The Lord of the Rings facts for kids
The Lord of the Rings is a famous book written by J. R. R. Tolkien. It was first published in 1954. The story is so big that it was released in three parts. These parts are called The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers, and The Return of the King.
The story of The Lord of the Rings happens in Tolkien's made-up world called Middle-earth. This world has its own geography, many different races like elves, dwarves, humans, hobbits, and ents. They also have their own languages and a very long history.
The main plot of The Lord of the Rings is about a big war. The good people of Middle-earth fight against a dark lord, who is the 'Lord of the Rings' from the title. At the same time, they must destroy a special ring. This ring would give the dark lord a lot of power if he got it. But the only place to destroy the ring is deep inside the enemy's land.
The Lord of the Rings has also been made into films. The most famous ones are the film trilogy directed by Peter Jackson.
Contents
How the Book Was Made
The Lord of the Rings started as a sequel to Tolkien's earlier fantasy book, The Hobbit. But it quickly grew into a much bigger story. Tolkien also placed its story, and The Hobbit's, into his fictional world of Middle-earth. He had already created this world long before he wrote The Hobbit.
Tolkien worked on the story from 1937 to 1949. It was first published in three parts in 1954 and 1955. Since then, The Lord of the Rings has been translated into 38 languages. It is one of the most popular stories of the 20th century. It has been a very important book for the fantasy genre.
The book is often called a trilogy. This is because the publisher split it into three parts due to its large size. Tolkien himself had divided The Lord of the Rings into six parts, called Book I-VI, based on the plot. Tolkien never really liked it being called a trilogy.
The Story Before the Story
The story behind The Lord of the Rings begins thousands of years before the main adventure.
In a time called the Second Age, the evil Dark Lord Sauron wanted to rule Middle-earth. He tricked the elves by pretending to be good. He called himself Annatar, the "Lord of Gifts." As Annatar, he taught the elves how to make magical rings. These rings gave power to those who wore them.
Sauron and the elves made sixteen rings together. The Elves also made three rings by themselves. These were called Vilya, Nenya, and Narya. These nineteen rings were known as the Rings of Power. But Sauron secretly made one more ring, his own Great Ring. This was the One Ring. Sauron put half of his power into this One Ring. He planned to control the wearers of all the other rings with it. But the Elves finally realized that Annatar was really the evil Sauron. They quickly hid their Rings of Power.
Sauron then started a war. During this war, he took back the sixteen rings he had made with the Elves. He gave seven of these rings to the kings of the dwarves. He gave nine rings to human kings. These human kings became the Nazgûl, also known as the Ringwraiths. They were ghostly servants of Sauron.
To fight Sauron, the Elves and the Men of Gondor and Arnor formed a group. It was called the Last Alliance of Men and Elves. It was led by Gil-galad and Elendil. There was a long war and a siege of Sauron's fortress, Barad-dûr. In the final battle, Gil-galad and Elendil were killed by Sauron. After his father's death, Elendil's son Isildur cut the One Ring from Sauron's hand. Sauron was defeated, and the war ended.
Because half of Sauron's power was in the One Ring, he did not fully die. His spirit still existed as long as the Ring existed. The elves told Isildur to destroy the One Ring. But Isildur did not want to. He kept it for himself.
The One Ring was lost when Isildur was attacked by Orcs. Isildur tried to escape, but he was killed when he lost the Ring. Later, in the Third Age, a Stoor hobbit named Déagol found the Ring. But his friend Sméagol killed him over the Ring. Sméagol went to live under the Misty Mountains. He kept the Ring for five hundred years and became known as Gollum.
In The Hobbit, the Ring is found by the hobbit Bilbo Baggins. He thinks it is just a simple 'magic ring' that makes him invisible. Bilbo keeps it and brings it back to the Shire after his journey. The One Ring stayed there until the beginning of The Lord of the Rings story.
The Main Story
The Fellowship of the Ring
Book I: An Unexpected Journey
The story begins in the Third Age of Middle-earth. It starts in the Shire, which is the land of the hobbits. Sixty years after his adventures in The Hobbit, Bilbo Baggins lives in the Shire with his adopted cousin, Frodo Baggins. Bilbo decides he wants to go on another long journey. After a big birthday party for his 111th birthday (and Frodo's 33rd), Bilbo leaves the Shire. His home, Bag End, and the One Ring now belong to Frodo. For eighteen more years, nothing special happens in Frodo's life.
In April of the year 3018, the wizard Gandalf the Grey visits Bag End. Gandalf is a friend of both Bilbo and Frodo. He tells Frodo that his 'magic ring' is actually the dangerous One Ring of Sauron. Gandalf explains the Ring's dark history. Sauron is returning and getting stronger because he cannot truly die while the Ring exists. Sauron is now searching for the Ring. Gandalf tells Frodo that he must leave the Shire and take the One Ring to Rivendell, an Elven city. Samwise Gamgee, Frodo's gardener and servant, will go with Frodo. Gandalf promises to meet them halfway in the town of Bree. Then Gandalf leaves.
Frodo and Sam get ready to leave the Shire in September 3018. As they start their journey, Sauron's Ringwraiths are already following them. Frodo's cousins, Meriadoc "Merry" Brandybuck and Peregrin "Pippin" Took, also join them. The four hobbits travel east through the Old Forest and over the Barrow-downs. They reach Bree, but Gandalf is not there. They meet a man named Strider. They also find a letter from Gandalf. The letter tells them to go with Strider, who is really named Aragorn.
The hobbits continue their journey to Rivendell with Aragorn. On the mountain Weathertop, they are attacked by the Ringwraiths. Frodo is badly wounded by their leader, the Witch-king. Aragorn defends them and helps Frodo stay alive. Along the way, they meet the elf Glorfindel. Just before Rivendell, they are attacked again. Frodo escapes on Glorfindel's horse, with the Ringwraiths chasing him. Frodo crosses the river Bruinen, which is the border to Rivendell. But the Ringwraiths still follow. Suddenly, the river floods, washing the Ringwraiths away. Frodo falls unconscious from his wound.
Book II: The Fellowship Forms
Frodo wakes up in Rivendell. The elven lord Elrond has healed him. Frodo's friends are also safe. Gandalf is in Rivendell, as are messengers from other peoples. Frodo also meets Bilbo again, who has been living in Rivendell for years.
The next day, the Council of Elrond is held. Messengers from different peoples share their stories. All their problems are connected to Sauron. Elrond tells everyone about Sauron and the One Ring. Many secrets are revealed. Aragorn is a descendant of Isildur. The wizard Saruman has betrayed the good peoples and turned evil. It is also clear that no one but Sauron can truly use the One Ring. The Ring makes normal people invisible, but it also corrupts them, makes them want power, and only causes evil.
The Council decides that the One Ring must be destroyed. This will also truly kill Sauron forever. But the One Ring can only be destroyed by throwing it into the volcano Mount Doom. Mount Doom is in Sauron's land, Mordor, where the Ring was made.
The Council sends Frodo, the Ring-bearer, to destroy the Ring. Eight companions go with him to help. These nine people are the Fellowship of the Ring: the four hobbits Frodo, Sam, Merry, and Pippin; the elf Legolas; the dwarf Gimli; the two men Aragorn and Boromir; and Gandalf the Grey.
At the start of the year 3019, the Fellowship begins their long journey. Before they leave, Bilbo gives Frodo his sword Sting and his special Mithril armor. With Gandalf leading them, the Fellowship first goes south through the land of Hollin. They try to go east over the Misty Mountains through the Redhorn Pass. But there is too much snow. So, the Fellowship decides to go under the mountains, through the old Dwarven mines called Khazad-dûm or Moria. They almost make it through Moria without trouble. But near the end, they are attacked by Orcs. There is also a Balrog, a huge, fiery demon from long ago. Gandalf protects the Fellowship, but he and the Balrog fall into a deep hole. Aragorn leads the rest of the Fellowship out of Moria.
Now east of the Misty Mountains, the remaining Fellowship reaches the forest of Lothlórien. This is the land of the Galadhrim, a people of wood-elves. The Fellowship is welcomed by Lady Galadriel and Lord Celeborn, the rulers of Lothlórien. The Fellowship stays there for a while.
When the Fellowship leaves Lóthlórien, the elves give them boats. With these, they can travel down the river Anduin. Each member of the Fellowship also receives a special gift from Lady Galadriel.
The Fellowship travels down the river Anduin until they reach the Emyn Muil hills and the waterfall Rauros. There, they stop to decide where to go next: south to Boromir's home city of Minas Tirith, or east to Mordor. Frodo goes for a walk to think. He meets Boromir, who says the Fellowship should go to Minas Tirith. Boromir also starts talking about using the Ring against Sauron. Frodo realizes that the One Ring is influencing Boromir. Boromir tries to take the Ring from Frodo. But Frodo puts the Ring on, becomes invisible, and escapes. Boromir then comes back to his senses and is very sorry for what he tried to do.
Frodo decides he will go to Mordor alone. This way, the Ring cannot influence or hurt anyone else in the Fellowship. The rest of the Fellowship worry about where Frodo is. When Boromir tells them Frodo has run away, everyone goes to search for him.
Sam thinks about the situation and realizes that Frodo wants to go to Mordor alone. Sam runs back to the boats and catches Frodo leaving. In the end, Frodo and Sam go east to Mordor together. Their goal is to destroy the One Ring, and they hope their friends in the Fellowship will be safe.
The Two Towers
Book III: The War Begins
The book starts with Aragorn finding a dying Boromir. Boromir tells him that Orcs attacked them. The Orcs took Merry and Pippin with them. Boromir says he is sorry for everything and then dies. Legolas and Gimli arrive. As a funeral, the three put Boromir's body in one of their boats. They let it fall down the waterfall Rauros. They learn that Frodo and Sam left them to go to Mordor. They also find out that the Orcs who attacked them were Saruman's Orcs. These Orcs have taken Merry and Pippin. Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli decide to follow the Orcs west to save Merry and Pippin. West of the Emyn Muil, they enter the land of Rohan. This is the home of the Rohirrim, also known as the Horse-lords. They meet a group of Rohirrim led by Éomer. Éomer is the nephew of King Théoden of Rohan. Éomer and his men have killed the Orc group near the forest Fangorn. But they did not see Merry or Pippin. Éomer gives them two horses. Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli ride to the Fangorn forest.
Merry and Pippin were captured by a group of Saruman's Orcs, called Uruk-hai. When the Rohirrim surround and kill the Orcs, the two hobbits escape into the Fangorn Forest. There, they meet Treebeard, an Ent. Ents are giant tree-like creatures. Treebeard takes the hobbits with him. The hobbits tell him what is happening in the world outside Fangorn. The Ents have a meeting called the Entmoot. During the Entmoot, the Ents decide to fight Saruman. Treebeard, the other Ents, and the two hobbits go to Isengard, Saruman's home.
In Fangorn, Aragon, Legolas, and Gimli meet Gandalf. He had died, but was sent back to Middle-earth as Gandalf the White. He returned to help the fight against Sauron even more. Gandalf tells them that Merry and Pippin are safe. They then go to Edoras, the capital of Rohan. Gandalf tells King Théoden that they must go to war against Saruman. Gríma Wormtongue, a spy and servant of Saruman, is kicked out. The people of Edoras, led by Éomer's sister Éowyn, flee to Dunharrow in the White Mountains. Meanwhile, the army of the Rohirrim goes to their fortress at Helm's Deep. Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli go with the Rohirrim warriors. But Gandalf leaves again without telling anyone. Saruman sends his army of ten thousand Uruk-hai, Orcs, and Dunland men to Helm's Deep. The next morning, Gandalf arrives with another Rohirrim army. They defeat Saruman's army and win the Battle of the Hornburg.
Gandalf, his friends, and a small group of Rohirrim then go to Isengard, Saruman's home. But when they arrive, the Ents have already destroyed it. They also meet Merry and Pippin there. They talk to Saruman, who is still hiding in his strong tower, Orthanc. Gandalf removes him from the Order of Wizards. They find a palantír, which Gríma threw from the tower. Palantíri are magical black stones that let you see far-off things and talk with other palantíri. The group leaves Isengard to rest. Pippin secretly takes the palantír and looks into it. Because of this, Sauron discovers him. The group quickly leaves before the Nazgûl find them. Gandalf and Pippin go to Minas Tirith. The Rohirrim and other members of the Fellowship go back to Helm's Deep.
Book IV: Frodo and Sam's Journey
Frodo and Sam are in the Emyn Muil mountains. They travel east towards Mordor. While still in Emyn Muil, they are attacked by Gollum. But the hobbits defeat and catch him. Gollum has to promise to show them the way into Mordor. They go through the Dead Marshes and reach the Morannon, which is the Black Gate of Mordor. They cannot get in. But Gollum says he knows a secret way into Mordor.
Frodo, Sam, and Gollum travel south through Ithilien. There, they see a battle between a group of Southrons from Harad and a group of Rangers from Gondor. The hobbits are caught by the Gondorian group. This group is led by Faramir, who is Boromir's brother. But the next day, Faramir lets the hobbits leave. He also believes the One Ring must be destroyed.
Gollum leads the hobbits into Cirith Ungol in the Mountains of Shadow. But he leaves the hobbits alone there. They are hunted by Shelob, a giant spider living in these tunnels. After almost escaping, Shelob stings Frodo. But Sam wounds her and drives her away. Sam believes Frodo is dead. He takes the Ring to continue the quest and destroy it. Orcs find Frodo's body and take it away. Sam follows them. The Orc leaders are talking, and Sam hears them say that Frodo is paralyzed but still alive.
The Return of the King
Book V: The Great War
Gandalf and Pippin arrive in Minas Tirith, the capital of Gondor. There, they meet Denethor II, who is the Steward of Gondor. He is the father of Boromir and Faramir. Pippin becomes a member of the Guards of the Citadel. Minas Tirith gets ready for war.
The Rohirrim and Aragorn, Legolas, Gimli, and Merry are on their way to Helm's Deep. Along the way, they meet the Grey Company coming from Rivendell. This is a group of thirty Dúnedain, who are Aragorn's people. With the group are also Elladan and Elrohir, the sons of Elrond. Aragorn uses the palantír. Aragorn decides to take the Paths of the Dead. Aragorn, Legolas, Gimli, and the Grey Company go to Edoras, Dunharrow, and through the Paths of the Dead through the White Mountains. There, Aragorn calls an army of dead spirits to help him. The Grey Company and the Dead Men of Dunharrow then go east.
The Rohirrim and Merry come to Dunharrow. King Théoden takes the Rohirrim armies and goes to help Gondor in the war. Merry is not allowed to go with them. But he secretly goes with a warrior named Dernhelm.
In Minas Tirith, they meet Faramir. He tells them about his meeting with Frodo. The next day, Faramir goes to defend the old city of Osgiliath. But the city falls, and so do the outer defenses of Minas Tirith. During the retreat, Faramir is badly wounded. Minas Tirith is attacked by the armies of Mordor. They are led by the Witch-king, the leader of the Nazgûl. It was said that no man could kill him. Denethor goes insane and burns himself. He almost kills the injured Faramir too. But Pippin and Gandalf stop this.
The Rohirrim arrive. The armies of Gondor and Rohan fight the armies of Mordor in the Battle of the Pelennor Fields. There, King Théoden is killed. Dernhelm, who was really Éowyn (a woman), kills the Witch-king with Merry's help. Aragorn arrives with a fleet of black ships and another army of men from southern Gondor. They come up the river Anduin. Together, they win the Battle of the Pelennor Fields.
Aragorn heals the wounded and sick Faramir, Éowyn, Merry, and many others. This proves that he is the rightful King of Gondor. Legolas and Gimli go into Minas Tirith and meet Merry and Pippin again. There, they also tell how they got the black ships with the help of the Army of the Dead. The leaders of the armies of Men decide to attack Mordor. This is a distraction so that Frodo can destroy the One Ring. Aragorn and Gandalf lead an army of 7000 men to the Black Gate of Mordor. There, they fight the Battle of the Morannon against Sauron's huge army. During the battle, Pippin falls unconscious. But he hears that the Great Eagles have come to help them.
Book VI: The Ring is Destroyed
Samwise comes to the Tower of Cirith Ungol. But the different Orc groups inside had a fight, and almost all of them are now dead. Sam frees Frodo and gives him back the One Ring. The two hobbits dress up as orcs. They escape from the Tower and continue their journey through Mordor. It is a very hard journey. The Ring's influence on Frodo is very strong now. One time, the hobbits are forced to walk with an army of orcs. But they escape without being found out.
The hobbits reach Mount Doom. There, they are attacked by Gollum, who still wants the One Ring. Frodo goes on alone into Mount Doom. But Sam feels sorry for Gollum and lets him live. Sam follows Frodo into Mount Doom. Frodo is finally taken over by the One Ring. He says it belongs to him and puts the Ring on. This makes Sauron know that Frodo and the Ring are there. Gollum comes back one more time and fights with Frodo. Gollum bites off Frodo's finger with the Ring on it. Gollum is happy to have his Ring back. But he makes a mistake: Gollum and the One Ring fall into the volcano. The Ring is destroyed! Sauron fully dies, and his fortress Barad-dûr is destroyed.
At the Battle of the Morannon, the Orcs and other evil creatures no longer know what to do. They are easily defeated, and the Battle is won. Gandalf calls three of the Eagles, who then rescue Frodo and Sam.
They all return to Minas Tirith. Aragorn becomes King of Gondor and Arnor. Elves from Rivendell and Lothlórien come to Minas Tirith. Aragorn marries Arwen Undómiel, who is Elrond's daughter. The Fellowship, the elves, and the Rohirrim go back to Rohan. King Théoden is buried. Éomer officially becomes King of Rohan. Éowyn and Faramir get married. They go on to Helm's Deep, where the fellowship finally splits up. Aragorn goes back to Minas Tirith. Legolas and Gimli also leave to travel to their homes in the northeast. The elves, hobbits, and Gandalf continue on. At Isengard, they are told that Saruman has left. Galadriel and the Lothlórien-elves leave the group to go back home east over the mountains. The others come to Rivendell, where the hobbits meet Bilbo again.
The four hobbits and Gandalf leave Rivendell to travel back to the Shire. Gandalf leaves the hobbits after Bree. The four hobbits reach the Shire. But Saruman and his men have taken over the land. Frodo, Sam, Merry, and Pippin lead the other hobbits in the fight against them. They free themselves and the Shire. After a battle, the four hobbits find Saruman and Gríma at Bag End. Frodo wants to send them away unharmed. But Saruman is killed by Gríma. Hobbit archers then shoot Gríma.
Some years later, Frodo and Sam go to meet Bilbo, Elrond, Galadriel, and some other elves. They all go to the Grey Havens. There, they meet Gandalf, and also Merry and Pippin. The Ring-bearers Bilbo and Frodo, along with Gandalf and the elves, leave Middle-earth. They go west across the sea to Valinor. The Fourth Age of Middle-earth begins. The three remaining hobbits go back to the Shire, and Sam returns to his wife and child.
Adaptations
The Lord of the Rings has been adapted, or made into, many different things. It has been a musical, a radio play, and has been made into an animated and three live-action films. The most well-known is probably The Lord of the Rings film trilogy (2001–2003) directed by Peter Jackson.
Related pages
Images for kids
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Barbara Remington's cover illustrations for the Ballantine paperback version were very popular in the 1960s.
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"Welcome to Hobbiton" sign in Matamata, New Zealand, where Peter Jackson's film version was shot.
See also
In Spanish: El Señor de los Anillos para niños
