The Mysterious 10th Bearer.

[Hookbill the Goomba]

Dûrbelethwen, with that theory, are we not forgetting Cirdan?

[Encaitare]

And Gil-Galad as well.

[Keeper of Dol Guldur]

I don't know if it's been covered already, but I honestly think it was Elrond who changed the chain.

While he was healing Frodo, personally, he would have been undressing Frodo, and I doubt he would leave such an heirloom and menace in the pocket of Frodo's overcoat where it could actually if it felt like it, fall out haphazardly, roll down the floor and by some chance of luck, off a cliff into the Bruinen, to be washed down to the Ringwraiths as they collected themselves on the banks miles down, without clothes.

My point being, it couldn't be trusted to just be left in the pocket, and I doubt he would burden / trust (use these terms lightly, we all know the formalities and tricks that the ring requires people to take into account) any other elf with moving it, or touching it, or handling it in any way. He knew the best place for it was around Frodo's neck, where it couldn't make an exit, tricky thing.

While it's possible as he switched it, he had a Galadriel like test of whether he should take it or not, I doubt it.

For starters, Elrond wanted the thing destroyed, he had for thousands of years, ever since Isildur got a hold of it.

Second, Gandalf would likely have been there with him. There's strength in numbers, and reasoning too. Especially since they both had Elven rings. Anyway, it would have been impossible.

No, I imagine he handled the thing, just like Gandalf had done when he threw it into Bag End's fireplace, many weeks before. He probably quickly and gingerly grabbed it, looped the chain in, and had as short a contact with the thing as possible.

So I'm assuming it was Elrond.

It's definitely true that handling it and bearing it are completely different.

[Nimrodel_9]

In my view all that you have listed were bearers except Gandalf. All of them had it for some time, if you count Sam, having had the ring after Shelob`s attack, and carrying Frodo up Mount Doom. But Gandalf only held the ring for a few seconds time. As for switching the chains, I believe it would have been Sam. Gandalf and Elrond avoided touching the ring, whereas Sam was not being bothered by its power, and did not wanting to take it away from Frodo. But who gave him the chain? Maybe Elrond. Hmmm... interesting thread.

[Morsul the Dark]

Originally Posted by Morsul the Dark

I believe it was Bilbo Sam or Gandalf Probably one of the latter seeing how much Bilbo craved it it would be difficult for him to return it to Frodo the reason I believe it is one of these three is because of a certain pattern

9 nazgul
9 fellowship members
and
9 bearers

to quote myself and saucepanman i modify my theory

Originally Posted by The Saucepan Man

Well, since Tolkien never gave us a definitive answer (absent any undiscovered manuscripts), I would say that Gothmog could be any of the three. It's down to the reader.

On that basis, my vote is for Nazgul since, in an old War of the Ring game that I have, he is depicted as one. And so, I have considered him to be a Nazgul for some 25 years and I am not about to change my mind now.

But even applying logic to the situation, my answer holds. I would expect the second-in-command at Minas Morgul and in the assault on Gondor to be of similar power to the commander (ie the Witch-King). Khamul, as the Lieutenant of Dol Goldur, was almost certainly directing the assaults on Lorien, the second of which occured on the same day as the Battle of the Pelennor. I would therefore conclude that the Witch-King's second-in-command was one of the other Nazgul.

Thinking about it on the way home from work

if gothmog was a nazgul then perhaps we can count bill as the tenth fellowship member considering the fact sam basicly considered him human(at least in spirit) to counted in with the rest

then the pattern becomes 10,10,10

a tenth bearer...Elrond would be most logical from what ive read

While reading this thread I got many different suggestions for the tenth "bearer".

My finger points at Elrond too.
Or perhaps some of his elves, but then again Elrond would have been too afraid of his servants falling for the lure of the ring, so he did it by himself or with a little help of Gandalf. (They propably discussed about it, Gandalf was near when Elrond did it, but didn't really take part at the process itself.)
In Rivendell there were many talented elves, and I'm more than sure that there was atleast one who knew how to make a new chain or repair the old one. (Propably a new one, where would have the ring been held while repairing the old chain? In Eldond's kitchen drawer with the forks and spoons? Yeah, didn't think so.)

And that point of Morsul The Dark, of the tenth Nazgul and Fellowship member really just makes my opinnion stronger.

JRRT did deffinitely love the idea of making the numbers of the good & bad & fallen equal.