103
votes
Accepted
How did the destruction of the Ring cause Arwen to change from Evenstar to Morningstar?
It didn't
Gimli is only saying poetically that he prefers Galadriel to Arwen. Arwen is never referred to as "the Morningstar". You may be confused by the dialogue between Gimli and Éomer:
‘...
- 11k
91
votes
Accepted
Could Gandalf not have made his own One Ring?
Possibly
In the foreword to The Lord of the Rings, Tolkien observes:
Saruman, failing to get possession of the Ring, would in the confusion and treacheries of the time have found in Mordor the ...
76
votes
Accepted
When Tom Bombadil made the One Ring disappear, did he put it into a place that only he had access to?
There is no answer to this for two reasons:
First, Tolkien deliberately did not write about the details of his magic system. He felt that magic was closely related to wonder, and for magic to produce ...
- 42k
73
votes
Accepted
Why did the One Ring betray Isildur?
It wanted to stay hidden until the proper time
Most of this is synthesis on my part, as there are no detailed writings concerning the Ring's intentions.
If the Ring is a mostly dumb object, the answer ...
- 11k
68
votes
How does Gandalf (or anyone) know how to destroy the Ring?
Knowledge of how to destroy the Ring dates back to at least the end of the Second Age, after Isildur took the Ring, and as described in the chapter The Council of Elrond:
'Alas! yes,' said Elrond. '...
68
votes
Accepted
Why did Sauron die when the Ring was destroyed in Mount Doom?
Sauron passed a tremendous amount of his own native power as a Maia into the Ring he forged. Gandalf outlines the situation to Frodo in "The Shadow of the Past":
He only needs the One; for ...
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63
votes
Accepted
Can the One Ring change in size?
Yes. At the very least, it seemed to.
‘Bilbo knew no more than he told you, I am sure,’ said Gandalf. ‘He would certainly never have passed on to you anything that he thought would be a danger, even ...
- 25k
56
votes
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Why was Gandalf unsure if Bilbo's ring was the One Ring if he had seen an image of Sauron's Eye when he was about to pick it up?
You've linked together too many things that shouldn't really be linked at this point in the movie.
First of all, I wouldn't put too much weight on elements Peter Jackson put into his movies that weren'...
- 16k
51
votes
Why did the One Ring betray Isildur?
The Ring was trying to get back to its master
It is true that betraying Isildur didn't turn out too well for the Ring and its master, but it would have been hard to predict that at the time.
The ...
- 21.2k
47
votes
Accepted
When Frodo was guided by Gollum to the Black Gate, how did he intend to enter Mordor?
He had no idea
But it was not always the case. The development of Frodo's entrance into Mordor is somewhat complex. In chronological order of writing:
Gollum takes them through secret paths around ...
- 11k
45
votes
Could Gandalf not have made his own One Ring?
I doubt it.
Going through all the artifacts throughout the books, the knowledge of forging great magical artifacts seems to mainly originate from the Vala Aulë.
Sauron (and Saruman) was originally ...
- 5,679
42
votes
Did Gollum want possession of the Ring but not want to wear it?
Somewhat
Tolkien does say that Gollum found the ring to be "tiring" to wear all the time, and "galling" to keep on him all the time.
But Gollum was still willing to use it whenever ...
- 95.3k
41
votes
Accepted
Why did the One Ring not slip off Frodo's hand?
Not much opportunity, and not meant to happen
Keep in mind that Frodo didn't wear the Ring for very long while the Nazgûl were near. Even if the Ring was trying to slip off his finger, it might not ...
- 21.2k
40
votes
Accepted
Is the One Ring sentient?
Unclear
You cannot press the One Ring too hard, for it is of course a mythical feature, even though the world of the tales is conceived in more or less historical terms.
The Letters of J. R. R. ...
- 11k
40
votes
Accepted
Is there any canon evidence of a second "One Ring?"
Almost certainly made up for the game
Celebrimbor made three Rings of Power for the Elves (the three Elven Rings worn by Gandalf, Elrond and Galadriel at the time of the War of the Ring). However none ...
- 21.2k
38
votes
When Tom Bombadil made the One Ring disappear, did he put it into a place that only he had access to?
Book 1 Chapter 7 says:
Tom laughed again, and then he spun the Ring in the air – and it
vanished with a flash. Frodo gave a cry – and Tom leaned forward and
handed it back to him with a smile.
You ...
- 4,334
37
votes
Accepted
Why didn't Eru Ilúvatar trip Isildur?
Well, this has been sticking in my craw for a while, so I better get it out.
This question is based in the premise that Ilúvatar "tripped" Gollum at the Cracks of Doom, making it "...
- 16k
35
votes
Could Gandalf not have made his own One Ring?
The rings made by Sauron, and specifically the One Ring, did not give Sauron extra raw power, they were a method of applying his existing, innate power over men, dwarves and elves. The rings did not ...
35
votes
Accepted
What does Gollum see when he puts on the Ring?
The short answer is we don't know, because Jackson doesn't show us and Tolkien doesn't tell us.
We never read or see Gollum wearing the Ring in The Hobbit. And by the time of LotR, he's long lost it.
...
- 7,395
33
votes
When Frodo was guided by Gollum to the Black Gate, how did he intend to enter Mordor?
He planned to enter through the Black Gate
From the same chapter:
'Master said so. Master says: Bring us to the Gate. So good Smeagol does so. Master said so, wise master.'
'I did,' said Frodo. His ...
32
votes
How does Gandalf (or anyone) know how to destroy the Ring?
As Victim of Circumstance makes clear in his answer, the fact that the One Ring could be destroyed at Mount Doom was known to the elves at the end of the second age, and this information probably came ...
- 10.9k
30
votes
Accepted
Aside from the Rings of Power, what else did Sauron make in his forge at Mount Doom?
Nothing we know of
There are rather few mentions of Mount Doom. A few of those, to my knowledge, mention the forging of objects there, but always the Ruling Ring:
There above the valley of Gorgoroth ...
- 117k
30
votes
Why did Sauron die when the Ring was destroyed in Mount Doom?
Sauron has actually physically "died" at least 3 times:
Lúthien "killed" him when she overthrew his fortress on the Isle of Werewolves in the First Age.
At the Downfall of Númenor....
29
votes
Accepted
Where is the "Ring-verse" inscribed on the One Ring?
In the book, it's not specified; we're just told (emphasis mine):
[Frodo] now saw fine lines, finer than the finest pen-strokes, running along the ring, outside and inside: lines of fire that seemed ...
- 164k
29
votes
Accepted
Are the Valar vulnerable to the One Ring?
Tolkien tells us that the power of the Ring is Sauron's power.
Now the Elves made many rings; but secretly Sauron
made One Ring to rule all the others, and their power was
bound up with it, to ...
- 21.2k
26
votes
Accepted
Why is so much emphasis placed on the Ring instead of the Palantiri?
The idea that the Council and Gandalf were distracted by the Ring and had not entirely thought out the true power of the Palantíri is suggested by Tolkien in his essay titled "The Palantíri"
...
- 77.5k
26
votes
In the movies why does Frodo try to give the One Ring to Aragorn?
To some extent you could suggest that Peter Jackson was testing his Aragorn character and proving that he was strong willed enough to be the King.
Frodo sees Boromir struggle to resist the Ring and ...
- 77.5k
25
votes
What would have happened to Saruman if Sauron acquired the One Ring?
He wouldn't have become a wraith.
The 9 Kings of Men became wraiths as their lives were stretched beyond their natural limits. Saruman, however, is immortal; while his Istari body could die, his ...
- 77.5k
24
votes
How many times did Gandalf touch the One Ring in the books?
Twice.
He unfastened it and handed it slowly to the wizard. It felt suddenly very heavy, as if either it or Frodo himself was in some way reluctant for Gandalf to touch it.
Gandalf held it up. It ...
- 26.4k
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