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05-17-2007, 12:30 PM | #1 |
Wight
Join Date: Apr 2006
Location: Hudson Valley, NY
Posts: 111
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The One Ring: A Thing of Beauty?
Not so much as question as a topic for discussion. It occurs to me that whereas the three Elven rings are things of neary unsurpassed beauty (and I am less certain of the physical appearance of the seven and the nine), The One Ring is a simple gold band. Even under the duress of fire when the black verses are displayed, it remains a thing of utilitarian "plainness."
What does this say of it's maker's asthetic tastes? While I can see a certain industrial bent to Sauron (I would attribute this mindset more to Saruman, however) it also seems to me that he is one to enjoy striking fear into the very hearts of his enemies with both his appearance and his pyrotechnics: the Great Eye, for just one example... Surely in crafting his accomplishment to beat all accomplishments, a little more flair might've been in order? Any thoughts?
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www.scottchristiancarr.com They passed slowly, and the hobbits could see the starlight glimmering on their hair and in their eyes. |
05-17-2007, 01:23 PM | #2 |
Guard of the Citadel
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: Oxon
Posts: 2,205
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Why?
The Ring served his purpose, it allowed him to control the bearers of all the other Rings. Why put some fancy stone on it? Personally, I think it would have made more sense to have it made out of mithril rather then gold, but as we see the material doesn't really count either, since it can't be destroyed by anything but the fires of Mount Doom. Not sure why the other Rings had gems actually, maybe just to look nicer.
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05-17-2007, 01:24 PM | #3 | ||
Princess of Skwerlz
Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: where the Sea is eastwards (WtR: 6060 miles)
Posts: 7,500
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The Eye of the Beholder?
In "The Shadow of the Past" (FotR), we read what Gandalf reports about Déagol's finding of the Ring:
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'Mercy!' cried Gandalf. 'If the giving of information is to be the cure of your inquisitiveness, I shall spend all the rest of my days in answering you. What more do you want to know?' 'The whole history of Middle-earth...' |
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05-17-2007, 01:34 PM | #4 | ||
Shade of Carn Dűm
Join Date: Mar 2007
Posts: 274
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Besides I don't know that lack of a gem stone would make the One less beautiful. It is I suppose a matter of taste. There is a beauty in its simplicity after all, a perfect circle, "it looked to be made of pure and solid gold".
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He looked down at her in the twilight and it seemed to him that the lines of grief and cruel hardship were smoothed away. "She was not conquered," he said |
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05-18-2007, 07:11 AM | #5 |
Shade of Carn Dűm
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I think the lack of a gem adds to its pulling power. If it displayed its power openly, one might think to fight it, but as it is unadorned, it feels as though it is part of the holder, always at the back of his mind, the holder is unable to break free of its perfection and unrelenting conformity.
Ooh, big words there Sixthy. |
05-18-2007, 07:37 AM | #6 |
Cryptic Aura
Join Date: May 2002
Posts: 5,996
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It harkens after the difference between an engagement ring (jewelled) and a wedding ring (plain). It's the second that is binding.
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05-20-2007, 06:40 AM | #7 | ||||||
Laconic Loreman
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Very good topic Sardy. I think Esty is on to something and poses some good questions:
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If we read how the Ring appears and looks, we see I think as Sardy wonders; what is so unnaturally beautiful about it? And as TM quotes the One Ring looks as if it's one of the lesser rings. What Tolkien does do is use a rich language (to the masterful skill that he is able to do) to make the Ring look like something it really isn't...as splendid and 'awing' object to look at. You could even say he is not only trying to deceive the characters in his story, but he's also trying to deceive his readers! Taking the descriptions Esty has provided, the Ring is described as if it is one of the 7 wonders of the world: Quote:
2. The ring 'glittered in the sun.' So it was a shiny ring, nothing really spectacular about that. Gold does glitter in the sunlight. It probably makes it look pretty, but there is nothing unusually beautiful about the Ring shining in the sunlight. 3. This part is from Smeagol's perspective. Smeagol strangled Deagol because the Ring 'looked so bright and beautiful.' Now, I think that this is Smeagol under the power of the Ring. He is already lost to the Ring and under it's hold; hence why he kills for it. Quote:
The Ring appearing 'perfect' and 'precious' to Frodo was right before he was thinking about tossing it into his fire...hmm can we say that this is the power of the Ring and not the actual appearance of the Ring? I think so. As it is only then when the Ring looks 'perfect' to Frodo, so 'perfect' that he can't bring himself to throwing it in his fire. So, from the descriptions of the Ring we are given, I come to believe that it is an ordinary band of gold. It's simple, it's plain (as the script on it has disappeared), it's ordinary, there is nothing special about it's beauty. It glitters in the sun...so does all gold and shiny objects. It's shape is 'perfectly round,' I would hope a ring is round and not a square or something (it is from Frodo's eyes that the Ring is 'perfectly round' - remember that). So, when we get down to it, as a band of gold, it would hold value and therefor have some attraction to it. But to say if this 'band of gold' is specially beautiful...so pretty in fact that someone killed over it, Bilbo had trouble letting it go, and Frodo couldn't bring himself to throwing it in his fire. I would have to say it's not, it's a plain band of gold. It is the very power and deceit of the Ring (as Esty touches upon) that makes the Ring look more than what it actually is. I also think Tolkien uses language to the great skill that he does, to not only deceive Frodo and Smeagol into believing the Ring is this precious and perfect object, but also deceive his readers. He uses rich language to make the readers also think this One Ring is an object with a great and special beauty to it. But, when you get down to it, and read the descriptions there's nothing special about the Ring at all...it's a plain band of gold. It deceives and appears to be something more beautiful than what it actually is.
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Last edited by Boromir88; 05-20-2007 at 06:47 AM. |
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