The Ring Code
The Ring Code is a fun way to express your feelings and opinions about J.R.R. Tolkien’s world from The Lord of the Rings.
Example
In this little line of text is compressed quite some information about a fan of the Lord of the Rings: For example, it tells you that the owner of this code has read The Hobbit and The Silmarillion once and The Lord of the Rings more than five times. He has seen the movie trilogy by Peter Jackson at least ten times. It also tells you that he first got introduced to the world of Tolkien in his late teens by reading the book The Lord of the Rings. His favorite characters in the story are Frodo and Sam, and he especially likes the beginning of the story, the journey through Moria, and the final way through Mordor. He knows some Quenya grammar, owns the Extended Edition DVD(s), a collector’s edition soundtrack CD, and the collector’s edition books of The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit. He also went to at least one of the movie premieres. All this and the fact that he was born in the year 1981 might also tell you that he happens to be the author of this document, but this is actually the only thing that isn’t mentioned clearly in the code.
As you can see, you can reveal quite a bit of information about a person just by looking at their Ring Code. The code is not meant to replace a few written words, but rather to be a quick and fun way to express yourself. You might place your own Ring Code on your web page, in your e-mail signature, or in your ICQ profile. Or you might just keep it to yourself.
Requirements
I guess you should be a fan of the Lord of the Rings. You could still create a Ring Code otherwise, but you will agree with me that this would be rather pointless.
Other than this, you only need some patience and a few minutes of your spare time. If you have any questions or suggestions about this code—and I am sure you will think up a few things that I have left out—please do not hesitate to write me. I love getting e-mail! You can find my contact info at my home page.
How it works
The Ring Code is divided into sections. Each section corresponds to an uppercase letter (books is B, movies is M, favorite characters is C, and so on.) As you read through this text, you should write down the letter for each section, probably followed by some more letters, numbers, or signs as specified in the respective section.
The first section is called Books. Its letter is B, so you write down B as the first part of your code. If you have read The Hobbit, you would now add a lowercase h followed by at least one plus sign (because you have read it at least once). You might also have read The Lord of the Rings, in which case you would add a lowercase l, and one or more plus signs. This depends on how often you have read the book so far. See the descriptions below for the exact meaning of the plus signs and letters. After finishing the Books section, you might end up with a code looking like this:
Great! You have created the first part of your Ring Code. Now leave a small space and go on to the next section.
This is the sixth revision of the Ring Code, written and copyright © 2002-2004 by René Puls. This revision was first published on November 17th, 2004. For the latest revision, please check back to the following web site:
http://home.kianga.eu/doc/2004/10/9/ringcode
You may print out this document and distribute it freely, as long as you leave it unmodified. However, I recommend that you only link to this page instead of placing a copy on your web site, so that everyone automaticallys get the latest revision as soon as it is available.
Code Description
What follows are the sections of the Ring Code along with their descriptions, examples, and a few comments. Please note that while I used my own Ring Code as an example at the beginning of this text, the examples in the following section are made up and do not always reflect my personal opinions.
Books (B)
The whole world of Tolkien is based on books. Which of these books have you read so far? Please list them in the order in which you have read them.
- h – The Hobbit
- l – The Lord of the Rings
- s – The Silmarillion
Add one of these qualifiers after each letter to show how often you have read that book:
- ++++ – more than five times, and doing so regularly (e.g. once a year)
- +++ – more than five times
- ++ – a few times
- + – once
- – I have not read it, but may plan to do so (implied)
- - – I have no plans to read it
If you choose neither a positive nor a negative qualifier, please leave out the letter for the book as well. It is normal that you have not read a book but might consider reading it at some time in the future. Only add a minus sign if you want to make a statement that you do not ever want to read this specific book in your life.
If you would like to be even more exact, you can specify the language in which you have read the book. Add a two-letter country code in parentheses, after the letter for the book. If you do not add a code, it is assumed that you have read the books in English.
Here is a short piece of code for this section:
This would mean you have read The Hobbit once (and first), and the Lord of the Rings at least a few times more, though not more than five times in total. It implies (though it is not listed) that you have not read the Silmarillion but may plan to do so at a later time. It also tells that you have read the Lord of the Rings once in German.
If you know another book related to the Lord of the Rings, please contact me and I will add it to the list. I know of a few more books, but have not read them, so I am not sure whether they are really related to the LotR world.
Movies (M)
The movies do not tell the whole story and leave less to the imagination, but often have a more emotional impact on the viewer. Specify which of the Lord of the Rings movies you have seen so far:
If you list the trilogy, it is assumed that you mean all three parts of it. If you would like to single out a certain part, specify a number after the letter. However, unless you really want to make a clear statement about a certain part of the trilogy, it is recommended that you consider the trilogy as a whole and not add any numbers.
Now add the following qualifiers to define how often you have seen each movie:
- ++++ – more than ten times, and doing so regularly (e.g. once a month)
- +++ – more than ten times
- ++ – a few times
- + – once
- – have not seen it, but may plan to do so
- - – I have no plans to see it
Again, please do not list any movies where you would neither add a plus nor a minus sign. It is simply assumed that you have not seen a movie but would probably not mind doing so in the future. You may also add two-letter country codes as for the above category, if you wish.
This would mean that you have seen The Fellowship of the Ring at least ten times, and that you have seen The Two Towers less often. Alternatively, you could just use Mt+++ to say that you have seen every part of the trilogy quite often.
Characters (C)
Certainly everyone has one or more favorite characters in the story. Please choose a character you can relate to especially well, or who you like most.
This choice will probably be heavily influenced by the characters and actors in the movie trilogy. If you would like to differentiate between the movies and the books, you may do so by separating them with a slash. In this case, please list the character in the book first, and the movie character after the slash.
- a – Aragorn
- b – Boromir
- c – Bilbo
- d – Gimli
- e – Elrond
- f – Frodo
- g – Gandalf
- i – Galadriel
- l – Legolas
- m – Merry
- o – Sméagol/Gollum
- p – Pippin
- r – Arwen
- s – Sam
- w – Saruman
- x – Sauron
- y – The Nazgûl/Ringwraiths
- z – The Ring
If you don’t want to be so specific, you can just list one of the races of Middle-Earth in capital letters:
- D – Dwarves
- E – Elves
- N – Ents
- M – Men
- H – Hobbits
- O – Orcs
If you are really undecided, you may list more than one character and/or race. However, keep in mind that listing all of the characters or races is not really saying much.
This means that you favored Gimli’s character most in the books, but Frodo appealed to you more in the movies. If you were unsure about the book, but not about the movie, simply leave out the first letter like this: C/f. Or the other way around, if you were uncertain about the movie: Cd/. As another example, if you were a die-hard fan of Samwise Gamgee, no matter whether book or movie, you would just say Cs.
Favorite part of the story (S)
The Lord of the Rings has a very rich and complex story, but probably everyone has some part which appeals to them most. Which one is it for you?
In other words, which part of the story do you look forward to when reading the book or watching the movie? Which one makes you most sad when it is over?
You may use the same separation between book and movie as for the character choice above.
- s – The Shire
- w – Tom Bombadil and The Old Forest
- b – Bree to Rivendell
- r – Rivendell
- m – Moria to Lothlórien
- l – Lothlórien
- a – On the Great River
- o – Rohan and Isengard
- e – The Entwood
- y – Emyn Muil to Mordor
- t – Gondor and Minas Tirith
- g – Mordor and Mount Doom
- c – The Scouring of the Shire
- h – The Grey Havens
This means that you especially like the beginning of the hobbits’ quest in the Shire, as well as the journey through the dark of Moria.
Languages (L)
Do you speak or know some words of the following languages:
- q – Quenya
- s – Sindarin
- e – Other Elvish languages (Telerin, Doriathrin, etc.)
- w – Westron (the Common Speech)
- a – Adûnaic
- k – Khuzdûl (Dwarvish)
- b – The Black Speech
- t – Entish
- o – Other Tolkien languages (specify in parentheses)
Now specify how much you know of this language:
- +++ – I can speak it fluently
- ++ – I can write complete sentences in reasonable time
- + – I know part of the grammar
- – I know at least twenty words (list the letter without any signs)
The basic requirement of knowing at least twenty words before you can list a language in your code was deliberately made this high, because just about anyone knows a few Elvish words if they have seen the movie or read the book. Please list only languages which you are actively interested in.
If you would like to learn more about the languages of the Tolkien universe, have a look at Ardalambion, a site dedicated to all the languages created by Tolkien.
This tells you that the owner of this code knows some Sindarin grammar and is also interested in the language of the Dwarves.
Collectibles, Merchandise, and other Worldly Goods (G)
Everyone owns a few pieces of merchandise, but perhaps even some really valuable collector’s items. List all that apply:
I own…
- a – an autograph of Tolkien, the movie cast/crew, etc.
- b – a collector’s edition of a book
- d – Special Extended Edition DVDs of the trilogy
- k – a LotR audiobook (CD or tape)
- s – a collector’s edition soundtrack CD
- w – life-size weapons or armour
This could mean you own an autograph of someone of the movie cast, an actual piece of weapon or armour (like a sword or a helmet) and the collector’s edition of the Lord of the Rings book. The code of the book (in parentheses) is the same you would use in the books (B) section above.
Additions are of course welcome, but I am trying to keep this list rather short. Of course probably everyone owns a few stickers, computer games, or plastic figures. However, this section is about valuable collector’s items that you would consider a real investment.
First Encounter (E)
How did you first get in contact with the LotR world? (Please list only one.)
- a – Movie: The Lord of the Rings (animated, Ralph Bakshi, 1978)
- t – Movie: The Lord of the Rings (trilogy, Peter Jackson, 2001-2003)
- h – Book: The Hobbit
- l – Book: The Lord of the Rings
- i – Audiobook: The Hobbit (CD or tape)
- m – Audiobook: The Lord of the Rings (CD or tape)
At what age?
- ++++ – ten years or younger
- +++ – ten to fifteen
- ++ – sixteen to twenty
- + – twenty to thirty
- – above thirty (just list the letter without any signs)
This means that your first contact with the Lord of the Rings was through reading the book at an age of 16-20. If you read it at the age of twenty, you could also have said El+ instead. Simply use whatever feels right to you.
Influence on Your Life (R)
Dedicated fans usually take part in social events related to their “obsession”. And sometimes, a story like the Lord of the Rings may even influence their life in a larger way. List all that apply:
I have...
- c – been to a LotR convention
- f – made a close friend because he was also a fan of the LotR
- l – made a new hobby, or career because of the LotR
- m – met Tolkien, or one of the movie cast/crew members
- n – traveled to a certain country/place because of the LotR
- p – been to a LotR movie premiere
If none of the above applies to you (yet), leave out the R section completely.
This tells you that the owner of this code has been to a premiere of a LotR movie at some time. The Lord of the Rings has also inspired him to take up a new hobby or occupation.
As always, suggestions are welcome.
About You (P)
A little background on your person:
I am…
- f – female
- m – male
If you wish, you may add your year of birth as a 4-digit number, or, as an alternative, one of these qualifiers for your age:
- ++++ – sixty years or older
- +++ – fourty to sixty
- ++ – thirty to fourty
- + – twenty to thirty
- – fifteen to twenty
- - – ten to fifteen
- -- – younger than ten
This example means that the code’s owner is male and was born somewhere in 1981. Pm or Pm+ may be correct, too.
A few more notes
Please keep in mind that this code is not intended to be a scoring or rating system. You are not a better fan or person because you can list more plus signs or letters in your code than the other guy. It is only meant to show what you think of the story and how it affected you.
If you are unsure about a certain category, don’t worry. Just use the option that feels right to you, even if it does not apply completely. If you enjoyed creating your own Ring Code, or if you think that something needs improvement, I would be very happy to hear from you.
Special thanks for comments and suggestions go to: Thomas Schuster and Kurt Milano.
This is Kianga’s Spot – a private, non-commercial home page. Feel free to contact me with any questions. See the Impressum for important disclaimers and contact information required by German law.
