July 22, 2002

Climbing Into the Ring(s)
Brett C.

Thank you for the people who have gotten involved in the discussion about the nature of the Ring and its powers. Some of the comments have been very insightful and thought provoking and it is always good to have new ideas and opinions come your way, and force you to reevaluate your own position.

Arina, you made a very good point about the Wood Elves not being aboe to see Bilbo while he wore the Ring. What I should have said in my article was that the Ring makes you invisible to eyes which cannot see into both worlds; that is the 'mortal' world of Middle Earth, where things grow old and die, and the 'immortal' unseen world which is inhabited by beings such as Glorfindel, the Nazgul, and Sauron. Despite being immortal, the Wood Elves have never been to the undying lands, described by Tolkien as being the Dark Elves [those who had never seen the light of the Two Trees of the Valar, not to be confused with the evil Elves in games like Warhammer and D&D]. Even their King, Thranduil, is described as a Grey Elf or Sindar - one who had originally heeded the call of the Valar but had ultimately decided to remain in Middle Earth, and so again had not been to the Undying Lands. Gandalf's discussion with Frodo in Rivendell seens to indicate that the Elves who had been to the Blessed Realm, like Glorfindel and Galadriel, were the ones who could walk in both worlds at once, so just being an Elf is not enough to see an invisible Ringbearer.

You also made the point that the Ringbearer is invisible to all who don't wear rings,but this isn't strictly true. Sauron can see the Ringbearer - Sam, when he puts on the Ring, has the sensation of not being hidden, but 'horribly and uniquely visible' [TTT p.307]. I thought this idea was rather well set up in the movie, with some artistic liscence, when Frodo put on the Ring in Bree. The first words Sauron says [hard out make out without repeated viewings] are "I SEE YOU!". Yet Sauron wears no ring at this point - his ability to wee the unseen world is a natural part of his Valinorean origins. Also, Bombadil can see Frodo when he puts on the Ring in his house, so I suspect he likewise has access to the 'other side' as Gandalf puts it.

This also gives me a chance address Danny's point about Bombadil and Ring. Danny, I would argue that the thing that surprised the Council was not that Bombadil did not vanish, but that he [a] was able to get Frodo to just hand it over, and [b] just handed it back without a second thought. This act was unprecedented in the history of the Ring and completely against it's nature. Elrond and Galadriel are so fearful of the Ring's power to seduce an owner that they will not even touch it - Elrond even fears hiding it in Rivendell. For Tom to be able to ignore its power over Frodo by asking for it and then have no desire to keep it is the real proof that the One has no influence on him.

Finally, to Bill the Pony, the invisiblity of the Wraiths is indeed a product of their rings, or so we must asume form Gandalf's discussion with Frodo in FOTR: The Shadow of the Past. He says...

"A mortal, Frodo, who keeps one of the Great Rings, does not die...And if he often uses the Ring to make himself invisible, he FADES; he becomes in the end invisible permanently, and walks in the twilight under the Dark Power that rules the Rings."

So the Nazgul's invisiblity would seem to come from this fading effect. The morgul knife used on Frodo is stated as having the same result, but quicker because, I suspect, it actually pierces the heart of it's victim and causes a deliberate physical transformation, rather than the side effect of the Ring's power. Sauron himself is never described as being invisible; his evil appearance is the result of his 'fair' body being destroyed in the wreck of Numenor, after his seduction of the Elven Smiths, and subsequently he could only create a form terrible in aspect.

This article has already gone on a while so instead of making it even longer, Bill, I will write another with all the references I can think of for the powers of the Rings. But may I finish with a huge accolade for Matthew, the overseer of our forum, and all the work he does that allows our discussions to occur. Many thanks.