Belling the Ring

[Estelyn Telcontar]

For some reason, Alatar, your amusing suggestions remind me of another disappearing and reappearing character created by another Oxford professor - Lewis Carroll's Cheshire Cat! Perhaps Sauron did it similarly? However, it wouldn't be his grin that remained longest, but his Eye - that explains all!

[Nerwen]

Originally Posted by alatar

How did that work? Was he somewhat formed - visible - and as the years accrued, become more and more solid, finding that one day he could no longer walk through doors? Did his DPI (dots per inch, like on a printer) go from 1 to a few million over a time?

No, we don't get those details, just this (and similar quotes):

"...many years ago I myself dared to pass the doors of the Necromancer in Dol Guldur, and secretly explored his ways, and found thus that our fears were true: he was none other than Sauron, our Enemy of old, at length taking shape and power again."

–Gandalf in "The Council of Elrond", TTT.

So you can make whatever theory you like about the process. Yours is... interesting:

Originally Posted by alatar

Or did part of his body form, and so by the time of Gollum's capture, he was complete? Does this mean that the orcs, rebanding after the War of the Last Alliance, worship the Nose of Sauron (anyone remember a Woody Allen film like this), then the Face of Sauron, then the Head and Shoulders...?

The Woody Allen film is "Sleeper". The dictator gets blown up and his followers try to clone him from the only remaining part– his nose.

Originally Posted by alatar

Or assume that there's some other mechanism. Whichever - why, after going through all of the trouble of reincarnation - or whatever the process was - would he then not regrow Finger #10? Makes me have doubts.

As for the finger, I think Sauron couldn't regrow it because his power was somewhat diminished (just not to the extent that he couldn't take shape at all).

Originally Posted by alatar

Sauron was a master of disinformation (See Denethor) and in reality might as well have been reformed as St. Nick - Santa Claus. He has black hands - gloves, is magical, is a giver of gifts (Annatar?) and purportedly can see all and know all. Doesn't he have Nine flying creatures at his beck and call? Hmmm...

And note that at one stage he had Elves making things for him! Alatar, you have me convinced.

I think you'd better contact "The Downer" over this one. The public must be informed before it's too late!