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Tolkien's Choice of Colors for the 🧝Elven Rings:

Ent

Pondering Ponderings Ponderings
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Tolkien picked Blue, Red, and White for the color of the 3 unsullied Elven Rings. Given Tolkien did much of what he did based on 'associative meaning,' what crosses your mind as his potential reason for choices of the colors of the rings?

Many possibilities exist here. Just curious to see where your thoughts turn, as you ponder the possibilities. (If they turn anywhere.)
 
Seems a solid beginning, also perhaps given the three figure largely in a great deal of Fantasy work, and Tolkien was a dabbler and lover of Fantasy.
Also because the purpose of Melkor was to rule everything related to Ea - which included its elements.
And yet... could there be other reasons? Other meanings to the colors?
 
It is also said the gems are made by one of the relatives of the creator of the Silmarils, so may be reminiscent of and connected with that as well.
I've not had a chance to trace the veracity of the statement yet...

Other thoughts on this?
Celebrimbor, the son of Curufin, himself made the Three Elven Rings (as well as the Nine and Seven with Annatar's "assistance"). I would imagine as Celebrimbor is the grandson of Fëanor, there is a likeness to the Silmarils he would have most definitely incorporated, whether consciously (most plausibly) or otherwise. The power of preservation within the Three also hearkens back to the First Age, for much could not be preserved then...
 
It is also said the gems are made by one of the relatives of the creator of the Silmarils, so may be reminiscent of and connected with that as well. I've not had a chance to trace the veracity of the statement yet...

Note: posted before I saw Glorfindel's response!

In the books Elrond noted that Celebrimbor hid the Three "which he had made" -- and for the Second Edition of The Lord of the Rings, Tolkien published Celebrimbor as a descendant of Feanor (Appendix B).

In Letter 131 Tolkien noted that "the Elves of Eregion made Three supremely beautiful and powerful rings."

Hmm.

In The History of Galadriel and Celeborn Christopher Tolkien relates that "the Seven and the Nine were made with Sauron's aid, whereas the Three were made by Celebrimbor alone."

However interpreted, I can't recall JRRT ever specifically saying that Celebrimbor himself cut the Three jewels, but that said, Celebrimbor was "chief of the Elven-smiths" (The Elessar, Unfinished Tales) and in one part of the Elessar tale, he made the jool in question for you know who.

Galadriel

This Elessar was said (in the same text, that is, the "second" internal Elessar tale) to be Celebrimbor's greatest work, "save the Three Rings only".

I imagine Celebrimbor doing the jool-crafting himself, and he was a great silver-smith in any case.

🐾
 
I imagine Celebrimbor doing the jool-crafting himself, and he was a great silver-smith in any case.
So you're telling me Balrogs either have rings, or they don't - possibly having shadows spreading wall to wall, yet flying to Melkor's aid when Ungoliant overmasters him... but unable to flap them to prevent a fall into the chasm, nor to take wing to escape Gandalf when they burst into flame again upon emergence from the mountain. But maybe, they can shape-shift at will, unless they don't want to. Or not. Or so. Or something.

(i think I get it. unless I don't.)
 
So you're telling me Balrogs either have rings, or they don't - possibly having shadows spreading wall to wall, yet flying to Melkor's aid when Ungoliant overmasters him... but unable to flap them to prevent a fall into the chasm, nor to take wing to escape Gandalf when they burst into flame again upon emergence from the mountain. But maybe, they can shape-shift at will, unless they don't want to. Or not. Or so. Or something.

(i think I get it. unless I don't.)
You don't 😄
 
As for Celebrimbor and his jool-crafting: clearly the man had taste. Red for fire, blue for water, white for… toothpaste, possibly. Or perhaps the cosmic resonance of emotional wavelengths aligned precisely with the decorative instincts of a jewel-savvy Noldo who’d had just enough coffee to be dangerous.

Still, there’s some grounded lore shimmering beneath the glitter. Vilya, Nenya, and Narya—air, water, and fire—not just pretty colors, but elements of preservation, protection, and renewal. Crafted not for conquest, but to heal what the Shadow marred. Celebrimbor, defiant heir of Fëanor, sought not dominion, but to mend, to uphold beauty where decay crept in.

But then again—I think I get it. Unless I don’t. Or do. Or won’t. Or once did but accidentally left the understanding in a sock drawer on Neptune.
 
Blue is the colour for air, actually.

Vilya - Ring of Air, gold ring with sapphire stone.
Worn by Elrond. Perhaps the gem is blue because the sky appears blue.

Nenya - Ring of Water, mithril ring with adamant stone.
Worn by Galadriel. The gem is white or clear, as water is clear (it naturally has no colour, but we often think of it as blue as it reflects the sky).

Narya - Ring of Fire, set with a ruby stone.
Eventually worn by Gandalf. The gem is red because fire can be a reddish colour, and is often associated with the colour red.


While writing my fanfiction about the lives of Curufin and Celebrimbor, I discovered some interesting potential connections between the Silmarils and the Three Rings. One of which is that Elrond, the son of Eärendil (who carries the Silmaril in the sky), is the one who bears the Ring of Air.
And another is that Galadriel sings a lament in Quenya by the side of the River, similarly to Maglor who sings his laments by the side of the Sea after throwing his Silmaril away.

I explained things in more detail in this discussion post:
 
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A blue sapphire would be particularly suitable for Elrond if it happened to be a star sapphire.

A star sapphire is a type of sapphire that exhibits a star-like phenomenon known as asterism; red stones are known as "star rubies". Star sapphires contain intersecting needle-like inclusions following the underlying crystal structure that causes the appearance of a six-rayed "star"-shaped pattern when viewed with a single overhead light source.

The 193.39 carat Star of Lanka star sapphire
1753324728500.png
 
His use of colour was likely influenced by religious and magical principles.

If anyone is familiar with ceremonial magick and correspondences, many meanings are associated with different colours, sounds, items, planets, elements etc. A quick read into these ritual practices will show you why certain colours were used. They have their roots even in the oldest of known religions and esoteric circles.
 
Colors of the Union Jack, duh! 😉 (jk😄)
I agree. Celebrimbor was clearly a fan of the United Kingdom.

White: England (the Cross of St George (or rather the white bit around the cross))
Red: Wales (the Welsh Dragon is red)
Blue: Scotland (the Scottish flag is mostly blue).

Alternatively:
Red: The English Rose.
Blue: the colour a Scotsman's knees go in winter.
White: The colour of a leek's stalk.
 
Alternatively:
Alternatively, a tip of his hat to his new most favorite country in all the world.. the red, white and blue of the "U.S.A.".
(You know.. the country who took his works printed them without authorization, and altered them substantially, requiring years to straighten out.)

(Yes, yes, I know... I'm prone to hallucinations at times.)
 
Alternatively, a tip of his hat to his new most favorite country in all the world.. the red, white and blue of the "U.S.A.".
(You know.. the country who took his works printed them without authorization, and altered them substantially, requiring years to straighten out.)

(Yes, yes, I know... I'm prone to hallucinations at times.)
The US publishers did that to Tolkien's works? I didn't know that.
Which works did they publish without permission?
 
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The US publishers did that to Tolkien's works? I didn't know that.
Which works did they publish without permission?
My Ballantine paperback Fellowship of the Ring includes a hint of Tolkien's beef with someone near the end of the Foreword:

"...I feel like it [this book] is, while I am still alive, my property in justice unaffected by copyright laws. It seems to me a grave discourtesy, to say no more, to issue my book without even a polite note informing me of the project: dealings one might expect of Saruman in his decay rather than from the defenders of the West. However that may be, this paperback edition and no other has been published with my consent and co-operation. Those who approve of courtesy (at least) to living authors will purchase it and no other..."

I don't know the identity of the offending party.
 

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