When movie fans look at the Lord of the Rings franchise, it is easy to think of the One Ring as the most powerful treasure, but fans of J.R.R. Tolkien’s novels know that is not true. That ring isn’t even close to being the most powerful treasure, and there are a few that are actually stronger than this ᴅᴇᴀᴅly and powerful ring.

While the One Ring is powerful and highly sought after by evil forces, it is mostly because it is a malevolent force of temptation and destruction. It corrupts the person holding it and offers them great power. However, in the world of Lord of the Rings, the Silmarils are much more powerful than the One Ring.

The Silmarils & How They Were Created Explained

Fans who watched the Peter Jackson Lord of the Rings movies might be fooled into thinking the One Ring is the most powerful treasure in Middle-earth. However, that’s because the movies didn’t really go into too much detail about the Silmarils during Frodo’s quest to find and dispose of the One Ring.

The creation of the Silmarils was similar to the Rings, as it was the Elves who chose to construct the three jewels that contain the essence of the Two Trees of Valinor. Fëanor, known as the greatest smith the Elves ever knew, chose to make this incredible treasure, and he succeeded in his task.

These were named the Silmarilli, blessed by the Valar, and almost everyone wanted them for themselves. The big problem is that these were, like the Rings, a source of jealousy and greed. This included Fëanor, who began to fear that people were going to take his treasure from him. His fears were correct, as that’s just what happened.

The Silmarils Are Much More Powerful Than Sauron’s One Ring

The One Ring is more powerful when it is taken into consideration that it was made as a tool for domination. However, Sauron could never dream of crafting anything like the Silmarils, which were designed by Fëanor​​​​​​​ for their beauty. At the same time, Fëanor dwarfed Sauron in skill, and what he created had power of its own.

It really is a hard decision when comparing something like the Silmarils to the One Ring, since it’s like comparing apples to oranges. However, when looking at the two Lord of the Rings treasures and artifacts, it is clear that the Silmarils had equal power, and likely more so, than the One Ring in many ways.

The Silmarils are hallowed. When Melkors touched it, it burned his hand and it never healed. Earendil proved the power of the Silmarils when he journeyed to Aman wearing just one of them, and he pᴀssed all barriers that resisted even Numenor. It was that powerful.

The One Ring was mostly a treasure that Sauron used to gain power and influence. However, the Silmarils caused the Valor to make war for the last time and changed the entire shape of Arda. The One Ring was a tool, but the Silmarils were the definition of true power.

The Silmarils Had A Bigger Legacy On Middle-Earth Than The One Ring

The concerns of Fëanor were founded, and it was a very evil being who finally came in to seize his great treasure. Valar Morgoth wanted to create a divide among the Elves, to weaken them and drive them apart. He came up with his plan in the First Age and worked with the scary monster Ungoliant to achieve his goal.

With Ungoliant’s help, Morgoth drained all the light from the Two Trees of Valinor and then stole Fëanor’s Silmarils. Morgoth then fled Middle-earth, leaving Fëanor ​​​​​​​without his prized possession. This led Fëanor to seek retribution and retrieve them, and he swore with his sons to retrieve them at all costs.

Fëanor and his sons then led a war party away from Middle-earth to wage war against Morgoth, and this led to the division of the Elves that Morgoth had hoped for. Interestingly, The Rings of Power had Galadriel contradict this, claiming the Elves only wanted revenge for the actions against the Two Trees of Valinor.

Where The Silmarils Are During The Lord Of The Rings

For most of the First Age, the Silmarils remained in Morgoth’s possession, as Fëanor and his sons couldn’t retrieve them. One of the three was stolen by Beren, and in The Rings of Power, it was used to light up the night skies in the show’s first season.

The other two Silmarils remained with Morgoth until after the War of Wrath, when they were retrieved from his lair. This led to The Rings of Power, where the one was in the sky with Eärendil. Fëanor’s sons found the other two, but one threw one out to sea, and the other leaped into the Earth, burying it underground.

This allowed them to reside in each realm: the Heavens, the Earth, and the Sea. The Heavenly Silmaril appears in The Lord of the Rings as its light is trapped in the phial Galadriel gives to Frodo. Even Sam recognizes this, as the light of the Silmaril guides them across Mordor.