Which of the Fellowship would have gone ring mad?

[Silmiel of Imladris]

Boromir was the first of course but lets say that the Fellowship didn't break up and they kept going together. Who do you think would have been next to want to take the ring? Who would have resisted the longest?

As much as I hate to say it I think Aragorn might have been next after Boromir. He knows that the ring is bad news but think of all the power. [img]smilies/evil.gif[/img] That is until it turned against him. I think Legolas would have resisted the longest but I think he would have crumbled to it too. What do you guys think?

[Elrond of Rivendell]

I would say Gimli would be the person who would endure the Ring for the longest period of time. I remember reading somewhere that Sauron's seven rings only increased the Dwarves' lust for gold, but even after a very long time, they still were not subdued to his will.
I regret to say that I would also give my vote to Aragorn, as the other members all have some "special features". Okay, I agree, Aragorn is very special as a man, but still he would probably not be able to rival with a Hobbit's special abilities (e.g. Gollum who wore the ring for centuries) or an Elf.

Greetings,
EfR

[The Dark Elf]

legalos, he wasnt affected in any way. (gimli would probably run off with it to hide in a mountain j/k [img]smilies/tongue.gif[/img])

[The Squatter of Amon Rûdh]

Actually, judging by the effect that the Palantír had on him it could well have been Pippin that cracked first. He's younger than the other characters and really doesn't understand the gravity of their situation. Eventually, of course, the Ring could have corrupted any of the Fellowship, using whatever weaknesses it could find. Boromir fell easily because in him the desire for a great weapon to use against Sauron was combined with a lack of self-knowledge and complete ignorance of his danger. Gandalf, Legolas and Aragorn were very much aware of this, and it would have taken a lot to make any of them forget the peril and take the Ring anyway. In the end, though, nobody who cared in any way about power or control could resist the Ring. Only Tom Bombadil seemed not to feel its temptation and the implication is that this is because he didn't want the only thing that it could offer: power over others.

[Gashberz]

I agree with squatter, pippin is a shady character......

[Sparrow]

complete ignorance of his danger

I don't know if it was a complete ignorance of the dangers of the Ring so much as a refusal to believe that he could be overcome by said dangers.

As you pointed out, Squatter, any member of the Fellowship would have eventually succumbed to the temptation of the One Ring. Aragorn, Gandalf and Legolas would have been the hardest for the Ring to corrupt for obvious reasons. Merry, Pippin and Gimli would have been the easiest. My vote would go to Pippin because of his age and his interaction with the palantir, but deep-rooted Dwarven lust for treasure and wealth could well have made Gimli 'crack' before long.

~Sparrow

[Kaiserin]

I'd say Gimli, since he was neither resistant as a hobbit nor knowledgeable in the Ring-lore. I'd agree Pippin is also a likely candidate, due to his naïveté.

[Grimkû the Blood-Axe]

Pippin and the Palantir do not show much promise.

Legolas seemed to be able to "avoid" the ring as did Gimli.

Gandalf could have been a worry but seemed okay for the best part.

[Elrond of Rivendell]

Pippin has been critizised for his "naivete", but in my eyes, this would be more an advantage than a disadvantage. I think that like the Rings of Power, the One Ring has the power to enlarge the lust for might of its bearer. Therefore, Pippin, who I don't see like a character ever desiring to subdue others to his will, will probably be able to shake off (at least for some time) the maleficient effects of the One Ring. I think that in his heart, Pippin only wants to live a quiet live in the Shire, untroubled by others, which would be quite a good characterization of every Hobbit. The One Ring would find an easier working-terrain in Aragorn.

Greetings,
EfR

[Silmiel of Imladris]

I wouldn't say that Gimli is more prone to corruption because of his love for treasure for all of you have said that Legolas would have been strong but look who his father is. In the hobbit Thranduil was treasure obsessed but maybe he changed or Legolas didn't pick up that trait. Anyway I think the love of shiny things is not the best reason to what the ring.

i think that it probably would have been Aragon, like a few of you have said. Then the hobbit's!

[Lord of Angmar]

I doubt Aragorn would have been the first to go, since he knew more of the danger of wielding the Ring than any in the Fellowship save Gandalf. That, combined with his humility and strength of will, would have been enough to keep him from being corrupted as quickly as others in the Fellowship might have been.

<font size=1 color=339966>[ 1:30 PM January 18, 2004: Message edited by: Lord of Angmar ]

[Phervasaion]

I think it may have been Pippen who fell for it next, mainly because of the palantir. Aragorn may have been ablr to resist it because he grew up fearing the power to become King never mind the power of the Ring.

[Oddwen]

If the Fellowship didn't break up, it is next to impossible to think that Pippin would look into the Palantir of Orthanc. He and the majority of the Fellowship would have probably ended up at Gondor. If you'll remember, nobody wanted to go near Saruman, and it was his Orcs who took Merry, Pip & all that way.

However, if the palantir held such a temptation for Pippin, the Ring may have held an equal or greater.

[Finwe]

Pippin looked into the palantir out of curiosity, not of any desire for power. I don't think that he would have succumbed to the lure of the Ring, he just would have been too curious about it.

[Silmiel of Imladris]

I don't know about you, but I can see Pippin throwing the ring down some hole only to see if it make a noise. [img]smilies/biggrin.gif[/img]

<font size=1 color=339966>[ 4:50 PM January 19, 2004: Message edited by: Silmiel of Imladris ]

[Elrond of Rivendell]

I don't know about you, but I can see Pippin throwing the ring down some hole only to see if it make a noise.

I agree fully with that. I think that the biggest dangers with Pippin are his curiosity and some tendancy not to pay attention. (To prevent the creation of a Pro-Peregrin-Foundation, I used this euphemism [img]smilies/biggrin.gif[/img].)
I still think that the Ring could only do a very poor job on Pippin, given the fact that throughout the book, he did not show any signs of lust of power and/or might.

EfR

[Noxomanus]

I'd say Legolas,Gandalf,the Hobbits and Gimli not being too vulnerable to it's power so I'd have to say Aragorn.Not because he is weakest but because he is the most likely to succumb.

[Lyta_Underhill]

To prevent the creation of a Pro-Peregrin-Foundation, I used this euphemism .)

How do you know there isn't already one of these? [img]smilies/wink.gif[/img] Interestingly enough, Pippin was the one who was dead set on stopping Frodo from going to Mordor at the point where they split up. I wonder how this dynamic would have played out in the end? Someone, probably Merry, would have to point out to Pippin that this was the very reason they went on the journey. What I wonder is, if the hobbits had all stuck together, with Pippin voicing this dissent and Merry trying to convince him and Frodo getting more and more dragged down by the conflict along with the burden itself...would Sam have piped up sooner and offered to carry it for Frodo? Perhaps it would have been Sam who tried, for Frodo's own good and thinking that it would "solve things", to take the Ring from Frodo and go on to Mordor carrying the burden himself. If Frodo had stayed with the Fellowship, certainly these pressures would have worn more heavily on him, and the danger would be shared among all, although the focus on everyone's part would be toward the source of their danger--Frodo and the Ring. Perhaps the next to fall would be the one who thought that he was more suited to bear the risk, a seemingly altruistic motive. In that way, I could see Aragorn falling for it.

Cheers!
Lyta

[The Saucepan Man]

The question of who would have been the best character, other than Frodo, to bear the Ring has come up quite a lot. But this is a slightly different one, although connected.

Since Frodo would not have given up the Ring voluntarily, anyone trying to take it from him would have had to have done so by force. I think that Gandalf is the least likely to have done so, since he was a Maiar with a strong sense of purpose and a deep love for Hobbits.

Second to Gandalf would be Sam. His love for Frodo would have helped him hold out against the Ring's call to him. He could not have contemplated attacking Frodo unless he was completely under its influence. And for much the same reason, I think that Merry and Pippin would have held out for a long while too. Added to that the fact that I have always been of the view that Hobbits have a particular resistance to the pull of the Ring. Pippin, in particular, has recieved rather bad press on this thread, unfairly in my view, so I hope that this redresses the balance somewhat. [img]smilies/wink.gif[/img]

Difficult to choose between Legolas and Gimli. I don't see anything special about Elves that would make them particularly resistant to the Ring. Galadriel was sorely tempted by it, after all, and she was probably the most powerful Elf in Middle-earth at that time. I'd probably put Gimli before Legolas, given that the Dwarf Lords were not susceptable to the "enwraithing" properties of the Seven Rings. But Gimli would have succumbed to the temptation of the One Ring given time, I am sure.

And last, I am afraid, comes Aragorn in my list. He was a Man, after all, albeit a particularly noble and worthy one. He may have had a greater tolerance than Isildur, but he was of Isildur's line nevertheless.

So: Gandalf - Sam - Merry/Pippin - Gimli - Legolas - Aragorn.

Edit: Incidentally, just to illustrate the difference between this question and the issue of who, other than Frodo, should have borne the Ring, my order of preference on the latter issue would be:

Pippin - Merry - Sam - Gimli - Legolas - Aragorn - (Boromir) - Gandalf

But the details of that are for another thread. [img]smilies/wink.gif[/img]

<font size=1 color=339966>[ 10:46 PM January 23, 2004: Message edited by: The Saucepan Man ]

[Elanor the Fair]

I think that Aragorn would have been the next to go after the ring. Because he is man and they would be subduded first

I think that Sam would have been the last to go after it, because he is the purest of heart and simpest out of the bunch.

[Kalimac]

I like Pippin a lot, but I have to agree with those who think that he'd probably be the next to go. Aragorn et al would feel the lure, but they'd know it for what it was and would resist for a long time, but once Pippin felt the slightest curiosity, that would be it. He wouldn't feel any overwhelming desire to be master of the world or anything like that, just the same nagging curiosity that prompted him to throw the stone down the well, and to look into the Palantir - the "Just this once" mentality.

The thing is, Pippin hasn't really been tempted by the Ring up to the point where the fellowship breaks; nobody really seems to have been tempted to the point where it really affected their behavior (except for Boromir). But I would guess that being near the Ring, day after day, is working on them bit by bit. With the others, the Ring would need to work pretty hard even after it had first made a little crack into their minds, because they would be trying to fight it. With Pippin, that one little crack would arouse his curiosity, and he has a bad history of giving in to small curiosities. He wouldn't put on the Ring for the same purpose as the others would, but the end result would be the same.

Merry, on the other hand, would be an excellent choice for alternative Ringbearer - but I went into that on the other thread [img]smilies/smile.gif[/img].

[Eorl of Rohan]

Pippin? Not really. The only thing that he succumbed to the desire to look int he Palantir was becuase he handled it first. Didn't Gandalf say to merry that it might have been worse if it was him who picked it up first?

AFter all, since Pippin was frank and simple, he was able to get out of the tight situation pretty well.

Those who didn't vote for Pippin voted for Aragorn, but I don't think so. He was the only person who was able to look at Galadriel in the eyes at her temptation.

The ring didn't only give power and glory, it promised to give whatever the person wanted, so gimli or legolas is as likely to fall victim as Aragorn.

I reach the conclusion - Mithrandir would fall next. The maiar were forced to walk in human flesh, and lost much as thei power and wisdom. Even without the ring staring at their face, Curunir and others fell one by one. Mithrandir, beseted on all sides and forced into a hopeless battle, would need the ring badly. He admitted himself many times.

[Kransha]

-First, obviously, Baromir
-Then Aragorn, since mortal men seem to be mosy easily affected, plus he would make an awesome Nazgul. Aragorn could often avoid temptation, but he did show desire for the ring once or twice. I don't think he would've taken it, though.
-Then Pippin, considering the Palantir incident. All hobbits, especially Brandybucks and Tooks, are curious and who could resist trying on that nice shiny ring.
-Then Merry, since he's not much less corruptable than good ol' Pippin.
-Sam, even though I can't make up my mind about this one. Reason says that it would be generally easier for a hobbit to succumb than an elf or dwarf, but Sam is a pretty resilient hobbit
-Gimli/Legolas tie, just can't decide.

<font size=1 color=339966>[ 8:25 AM January 29, 2004: Message edited by: Kransha ]

[rutslegolas]

as we all know boromir was the first one affected.
the next one in the line would have been aragorn as he is one of the mortal race and with the power of the ring he could have easily overthrown the dark lord
the next after aragorn would be the hoobits pippin and merry that would be purely due to hobbit inquisitiveness
and the gandalf --think what his power would be with th ring he could have easily taken over the dark lord
then gimli
and last of all legolas but i think he would not have been ensnared by the ring cause he is not one of mortal race

[Boromir88]

Boromir, was the first to fall to the ring, if Frodo stayed in the fellowship and Merry and Pip weren't captured who do you think would of fallen next?

For me, it's hard to decide, maybe one of the hobbits. Probably Pippin sinc he was so darn curious. Maybe, Aragorn after all he is a "man" and didn't have the encounter with the ring like Boromir had. Also, at this point Aragorn was struggling with himself about all the bad decisions he had made and why was he in charge.

The thing I do know for sure is Gimli would of fallen last. He saw the ring diferently then anyone else. He was a dwarf, great miners, had all the riches he could desire. He only saw the ring as another piece of gold to throw on the pile, but would of taken it as is their greedy way for more. The dwarves did deny Sauron and wouldn't fight with him, consider that too.

[Oddwen]

Another thing to consider would perhaps be who saw it at the Council - Merry, Pippin and Sam did not, and neither Merry nor Pippin saw the Ring at all. (Save for the one time Merry saw Bilbo use it to escape the S-B's) Frodo, in the face of all gathered, actually said that it should go to Aragorn.

'Then it belongs to you, and not to me at all!' cried Frodo in amazement, springing to his feet, as if he expected the Ring to be demanded at once.
'It does not belong to either of us,' said Aragorn, 'but it has been ordained that you should hold it for a while.'

(emphasis mine)

Why should he expect that? Did he learn something of the nature of Strider while travelling with him?

[Voralphion]

Aragorn may have been ablr to resist it because he grew up fearing the power to become King never mind the power of the Ring.

He was never scared of 'the power' of becoming king, that was an invention of the movie.

Aragorn probably would have been able to resist the ring for quite a while, since it was offered freely to him on a few occasions and resisted it knowing of its power and dangers.

[Nilpaurion Felagund]

Many of you said Aragorn would have fallen first, due to him being a mortal, but Gandalf and the other Istari were

...clad in bodies as of Men, real and not feigned...

(UT IV 2 - emphasis mine)

Hence, the temptation of the Ring would have been equal on both - probably more so on Gandalf, since he was bearing a heavy burden, and anything that could have lightened such a burden would have been tempting to him.

[samwise8504]

i also think pippin would of been next because of his curiousity e.g. the palantir, Aragorn would of been next after pippin because men are easily corrupted by the rings power and he has isildurs blood in him and the blood of numenor.

[The Saucepan Man]

So much for my defence of Pippin. Whatever happened to good old Hobbit Ring-resilience?

[Silmiel of Imladris]

Wow! I can't believe that this little thread I created is still active. I still stand on my opinion that it would have been Pippen for I don't think he as strong as the others. Just look at the Palantire inncident.

[The Saucepan Man]

In condemning Pippin, everyone habitually refers to the “Palantir incident”. But what is the basis for concluding from this incident that Pippin would have been vulnerable to the effects of the Ring?

It is said that the “Palantir incident” was a consequence of Pippin’s curious nature. But surely curiosity alone would not have led him to attack one of his closest friends (and anyone trying to seize the Ring would have had to have taken it by force). Taking the Palantir from a sleeping Gandalf just to “have a look” is a completely different proposition to attacking Frodo in order to deprive him permanently of the Ring. Possibly, the Ring might have tried to “play on” Pippin’s curious nature to tempt him into going for it, just as it played on Boromir’s pride and his wish to defend his country and his people. But, as I have said, I see Hobbits as having a particular resistance to the Ring’s seductive power. Admittedly, the power of the Palantir had an effect in encouraging Pippin’s curiosity, but I see the nature of the Palantir’s power as quite different to that of the Ring. And the Ring would have needed to overcome sturdy resistance indeed to have tempted Pippin into attacking one of his bestest pals.

And then there is the Ring itself to consider. Its purpose was to return to its Master. In choosing who to try to tempt into making a play for it, it would no doubt take into account its victim’s physical power as well as his likely susceptibility to its wiles (hence it picked on Boromir, the prime candidate under these criteria). On this basis, I would think Pippin would be fairly low down on its list of candidates.

[Lyta_Underhill]

Its purpose was to return to its Master. In choosing who to try to tempt into making a play for it, it would no doubt take into account its victim’s physical power as well as his likely susceptibility to its wiles

How does this explain Gollum, then? Gollum was not strong, but he was susceptible, and, most of all, he was convenient for a while. I think this would also play a part; if all the Fellowship stayed together, then perhaps the strength factor would be important, but there is also the matter of maneuverability, and Gollum turned out to be quite good at that, as is Frodo and all the other hobbits.

I must say, though, that I find your defense of Pippin against all this 'palantirization' refreshing, Saucepan Man. So many people dismiss him as stupid or just silly, while he really wasn't, and I think he had a touch of the cosmic playfulness of Eru in him, even more than the others...but then that's my own view (but I think Gandalf would agree with me!)

Cheers!
Lyta

I don't think it would be Legolas, simply because he is an Elf. As most of you said, he knows of the danger of the Ring and I think an Elf could resist the Ring if he or she really wants it. I think Legolas is strong enough to resist it.

Gandalf won't be it either. He is much more then what he seems to be. He also knows the danger, probably even better then the Elfs do.

Aragorn is one of the Numenor, so I think he could resist really long. He is also very wise, but eventually the Ring would take him.

The hobbits are easily to take for the Ring, so it seems, but they are so innocent that they probably wouln't even know what to do with it. Frodo also gets mad after he know more about the Ring.

So I think it would be Gimli. He knows what power is, and he knows how to use it. But he doesn't exactly know what the dangers of the Ring are. He would be next in my opinion.

[Olorin_TLA]

Pippin would NEVER TAKE the ing from Frodo. If it was just lying, abandoned, for a while...I daresay he would have, in the end, picked it up, probably just to go invisible and see what it was like. But niehter he nor any of the other Hobbits would have taken it by force. Just look at Sam.

I actually think it would have been Gnadalf or Aragorn. HOWEVER, I also think that they might never become corrrupted...but if I HAVE to choose, I say them. Simply because if it went to Minas Tirith with them, faced with the situations G & A find themselves in, they NEED the Ring for victory, and Gandlaf certainly nearly toys with the idea of using it in Minas Tirith, and is glad that it's gone. If Frodo had been in Minas Tirith when all hope of survvial had blakcened to ash, it may only have been a matter of time before Gandlaf or Aragorn took the Ring, convincing themselves that it was for the best of everyone...

Gimli or Legolas though, well they aren't as "responsible", in a way, as G&A are for Gondor.

Alas for Boromir, whom I too loved!

[The Only Real Estel]

I would say Gimli would be the person who would endure the Ring for the longest period of time. I remember reading somewhere that Sauron's seven rings only increased the Dwarves' lust for gold, but even after a very long time, they still were not subdued to his will.

I'd think Gimli would be one of the first to go, with dwarves nature lust for gold & all. You could be right, but I doubt Gimli would hold out the longest.

I really didn't think it was a good idea for PJ to have Galadriel drop that line in FotR, & I've wondered how many of the fellowship really would've 'been destroyed' by it. It's hard to imagine any of the other 3 hobbits succombing to it, they're all so simple, & it's nearly impossible to see Legolas takeing it. But then, look at Sam, he proved Galadriel wrong, so maybe others would've proved her wrong also. Maybe they all would have.

[Olorin_TLA]

The Hobbits aren't simple, they simply don't want power. They don't desire it, like Boromir, and they don't need it, like Gandalf.

The whole point with the Rings not corrupting the Dwarves a lot, but only making them greedy, is that they can't be corrupted easily, and even when Rings have an effect it's no where near as bad as the effect it has on Men (the Nazgul) etc. So I think this gold-greed would infact be a reason for Gimli to not be one to succumb. At least, not before the whole Fellowship had gone mad with desire. And frankly, would that have happened, with such good friends? Certianly Gimli wuld not have had the same immeditate need for the weapon of the enemy a Boromir percieved he did, or Gandalf and Aragorn, but then again the temptation to regain the glory days of the Dwarves would grow strong. But like Sam, I think he would have overcome it.

[The Only Real Estel]

The Hobbits aren't simple

The hobbits were all used to living very simple lives, & were themselves somewhat simple. Not talking fools or anything like that, but I'd have to say that the hobbits were deffinitly simple.

So I think this gold-greed would infact be a reason for Gimli to not be one to succumb.

Well, like I said in my last post, I doubt many more (if any more) would've been taken by the Ring after Boromir being taken out-but-I still have to disagree with what you said about Gimli in the quote above. I think you're right that Gimli would've resisted the Ring's power quite long, but I think he'd have resisted the Ring's promise of power, not necessarily the Ring itself. 'So I think this gold-greed would infact be a reason for Gimli to not be one to succumb' But if he caught this 'gold-greed', would that not then make him lust after the Ring? The Ring was of gold (obviously), and it apparently didn't look to shabby either. I think the Ring would've gotten Gimli on it's treasure aspect more than it's power aspect.
If it got him at all :P.

[Son of Númenor]

Eventually, each & every member of the Fellowship would in all likelihood have succumbed to the power of the Ring & the temptation to seize it. Some interesting thoughts have been put forth throughout this thread about what order it would have gone in.

...Hobbits [seem to have] a particular resistance to the Ring’s seductive power.(The Saucepan Man)

I tend to agree. Sam, in particular, was exemplary of this. Since the question of who would have gone "Ring mad" essentially revolves around who would have been the first to try to forcefully wrest the Ring from Frodo, I am inclined to believe that Sam, Pippin & Merry would be the last possible culprits. Not only are hobbits almost completely unaggressive by nature, but the three aforementioned are also the mose intimate friends of Frodo's, and thus would be least likely to betray him. Many have said Aragorn would be the last to hold out against the Ring, but I disagree. Not only did he face the most internal conflict (which could potentially lead to a breakdown) and face the burden of saving Gondor, he also, as Saucepan Man pointed out, was descended from Isildur - what makes us think that Aragorn is any more powerful against the will of the Ring than his forefather?

Between Aragorn & the hobbitses I believe would come Gimli first, before Legolas. My logic in this is that Dwarves are (& I don't mean to engage in stereotyping) generally more passionate creatures than Elves. Well, maybe 'passionate' isn't the word. Haughty? Cavalier? Uppity? Proud? Touchy? (Okay, I used Thesaurus.com... so sue me.) What I am trying to say is that Gimli seems more predisposed to wrath & anger, more capable of being offended, & it seems to me that traits like this would more likely lead to Ringlust than Legolas's calm, subdued manner.

I see what Saucepan Man is saying when he asserts that there is no real reason for us to believe that Legolas (an Elf) would be less tempted by the Ring than Gimli (a Dwarf), because after all Galadriel, one of the most powerful Elves, was tempted; but I think that Legolas's age, if nothing else, would set him apart as less likely to attempt to steal the Ring - there is a certain wisdom that inherently comes with being alive a few thousand years.

Sorry I can't add more. I hope what I just wrote makes some sense. My final timeline of Ring-induced insanity goes something like this

Aragorn-Gimli-Legolas-Merry/Pippin-Sam

Oh, & I forgot about what's his face, that wizard...

Oh yeah, Gandalf!

He would come last, because he is one smart, out-of-this-world dude.