Why take a body? Why make a Ring? - The Barrow-Downs Discussion Forum

littlemanpoet · 11-10-2006, 11:02 AM

Okay, this has been hashed through before, but I want to address it anyway.

I can see why a Man might want to have the sword that he has made be given magical (Elvish?) power.

But why would a Maia want a body? Why would a spiritual being want to confine his power to a Ring, or any other material object?

I want to stay away from any such nonsense as "Tolkien got it wrong", so let's assume he knew what he was doing and he had a reason (at least one!) for Sauron to want to have a Ring to confine his power, and that Maiar wanted to have bodies. Why? What's so great about bodies?

Are there answers within the pages of LotR? The Hobbit? The Sil? HoME? the Letters?

11-10-2006, 11:02 AM	#1
littlemanpoet Itinerant Songster Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: The Edge of Faerie Posts: 7,066	Why take a body? Why make a Ring? Okay, this has been hashed through before, but I want to address it anyway. I can see why a Man might want to have the sword that he has made be given magical (Elvish?) power. But why would a Maia want a body? Why would a spiritual being want to confine his power to a Ring, or any other material object? I want to stay away from any such nonsense as "Tolkien got it wrong", so let's assume he knew what he was doing and he had a reason (at least one!) for Sauron to want to have a Ring to confine his power, and that Maiar wanted to have bodies. Why? What's so great about bodies? Are there answers within the pages of LotR? The Hobbit? The Sil? HoME? the Letters?