The Silmarils

The Silmarils, known also as the Three Jewels and the Jewels of Fëanor, are the most radiant and most ruinous treasures in the history of Arda. They are the primal objects of desire in Tolkien's mythology, the original pattern from which the One Ring's corrupting power descends, and the cause of the first great catastrophe of the Elves. Their creation, theft, and the desperate wars fought over them define the Elder Days and cast a long shadow over the Third Age, in which the events of The Lord of the Rings unfold. To understand the Silmarils is to understand the deepest structure of Tolkien's world: the entanglement of beauty, pride, and doom that drives its history.