Thanks to everyone posting, for keeping what I believe is a worthwhile thread going. I can understand the tendency for many people to immediately dismiss a concept such as significant numbers in LOTR, especially given Tolkien's thoughts on true allegory. To say his work is devoid of symbolism is inaccurate, though, and not even if the man himself proclaimed it would I believe it.
Symbols such as swords are used frequently, especially the acquiring of magical swords. Even the breaking of Narsil holds a purpose, and Aragorn's reforging of it symoblises his fitness for the task ahead. I think it might be Sigurd that this is borrowed from, but I can't remember. Symbols in numbers are apparently (thank you, Quotemaster Legolas) not as frequent as some of us would like to believe, but neither will I believe that there is absolutely none. Perhaps the more farfetched symbols such as the five Istari can be discounted as coincidence, but the fact that Tolkien could have chosen
any number means there was a reason he chose 5. As he said himself, there is hardly a word in its 600,000 or so that is not considered.
I am about halfway through the magnificent Letters of Tolkien at the moment, and have just been informed about the small rhyme of lore "Seven Stars and Seven Stones, and One White Tree". It was plucked out of Tolkien's head at random. A phrase that he somehow had running through his mind and decided to incorporate. Any symbolism derived from this then is purely subconscious.
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I dont get your point about the nine rings
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My point was that Sauron, having initially ten fingers, could wear the One Ring and each of the Nazgūl's rings, and that this may be a factor in the choice of
Nine rings for mortal men doomed to die.
The main point of this post is to point out another obvious occurence of the number 3 as related to the elements:
Vanyar = air
Noldor = earth
Teleri = water
I believe this completes a very convincing case for numerology in Tolkien's work, at least as concerns the number 3.