The Ring Symbol in The Hobbit

Without a doubt, the most famous symbol in Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings books is the ring itself, which first appears in The Hobbit when Bilbo finds it under the Misty Mountains, just before he meets Gollum. There are rings in earlier epic stories that Tolkien would have been aware of, the most famous being the ring in Richard Wagner’s four-part opera, the Ring Cycle — itself based on the Medieval epic poem the Nibelungenlied, in which two of the characters find a ring and fight to the death for it. In The Hobbit, as in these earlier works, the ring symbolizes the corruption of wealth and power. Gollum lives a miserable existence under the mountains; though he once lived above ground in the sun, it seems as if he has journeyed underground to be alone with his “precious” ring. (There’s lots of other evidence for the corrupting influence of wealth and power in The Hobbit, such as Thorin’s jealous obsession with the Arkenstone.) Bilbo, by contrast, seems relatively uninterested in treasure or power of any kind; perhaps because he is “innocent” in this sense, he can wear the ring without being consumed by jealousy or vanity.

The Ring Quotes in The Hobbit

The The Hobbit quotes below all refer to the symbol of The Ring. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:

Bilbo almost stopped breathing, and went stiff himself. He was desperate.

He must get away, out of this horrible darkness, while he had any strength left. He must fight. He must stab the foul thing, put its eyes out, kill it.
It meant to kill him. No, not a fair fight. He was invisible now. Gollum had no sword. Gollum had not actually threatened to kill him, or tried to yet. And he was miserable, alone, lost. A sudden understanding, a pity mixed with horror, welled up in Bilbo's heart: a glimpse of endless unmarked days without light or hope of betterment, hard stone, cold fish, sneaking and whispering.

Related Characters: Bilbo Baggins, Gollum

Related Symbols: The Ring

Page Number and Citation: 86-87

Explanation and Analysis:

He crept still nearer, and suddenly he saw peering between two big boulders a head with a red hood on: it was Balin doing look-out. He could have clapped and shouted for joy, but he did not. He had still got the ring on, for fear of meeting something unexpected and unpleasant, and he saw that Balin was looking straight at him without noticing him. "I will give them all a surprise," he thought, as he crawled into the bushes at the edge of the dell.

Related Characters: Bilbo Baggins, Balin

Related Symbols: The Ring

Page Number and Citation: 92

Explanation and Analysis:

The Ring Symbol Timeline in The Hobbit

The timeline below shows where the symbol The Ring appears in The Hobbit. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.

...wakes up and finds himself alone in a cold, dark cave. He finds a small ring on the ground, and puts it in his pocket almost without thinking. Though he doesn’t... (full context)

...paddle back to his lair and retrieve some things. Gollum actually intends to retrieve his ring, which makes him invisible, and use it to turn invisible and then kill Bilbo. The... (full context)

...and Bilbo is afraid that he will attack and eat him. He slips on the ring without thinking, and then runs as he hears Gollum coming. He trips and falls while... (full context)

In the goblins’ lair, the goblins see Bilbo—he has taken off his ring. Bilbo slips it back on just in time, and hides behind a barrel while the... (full context)

...than greet them right away, he decides to have some fun, and puts on his ring and walks among them, invisible. (full context)

...lost, while Gandalf insists that they find Bilbo instead of going on. Bilbo removes his ring and seems to appear out of thin air, startling everyone, including Gandalf. The dwarves are... (full context)

Bilbo puts on his ring and follows the sounds of yelling, and, with a little luck, he comes to a... (full context)

Bilbo realizes that he’ll have to explain his ring to the dwarves; he tells them that he can use it to disappear, and that... (full context)

...the trees, and captures them all, except for Bilbo, who manages to put on his ring and then follow behind unnoticed as the elves march the dwarves into their city. The... (full context)

...aground at a nearby town, where they’re stored overnight. Bilbo swims ashore and uses his ring to steal some food and wine; the next day, the barrels are sent back along... (full context)

...to spare. Bilbo is too clever to fall for this ploy, and puts on his ring, telling Smaug that he has only come to see if Smaug is as impressive as... (full context)

...night watchman. While the other dwarves sleep, he puts on his armor and uses his ring to sneak out of the Lonely Mountain through the Gate. While he’s crawling through a... (full context)

Bilbo is unimportant during the Battle of the Five Armies; he wears his invisibility ring the whole time. Nevertheless,... (full context)

...even more than he did before he met Gandalf. He rarely uses his sword or ring, and donates his mail coat to a museum. (full context)

...the Lonely Mountain, called “There and Back Again, a Hobbit’s Holiday,” when he hears a ring and finds that Balin and Gandalf are visiting. Bilbo learns that Bard has rebuilt the... (full context)

The Hobbit

J.R.R. Tolkien

The Ring Symbol Analysis

The Ring Quotes in The Hobbit

The Ring Symbol Timeline in The Hobbit