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03-14-2007, 06:14 PM | #1 |
Wight
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: Barad-Dur
Posts: 196
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How many people touched the One Ring ?
From its creation to its destruction, a number of people physically touched the One Ring .
I make the discrete number of people who did so 9 ( nine ) . Am I right ? |
03-14-2007, 06:27 PM | #2 |
Shade of Carn Dûm
Join Date: Apr 2004
Location: Washington, D. C., USA
Posts: 299
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Let's see:
1. Sauron 2. Isildur 3. Deagol 4. Smeagol 5. Bilbo 6. Frodo 7. Gandalf 8. Samwise 9. Tom Bombadil Possibly a tenth, in Rivendell. While Frodo was unconscious, someone placed the ring on a chain. If that someone was Gandalf, then the number is still nine. If it was Elrond, or someone else from his house, then the number is ten. But I haven't read all the way through in a while, so I may be missing someone.
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But all the while I sit and think of times there were before, I listen for returning feet and voices at the door. |
03-14-2007, 06:32 PM | #3 |
Wight
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: Barad-Dur
Posts: 196
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Would Shelob count if she accidentally touched the Ring whilst binding Frodo with cords ?
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03-14-2007, 07:07 PM | #4 |
Shade of Carn Dûm
Join Date: Apr 2004
Location: Washington, D. C., USA
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IF she accidentally touched it, then she would count, in my opinion. She would fit in the same category as the The Mysterious 10th Bearer Of course, there's no way to know whether she touched it or not, or whether or not it would have any effect on her. I suspect her reaction would be similar to that of Tom Bombadil, but there's no way to know for sure. We just don't know enough about her.
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But all the while I sit and think of times there were before, I listen for returning feet and voices at the door. |
03-14-2007, 10:07 PM | #5 | |
Ghost Prince of Cardolan
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Quote:
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"Loud and clear it sounds in the valleys of the hills...and then let all the foes of Gondor flee!" -Boromir, The Fellowship of the Ring |
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03-14-2007, 10:57 PM | #6 |
Shade of Carn Dûm
Join Date: Apr 2004
Location: Washington, D. C., USA
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I think that, like Tom, she was beyond it's influence, though not for the same reasons. Tom was Master of his domain, and within its borders, nothing was master of him. The Ring had nothing to offer him, because he already had all he wanted and knew it. He is contentment.
Shelob was much the opposite, perhaps even a deliberate foil for Tom, of sorts (though I would never second-guess Tolkien's intentions.) Much like Ungoliant with Morgoth, her greed and hunger seemed to surpass Sauron's even at the height of his power. Surely the Ring, alone and seperate from its Master's Hand, could never tempt a creature that was already consumed with temptation. She simply wouldn't notice the difference between the Ring's poison carrots and her own lust. Also, the Ring itself may well have held back in her presence. Certainly, Sauron had no real influence over Shelob, just a convenient truce. The Ring could certainly not expect to have any more success than that. Even if the Ring managed to take hold of Shelob, it would very likely find itself in the same kind of dark cave as it was with Gollum. Only this time, it's keeper would eat any possible finders before they ever got close enough to touch their hand on them as Bilbo did. There, on the very edge of it's homeland, it would be lost in the dark forever.
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But all the while I sit and think of times there were before, I listen for returning feet and voices at the door. |
03-15-2007, 12:12 PM | #7 |
Wight
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: Ohio. Believe it or not.
Posts: 145
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Very good point. What would it benefit the Ring if it became trapped in Shelob's cave for another age?
As fot the "Mysterious 10th person"... I really don't think it could have been Bilbo. He was too scarred by the ring and if he touched it again, I believe he would have been lost to it. |
03-15-2007, 12:24 PM | #8 |
Blithe Spirit
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 2,779
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I thought Gandalf never did actually touch the ring, he used tongs, didn't he? (Or is Peter Jackson playing tricks with my mind?)
Also, it would be physically possible to change the chain on the ring without touching the ring. You could thread the chain through, use a big needle-type object. (Try this one at home, kids!) I think everyone with any sense tried to avoid touching the ring, didn't they?
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Out went the candle, and we were left darkling |
03-15-2007, 12:50 PM | #9 |
Wight
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: Ohio. Believe it or not.
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Ahh... it's been a while since I read the Fellowship. I know Gandalf used tongs to remove the ring from Frodo's fireplace, but did he use them to toss it in?
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03-15-2007, 06:40 PM | #10 |
Shade of Carn Dûm
Join Date: Mar 2007
Posts: 274
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[QUOTE=radagastly]I think that, like Tom, she was beyond it's influence, though not for the same reasons. Tom was Master of his domain, and within its borders, nothing was master of him. The Ring had nothing to offer him, because he already had all he wanted and knew it. He is contentment.
Shelob was much the opposite, perhaps even a deliberate foil for Tom, of sorts (though I would never second-guess Tolkien's intentions.) Much like Ungoliant with Morgoth, her greed and hunger seemed to surpass Sauron's even at the height of his power. Surely the Ring, alone and seperate from its Master's Hand, could never tempt a creature that was already consumed with temptation. She simply wouldn't notice the difference between the Ring's poison carrots and her own lust. Also, the Ring itself may well have held back in her presence. Certainly, Sauron had no real influence over Shelob, just a convenient truce. The Ring could certainly not expect to have any more success than that. Even if the Ring managed to take hold of Shelob, it would very likely find itself in the same kind of dark cave as it was with Gollum. Only this time, it's keeper would eat any possible finders before they ever got close enough to touch their hand on them as Bilbo did. There, on the very edge of it's homeland, it would be lost in the dark forever.[/QUOTE] (my emphasis) That would have been bad news for poor Gollum after all his hard work in betraying Frodo so that he get the Ring (after Shelob had finished dining on Frodo of course). It never seems to have crossed his mind that She might take his precious. That said, I agree that Shelob would not have had much use for the Ring. Her agenda seemed to be eating anything that moved, not world domination. Also, (and here I readily admit that I am no expert on arachnid anatomy) but would binding Frodo in cords have brought Shelob into physical contact with the Ring? Especially as the Ring was located on a chain hidden inside Frodo's clothing? |
03-16-2007, 01:05 AM | #11 | |||
A Voice That Gainsayeth
Join Date: Nov 2006
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Quote:
But, here is what Gollum thought: Quote:
Quote:
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"Should the story say 'he ate bread,' the dramatic producer can only show 'a piece of bread' according to his taste or fancy, but the hearer of the story will think of bread in general and picture it in some form of his own." -On Fairy-Stories |
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03-17-2007, 09:01 AM | #12 | |
Ghost Prince of Cardolan
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Quote:
As for Shelob, it seems Gollum, who was most familiar with the dark creature's habits, expected that she would have no intentions or uses for the Ring. It was his hope that he would still be able to find it, cast off along with other inedible objects.
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03-26-2007, 06:09 PM | #13 |
Loremaster of Annúminas
Join Date: Oct 2006
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A) Gandalf: Gandalf never touched the thing directly. As mentioned above, he used tongs with Frodo; with Bilbo he picked up the envelope the Ring was in, but not the Ring directly.
B) Gil-Galad: Conceivably, Gil-Galad was touched by the Ring, rather than vice-versa, in the last moments of his life. |
03-27-2007, 12:24 PM | #14 |
Ghost Prince of Cardolan
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: Muddy-earth
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Hands on
It felt suddenly very heavy, as if either it or Frodo himself was in some way reluctant for Gandalf to touch it. Gandalf held it up..............................
...........To Frodo's astonishment and distress the wizard threw it suddenly into the middle of a glowing corner of the fire............................... ................,then he stooped and removed the the ring to the hearth with the tongs, and at once picked it up. Frodo gasped. 'It is quite cool,' said Gandalf. 'Take it'............ There is at least two times Gandalf touches the ring. In fact in this sense Baksi beats Jackson hands down.....
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[B]THE LORD OF THE GRINS:THE ONE PARODY....A PARODY BETTER THAN THE RINGS OF POWER. Last edited by narfforc; 03-27-2007 at 12:34 PM. |
03-28-2007, 05:16 AM | #15 |
Loremaster of Annúminas
Join Date: Oct 2006
Posts: 2,321
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Whoops! You're quite right, of course.
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04-10-2007, 10:14 AM | #16 |
Ghost Prince of Cardolan
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: Home. Where rolling green hills and clear rivers are practically my backyard.
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I believe Sam had to take the Ring out of Frodos shirt, which means that Shelob would have no contact with it. I'm not quite sure about that though.
--Fin-- |
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