michael dennis
Member
I've just become intrigued by the question of ring-transfers in a whole new way.
It is repeatedly said that nobody ever gave up a ring of power willingly, except Bilbo. This cannot be true:
1. The One Ring, yes, this appears to be the case
2. For the nine, we might presume this to be the case based on the nature of their power
3. For the seven, we might question whether this is true. As mortals, Dwarves must have possessed some means of passing them on. I thought may not have been done until death, but Appendix A says they were passed "near death" so some ability to give it up is implied. We also will hear Gandalf say the ring was given from one generation to another. We don't know how long Sauron's recall effort took for the other six, but for a ring to have gotten all the way to Thrain must have involved many transfers. This ring was given to Durin III by the elves personally, not by Sauron (Appendix A). It may thus have been free of the full taint of Sauron, although he helped make it.
4. For the three, it is demonstrably false. Only Nenya remained with its original holder. Gil-Galad and Cirdan both willingly passed on rings to other holders. Granted, the nature and power of these rings is different - yet they are among the "great rings." (This brings up a thought experiment for me. What was Lindon and the Havens like when Cirdan had a ring, and how did it change after he gave it to Gandalf?)
None of this is meant to diminish what Bilbo did. The One Ring's power over the bearer's psyche is enormous and his act was truly special. I just think we should be careful how we describe it - it is not true that nobody else ever gave a ring of power willingly.
It is repeatedly said that nobody ever gave up a ring of power willingly, except Bilbo. This cannot be true:
1. The One Ring, yes, this appears to be the case
2. For the nine, we might presume this to be the case based on the nature of their power
3. For the seven, we might question whether this is true. As mortals, Dwarves must have possessed some means of passing them on. I thought may not have been done until death, but Appendix A says they were passed "near death" so some ability to give it up is implied. We also will hear Gandalf say the ring was given from one generation to another. We don't know how long Sauron's recall effort took for the other six, but for a ring to have gotten all the way to Thrain must have involved many transfers. This ring was given to Durin III by the elves personally, not by Sauron (Appendix A). It may thus have been free of the full taint of Sauron, although he helped make it.
4. For the three, it is demonstrably false. Only Nenya remained with its original holder. Gil-Galad and Cirdan both willingly passed on rings to other holders. Granted, the nature and power of these rings is different - yet they are among the "great rings." (This brings up a thought experiment for me. What was Lindon and the Havens like when Cirdan had a ring, and how did it change after he gave it to Gandalf?)
None of this is meant to diminish what Bilbo did. The One Ring's power over the bearer's psyche is enormous and his act was truly special. I just think we should be careful how we describe it - it is not true that nobody else ever gave a ring of power willingly.