We’ve been over this.
The Ring of Power corrupts those around it by promising to fulfill their darkest desires. It channels their urges to get what it wants.
It wanted Gollum to hide away under a mountain until its master could return with his armies.
Hobbits and River Folk don’t seek power. They want to be left along, smoke their pipes, and have lots of fat, happy children. As such, they have a natural defense to the ring’s influence, but they are not immune to it. It makes them covetous and protective of the precious, even if they don’t seek to use it for their own benefit.
We see the Ring of Power turns Gollum and Bilbo and Frodo invisible, but is that what it would have done for Boromir? For Gandalf? For Gimli or Galadriel? Almost certainly not. We saw in a flashback what it could do on Sauron’s finger, and the only thing it did for Isildur is quicken his death. Gollum was seduced and wanted to hide away. Bilbo was a burglar wanting to sneak past a dragon. Frodo wanted to sneak into Mount Doom.
So what does Sam want? The only thing Sam wants more than to return to the Shire is to ensure his best friend makes it home with him. Sam cannot carry the Ring, not because he is weak to its influence, but because his best friend wants it. Frodo has been corrupted, and would fight Sam if he tried to take it. They tried taking turns, but Sam learned what it felt like to want the Ring, and knew he couldn’t do it again.
But he could carry his friend, burdens and all. The ring could not drive a wedge between them, because Sam didn’t seek to separate Frodo from the Ring. Sam’s singular focus was getting to the end of their shared quest so that they could get home together.
If you put the Ring on a mouse, then whoever is carrying the mouse would be tempted to take it away, and the mouse would use the power of the Ring to keep it. Sam was resisting the temptation of the Ring, and the Ring was fighting back as hard as it could. It fully corrupted Frodo in the end, and it was only Gollum, who coveted the Ring more, who was able to take it away.
Fate, luck, the will of Eru, call it whatever you want, but Hobbits have the superpower of quiet contentment, and that’s the only thing that can beat a lust for domination of the Valar, the Maiar, of Elves and Men and Dwarves. It’s why Gollum hid away without conquering the goblins living above him. It’s why Bilbo could roll with dwarves and give up the Arkenstone. It’s why Frodo could walk into Mordor, right to the edge, knowing the journey was going to kill him. And it’s why Sam could carry Frodo the rest of the way.
As someone who often lifts a finger, types out the first two sentences of a comment and then just resigns: thanks for the well-written comment.
Best comment I have read all week for sure, possibly all month.
We see the Ring of Power turns Gollum and Bilbo and Frodo invisible, but is that what it would have done for Boromir? For Gandalf? For Gimli or Galadriel? Almost certainly not.
It would turn the mortals invisible and the immortals it wouldn’t.
Hobbits, Dwarves, Men would be rendered invisible. We see Hobbits and Isildur becoming invisible.
Gandalf and the Elves are immortals, they exist partially in the unseen world, just like Sauron. This seems to prevent the ring from shifting the wearer completely to the unseen world.
The ring wraiths have worn their rings so long they passed into the unseen world permanently and can only be seen by their cloaks. But Frodo can see them with the ring on.
My interpretation would be that the ring basically takes your position on the scale of “seen world” to “unseen world” and flips it - those previously fully anchored in the seen world will be sent to the unseen world, and those that exist in both will still exist in both. That includes Maiar like Sauron and Gandalf, and the elves.
We saw in a flashback what it could do on Sauron’s finger, and the only thing it did for Isildur is quicken his death.
He became invisible. That wasn’t just a film adaptation thing, that’s in Tolkien’s writings too.
I had no idea it didn’t turn everyone invisible! The intention/desire makes so much sense. I always though Sauron’s flesh was invisible but it didn’t hid the armor. Thanks for the explanation.
As others have mentioned, it probably would. In the books, it turns Isildur invisible when he jumps into the water. The way the Ring works, it takes you to another dimension. But it also twists people, so anyone with power would probably be amplified with evil energy.
They tried taking turns, but Sam learned what it felt like to want the Ring, and knew he couldn’t do it again.
I just listened to the books again. They didn’t really try to take turns. Sam thought frodo was dead so he took it to keep it from the orcs. And even after he gave it back he offered a few times to carry it again because frodo was so weak, but frodo wouldn’t let him and definitely was freaked out a when sam asked. The book describes frodo suddenly thinking sam was an orc or a thief trying to take the ring from him.
It’s been a long time since I read the books but I’m positive in the extended editions of the movies it turns Isildur invisible during the prologue. Is that a departure from source?
In the books, Isildur turned invisible by putting on the ring, and dove into a river to escape a band of orcs. The ring, under its own will, slipped from his finger and he was spotted by orcish archers, who killed him.
I’ve always thought that the “invisibility” aspect of the ring was that it shifted the wearer into the shadow realm. The Nine were invisible without their cloaks, but were visible when the ring was worn. It also made the wearer more visible to Sauron, iirc.
If that’s the case, then the power granted by the ring might mean that magic users (such as Gandalf or Galadriel) would more easily draw on power from the other realm into this one.
Isildur turned invisible by putting on the ring, and dove into a river to escape a band of orcs
Happened in the movies too, AFAIR.
And in the books it was a big thing that Tom Bombadil did not become invisible when he put on the ring. Invisibility seems to be a core feature.
I’ve always thought that the “invisibility” aspect of the ring was that it shifted the wearer into the shadow realm. The Nine were invisible without their cloaks, but were visible when the ring was worn. It also made the wearer more visible to Sauron, iirc.
Yup, this is how I think about it: the ring takes your existing point on the scale from the seen/unseen world and inverts it.
So it works out as so:
-
Mortal beings without the ring: 100% seen, 0% unseen
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Mortal beings with the ring: 0% seen, 100% unseen
-
Immortal beings without the ring: 50% seen, 50% unseen
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Immortal beings with the ring: 50% seen, 50% unseen
For immortals, it doesn’t render them invisible because if you “flip” their position, it still basically stays the same.
It’s one power the ring posses. I think Galadriel implied that, with training, Frodo would be able to turn that automatic function off, and access more powers. But the process of learning to use it would inherently corrupt whoever attempted it. I always took it to mean that the ring gathered power from the Unseen world, and so someone with no presence there and without the ability to manipulate it would be inherently dragged in, but it’s not a core aspect or intended design, and nullifying that would not be a hindrance to using it. It’s just a bug turned feature for folks that want to remain unseen.
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I thought the pulling the wearer into the other realm was part of the lore, that’s why it wouldn’t work the same on elves or a wizard, they are already part of that realm. So I’m agreeing I just thought I saw on tolkienfans it was the intended reading of the situation but I can’t remember if it was just theory from letters or something he wrote about.
Also why Frodo saw such a bright light when rescued at the Ford, he saw the elf, Glorifindal? As he was in the other realm. Also showed why that elf couldn’t go on the quest with them, he’d be like a beacon.
Yes and just to add to that: Where are they going to find tape?
Indeed, that is the real question.
Put the mouse with the ring in a box?
It’s a mouse, you put it in the ring!
yeah, but why didn’t tom bombadil just teleport them to mount doom, or whatever? or the eagles fly them? huh? checkmate, libtard.
The eagles had important bird things to do. They were too busy.
Damn dude, if there was Lemmy gold, I’d definitely give you some.
I’ve seen this meme before with a follow-up comment along the lines of:
“Gandalf, as an immortal, extremely powerful being, is functionally doing this by putting the ring on hobbits and driving them to Mordor”
This is how you end up with evil mouse overlords
lol wtf is this from?
Shit lol, mickey got dark, I never knew
Disney is Sauron* confirmed
The Secret of NIMH.
*Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH.
FTFY.
Great book. Disappointing sequel.
ah, true great book.
“The Secret of NIMH 2: Timmy sucks a dick” was not a great movie.
I have not heard of this movie… do I want to know more?
came out in 1998, straight to DVD.
LotR is prequel to Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy confirmed
Sauron tries corrupting Sam! He just has very little exposure time, and no idea what this weird little guy wants.
The ring is basically an inch from being dropped into oblivion and it is desperately trying to negotiate with a laborador retriever. It’s expecting a wolf. It’s offering a dark forest with tall deer and all the necks you can bite, and the lab’s like, I dunno, that sounds kinda scary, I’m’a just do the thing and go home. It almost gets there. Being carried gently in the mouth of this tired barnyard animal, it offers… a lake. A really big lake. And the the lab’s like, how big?, and the ring offers a lake the size of a sea, and the lab’s like no, that’s too big, but thank you. Ptoo. And then he goes home and only thinks of it in those dreams where his legs move.
no idea what this weird little guy wants
to be GOAT gardener
Get good with Rosie at least thirteen times
The only thing to learn from this is that you don’t let software developers write fiction.
no it’s that you don’t let fiction authors write software
that’s how you end up with skyrim
Skyrim is one of the most successful and beloved video games of all time. Maybe there’s something to letting fiction authors write software
Skyrim could still be one of the most played games today, if the code wasn’t a steaming pile of garbage. The modding scene is already one of the largest in existence, and if it was as mutable as Minecraft it could stick around as the 3D rpg modding platform.
Instead Bethesda throws minor updates no one wants that breaks everything every few years, and then makes 4 more games using the same steaming pile of garbage that holds everything back over a decade. Fallout 4 was pretty decent, and 76 may have redeemable writing underneath the crusty shovelware coating, but then Starfield is trash in every way.
Skyrim was barely acceptable 15 years ago, but the engine isn’t capable of much more than a visual novel today, and all the decent writers have been chased away by Bethesda. Anyone writing new software would be an improvement.
I’m not sure my system can play Skyrim
and millions of people watch football, doesn’t mean its a good game or worth my time or not all fucked up
Are we talking about actual football here, or the weird hand-egg sport which some people call football?
Both are really fun sports to watch and play. Maybe we shouldn’t be in here trying to feel superior by demeaning activities which bring other people joy.
This comment thread was a trip!
I love watching a game of the old handy eggy!
I know it’s just a dumb meme but Boromir was still influenced just by proximity.
The reality is it’s another example of Hobbits being resistant to it’s influence
Hmm. Mouse is corrupted by the influence of the ring, escapes. “In place of a Dark lord, you will have a squeaky king! All shall love my little whiskers and despair!”
Uh oh… This would actually work. I’m already on board for the squeaky king. ALL HAIL THE SQUEAKY KING!!!
Corrupted… Rodent… Dark influence… Man things shall tremmmble in fear yes-yes
Ring-wraith mice
Um, throughout much of the journey I thought Frodo had the ring on a necklace so he wouldn’t have to wear it on his hand. How is a mouse a better solution?
Well the mouse’s soul would become tainted and evil.
Hmm sounds like the new micky mouse origin story lore just dropped.
Minnie was a crack-whore
Sam = Pluto, Gollum = Goofy?
Nah make Donald gollum. When Donald gets looking rough and deranged he is an excellent character
“I’ll fuckin’ do it again.”
“Ah-hyuck, murder”
Oh, does the mouse have to be alive? Or could you just carry around a mummified mouse?
Don’t tell PETA I said this but the mouse being dead is probably preferable, all things considered.
The rat would turn feral super fast… I ain’t holding it. Fucker might try to burrow through me to get away.
Can confirm. Had to wash a shit load of bubble soap off of my cat this evening (toddler) and she, being as sweet and domesticated as she is, became a feral rat real fuckin’ quick.
cage my dude
As far as i know, Sam and Bilbo was the only two “mortals” ever able to willing give away the ring after wearing it. And if we consider how other hobbits was both instantly subjugated (Smeagle), or slowly corrupted (Frodo), this is quite something.
But too be fair, Sam only had it for a short time. Also in the movies he also struggles to give it back to frodo (I can’t remember the books). Watch it again and you can see him hesitating and only giving it back when frodo prompts him harsher. Though you could interpret it as him not being sure whether it is a good idea for frodo’s health that frodo gets the ring back. Same with bilbo where Gandalf had to influence him quite a bit.
It’s more of less the same in the books, with the ring promising him power and riches. He also actually appears as a terrible warrior to the orcs, not just because of a trick of the light.
I can’t believe smeargle got the ring, but hey I never finish Children of Hurin
Amazing
The ring wants who it wants. Frodo was just hotter get over it
Keep your forked tongue behind your teeth! Everyone knows Sam’s po-tay-toes are the best in the land.
Rosie Cotton sure thought so.
Frodo should have kept that envelope from the beginning of the movie, that thin slice of paper alone let Gandalf handle the ring when otherwise he wouldn’t dare even touch it
I always assume there was a proximity to Mordor thing. So out at the Shire, it was pretty weak and Gandalf could get away with the envelope trick, but when they get into Mordor, an envelope or chain wouldn’t have worked.
They bring this up in the movies.
The closer to Mordor the ring got the more powerful its pull becomes. To the point that realistically no one would be able to willingly throw the ring into the lava. The ring simply would not let them. It’s how Isildur failed. He was met with maximum temptation from the beginning.
Which is why Frodo cursed Gollum, so that if Gollum ever took the ring back, he would immediately fall into the lava. And the ring held him to his word.
Tolkien corroborated this in one of his letters by saying that in mount doom, where the ring’s power is at its highest, even Souron himself would not be able to throw it in (not that he’d want to anyway of course).
Okay, glad I didn’t make that up. But it’s been a while since I’ve read the book. Guess it’s time to rewatch the movies though.
That’s true, but even in Shire Gandalf wouldn’t even touch the ring. When he merely reached for it he got Sauron PTSD flashbacks and he physically stepped away in fear when Frodo tried to give the ring to him later. He uses Frodo to test whether it’s cool after being heated in fire and I imagine this is for the same reason, not because he considers Frodo a good guinea pig for experimenting with metal heat dissipation.
Has 0 issues handling it in an envelope tho lol
they should have simply attached the ring to a cruise missile and set it to target mount doom
They didn’t have tape back then.
Stuart Little LotR Spinoff in 2025?
