Why all the Fuss over the One Ring?

[Gizzard]

What I recall is that the Ring enhances what is already possessed by the user. Had the Nazgul taken Frodo while he was wearing the Ring at the Ford of Bruinen, he wouldn't have been able to command them, for instance.

No way! Frodo would have kicked all of the 9 around if he wanted to. He was just playing possum to lure them in. ;-)

Anyway, its a reasonable interpretation that the Ring grants power according to stature. I came to my conclusion because I always imagined that if Joe the Random Soldier of Rohan came across the Ring it would quickly corrupt him and thrust him forward to be the leader of his unit, then the leader of an army and then the leader of Rohan. Assuming that no one more powerful managed to take the Ring from him during his rise, anyway.

I cant think of anything in the books to support my position; its just how I always justified it to myself. (And thinking about it, there is probably only one entity in Middle Earth who understands the Ring completely, and he never got to tell his story. "History is written by the victors," and all. ;-)

 

[Goodsport]

One thing that has always puzzled me about Lord of the Rings:

Why do so many people want the ring so badly??? Gollum is literally addicted to it, and Sauron needs it to put the rest of his essence back together, but beyond that...it doesn't do much.

We keep seeing people like Boromir talking about how they want to use "the power of the Ring". What power??? It's indestructable, it corrupts and grants long life, and it turns you invisible, that's it! It won't turn the tide of a war in your kingdoms favor if you have it. Why then does character after character seem to think it will grant them ultimate power if they wield it???

&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp This is a similar dilemna to those who wonder why the Nazis were after the Ark of the Covenent in Raiders of the Lost Ark. I mean, did the Nazis really think that God would help them out?


-G

 

[Alzrius]

lol, good point Goodsport!

Gizzard, my question comes from seeing the movies. I have read the books, but that was over ten years ago, so my memory of them is dim and fuzzy at best. I have been meaning to re-read them lately, but so far I just haven't had the time.

Still, I've gotten so very good (if conflicting) answers here. Thanks to everyone who replied so far!

 

[shilsen]

I know there's a quotation about the Ring bestowing strength based on the user's stature that I can't find, but here's one from "The Council of Elrond", right after Boromir suggested they use it:

Elrond - "We cannot use the Ruling Ring...Its strength, Boromir, is too great for anyone to wield at will, save only those who have already a great power of their own. But for them it holds an even deadlier peril. The very desire of it corrupts the heart. Consider Saruman. If any of the Wise should with this Ring overthrow the Lord of Mordor, using his own arts, he would then set himself on Sauron's throne, and yet another Dark Lord would appear."

 

[Holy Bovine]

You still have Aragon with his army distract Sauron. You have a few more elves on eagles fly in with the hobbit. Then you can have the nazgul on dragons "dogfight" with the eagles.

OK so the coolness factor just jumped by 5 points I still think Sauron would get that ring if it flew over his country.

Also the ring has a way of getting itself out of people's possion and betraying them at the last moment (happened to Isildur and Frodo).

 

[Vocenoctum]

I note that "power by stature" is equivalent to "hidden power" if nobody of stature ever has the ring. In the books, the ring goes from Sauron to Isildur to the bottom of a river, to Smeagol to Bilbo to Frodo. After Isildur, nobody of stature ever has the thing, and there are few to no records of Isildur's time with it. All notions on what powers the ring actually has are thus speculative.

It's been a bit since I read the books (I'll read them again after Return of the King, but don't want to be all nit-picky about the movies like some people), but did Isildur turn invisible in the books as well?

He does in the movie, so that makes Invisibility an intrinsic quality of the ring, though I'd assume it's an on/ off option for people of Sauron's ability.

I don't recall if it was the video game or the movie, probably the horrid video game, but one of them had a line that stated the ring's power was to command others, but to learn to use that power would be to lose yourself in the process.

Also, the elven rings at least DID stuff I think.

 

[Tarrasque Wrangler]

It's been a bit since I read the books (I'll read them again after Return of the King, but don't want to be all nit-picky about the movies like some people), but did Isildur turn invisible in the books as well?

I'm not sure about the books, but since he does it in the movie, I'm going to postulate the following: that invisibility is an enticement of sorts, to get one to use the ring more. Somewhat like how drug dealers give you your first fix for free. It convinces you that using the ring is a good thing, whereby the ring starts to do more for you, to keep you hooked on it.

But MY question is, why didn't they just put the ring in a lead box, sail out for a few hundred miles, and dump the thing in the middle of the ocean? Seems a lot easier than traipsing into his own domain, to the heart of his power, with an insane murderer as your guide. OK, so what's left of Sauron isn't destroyed in this scenario, but what's he gonna do, buy SCUBA gear?

 

[Corinth]

So long as the One Ring endures, Sauron can't die. So long as Sauron lives, the threat he poses to the Free Peoples of Middle-Earth endures. Time is on Sauron's side, so he can afford to spend many lifetimes of Men weakening his enemies until he can muster his armies and utterly demolish them. It's not enough to kill his enemies; Sauron desires to break their spirits, bend them to his will and make slaves of them and their descendants for all time.

So long as the One Ring endures, Sauron can do this. For this threat to end, the One Ring must be destroyed. This is why the quest had to be done, and done as it was done. No other path reached the desired goal.

 

[Umbran]

But MY question is, why didn't they just put the ring in a lead box, sail out for a few hundred miles, and dump the thing in the middle of the ocean? Seems a lot easier than traipsing into his own domain, to the heart of his power, with an insane murderer as your guide. OK, so what's left of Sauron isn't destroyed in this scenario, but what's he gonna do, buy SCUBA gear?

Maybe, maybe not. But hiding the ring doesn't keep Sauron from having his armies thump on the known world.

This is addressed in both the books and the movie. In The Fellowship of the Ring (Book 1, chapter 2, "The Shadow of the Past"), Gandalf says, "But as for throwing it away, that was obviously wrong. These Rings have a way of being found."

The Ring is not without power, even if nobody wears it. When it wants to, when the time is right, it entices. You throw it in the occean, some leviathan will crunch up that box. Eventually the ring will turn up in the belly of a fish in a fisherman's net, and it all begins again. Hiding the ring is at best a delaying tactic.

 

[shilsen]

What Umbran said, plus the Council was seeking to deal with the problem permanently. Glorfindel actually does make the same suggestion as Tarrasque Wrangler - to cast the Ring into the ocean. Gandalf replies that it may still be found, and that "it is not our part here to take thought only for a season, or for a few lives of Men, or for a passing age of the world. We should seek a final end of this menace, even if we do not hope to make one." Also, the destruction of the Ring was the only way to truly destroy Sauron, who would otherwise have conquered the lands of Middle-Earth piecemeal.