellows as powerful as the Nine Riders?


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## Gothmog (Oct 14, 2005)

Ingwë said:


> But are the fellows as powerful as the Nine Riders?


At the end of the War, how many Riders were left and how many of the Fellowship


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## Hammersmith (Oct 14, 2005)

Gothmog said:


> At the end of the War, how many Riders were left and how many of the Fellowship


Eight and eight! Goodness! You're onto something here!
Or did you mean post-ring destruction?


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## Gothmog (Oct 14, 2005)

Hammersmith said:


> Eight and eight! Goodness! You're onto something here!
> Or did you mean post-ring destruction?


Well the war did not end until the destruction of the ring. However, you have noticed that before its destruction both parties were indeed reduced to eight


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## Firawyn (Oct 14, 2005)

*thoughtful* I wonder if that's just a coinsedence or of Tolkien meant anything by that as well...I know there's significance to 7, and to nince, and to 3, but what of eight?

The only other eight I cant think of was the eight nasty legs on Shelob!!


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## Hammersmith (Oct 15, 2005)

Firawyn said:


> *thoughtful* I wonder if that's just a coinsedence or of Tolkien meant anything by that as well...I know there's significance to 7, and to nince, and to 3, but what of eight?
> 
> The only other eight I cant think of was the eight nasty legs on Shelob!!


And the Sender of the Eight...hate...ate....

*Here* are some eights for us all to contemplate on. Did Tolkien think about any of them? I doubt it. Are they relevant? I further doubt it.


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