July 27, 2002

Dual Response to Anatar
Danny

Hey I am glad to see that you agree with me over the ring invisibility. My post right before yours on the list was defending that very position that you helped verify with a detail that sliped my mind. Thanx.

I do disagree with you on Gandalf being wrong and Sauron right. See my previous post about how many tremendous blunders Sauron commited that you seemed to sum up by saying something like a "few little mistakes." Consider that a quasi-quote because I don't remember exactly what you said.

I do entirely disagree about what you said. Call me defensive or whatever, but Gandalf showed much greater wisdom than Sauron. I liked the reminders of Frodo's promise to Gollum spoken and fulfilled.

Had Sauron been as wise as Gandalf, he would have explored all the options that Gandalf had open to them, even the least probable. Instead, he chose to ignore his peril despite blaring signs that he was in danger. As I pointed out, he knew a halfling bore the ring, and he also knew a halfling was free in Mordor. To ignore that warning and leave MT Doom entirely unprotected is INCREDIBLY FOOLISH.

Here is my feeling, partly inspired by the recent post reminding us of Frodo's commands to Gollum. The ring overpowered Frodo, but his will still bore enough strength to will the fulfilment of that oath to Gollum. Frodo went through everything he did to destroy the ring. At some level, I feel that his will still wished for the ring's destruction. So in my mind, Frodo willed the destruction of the Ring both before Gollum attacked him, and after Gollum bit the ring from his finger. Okay so I can't base that on anything more than speculations, but that is my interpetation.

But the bottom line is that the few small errors as you called them were actually egregious, erroneous, enormous, and every other large unspellable word meaning huge errors.