Sauron's fatal mistake

[Pepper the Mad]

He took all that sweet juicy power, and forged it into... a ring? Why exactly? I'd like to see Tolkien explain that in under 200 words. Couldn't he just have kept the sweet juicy power and used it to do sweet juicy things? (ie. the exact same things he was going to do when he got the ring back) I mean did the guy just think "Hmm, instead of harnessing this power that I have and no-one can take away, I'll slap it all into a ring so I can lose it at the first sign of an ambitious swordsman." And why a ring exactly? Did he want to impress his ex-wife or something? Why not something a little more inaccessible, something that no-one else is going to use, like the Jockstrap of Power? He could've even had some fun with that, like tempting his scumbag minions to snap his undies, and then in return smiting them with all the wrath of its imbued power.

I mean, in ring form, he could lose it (which he did), and some fourth rate hobbit could pick it up and keep it (which he did), lose it to a third rate hobbit (which he did), who in turn gives it over to a second rate hobbit (which he did) who proceeded to destroy Sauron utterly with the help of some walking trees (which he did). Sauron must've been blind not to see this coming!

If he had gone the jockstrap option, the fourth rate hobbit would've found it, tried it on, sniffed it a little, complained that it chafed, and thrown in back in the river. Then everyone would've been happy (except the smoten hobbit fisherman who found it and turned it in, expecting a reward, the smoten orcs who laughed at Sauron for writing contact details on his underpants, the smoten Middle Earth who felt the wrath of a fully underpants-laden Sauron, and Sauron, still stinging from the cruel remarks of the now smoten orcs).

- Originally appeared on www.nightly.net/lotr

[dunedain lady]

:lol:

[Xivigg]

why he did it

first of all falen Vala and Maia did lose their power
While they create (corrupt more acurately) thing they lose small part of their power. Morgoth lose the abbility to wear a pleasent form and sauron did lose this power when he reform in the third age.

So thier power have limit and in the end they will lose all of it. Magical item on the other hand retain their power until the end of time (or destruction whatever came first)
So by storing a part of his power in the ring he insure that whatever happen he still have an important part of his power. The ring also inchore him to the middle earth wich allow him to reform after his destruction during the fall.

Why a ring and not a jokestrap. well organic item even magic one will fade and dissolve ( i mean leather will one day become useless, even if you take great care of it)
On the other hand alloy can last possibly forever espacialy gold. So he need a gold alloy (also easy to find).
Why a ring well for a time Sauron was hidden among the Elves and he was trying to learn their secret. Starngely the elves were building the ring of power (coincidence ??)
Also when you think about it a ring is small and rather hard to remove (especialy when this ring dosen't want to be remove)
for losing the ring i think Isildur got a lucky shot after all who would want to chop a ring instead of the head ???
and he also fight Sauron AFTER Gil-Galad and Elindil did.
And i think even Maia can tired.

If i'm totaly wrong please tell me and don't left me here in the dark

[Shanamir Duntak]

... Yep, you're probably right for most, if we take for granted maias were slowly losing their powers in Middle-Earth. Don't know where you got that, but I believe you...

[Morkhon]

Xivigg, Sauron died in the fight with Elendil and Gil-Galad. Isuldur took the ring off the dead hand of Sauron.
BTW, I think that was meant to be a joke and not taken seriously. But the main reason that he forged the ring was to gain control over all the other 19 rings. 9+7+3=19.

[Michael Martinez]

From Letter 131:

Sauron became thus almost supreme in Middle-earth....

But to achieve this he had been obliged to let a great part of his own inherent power (a frequent and very signficant motive in myth and fairy-story) pass into the One Ring. While he wore it, his power on earth was actually enhanced. But even if he did not wear it, that power existed and was in 'rapport' with himself: he was not 'diminished'. Unless some other seized it and became possessed of it. If that happened, the new possessor could (if sufficiently strong and heroic by nature) challenge Sauron, become master of all that he had learned or done since the making of the One Ring, and so overthrow him and usurp his place. This was the essential weakness he had introduced into his situation in his effort (largely unsuccessful) to enslave the Elves, and in his desire to establish a control over the minds and wills of his servants....

I'm not sure if that's 200 words or less, but I think it answers the original question of why Sauron would make the One Ring. And then some, I suppose.

[Pepper the Mad]

Yep, it was actually a joke. My fault if you didn't recognise it as one, let alone find it funny. Ah, each to his/her own. I'm wired sillly.

But I guess a small part of me did want to know. Those are some pretty good explanations. At this thread's original source, someone posted a Tolkien excerpt on what Sauron's ring represented, mythically. I thought the Ring was the real Mouth of Sauron, and really, his actual presence in the text, always asking "What's your price"? Here's what Tolkien said:

"If I were to 'philosophise' this myth, or at least the Ring of Sauron, I should say it was a mythical way of representing the truth that potency (or perhaps rather potentiality) if it is to be exercised, and produce results, has to be externalised and so as it were passes, to a greater or less degree, out of one's direct control."

Boy is he wordy. To my understanding, this means that to fulfill one's potential, that potential has to be "externalised". This could mean a number of things, actual exercise of it (which would be circular to the argument), relying on external factors maybe, such as the trust of others or the dependence on occurences beyond one's control. That potential is then partially out of the former bearer's control, but this is a neccessary action to exercise that potential. In short I think it means that ability needs risk and/or reliance to become positive action. In Sauron's case, I guess Tolkien is saying he risked too much. The ring is the physical manifestation of the potential he risked to make the world his, and when the ring was destroyed, so was he. So what does this mean? You have to risk/rely to get results, but not too much? The only certainty here that I can see is that he still didn't have to use a ring - jockstrap would've done just fine. :)

Thoughts, anyone?

[Eowyn99]

I think that you people think far too much.

and i think that the jockstrap thing was not a bad idea.

[Lief Erikson]

I agree with Morkhon. All of the other rings had great power and Sauron wanted to control them. It goes into pretty great detail in the Silmarillion. It talks about how he forged the Ring because of the other rings. They were all controlled by high and important kings or lords, his greatest enemies. He wanted to get control over all of them. When the elven lords discovered what was happening, they stopped using their rings. That's why they succeeded in keeping their rings from Sauron when all of the others were taken.

[SilvaRanger]

The real reason why Sauron made the one ring is because if he hadn't there wouldn't have been a Lord of the Rings book:) And without LoTR there'd be no Entmoot, horrible thought is'nt it!

[Eowyn99]

he made it into a ring because tolkien thought that sauron needed something pretty to wear.
it's that simple. this much thought is not necessary...
not to mention dangerous.

i'm seeing flashes from your pasts....
"Mommy, why did Spot run? Why couldn't he have walked? Why is Spot not named Lucky instead?"


:rollin:

[Elanor]

as for why Tolkien used a ring--probably it just popped into his mind as an enigmatic and valuable thing for Bilbo to find a golden invisibility ring, and it fit with the gollum plot. I don't think he even thought of making it this whole sinister Sauron world conflict thing until later. (though I dunno, maybe he did, but it didn't seem that way in the Hobbit.) Anyway, there are lots of myths/legends in Europe about magical rings, and rings are cool looking and expensive. :)

[Lief Erikson]

When I posted the reason for Sauron to make the Ring, I hadn't read all of the posts, including the one saying the whole thing was a joke. My mistake.

[Eowyn99]

i feel inviiiiiiiisible!
hmm.... ^^
¤ puts on her magical ring, gets a little tipsy, and runs around Entmoot wearing nuffin but a smile :) ¤

[Eruve]

Now, Sauron could never get away with that: too many Nazgul around to see him.

[Captain Stern]

Morgoth lost his power because he had no natural ally in the form of Elves and humans. So he had to make his own using up his power e.g Dragons, Orks. And he had lots of things to do as well.

And the good guys like the Valar/ Good Gods could keep all their power. That's why Tulkas was able to open a big can o whoopass on Morgoth. Hardly fair.

Does it say that the power is diminished forever once they used it? Maybe it can be regained or recharged after a while? I'll probably have to re-read Lord of the Rings again.

[Morkhon]

Actually Morgoth could make nothing, he could only twist what was already there, he had no power of creation of his own. Orcs are twisted elves, trolls twisted ents, and so on.

[Captain Stern]

What about them? I don't think they were twisted whatevers.

[Morkhon]

I can't explain the dragons, maybe a natural creature that he captured and made evil. It implicitly states that Morgoth had no powers of creation. I'll find the quote if I have too.

[Captain Stern]

It says somewhere that only Illuvitar has the power to give something life. Remember when Aule created the Dwarfs. Illuvitar said that they'd be walking no brainers but being the nice guy he is he breathed life in to them.

[Inoldonil]

M. Martinez has some interesting theories about them. Take a look: Where have all the Dragons gone? (http://www.suite101.com/article.cfm/tolkien/55180)