Who forged the One Ring and where was it created?
Sauron forged the One Ring in the fires of Mount Doom during the Second Age. He intended this artifact to be the most powerful of all Rings.
Questions about One Ring
Short answers, pulled from the story.
How did Isildur lose the One Ring after cutting it from Sauron's hand?
Isildur put on the Ring to escape Orcs near the Gladden Fields but it betrayed him by slipping from his finger as he swam. The Ring made him suddenly visible, leading to his death at the hands of the Orcs.
What happened to Sméagol when he took possession of the One Ring?
Sméagol strangled Déagol to take the Ring and it corrupted his body and mind over 500 years. This corruption turned him into the monstrous Gollum who hid in a cave under the Misty Mountains near Mirkwood.
Why did Gandalf and Galadriel refuse to wield the One Ring?
Gandalf and Galadriel refused to use the Ring because they knew that doing so would make them like Sauron himself. They understood that even powerful beings could not resist its corrupting effects.
Which Norse mythological work influenced Tolkien's creation of the One Ring?
Tolkien read and translated the Völsunga saga while at King Edward's School in Birmingham which provided some basis for his work. That saga included items named Andvaranaut and Gram corresponding broadly to the One Ring and the sword Narsil.