Current Events > What exactly do people think they'll be able to do with the Ring?*LotR spoilers*

(+) Yeah! (+)

Like with Boromir, who says he wants to use it as a weapon against Sauron. Ditto for the other Gondor folks who stumble on it in Two Towers.

Like as far as we see all it does it make you go invisible
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Yeah wasn't it forged so that only sauron could utilise it
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The invisibility factor plus the idea that itll give you control over others, including possibly his armies

But more than anything, thats just the Ring feeding you some bullshit. Obviously youd never actually get anywhere by using it aside from being dead or Saurons slave. The we can use it as a weapon!!! idea is just a rationalization part of the seduction.
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Mr_Biscuit posted...

But more than anything, thats just the Ring feeding you some bullshit.

yeah, he basically fell for it. maybe saw himself as a great leader or the 'rightful' king

Tolkien said that even Gandalf would struggle to control the ring and he's pretty much the closest thing to Sauron
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wdlp posted...

Yeah wasn't it forged so that only sauron could utilise it

No I don't think so. Sauron's actions in the books seem to indicate he's actually quite terrified of someone using the ring against him. I believe he was under the impression that Aragorn had the One Ring and was marching on the Black Gate to overthrow him.
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prince_leo posted...

Mr_Biscuit posted...

But more than anything, thats just the Ring feeding you some bullshit.

yeah, he basically fell for it. maybe saw himself as a great leader or the 'rightful' king

Tolkien said that even Gandalf would struggle to control the ring and he's pretty much the closest thing to Sauron

Yeah, there are a couple times Gandalf outright says he doesnt dare even touch it for fear hed be corrupted.
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Doesnt it also make you immortal
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Does the ring make anyone invisible or just Frodo? It didn't seem to make Sauron invisible.
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DarkDragon400 posted...

Does the ring make anyone invisible or just Frodo? It didn't seem to make Sauron invisible.

Not sure. I know it does nothing to Tom bombadill
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DarkDragon400 posted...

Does the ring make anyone invisible or just Frodo? It didn't seem to make Sauron invisible.

I imagine Sauron could go invisible if he wanted to. But he wouldn't really have any reason to do that.
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I could be very wrong here but I remember reading that the Ring does different things for different kinds of people. Hobbits become invisible because they have an innate desire to be hidden. Humans become immortal (But not invincible) because they're afraid of death. And so on.
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DarkDragon400 posted...

Does the ring make anyone invisible or just Frodo? It didn't seem to make Sauron invisible.

It makes every mortal who wears it invisible.

It made Bilbo invisible, for one thing. He used the Ring that way a ton of times in the Hobbit, and his final use of it is how the Ring is first introduced to the reader in LotR.

It also made Gollum invisible, which is why he was able to subsist so long in the mountains slaying Orcs and eating their flesh, or catching fish with his bare hands.

It made Sam invisible as well when he was on his mission to rescue Frodo from the guardtower of Cirith Ungol.

Finally, lore-wise, it made Isildur invisible during his attempt to escape the Orc attack at the Gladden Fields, but the Ring slipped off from his finger on its own volition, revealing him and letting him get shot to death by Orc snipers.

Not sure why it doesn't work on Sauron himself, but I guess that's just because it's his Ring and thus he can limit its effect on him in certain regards if he so chooses.
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Distant_Rainbow posted...

Not sure why it doesn't work on Sauron himself, but I guess that's just because it's his Ring and thus he can limit its effect on him in certain regards if he so chooses.

I believe the idea is that part of the invisibility is being drawn into the wraith world, which Sauron already exists in while lesser species do not
So Gandalf if he had the ring would not go invisible either (although I wouldn't be surprised if this were an option), and probably not someone like Galadriel since she was born in the Undying Lands.
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The one ring was created by Sauron to enhance his powers. Sauron above all else had the power to dominate the wills everyone in middle earth.

The lesser rings were created to help bend people to his will even more. Look at the one ring as a buff to Sauron psychic stat and the lesser rings are psychic debuff.

The elves found out about this and took the rings off. The dwarves didnt care about anything but gold and jewels so they couldnt be controlled. We know what happened to the men who were given rings.

Even Sauron didnt know that he was the only one that could wield it. Which is why Ford/Sam were able to succeed. Sauron was sure that everyone would use the ring not destroy it.

The ring allows the wearer to slip between the shadow realm and the normal one. This is why the witch king of angmar could see and stab Frodo on the watch tower of Amon Sul.

The Nazgul wore the lesser rings for so long that they withered away and passed into the shadow.
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Aelia posted...

The one ring was created by Sauron to enhance his powers. Sauron above all else had the power to dominate the wills everyone in middle earth.

The lesser rings were created to help bend people to his will even more. Look at the one ring as a buff to Sauron psychic stat and the lesser rings are psychic debuff.

The elves found out about this and took the rings off. The dwarves didnt care about anything but gold and jewels so they couldnt be controlled. We know what happened to the men who were given rings.

Even Sauron didnt know that he was the only one that could wield it. Which is why Ford/Sam were able to succeed. Sauron was sure that everyone would use the ring not destroy it.

Is it ever mentioned what happened to the Elves' rings? Were they destroyed or are they still out there?
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evilpresident posted...

Is it ever mentioned what happened to the Elves' rings? Were they destroyed or are they still out there?

Elrond, Galadriel, and Gandalf each have one
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prince_leo posted...

evilpresident posted...

Is it ever mentioned what happened to the Elves' rings? Were they destroyed or are they still out there?

Elrond, Galadriel, and Gandalf each have one

Is that mentioned in the books? Haven't read them in more than a decade.
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evilpresident posted...

Aelia posted...

The one ring was created by Sauron to enhance his powers. Sauron above all else had the power to dominate the wills everyone in middle earth.

The lesser rings were created to help bend people to his will even more. Look at the one ring as a buff to Sauron psychic stat and the lesser rings are psychic debuff.

The elves found out about this and took the rings off. The dwarves didnt care about anything but gold and jewels so they couldnt be controlled. We know what happened to the men who were given rings.

Even Sauron didnt know that he was the only one that could wield it. Which is why Ford/Sam were able to succeed. Sauron was sure that everyone would use the ring not destroy it.

Is it ever mentioned what happened to the Elves' rings? Were they destroyed or are they still out there?

The Elves' rings were never influenced by Sauron. Elrond, Galadriel, and Gandalf were in possession of them throughout LOTR.
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GeneralKenobi85 posted...

evilpresident posted...

Aelia posted...

The one ring was created by Sauron to enhance his powers. Sauron above all else had the power to dominate the wills everyone in middle earth.

The lesser rings were created to help bend people to his will even more. Look at the one ring as a buff to Sauron psychic stat and the lesser rings are psychic debuff.

The elves found out about this and took the rings off. The dwarves didnt care about anything but gold and jewels so they couldnt be controlled. We know what happened to the men who were given rings.

Even Sauron didnt know that he was the only one that could wield it. Which is why Ford/Sam were able to succeed. Sauron was sure that everyone would use the ring not destroy it.

Is it ever mentioned what happened to the Elves' rings? Were they destroyed or are they still out there?

The Elves' rings were never influenced by Sauron. Elrond, Galadriel, and Gandalf were in possession of them throughout LOTR.

Half right. The rings worn by them werent created by Sauron. They were created by a elf named Celebrimbor in secret.

Basically magic, in the Tolkien universe, is a function of time. As time passes, the power of the elves diminishes. Celebrimbor created rings of power to slow this process. Which is why Elrond and Galadriel each had one. Gandalfs I THINK belonged to Gil Galad. The elven king from then last alliance of elves and men.

The 16-17 lesser rings created by Sauron were either destroyed or they were reclaimed by Sauron. Forget which. They were useless without the one though.
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Aelia posted...

GeneralKenobi85 posted...

evilpresident posted...

Aelia posted...

The one ring was created by Sauron to enhance his powers. Sauron above all else had the power to dominate the wills everyone in middle earth.

The lesser rings were created to help bend people to his will even more. Look at the one ring as a buff to Sauron psychic stat and the lesser rings are psychic debuff.

The elves found out about this and took the rings off. The dwarves didnt care about anything but gold and jewels so they couldnt be controlled. We know what happened to the men who were given rings.

Even Sauron didnt know that he was the only one that could wield it. Which is why Ford/Sam were able to succeed. Sauron was sure that everyone would use the ring not destroy it.

Is it ever mentioned what happened to the Elves' rings? Were they destroyed or are they still out there?

The Elves' rings were never influenced by Sauron. Elrond, Galadriel, and Gandalf were in possession of them throughout LOTR.

Half right. The rings worn by them werent created by Sauron. They were created by a elf named Celebrimbor in secret.

Basically magic, in the Tolkien universe, is a function of time. As time passes, the power of the elves diminishes. Celebrimbor created rings of power to slow this process. Which is why Elrond and Galadriel each had one. Gandalfs I THINK belonged to Gil Galad. The elven king from then last alliance of elves and men.

The 16-17 lesser rings created by Sauron were either destroyed or they were reclaimed by Sauron. Forget which. They were useless without the one though.

Gandalf's ring was originally the ring of Cirdan the Shipwright, who gave it to him when he first came to Middle-Earth. Gil-galad's ring passed to Elrond when he died.
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Aelia posted...

GeneralKenobi85 posted...

evilpresident posted...

Aelia posted...

The one ring was created by Sauron to enhance his powers. Sauron above all else had the power to dominate the wills everyone in middle earth.

The lesser rings were created to help bend people to his will even more. Look at the one ring as a buff to Sauron psychic stat and the lesser rings are psychic debuff.

The elves found out about this and took the rings off. The dwarves didnt care about anything but gold and jewels so they couldnt be controlled. We know what happened to the men who were given rings.

Even Sauron didnt know that he was the only one that could wield it. Which is why Ford/Sam were able to succeed. Sauron was sure that everyone would use the ring not destroy it.

Is it ever mentioned what happened to the Elves' rings? Were they destroyed or are they still out there?

The Elves' rings were never influenced by Sauron. Elrond, Galadriel, and Gandalf were in possession of them throughout LOTR.

Half right. The rings worn by them werent created by Sauron. They were created by a elf named Celebrimbor in secret.

Basically magic, in the Tolkien universe, is a function of time. As time passes, the power of the elves diminishes. Celebrimbor created rings of power to slow this process. Which is why Elrond and Galadriel each had one. Gandalfs I THINK belonged to Gil Galad. The elven king from then last alliance of elves and men.

The 16-17 lesser rings created by Sauron were either destroyed or they were reclaimed by Sauron. Forget which. They were useless without the one though.

Sauron never created those rings, just the One Ring to control the rest. Celebrimbor made all the rest, Sauron just got his hands on the rings of men which is why he could directly control them. He never touched the Elven rings, but their owners still didn't use them much just in case.

Most people couldn't use the One Ring to it's full potential, it would just dominate the average person over time (like what happened to Gollum.) It would supposedly take a strong person with a strong will to power to make good use of it, although why it didn't work like that for Isildur, I don't know.
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Isildur caved to the ring in about five seconds. He wasnt strong willed whatsoever maybe someone with an incredible amount of discipline couldve used it to control and dominate if they chose.

Aragorn MIGHT have been one such candidate, given he resisted it a lot better than Isildur or Boromir. Gandalf could have, theoretically, not joined Sauron but overthrown him and been just as bad or worse.
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Mr_Biscuit posted...

But more than anything, thats just the Ring feeding you some bullshit.

This probably has the most to do with where people get those notions

However IIRC its power (and power over the user) also scales up with the power of the person wearing it
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Turning invisible is pretty powerful really.
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Well, Gollum is extremely old in the books. Exposure to the ring greatly extended his life. Although he looks deformed and hes obviously fucked in the head...hes not even senile. Hes sprightly and conniving.

Same with Bilbo to a lesser extent - its noted he lived quite a bit longer than normal for a hobbit and his neighbors/friends noted he looked younger than he should have in the lotr.
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Dat_Cracka_Jax posted...

Not sure. I know it does nothing to Tom bombadill

Makes some sense. He's basically set up to be an eternal being who is disconnected from the goings-on in Middle Earth. That's why he doesn't really care about the Ring aside from thinking it's an interesting novelty - even if Sauron gets it back and wrecks shit, he's probably not gonna be affected.

I like the idea that, as the one ring feeds into the ambitions of those who desire it, the main reason Tom doesn't care is that he has no real ambitions at this point - he's just content to live his life.
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ClunkerSlim posted...

Its a plot hole with a bunch of fan-splaining. The fact is the ring seems pretty useless except for invisibility. Frodo sure couldnt control the other ring bearers. There seems to be a hundred other things in middle earth more powerful than the ring, like that undead ghost army for one.

No, it is explained by Tolkien. The Ring gives you power over others. We even see a glimpse of it in Frodo; on the slope of Mount Doom (IIRC) he completely subjugates Gollum for a little while, because his powers grew while he was a Ringbearer. Magic in LotR isn't often about cool spells, like fireballs etc. Heck, even Gandalf doesn't do that a lot. It's much more intangible, like how just chanting the name of a god makes the Nazgul recoil, or how the light of a Silmaril captured in the reflection of Galadriel's mirror helps force Shelob back, or how Saruman's voice charms people of weak will.
The undead ghost army wasn't so powerful - what they actually did was just scare people so they abandoned a mission that Sauron had coerced them into using fear.

The point of having a Hobbit be the Ringbearer was because Hobbits aren't very thirsty for power, so they don't get corrupted as quickly. Furthermore they aren't very powerful, so they couldn't really be as dangerous as Aragorn, Galadriel or Gandalf would be.
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there's a really interesting theory about Tom Bombadil here. some cool stuff about Gandalf too.

http://www.cas.unt.edu/~hargrove/bombadil.html
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Here's one of the relevant passages from the council of Elrond. Gandalf and Galadriel also echo similar sentiments:

"'Alas, no,' said Elrond. 'We cannot use the Ruling Ring. That we now know too well. It belongs to Sauron and was made by him alone, and is altogether evil. 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. And that is another reason why the Ring should be destroyed: as long as it is in the world it will be a danger even to the Wise. For nothing is evil in the beginning. Even Sauron was not so. I fear to take the Ring to hide it. I will not take the Ring to wield it.'"
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GeneralKenobi85 posted...

The Elves' rings were never influenced by Sauron. Elrond, Galadriel, and Gandalf were in possession of them throughout LOTR.

They do take them off after Sauron is revealed to have made the One Ring, they just start wearing them later for some reason.

ClunkerSlim posted...

Its a plot hole with a bunch of fan-splaining. The fact is the ring seems pretty useless except for invisibility. Frodo sure couldnt control the other ring bearers. There seems to be a hundred other things in middle earth more powerful than the ring, like that undead ghost army for one.

No it's not, other people can use the ring if they actually got hold of it like Galadraiel or Gandalf. But they will be corrupted by the ring in trying to use the abilities that it does have.

Frodo is just some nobody from a town where they just smoke and eat food. So he doesn't know how to use it.

evilpresident posted...

I could be very wrong here but I remember reading that the Ring does different things for different kinds of people. Hobbits become invisible because they have an innate desire to be hidden. Humans become immortal (But not invincible) because they're afraid of death. And so on.

It increases everything, hobbits are naturally sneaky to the point people lose track of them during fights (Witch King and Merry for example)

But it turns everyone invisible.

Dat_Cracka_Jax posted...

DarkDragon400 posted...

Does the ring make anyone invisible or just Frodo? It didn't seem to make Sauron invisible.

Not sure. I know it does nothing to Tom bombadill

Bombadill is above everyone, Tolkien meant to leave him unexplained but he's implied to be a personification of Middle Earth itself.

Doom_Art posted...

Like with Boromir, who says he wants to use it as a weapon against Sauron. Ditto for the other Gondor folks who stumble on it in Two Towers.

Like as far as we see all it does it make you go invisible

We see Sauron use it.

All the rings grant immortality an increase in power and further magic.

The ring whispers that it can make everything you want come true if you use it, and feeds desire for any of those.
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The_Ivory_Man posted...

They do take them off after Sauron is revealed to have made the One Ring, they just start wearing them later for some reason.

They start wearing them again because they know Sauron doesn't have the Ring.
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synth_real posted...

Aelia posted...

GeneralKenobi85 posted...

evilpresident posted...

Aelia posted...

The one ring was created by Sauron to enhance his powers. Sauron above all else had the power to dominate the wills everyone in middle earth.

The lesser rings were created to help bend people to his will even more. Look at the one ring as a buff to Sauron psychic stat and the lesser rings are psychic debuff.

The elves found out about this and took the rings off. The dwarves didnt care about anything but gold and jewels so they couldnt be controlled. We know what happened to the men who were given rings.

Even Sauron didnt know that he was the only one that could wield it. Which is why Ford/Sam were able to succeed. Sauron was sure that everyone would use the ring not destroy it.

Is it ever mentioned what happened to the Elves' rings? Were they destroyed or are they still out there?

The Elves' rings were never influenced by Sauron. Elrond, Galadriel, and Gandalf were in possession of them throughout LOTR.

Half right. The rings worn by them werent created by Sauron. They were created by a elf named Celebrimbor in secret.

Basically magic, in the Tolkien universe, is a function of time. As time passes, the power of the elves diminishes. Celebrimbor created rings of power to slow this process. Which is why Elrond and Galadriel each had one. Gandalfs I THINK belonged to Gil Galad. The elven king from then last alliance of elves and men.

The 16-17 lesser rings created by Sauron were either destroyed or they were reclaimed by Sauron. Forget which. They were useless without the one though.

Sauron never created those rings, just the One Ring to control the rest. Celebrimbor made all the rest, Sauron just got his hands on the rings of men which is why he could directly control them. He never touched the Elven rings, but their owners still didn't use them much just in case.

Most people couldn't use the One Ring to it's full potential, it would just dominate the average person over time (like what happened to Gollum.) It would supposedly take a strong person with a strong will to power to make good use of it, although why it didn't work like that for Isildur, I don't know.

Sauron showed Celebrimbor ring making techniques, and he worked on them alongside Celebrimbor.

With the exception of the Elven rings which Celebrimbor made on his own and the One Ring which Sauron did alone.

scar the 1

Magic in LotR isn't often about cool spells, like fireballs etc.

Minor nitpicking here but they do some bigger magical attacks.

Elrond had his water trap, Gandalf does some magic stuff at the Black Gate, the Witch King does project flames and lights his sword on fire.

Then we have all the small mentions that they never go too much into.
The Dwarves control smoke in the Hobbit as well, racing each other around Bilbo's house with smoke rings, Aragorn has some healing thing with Tolkien mentioning King's healing, and Boromir has prophetic dreams.

It's just that they barely talk about it at all, given how Tolkien cared more about songs and wordplay than battle, although they definitely do seem less magical than other series.
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The_Ivory_Man posted...

Minor nitpicking here but they do some bigger magical attacks.

Elrond had his water trap, Gandalf does some magic stuff at the Black Gate, the Witch King does project flames and lights his sword on fire.

Then we have all the small mentions that they never go too much into.
The Dwarves control smoke in the Hobbit as well, racing each other around Bilbo's house with smoke rings, Aragorn has some healing thing with Tolkien mentioning King's healing, and Boromir has prophetic dreams.

It's just that they barely talk about it at all, given how Tolkien cared more about songs and wordplay than battle, although they definitely do seem less magical than other series.

Yeah, you're right. It's just that the magic that takes center stage is more often the subtle stuff. It's described quite well somewhere, how the elves don't consider what they're doing to be magic, they just do it.
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scar the 1 posted...

The_Ivory_Man posted...

They do take them off after Sauron is revealed to have made the One Ring, they just start wearing them later for some reason.

They start wearing them again because they know Sauron doesn't have the Ring.

I was speaking of why they start wearing them at all afterwords, it seems odd to start wearing the rings after learning that an evil someone planned to corrupt you with them.

I'm not sure the ring would have affected his control at all, not that they would have known when they took them off to begin.

Given that with Celebrimbor having made them alone should prevent Sauron any kind of control with the Ring of Power.

He needed the rings of the men to control them after they were corrupted, and even with the dwarves wearing the rings he never dominated them.

The boost must have been significant, or the elves truly didn't care at all.
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It was my understanding that Sauron could only conceivably control them using his own Ring, even though Celebrimbor made them alone, and that's why they took them off until Isildur chopped off his finger.
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