The Ring of Power

[Kalmanluin]

There is something that has been bothering me lately. It is just a question that has been asked before I'm sure.

What if Elendil did not die when he and Gil-Galad defeated Sauron? What if it was Elendil who cut the Ring from Sauron's hand and not his son Isildur? Could Elendil have thrown the Ring into the fire of Mount Doom? Would Elendil have kept the Ring?

Personally I believe that Elendil would have been able to resist the temptation of the Ring and destroyed it.

Does anyone else agree with me?

[FoolOfATook]

Sorry, but I just can't agree with you. I think Elendil, as admirable a figure as he was, would have suc***bed to the power of the Ring. Unless he and Isildur both survived, and then I could imagine Elendil never getting a chance to suc***b to the ring because Isildur would commit an act of patricide first. I'm incredibly cynical about the ability of ANYONE, to resist the pure evil of the Ring, great kings included.

[Kalmanluin]

O.K. FoolofaTook, I respect your answer. Although I must say that you are not giving Elendil a chance. I would appreciate someone else's response.

What if, let's say, Gil-Galad survived? Does anyone think that he would have been able to resist the power of the Ring and destroyed it?

[Turin]

Well I think that Gil galad would have destroyed the ring if he had the chance.

[Húrin Thalion]

Okay for all interested there was an interesting thread about Isildur and his thoughts when he picked up the Ring a while ago (a little older than me on this forum):

http://www.thetolkienforum.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=6809

Oh I cannot make does fancy here's like you, i paste the whole adress. Anyway I don't think that neither Gil-Galad nor Elendil would have destroyed it, in times of need it's calls were so much stronger, like when on mount doom with Frodo. It was also more powerful near to the place of its making. Not even the istari who were maiar could not resist it's power entirely, Saruman fell even though he never saw the thing! Gandalf xould not take it even to keep it safe, it would have corrupted him still.

Húrin Thalion

[Brytta]

Húrin, perhaps you are correct. But one big difference is that Sauron was in some sort of diminished state after the victory of the Last Alliance and the cutting off of his finger by Isuldur.

Don't you agree that the Ring's will to return to it's master would also be much diminished?

[Húrin Thalion]

No.... I would not think so, the Ring has not been damaged in any way, I think that its calls were as strong as ever. Sauron poured a great deal of himself in the making of The Ring but that piece was still there in the third age, only Sauron's power was lesser since he had created and poured his will into so much more now. To dominate his creatures he had to give them a part of his power and thus his strength was diminished gravely. He could not make without taking power from somewhere (himself). The Ring ahd been preserved without creating or anything like that. When his creatures were killed they died with his power still in them and thus it disappeared. So it was that he after all was not as strong as he was before, as when Manwë face Morgoth in Utumno and found that he was now stronger, I do not doubt that if Ólorin had gone to Barad-Dûr he would have found Sauron weaker than him in spirit, though he feared him when he departed from Valinor.

The change from Gorthaur to Sauron is an interesting and very little studied subject.

Húrin Thalion