what happened to the nine rings?

[gorthaur_cruel]

The Nine were destroyed after the One was. And it was Sauron who held them.

I read in The Council of Elrond today a part that changes my mind. Gandalf says, in regards to the Rings, that the seven are taken or destroyed. The Three are known. The Nine the Nazgul keep. So that changes that. I suppose they lost all their power and either feel to the earth below, or were destroyed.

Indeed, this is the biggest evidence that the Nazguls keep the Nine. But there is far much more evidence that Sauron holds them. Here are a few(emphasises mine):

Originally Posted by Letters #246

... Sauron, who still through their nine rings (which he held) had primary control...

Originally Posted by Unfinished Tales

...mightiest servants, the Ring-wraiths, who had no will but his own, being each utterly subservient to the ring that had enslaved him, which Sauron held

Originally Posted by Unfinished Tales

...were entirely enslaved to their Nine Rings, which [Sauron] now himself held

Originally Posted by The Lord of the Rings

...the Nine [Sauron] has gathered to himself; the Seven also, or else they are destroyed

Originally Posted by The Lord of the Rings

You saw the Eye of him that holds the Seven and the Nine

These evidences suggest that Sauron held the Ring. And the evidence that they are destroyed comes from the Silmarillion:

And so indeed it has since befallen: The One and the Seven and the Nine are destroyed, and the Three have passed away.

[rutslegolas]

Indeed your assumptions could be right , but I think the Dark Lord did not hold the nine . The phrase " he held the nine " can also be deciphered as that he had control over the nine rings , and the nazgul wore them so he also had control over the ringwraiths .

But indeed I have come to realise that after the One Ring is destroyed the nine would be also destroyed .

[Boromir88]

I don't see how you could also interpret the quotes as Sauron held control over the ringwraiths. Each quote talks about holding the nine rings. It's specific, now if they said "Sauron held the nine" or "he controlled the nine." Then I can see interpreting it as either the rings or the ringwraiths. But none of them do, each quote specifically talks about the nine rings; not the ringwraiths.

[gorthaur_cruel]

The last two Nine Ring quotes could be interpreted the way you said, rutslegolas, but I don't think the first two or three quotes can. They pretty much say that Sauron held the Nine Rings. It would also make more sense...how else would Sauron hold power over the Ringwraiths when he lost the Ring that gives him the power to control them?

[rutslegolas]

Well Boromir could be right , but then if the Dark Lord held the nine rings,do you suggest that the ringwraiths obeyed the Dark Lord's orders because he had the possession of their nine rings??

But I think that when the Dark Lord gave the wraiths their nine rings they were corrupted and would listen to the Dark Lord even if he did'nt have the One Ring ,because as long as the Ring survived the Dark Lord had control over his wraiths .

[Boromir88]

We see that the Ringwraiths aren't affective. They fail to get Frodo while he's in the Shire, they fail to get Frodo while he's on Weathertop, they fail to get Frodo wondering around in Mordor. We also see them fail against fighting Aragorn on Weathertop. Even Gandalf admits that he can not take on all nine by himself, they are tough opponents. Aragorn is able to take on five of them by himself, which suggests the Wraiths weren't at their full potential, maybe they didn't have their rings? Since they seem to not be at full "strength." This is just my own speculation though .

[Gil-Galad]

when the one ring was destroyed, the elvish rings lost its powers, so i would assume that hte nine rings would just be normal rings