bilbo and the ring.

[Elf Girl]

You need to have read the hobbit to understand this!!

The one ring can be melted by dragon-fire.
So if Smaug had breathed on Bilbo, the ring woud have been destroyed, since Bilbo always had it in his pocket. Unfortunately, Bilbo would have been destroyed as well. But what would have been the consequences? What about Saruman?

[sun-star]

Was Smaug powerful enough? I thought they had to be very important dragons to destroy the ring.

[CardenIAntauraNauco]

Remember that some rings are more difficult to destroy than others. Not even Glaurung could have destroyed the One Ring

[FrodoFriend]

Yeah, Gandalf specifically said that even the most powerful dragon-fire could not destroy the One Ring, for it was made by the Dark Lord himself in Mount Doom.

[Laurelyn]

So if Smaug had sent Bilbo up in flames, what would have happened is that the dwarves would have lost their burglar. The Ring would live on, for the only place it can be destroyed is Mount Doom.

[Elf Girl]

Aaaaaaaaaaaah.

[Nameless]

And Smaug would have been left with the One Ring....

I guess that if Sauron ever found out the ring was one of Smaug's treasures, Sauron would have launched an assualt on the Lonely Mountain.

It would be interesting to know how Sauron's forces would have fared against Smaug....

[FrodoFriend]

Yeah, but Smaug with the Ring wouldn't be much better than Sauron with the Ring.

[Renille]

I think it would! Smaug would probably not know what to do with it...after all, remember, it outwardly looked like just another ring. Smaug could lie on it for ages and no one would know it was there. And if Sauron's army did come, maybe Smaug would have toasted them all! No more orcs...hmm...interesting thought. But that would be basically impossible.

[Menelvagor]

yes, I don't think Smaug would've been able to use it, don't you have to be waering it to access it's powers? Plus, controling the ring requires strength of will and I think Smaug was laking a bit in that department. Even if he could have put it on, he would have used it haphazardly (which would've really been a bummer for Thorin) and probably the main result would be to alert Sauron to it's whereabouts, then he would send a thief of some kind (I think he was too smart to send troops against a powerful, angry dragon in posession of the most destructive weapon in the world threatened with losing his prescious) and he would've gotten the ring back.

I think it's far more likely for the ring to sit in Smaug's horde until either the dwarves defeated him or another burgler (drawn by the ring?) came and found it.

[Laurelyn]

Obviously, Smaug isn't indestructible, because he was destroyed by Bard, so he could have very possibly been killed by Sauron and the Ring retrieved and Middle-earth covered in darkness.

[barrelrider110]

What if Smaug had eaten Bilbo, and consumed the ring?

[Earenya]

I think it would have, shall we say, passed through the great dragon. :) And I also do not think Smaug would've known what to do with the ring, but Sauron probably would've found it sooner.

[Brimvalir]

Smaug could not have destroyed the one ring ------ remember Gandalf saying that not even Anglacan the Black could have harmed the ruling ring - smaug maybe could have heated it up for a second or two :P

[Arathorn]

Could the One Ring have controlled Smaug if it were in his belly? Could his fire belching have reached Mordor all the way from the Lonely Mountain?

[barrelrider110]

Tum, ta tum tum!

[Nameless]

If Smaug had eaten Bilbo and thus consumed the ring, I think it would have had the same effect on him as if he was actually wearing the ring.

I imagine it would have made him lust for more gold. This lust might have driven him to venture further from the Lonely Mountain in an attempt to satisfy this desire. I also think it would have played on his pride and made him sure that no-one could defeat him.

[Renille]

But in that case, would Smaug recognize the source of his longing for more gold? Or would he, controlled by the ring, think it natural?

[Nameless]

I don't think Smaug would have attributed additional lust for gold/treasures to the ring. He might not have even known that he had swallowed it. Smaug struck me as being very conceited. If his desire for more treasure increased, he would probably think this was natural because he 'deserved' more treasure. After all, Smaug did believe himself to be a great and magnificent dragon!!

[Arathorn]

I understand the One Ring gave different powers depending on the wielder. But wouldn't it be scary if he became invisible like the hobbits?

[Nameless]

Yeah! One minute you are walking along, and the next minute you are little more than a scorch mark on the ground!! :D

[barrelrider110]

Interesting, Arathorn.
How would the ring have affected Smaug? Would he have become more physically powerful and created a wasteland of Middle Earth, or would it have no affect on him at all?

I think the latter.

The ring gave power according to the power of the user, but also served the user's ambitions. The ring had power over those who wanted something. Bombadil wanted nothing, so the ring had no power over him.

Those who wanted power such as Saruman, Sauron, and Galadriel would have had the ability to control manipulate people on a massive scale. Smaug was interested in the material, but the intrisic value of the material meant little to him so long as it was, um, precious.

[Arathorn]

Well in that case, I would imagine a dragon with Midas Touch. He'll probably get weak because everything that touches him turns to gold for his hoard and he'll starve and die a rich dragon.

[Earniel]

I don't think Sauron would attack Smaug if he knew Smaug had the ring. He would probably have bought it back, in exchange for a renewed weekly delivery of young edible maidens.

[Nibs]

I doubt Smaug could have ever gotten a hold of it... Bilbo would have gotten a good lead into the tunnel before getting flamed, where the ring would have stayed, until the dwarves ventured from it's end. I don't see much sense in debating how the ring would affect Smaug when it's extremely unlikely that he could have gotten it at all (in my opinion).

However, this brings up something else... the dwarves would probably get the ring after that and what then?

[Renille]

Maybe they would have put it with the Arkenstone,when they eventually found that, and kept it a place of honor forever. Or prehaps, one of them would discover its power and become a dwarvish gollum.

[Earniel]

Originally posted by Renille
Or prehaps, one of them would discover its power and become a dwarvish gollum.

heheheheh, gollum with a beard! whahahah!

[Arathorn]

Not to mention John Rhys-Davies with Gollum's grammar.:D LOL

[markedel]

Actually if anything evil gets the ring Sauron (who would have used Smaug anyway) would have gotten the ring quite easily.