Ringwraiths

[Daewen]

My father, who started my love for Tolkien's works when I was only five by reading my the Hobbit, brought this point up when the two of us were watching The Fellowship of the Ring together a few weeks ago. He asked me why the Ringwraiths, if they always feel the power of the Ring, didn't go after it when Gollum or Bilbo had it. I replied saying that Sauron had yet to rise to great enough power to set them out looking for it, but he said that even if that was the case with Gollum, they were probably out looking during Bilbo's last year or so with the Ring. What do you make of this?

[Afrodal Fenyar]

They didn't feel it a hundred miles away. Sauron didn't yet know that the Ring had been found, and didn't send the Ringwraiths to look for it. The Ring's location wasn't known to him until 3018, when he sent the Nazgûl.

[burrahobbit]

Sauron was mostly dead then. The ring wraiths were hiding. If the ring wraiths can feel the ring, how come that one didn't just grab Frodo when he was hiding behind that tree? I don't know burrahobbit that is a good question. I think it is because Frodo was not using it at the time, so they couldn't really see the ring very much or hardly at all even. Oh that makes sense, thanks. No problem.

[Melhilion]

I believe that when frodo and gang were under the tree the wraith would only be for sure that there was someone if frodo put the ring on. The wraith get a stronger feeling of the ring if someone is whereing it. But still why did the wraiths no go after bilbo it doesn't make any sense. If they long to take to sauron then why would they wait so long. Even Gandalf knew they could destroy it if they acted quickly.

[Manwe Sulimo]

Methinks burrahobbit needs to get some of his medication, and fast.

But, like he said, the Nazgûl had better things to do. They couldn't really search for the Ring while rebuilding Dol Guldur, capturing Minas Ithil, and constantly attacking Osgiliath. Only when Sauron had his armies built up again could he spare the Nazgûl.

Notice that they had already begun searching for Frodo before he ever put it on.

[Son of Fire]

The ringwraiths were not again brought to life by sauron, and when he was the necromancer, as well, it would reveal his true nature and then later, it would be known that he was seeking it, but when there was no alternative, he sent them forth, and revealed a part of his power. Also, he had thought that the ring had perished and UT has more in the search for the ring.

[Salocin]

If the ring wraiths can feel the ring, how come that one didn't just grab Frodo when he was hiding behind that tree?

That only happened in the movie. In the books anytime the Nazgul are anywhere close to the Ring they go after it. When one of them is after Frodo in the woods in the Shire, he is "scared" off by the travelling elves singing hymes to Elbereth.

They didn't go after Bilbo because they had no idea he existed. As soon as they got the words "baggins" and "shire" out of gollum they went off to find him, but by then both reffered to Frodo.

Their sensing of the ring obviously does not have a very long range when the ring is not being used. For example, Frodo and Sam where able to sneak deep into the heart of Mordor without being noticed and even when Sam was using the ring in Cirith Ungol no Nazgul noticed, though at that time they were far away assulting Minas Tirith.

[doug*platypus]

Interesting how Witchy, instead of trying to grab Frodo or slice off the appropriate digit, stabs him and tries to turn him into a wraith. Almost as if the Nazgul were not permitted to handle the ring, and instead needed Frodo to become subservient to Sauron and give it up personally.

I'm sure there's been a lot of speculation on older threads about what would happen if the King of Angmar placed the One Ring on his bony old finger. Perhaps Sauron didn't care to find out.

[obloquy]

He couldn't have done so. The Ringwraiths had no will of their own. They could likely handle the One, but Sauron had no reason to fear their claiming it.

[Daewen]

Then why didn't they take it if Sauron knew they wouldn't keep it or use it? It would save a great deal of time and would bring Sauron to power faster if they just took the ring rather than trying to changethe ring bearer into a wraith so he would deliver it to the dark lord himself. It just doesn't work...

[Salocin]

If you are trying to take something from someone, its obviously easier to do it if he is wounded. They meant to wound him and then grab him, but Strider sort of prevented part two. Killing would have been just as good.

Obviously the Wraiths couldn't have claimed the ring. They were already enthrawled to Sauron and using it would have only increased his control over them.

[Daewen]

I agree with your last point, but with your first point, may I bring to mind the fact that with such powerful people aiding him, it might have been wise of Sauron to just take the ring, gain power once more, and then destroy Frodo.

[HCIsland]

I gotta say, I'm a bit confused by this thread.

I guess I should look things up, but this is my take on stuff.

The Ringwraiths cannot use the One Ring. They were the only servants Sauron could trust implicitly. As has been mentioned, they had no will of their own.

The Witch King wasn't just trying to turn Frodo into a Wraith. He was trying to kill him. If Aragorn was not there, they would have cut the Ring from his corpse.

The Ringwraiths cannot track down the Ring like they were using a Geiger counter or something. As has been mentioned, Sauron didn't know about the presence of the Ring until Gollum was captured and even then, The Black Riders had to use old fashioned asking around to locate The Shire and this Baggins character. When Frodo was hidding in the grass beside the road he couldn't have been more than a dozen or two feet from the Wraith yet even then it couldn't zero in on where the Ring was or even get a sense that it was right under it's nose. If it did it sure as hell wouldn't have ridden off.

Now if Frodo had put the Ring on at that moment ...


H.C.

[Nuranar]

Re: wounding Frodo vs. killing him

Perhaps they feared Aragorn, but in another way - that if Frodo was killed, Aragorn would take it. Clearly he would be more of a handful than Frodo.

I'm kind of extrapolating from Sauron's attitude, how he could not imagine his enemies not using the Ring. If the wraiths could reason about such matters, they would probably prefer hunting a Baggins than a Ranger.