What power does the One Ring give to Sauron? 🤔 #lotr #lotrrop #ringsofpower #sauron

Middle Earth Lore

#Tolkien #ringsofpower #LOTR #lordoftherings #rop #hobbits #middleearth #mordor

[sansgaming]

"One ring to bring them all, and in the darkness bind them" in like the first 5 seconds of the movie it tells us that sauron can bend others to his will who are wearing the rings

[bygerboben]

Gandalf at the concil of Elrond. When Boromir says give the weapon to Gondor lets use it against him. Gandalf be like DEFUQ do you want to control me?

[zachpaterson]

I’m fairly sure the ring *does* make Sauron stronger. It focuses/strengthens his power (specifically he mental power) in the same way it en an es the elven realms or the lives of mortal men.

[p-ar]

Also Elrond and Galadriel use their rings to protect Rivendell and Lothlórien from the decay of time. And Gandalf uses his to give hope to others. If Sauron puts on the One Ring… Elrond, Galadriel and Gandalf would have to take theirs off and therefore Rivendell, Lothlorien and the Free people of Middle-Earth would be defenceless and without hope.

[JPL]

So basically he gave up half his power and his existence being dependant on a ring so he can zoom call for free, genius.

[dylanfinch]

Nah, this is an undersell for the ring.

[lbY]

It specifically says it amplifies Saurons power while wearing it

[PrimordialShot]

The mesh up of Elden Ring music and LotR is amazing. I absolutely adore your little pixel sprites. You gained a sub. Keep doing what you're doing.

[zmani]

Very thoughtful and comprehensive response; I will give a rather lengthy response to explore these questions you're raising

– yes, I see what you mean re the difference between the books and the films – in visualizing the material, Jackson turned his films into an essay re the temptation of power, esp Fellowship,

and the Ring plays a central role as THE image of power, the whole trilogy is planned visually around us watching ppl reacting to it

– and I agree, the Ring itself is basically the true antagonist of the trilogy (and it even has its own voice actor, the great Alan Howard)

Another visual reference in the trilogy, more indirect, is Mordor itself – I think what’s implicit is that if Sauron gets the Ring back, then basically all of Middle Earth will end up looking like Mordor

– Saruman’s turning Fangorn and Isengard into an industrial wasteland is a precursor – this is what the threat of Sauron and Saruman represents

– plus the physically corrupted state of Gothmog (“the time of the Orc is here”) – so the overall image is of a scorched barren wasteland strewn w death and horrific disease

So at the beginning we’re shown the paradisically green Shire, w its beatific childlike Hobbits, and at the other end is the charred and gaseous landscape of Mordor – and the Ring in the middle

– but exactly HOW the Ring would help Sauron turn the Shire into Mordor, this is left to our imaginations – we see the Ring doing certain things, but it seems this is just the tip of the iceberg re what kind of power it can manifest

– tho it’s true that even in the films, the point is made that the Ring’s impact is also linked to the power of the bearer – which is why figures like Gandalf and Galadriel are esp afraid of it

– it also underlines that the more powerful someone is, the more vulnerable they are to the Ring’s temptations, which becomes the central point of why they need a small and innocent Hobbit to save them – “and a little child shall lead them”

I like your point about Ringless Sauron being mini-Sauron, and how in the books it is full-powered Sauron who is viewed as the threat, whereas in the films it is the Ring that is viewed as the threat, as a threatening Weapon everyone is vying for

In both the books and the films, Sauron is largely an abstraction, and the focus is more on how others are responding to this situation

– Tolkien was Catholic, and he presents an Augustinian view of Evil as Weakness – the focus is on the Weakness of each character in the face of Temptation

– so Power is in a sense separated from the Wielder, so then we can see the Temptation acting upon them – the Weakness is the true threat, which enables Power to assert its Corrupting Force

But with your comment I realize now how this is much more understated and implicit in the books, whereas the films make it the central driving focus

– a clever and incisive way for Jackson to translate the books into this visual medium, that captures the spirit of the books

– but every translation makes choices re what to foreground – so this notion of the Ring is Jackson’s own take on the material

I still feel that in both the books and the films, the Ring’s true power is left largely implicit, but your point gives me a new way of looking at both sets of material

I was hoping Rings of Power series would shed more light on this – in the ROTK Appendices, we see an outline of the Second Age which in many ways is a biography of Sauron in Middle Earth

– we see at the start he’s washed up on the shores, practically a refugee after his master’s devastating defeat – and we see over the ensuing millennia how Sauron seems to prefer manipulation over brute force – in the world of the Second Age, he seems to have antagonists of greater power, who are more able to match him

– he goes thru a number of cycles where he begins as a vulnerable dependent, then he uses this position to assert growing influence from within over his hosts, who always seem to underestimate him and project their own desires onto him, until he grows so powerful that he nearly takes over, and his hosts end up going to war w him

– this happens both w the Elves and the forging of the Ring(s), and then again w Ar-Pharazon of Numenor

I’m glad Rings of Power is focusing on the Second Age, tho I have many disagreements w their approach – but in the Appendices we see, even w the Ring, Sauron is defeated and imprisoned for long stretches of time

– tho in the Third Age the balance of power seems to have shifted, and Sauron now seems far more powerful compared to anyone around him, even without the Ring

This complicates the picture further – I do agree that in either case most of the Ring’s power stems from the fact that it’s Sauron’s own power inside it

– and this may be part of the reason that the Ring will automatically channel any use of it towards Evil (tho IMO this reflects the larger view of Power itself as inherently corrupting)

– but did Sauron place his spirit into the Ring precisely because doing this would also augment his Power overall?

I like your distinction between books and films re Sauron vs the Ring – tho I still feel the Ring’s full abilities in both cases are left ambiguous and open-ended

– and another ambiguous point is to what extent Sauron created and infused himself in this Ring as a unique way of enhancing his own Power

[loayzag]

It turns him into a distributed system

[Slavchav]

Recipe for the one ring:

Pickled iron sulfide, for it has that rich flavour we’re looking for, this alongside a dash of mithril and some lembas bread will give you the perfect ring, to place upon your crooked finger

[andryhunter]

good guy Sauron, he always wanted to be closer to his friends, so much so that he made the One Ring
I am moved 😍

[johnt.inscrutable]

Ok. This is now my favorite channel for fun & accurate Tolkien shorts. No. Not his shorts. Just short videos.

[raynitaylor]

The ring was made specifically in Mount Doom so Sauron could draw from some of the power of Melkor (who was in charge of Heat and Cold) so he can amplify his own power. Arda (the version of Earth that Middle Earth is in) was Morgoth's Ring.
After tricking Celebrimbor, the grandson of Feanor -who is the first elf to ever create something that could capture the power of the Valar, into making rings to capture his and the elven spirits and combine them in physical anchors. This is why for mortals that had the ability to see and exist in the spiritual side of the world and have 'immortal' life, the elves were able to stem the decay of the world, and the dwarves were impowered by greed. They were all binded by the power of Morgoth.
These same powers were lost when the One was destroyed; the connection was severed.

[generalsqueezy]

It literally says in the movie that the POWER of the one ring could not be undone, it definitely concentrated his powers at least.

[jerryappleton]

Simple:

The rings would be given to the rulers of Middle-Earth:

7 Dwarven Kings
9 Kings of Man
3 Elven Kings

They would inherit the rings powers (essentially absorbing Sauron's power that he injected into each ring).

They'd become extremely powerful and immortal and rule their kingdoms with an iron fist.

Sauron, using the One ring, would then be their Lord and mind control them.

And as they ruled the free peoples, he'd de facto rule the world.

the Elves found out BEFORE he could give them their rings (so they forged 3 secret rings, using the power of the elements of aid, fire and water to give themselves power).

The Dwarven King kinda took the power to just be greedier for more gold, mithril and jewels and Sauron couldn't mind control them.

The 9 Kings of Man went all in on them but thanks to the Laat Alliance, they were kicked out of their kingdoms and their people saved and absorbed into Arnor and Gondor.

[rthulesscalculus]

The Ring is essentially a life anchor to the world of Middle-Earth for Sauron, with the added benefit of being extremely useful in dominating lesser spiritual apt beings. Elves and Dwarves were resistant to its effects at least when it came to the other rings, however it also is a bridge or portal to the wraith realm. It doesnt make you invisible, you literally enter a different dimension. Also from what little lore I can scrounge up all these years the Ring seems to grant Sauron immense magical power without the use of incantation. For example the wizards duel and balrog, for even the balrog had to use words of power against Gandalf’s door seal in Moria. Able to shapeshift, use burning hands and the elves using the connected rings of power as a veil of magic to cover entire cities is only half of the things we see can see its capable of and most of it without Sauron using it, which means there could be a whole lot more we simply are unable to know as time makes the myth of the ring less apparent.

[Gerraint]

This actually bothers me a lot because that means those ring of power is Sauron's biggest blunder. At the end of the day, it just gave him the Nazguls and that's it. The seven ring do nothing for him and the three ring helps the elves. Also the ring is literally the reason this dude lost the war, not once but twice.

[SolFundamentum]

The Ring concentrates his power.

Sauron has always had the ability to bend minds to his will, but that ability had to be narrowed down to specific targets so that he could better concentrate his power and gain dominion over all races in a much more efficient way.

Precisely why he came up with the Rings of Power.

The Ring is a conduit for Sauron’s will, and in a way, it is literally Sauron (or an extension of his very being, that may sound better).

The Nazgûl are a clear demonstrator as to how Sauron became more powerful with the creation of the One Ring. They are an extension of Sauron’s will, yes but Sauron could have them sent in 9 different parts of ME and each of them could very well be the most powerful in each of said places. So basically, Sauron got himself very powerful servants who are loyal to death (hahaha). And more power Sauron wields, the more powerful they become.

It’s not Sauron’s own physical or magical power that is being enhanced with the One Ring. It’s also that of his servants’, they become more formidable, more powerful since their minds are bent to Sauron’s concentrated will and thus powered up at all times.

In the books, the moment Sauron redirects his gaze to Mt Doom when Frodo claims the Ring, his armies become scattered and hopeless. Sauron’s will is what drives his armies forward and makes them a force to be reckoned with. That effect is intensified when Sauron wears the Ring, #1 because Sauron is 100% complete and at full power levels & #2 because of the Ring’s very specific ability to infiltrate minds and bend the will of beings to that of Sauron’s.

So, whilst the Ring doesn’t provide Sauron with new flashy abilities, it actually enhances his already existing abilities - more specifically, his ability to dominate life and bend beings to his will.

[feylezofi]

That doesn't make sense. He already controlled 9 kings of men, dwarves were indomitable, the elves didn't wear the rings after sensing Sauron's plan. So there wasn't any ring bearer to control other than Gandalf. I always assumed one ring acts like a main server and draws the strength of all the other rings, therefore his hunt for the 3 rings.