Agency and The Nature of the Rings of Power

[Evil Dr. Cannon]

Forgive the lengthy post, but last week’s class was a real epiphany for me and I got a bit excited. I wanted to organize my thoughts and get feedback from the group. I feel like I have a much better understanding of the nature of the Rings of Power than I previously had. I have a working hypothesis for what the rings actually do and how the manifestation of Sauron’s power is different from that of the elves’ or Gandalf’s. We’ll see how well my proposed explanation holds up as we collect more data, especially as we make our way through the Council of Elrond.

It seems that one of the fundamental themes in Tolkien’s Legendarium is agency. Like Pro. Olsen, I too believe that both elves and men have agency (though I’m going to steer clear of the quagmire regarding the potential differences in their ‘free will’). It is clear to me that agency is a grounding principle of Eru’s plan and is very important to him. From the music of Ainur during the creation in the beginning, we see him delegate governance of Arda to the Valar and lets them exercise their own agency, even to the point of allowing open rebellion in the case of Melkor, rather than stepping in to dictate events. It’s true that he may have foreseen the outcome and it may have even been part of his plan; nonetheless, he did nothing to suppress Melkor’s agency and from Melkor’s point of view he was acting of his own accord. Likewise, the Valar, who are the offspring of Iluvatar’s thought, emulate this principle in their own dominion as well. For example, they invited the elves to Valinor, but didn’t force them to come. They also didn’t stop the Noldor from leaving, even after the kinslaying. They didn’t even get involved in the fight against Melkor at the end of the first age until entreated by one fated to do so. And so on. They help out here and there, but largely let the people of Arda make their own decisions and deal with the consequences.

Keeping that in mind, I believe the elemental nature of the rings of power is their ability to impose the will of the bearer externally, i.e., to dominate. That is likely the fundamental basis of Sauron’s teaching regarding their making. Domination has a negative connotation, but I don’t think it’s always as severe as it sounds. We know that the inherent power and desire of the bearer has an impact on the ring’s resulting influence (Frodo is told this). The elves didn’t want thralls and slaves, but they did want their own dominion. We see this manifested in the many elven kingdoms that arise throughout each age. They clearly don’t like to consolidate under someone else’s reign, rather every brother, cousin, and uncle sets up his own realm. Additionally, we know the desire for dominion is explicitly true for Galadriel. Therefore, their rings enabled them to unnaturally impose their wills on the lands in which they lived, which is why their kingdoms lasted longer than they should have. Though this is perhaps against Eru’s original intention, it is certainly not to the extent of open rebellion. It’s more like when your kids stay up past their bedtime rather than going to sleep when you asked them 3 hours ago. The reason we don’t typically view their dominion as evil is because the elves’ desires (i.e., how they use their agency) are generally well-intentioned, in that they don’t seek to deprive others of their own agency. In contrast, this is precisely the nature of the dominion Sauron wanted, to replace the agency of all others with his own desire. Unlike the elves, Sauron’s use of the one ring is in direct conflict with the overall concept of letting the children of Iluvatar exercise their own agency.

I’m guessing what is meant by the elven rings being ‘unsullied’ is that since Sauron never touched them there is no element of his will inherent in them. Therefore, the effect of the elves’ use of their rings was a more pure representation of their desires and their dominion wasn’t corrupted. However, this is not the case for the other rings of power, which is why their use typically resulted in unfavorable outcomes for their bearers. The dwarves wanted to have dominion over vast wealth and indeed the rings helped facilitate this, but because Sauron’s influence was present in their rings that wealth led to ruin. For men, their desires were typically much more naturally aligned with Sauron’s to begin with, to dominate and conquer others. This is why they were so much more easily influenced by their rings and susceptible to his domination. We know little about the kingdoms of the men who had the rings of power before they were wraiths, but I’m willing to bet they weren’t bastions of righteousness.

I think Gandalf is an interesting case because he had no desire to set up a realm. As far as I can tell, what he wanted was to compel others to action- to stimulate them to use their own agency (albeit with his guidance). He convinced the white council to convene and expel Sauron from Dol Guldor. He helped Frodo make the choice to take the ring to Rivendell. He convinced Theoden to have the Rohirim ride out to confront Saruman, even against the influence of Grima. The list goes on. I think the ring probably made him more successful in his efforts than he otherwise might have been. However, the key point is that he was using his power to encourage the agency of others, rather than to stifle or suppress it.

I think further support for this interpretation comes from Tom Bombadil’s experience with the one ring. Tom has no desire for dominion or to impose his will on others or his surroundings. Goldberry makes it clear that he does not even claim the land around him as his own (“that would indeed be a burden”). At the council of Elrond it is stated that the Ring has no power over him. Evidently, his lack of desire for dominion is to such an extent as to completely nullify even the master ring’s influence.
There are certainly things that are still not clear to me though. For example, how do the different properties of the individual elven rings influence their effect. For example, what would happen if Gandalf, Elrond, and Galadriel all switched rings? Does each ring work with a particular bearer’s desire better than another ring might?
Also, in the previous class, we talked about how wraithification is not necessary for Sauron to make a slave of someone. He used the rings because he specifically wanted a group of wraith slaves. Did he think the rings would make wraiths of the elves and dwarves as well? Or perhaps his motivation for giving them rings is because he would not otherwise be able to subjugate the wills of such powerful enemies as Celebrimbor, Gil-Galad, Glorfindal, and the rest of the calaquendi. We know that Sauron made the one Ring to be able to control all the others. What exactly does that mean? Is it that he would be able to impose his will on (i.e., control) everything under the dominion of the lesser rings? Perhaps in this way, it would simplify his job by allowing him to give rings to a few individuals and, through their use of the rings, hold their entire kingdoms ‘under his sway’. Without the rings he might be able to conquer and destroy the elves, but maybe not override their agency. (Morgoth seemed to be able to do it when he twisted elves into orcs, but he was likely more powerful than Sauron, being the mightiest of the Ainur).

Like I said, I feel like I understand things better, but it’s definitely a work in progress...

 

[Jim Deutch]

I believe the elemental nature of the rings of power is their ability to impose the will of the bearer externally, i.e., to dominate.

I agree, but would emphasize that the One Ring confers, especially, an ability to dominate the others and override the agency of their bearers. That was its whole point, apparently, in Sauron's plan.

 

[Matt DeForrest]

A handful of thoughts to a really well thought through post:

1) Wraithification is, I suspect, an aspect of what the Kings of Men wished for — long life/immortality. Instead of getting more existence, though, their existence has been stretched out, thinning them to the point of transparency (or the thin, uneven film of too little butter on too much toast).

2) I think the dwarves are a really interesting case. The conversations we get appear to be about greed — a greed that consumes one to the point of dragon sickness (which adds a layer of irony to the whole Smaug thing). It isn’t that the wealth is bad — just the love of it. When we hear of the offer of the return of the Dwarven Rings, we get a sense that the Dwarves may know of the deceits practiced on them but are still tempted by the desire for their three lost rings. We also get a hint of that in Galadriel’s benediction over Gimli:

“Then the Lady unbraided one of her long tresses, and cut off three golden hairs, and laid them in Gimli’s hand. ‘These words shall go with the gift,’ she said. ‘I do not foretell, for all foretelling is now vain: on the one hand lies darkness, and on the other only hope. But if hope should not fail, then I say to you, Gimli son of Glóin, that your hands shall flow with gold, and yet over you gold shall have no dominion.”

It’s that last word that has always made my ears perk up — even when I first read the book and didn’t truly understand what I was reading. Like the Elves mentioned by Evil Dr. Cannon above, the Dwarves seem unwilling to allow themselves to fall under the Dominion of another.

There is a lot more to consider here. I will have to think on it.

 

[Falterroy]

Forgive me if this comes across as tangential but I think it is relevant to the topic discussed. What if the rings of power don't manipulate people by any evil will inside them but it is mainly through the powers of the rings themselves.

One thing that this course has raised is the notion that the One Ring doesn't have sentience, which I had never considered before. An additional notion I had is whether the One Ring actually has any special power of itself to manipulate anyone's mind. It could do, but I think it may be debateable that the One Ring may actually just be an extremely powerful ring, and the lure of power is what corrupts everyone. The ring wasn't made to be worn by others, it was made to be a useful thing, not a trap. I always though when Frodo had the dark thoughts of abandoning his friends in the barrow down that the thoughts were that of the Ring, but now I am contemplating that perhaps those thoughts were his own, it was him thinking that "hey, I actually have the power to abandon everyone and get out of here". And when Galadriel and Saruman both pass and fail the test respectively, they do so without having even seen the ring at the time. They are just contemplating the power that the ring may give. Galadriel in her speech looks at where that power would take her, and foresees her inevitable corruption. But she has no experience of the Ring to corrupt her, all that she is considering is the power the ring would give her. It is POWER that she forsees as corrupting her, not another's will. While Gandalf and Saruman wield great power it is power that they were forbidden for using for conquest, the ring however would allow Saruman to circumvent his restrictions.

The fact that almost everyone who thinks upon the ring concludes that with the ring they could overthrow and replace Sauron is interesting, as it implies if the ring is sentient that it has no loyalty to Sauron since everyone it tries to seduce is tempted to kill Sauron, but interesting that everyone who contemplates where having that immense power would inevitably take them is in Sauron's shoes. To try to control the wills of others, of middle earth, and to reshape it in their image.

Now, this line of thinking broods over to what the nature of the other great rings of power are. While we know that most of them are traps, it is possible they are not rings with evil minds inside to exaggerate the point. But instead it is just the nature of the power of the rings. The power that the rings give, corrupts. The power of long life and perhaps to corrupt others, corrupts the mortal men. The rings that breed insatiable amounts of gold to the Dwarfs leads the dwarfs to their own perils of their own making. The ring if you recall, had no part in making Balin go to Moria in a doomed expedition. Balin never touched the ring, so the ring itself could not be blamed. It was Balin contemplating the power it could give him that made him undertake the fated expection.
Perhaps the rings given to the elven lords not being sullied by Sauron could mean that he never invested in them any additional powers that would have driven them to corruption. The power to heal for instance could not lead Elrond to evil deeds but if Sauron had touched them he could have imbued the ring with a more devilish and tempting power that Elrond may have succumbed to. Galadriel who out of the 3 weilders of the rings appears to be the most succeptable to corruption, and perhaps it is not a coincidence that her ring seems to have powers that are the most domineering.

Sauron does indeed however control the mortal men through the rings, and while he doesn't hold his ring while controlling them during the events of LOTR, his control of them is broken when the ring is destroyed. So there is a link between Sauron, owning the minds of the Nazgul, and the rings. I don't think that disproves it entirely though, the corrupting process can be part n part so speak.