Oh Dúnedain, the Rings,
the Rings Are Calling

A parody of Danny Boy (music: the Londonderry Air, traditional; lyrics: Frederic Weatherly).

Oh Dúnedain The surviving people of Númenor — “Men of the West.” Aragorn is one of them. , the Rings The Rings of Power, made in the Second Age; the One was forged to master the rest. , the Rings are calling,
Down all the years their voices seek us still;
We know the price, we’ve seen the kingdoms falling,
And answer them: no Ring shall bend our will.

Before the Sun, before the Moon’s white sailing,
The Ainur The angelic spirits who, before the world was made, sang the great Music that shaped it. wove their Music, bright with joy;
But Melkor’s The mightiest of the Ainur; his rebellion against the Music is the root of all the evil that follows. Later called Morgoth. proud discordant voice was railing,
And sought the Ainur’s singing to destroy.

Again he strove their singing to be breaking,
Again his discord rose in pride and wrong;
Yet still the One Ilúvatar, the creator. He answers Melkor’s discord not by silencing it but by weaving it into a greater theme. reshaped their music-making
A greater whole from every broken song.

The Music held the world’s whole tale unspoken,
Its griefs and glories, all its dark and light;
And there, before a single stone was broken,
The years to come lay open to the sight.

And when at last the world was made and waking,
Came Melkor down, its beauty to deface;
The discord he had sung was now remaking
The fair new world into a darker place.

Fëanor The greatest of Elven craftsmen. When the Silmarils are stolen he swears a terrible oath to recover them — the “oath that darkened into night.” wrought the Silmarils Three jewels holding the light of the Two Trees of Valinor, made by Fëanor. in glory,
And captive shone therein the Two Trees’ Telperion and Laurelin, the two trees whose light lit Valinor before the Sun and Moon existed. light;
Fair deathless gems that kindled many a story,
And many an oath that darkened into night.

For beauty may inspire the highest daring,
Yet also wake possession’s fatal fire;
Thus joy and grief went ever onward bearing
The burden and the splendor of desire.

Ungoliant A monstrous spirit of devouring darkness, in spider-shape, who helps Melkor destroy the Two Trees and drinks their light. Shelob (verse 26) is her last child. , in hunger never sated,
A thing of darkness older than men’s fears;
She drank the living light the world awaited,
And wrapped the Valar’s The Valar are the great angelic powers who shape and govern the world; Valinor, their land, is the “realm” darkened here. realm in shadowed years.

One flower held the silver light still gleaming,
One golden fruit preserved the living flame;
When darkness fell, the world was left still dreaming
Of light that neither Shadow could reclaim.

The ages passed through sorrow, war, and grieving,
Till Morgoth’s Melkor’s name after his rebellion — “the Black Enemy.” Defeated and cast out at the end of the First Age. might at last was overthrown;
And those who fought for freedom still believing
Were given Númenor A great island kingdom given to the Men who fought Morgoth beside the Elves — the ancestor-realm of the Dúnedain. to call their own.

The palantíri Seeing-stones that show distant places — but not their meaning. Both Saruman and Denethor are led to ruin by what they see in one. looked across the water,
And showed far kingdoms hidden from the sight;
Yet pride could make the wisest watcher falter,
And turn the truth itself toward darker night.

But pride at last brought ruin on that nation,
And down beneath the sea the island fell;
The Faithful The Númenóreans who kept faith with the Valar and refused the assault on Valinor; led by Elendil, they escape the Downfall and found Arnor and Gondor. fled the westward isle’s damnation,
And bore its memory where their kingdoms dwell.

The Elven-smiths of old were ever striving
To shape such works as earth had never known;
Then Sauron Once Morgoth’s chief servant, now the rising power of the Second Age. He teaches the Elven-smiths of Eregion under the false name Annatar, “Lord of Gifts” — this is how the Rings of Power come to be made. came, fair-seeming, knowledge giving,
Who wrought in secret purpose of his own.

Three Rings The Rings the Elves made and kept for themselves, hidden from Sauron; their purpose is preservation, not power over others. were wrought for Elven hands to cherish,
Against the slow defeat of time and change;
Though fair things fade, and even beauty perish,
They sought to keep what time would else estrange.

Seven The Seven Rings inflame the Dwarves’ greed for treasure, but never enslave them the way the Nine enslave Men. were given to the Dwarf-lords dwelling
In halls of stone beneath the mountain’s crown;
Their greed for gold and treasure still was swelling,
Yet stubborn hearts would not be bent or bound.

Nine Rings Given to nine mortal Men, whose bearers fade one by one out of the living world and become the Nazgûl — the Ringwraiths, wholly Sauron’s. unto the mortal kings were given,
Who sought through them the power to rule and reign;
Till from the living world they all were driven,
And bound beneath the Dark Lord’s lasting chain.

But One The One Ring, forged by Sauron alone in the fire of Orodruin, to master the other Rings and their bearers. was forged where fire and darkness blended,
Its maker’s power poured deep within its gold;
To rule the others was the end intended,
And bring their bearers underneath his hold.

The Ring found one Gollum (Sméagol). The Ring keeps him alive and twisted for five hundred years — corrupted utterly, but never Sauron’s servant; Tolkien never explains why. who called it his own treasure,
And in the dark its poison worked with time;
It twisted love to hunger beyond measure,
Yet not to serve the hand that wrought its crime.

And so the Ring, for lordship first created,
To rule the great, was carried far away;
Its long and hidden road, by chance, was fated
To end among the folk who shunned such sway.

They were no kings, no captains crowned for glory,
No lords whose names the harpers praised in song;
Yet small hands held the hinge of all the story,
And walked the road where none believed them strong.

Oh, Saruman Chief of the Istari (wizard-order) sent to oppose Sauron. He turns to conquest himself, and never reckons with the forest he has been cutting down to fuel it. , the Ents The ancient tree-herds of Fangorn Forest, led by Treebeard. Slow to rouse — and terrible once roused. are marching double,
From Fangorn The old forest Saruman has been despoiling for timber. come to wreak vengeance on you;
Orthanc Saruman’s tower at Isengard — indestructible; the Ents besiege it but never bring it down. besiege, and turn your works to rubble,
And let the green forest again renew.

Oh, Saruman, Fangorn is causing trouble,
The Ents have freed your victims from their chains,
And all your pride is now debris and rubble,
Of all your works, only Orthanc remains.

The horns of Rohan The Riders of Rohan, horse-lords of the Mark, allies of Gondor. woke the grey of morning,
And Théoden King of Rohan. His charge at the Pelennor Fields breaks the enemy line at dawn. rode forth to break the foe;
The black host reeled, its ranks in ruin turning,
Then Snowmane Théoden’s horse, one of the noble Mearas — struck by a dart, he falls and crushes his rider. fell, and laid the rider low.

Oh Witch-king Chief of the Nazgûl. He boasts of a prophecy: “not by the hand of man will he fall” — and is wrong about who counts. , now your doom, your doom is nearing,
No living man, you boast, can hinder thee;
But Éowyn Shieldmaiden of Rohan. A woman — so “no living man” does not cover her. , whom you should have been fearing,
And Merry’s A hobbit — male, but not a Man either. Between them, the prophecy’s loophole closes on the Witch-king. stroke, bring down your tyranny.

The black ships come, and all the foe rejoices,
For now the Corsairs The Corsairs of Umbar, pirate allies of Sauron the defenders expect to see aboard those ships. sail to join the fight;
Till Aragorn Heir of Isildur and the Dúnedain. He has captured the fleet himself and sails in under Elendil’s banner. , with banner, stills their voices,
And turns their triumph into sudden fright.

Then Shelob “The last child of Ungoliant.” Lairs in the pass into Mordor; stings and webs Frodo. crept from darkness, hungry, crawling,
While Frodo Frodo Baggins, the Ring-bearer, carrying it toward Mount Doom. lay within her power to kill;
But Sam Samwise Gamgee, Frodo’s gardener and companion. Drives Shelob off with Sting and the Phial of Galadriel — another power that badly underestimates him. arose, her purposes forestalling,
And with his blade he thwarted Shelob’s will.

At last they climbed to where the fire was raging,
And Frodo bore the burden to the brink;
The Ring’s dark power his very will engaging,
While Sam stood fast, and would not turn or shrink.

Then Frodo claimed the Ring, its power choosing,
And would not cast it in the fire below;
But Gollum came, his Precious still pursuing,
And fell with it where molten rivers flow.

The Ring was gone, and all his power was failing,
His towers and his armies fell away;
The Dark Lord’s strength, so long the world assailing,
Was scattered like the smoke before the day.

Yet Denethor Ruling Steward of Gondor — driven to despair by what he has seen in the palantír. Will not accept the King’s return. , though Sauron’s power was falling,
Still saw the darkness closing on his land;
He would not yield, though Aragorn came calling,
Nor set the kingdom in another’s hand.

But Faramir Denethor’s son and the new Steward. He recognizes Aragorn as king by the old saying: “the hands of the king are the hands of a healer.” , from mortal fever waking,
Knew Aragorn for king, whose hands could heal;
And with the House of Stewards’ pride now breaking,
He knelt, and gave the rod for Gondor’s The southern realm of the Dúnedain, of which Denethor and then Faramir are Steward. weal.

And when the King returned from war and roaming,
A living sapling blossomed fair and high;
The ancient line, through grief and darkness coming,
Once more stood green beneath the open sky.

From Silmarils to White Tree The White Tree of Gondor — the sapling Aragorn plants, descended from the Two Trees by way of Nimloth. blossoms swaying,
Through every age the Shadow’s power was tried;
Each tyrant rose in turn, the world dismaying,
Yet those they scorned were those who turned the tide.

The mighty build their thrones to stand forever,
And bind the world in chains they cannot see;
Yet chain and throne and crown shall hold them never:
No Ring shall rule while hearts yet remain free.

Oh Dúnedain, the Rings no longer calling,
Their ancient power ended with the One;
The Shadow’s broken, its dominion falling,
And hope walks free beneath the rising Sun.