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Questions about Lord of the Rings

Z

zeemumu

Member
What would have happened to Gollum after the ring was destroyed had he not fallen into the volcano with it (assuming he wouldn't have jumped after it)? Would he be free of the ring's influence like Frodo was or would he have just died due to being too far gone?

Would the Nazgul have also died immediately after the ring's destruction since Sauron sorta made them? I mean they do die but it's mostly due to volcano-based destruction. Or would they have just been untethered to Sauron's will and free to go off and terrorize the world however they see fit?

Did the other rings of power get destroyed when the one ring got destroyed or did they just turn back into regular jewelry? Or did they retain their power but without the added corruption debuff?
 
A

ahoyhoy

Unconfirmed Member
Gollum would have still been negatively impacted by the influence of the ring.

Look at how Bilbo asked about the ring when they were headed towards Rivendell at the end of the film. He was like a junky asking for a fix even years after having let go of the ring.

I thin the influence of the ring would have lingered for a while before it slowly subsidided, just like the destruction of Saruon would take years to repair and eventually overcome.
 
F

f0lken

Member
zeemumu said:
What would have happened to Gollum after the ring was destroyed had he not fallen into the volcano with it (assuming he wouldn't have jumped after it)? Would he be free of the ring's influence like Frodo was or would he have just died due to being too far gone?

Would the Nazgul have also died immediately after the ring's destruction since Sauron sorta made them? I mean they do die but it's mostly due to volcano-based destruction. Or would they have just been untethered to Sauron's will and free to go off and terrorize the world however they see fit?

Did the other rings of power get destroyed when the one ring got destroyed or did they just turn back into regular jewelry? Or did they retain their power but without the added corruption debuff?
Click to expand...

Gollum would still be affected, the ring takes its toll, just look at Bilbo at the end of the third movie, he still wants to hold the ring even a little.

The Nazgul would have died immediatelly, in the books thats how they did.

All ring except the ones of the Elfs get destroyed
 
L

Lkr

Member
Frodo isn't free from the ring's influence after destroying it, which is one of the reasons he leaves the shire at the end
 
P

Poppy

Member
gollum would have eventually succumbed to his lifespan without the influence of the ring, i assume

nazgul go poof
 
W

Windam

Scaley member
zeemumu said:
What would have happened to Gollum after the ring was destroyed had he not fallen into the volcano with it (assuming he wouldn't have jumped after it)? Would he be free of the ring's influence like Frodo was or would he have just died due to being too far gone?

Would the Nazgul have also died immediately after the ring's destruction since Sauron sorta made them? I mean they do die but it's mostly due to volcano-based destruction. Or would they have just been untethered to Sauron's will and free to go off and terrorize the world however they see fit?

Did the other rings of power get destroyed when the one ring got destroyed or did they just turn back into regular jewelry? Or did they retain their power but without the added corruption debuff?
Click to expand...

He wouldn't have been freed, not even Frodo or Bilbo was.

Yes.

With the destruction of the One, the powers of the other rings faded, the Elf rings included. (Though they were made in secret and thus free of Sauron's influence, but they were still crafted using techniques he taught to Celebrimbor and the other Elves of Eregion.)
 
V

Veelk

Banned
zeemumu said:
What would have happened to Gollum after the ring was destroyed had he not fallen into the volcano with it (assuming he wouldn't have jumped after it)? Would he be free of the ring's influence like Frodo was or would he have just died due to being too far gone?
Click to expand...

The Ring's hold is forever. Frodo still longs for it and Bilbo, even in old age, asks about it, and they were more resistant than most. Gollum would have spent his remaining days longing for a drug that he could never get again. I imagine that he would have eventually just killed himself, since he was too entangled in his desire for the ring to live a life without hope of retrieving it. The nature of the Tolkien's world always allows for the possibility of redemption/revival, but with Gollum, it's unlikely.

Would the Nazgul have also died immediately after the ring's destruction since Sauron sorta made them? I mean they do die but it's mostly due to volcano-based destruction. Or would they have just been untethered to Sauron's will and free to go off and terrorize the world however they see fit?
Click to expand...

The Nazgul weren't made by the Ring, they were being corrupted by them. Same thing as Gollum, they would exist as phantoms, though I imagine that they'd be far, far weaker.

f0lken said:
The Nazgul would have died immediatelly, in the books thats how they did.
Click to expand...

Ah, nevermind then.


Did the other rings of power get destroyed when the one ring got destroyed or did they just turn back into regular jewelry? Or did they retain their power but without the added corruption debuff?
Click to expand...

I'm not sure, so someone might have to correct me, but the rings of power were all fundamentally tied to the One Ring. That's why it was such a great scheme for Sauron. It granted them great power, but only if they were subservient to him. If the One Ring is gone, then so is the magic with it.
 
B

BetterThanNothing

Member
The ring's influence corrupts permanently. After its destruction, it would no longer be able to manipulate people, but those previously affected would still be worse off for it. The movies don't show much of it, but the books describe with fair clarity Frodo's altered behavior in the years following the Ring's destruction. He spends a decent amount of time in the Shire before sailing to the land the elves go to, and he is prone to long bouts of melancholy and solitude, lacking the eagerness and lofty love of life that he once had. Much of this is supposedly due to the permanent wound he suffered in Fellowship, but it is obvious that a void was left by the tool of Sauron.

I can't quite remember much about ring lore but I believe the passing from the 3rd age(when LotR takes place) to the 4th(beginning with the destruction of the Ring) is defined clearly by the final pilgrimage of the Elves and the withering magic that was tied to their labors; labors that were supported by the power of their rings. I suppose the rings themselves did rely upon the powers of the One, and so the 4th Age was deemed the Age of Men. Basically, magic died at that point.

You can look up the origin story. The reason the rings were created to begin with was so Sauron would be able to bend the Elves, Dwarves and men to his will, but one of the elves was able to see through his bullshit and may have allowed those rings to be somehow separated from Sauron. Not sure about that.
 
A

Altazor

Member
I think Gollum was too far gone, so even had he not tripped into the fires of Mt. Doom, I imagine he would've thrown himself into the lava in a vain (and irrational) attempt to "save" the precious. And had people somehow restrained him and avoided his suicide, I imagine he would've died shortly after - his unnatural lifespan catching up with him after the power of the Ring vanishes completely.

IIRC the Ringwraiths just died there, so tied to the power of the One they were.

Tolkien wasn't very clear about what happened to the Rings (except the Elven ones) after the One's destruction. They either got destroyed or became useless pieces of junk.
 
B

B-Dubs

No Scrubs
Veelk said:
I'm not sure, so someone might have to correct me, but the rings of power were all fundamentally tied to the One Ring. That's why it was such a great scheme for Sauron. It granted them great power, but only if they were subservient to him. If the One Ring is gone, then so is the magic with it.
Click to expand...

The power of the other rings faded after the one was destroyed.
 
A

Altazor

Member
LookAtMeGo said:
What is Tom Bombadils problem and why didnt he just destroy the ring?
Click to expand...

the nature of Bombadil is an intentional enigma by Tolkien. A current theory about him is that he's one of the two known beings (the other being Ungoliant, the mother of Shelob) that was a "mistake in Eru Ilúvatar's creation" so to speak. In any case, they are (IIRC) definitely not Valar/Maiar (which are angels/demigods/gods, basically).
 
F

Fugu

Member
What I would like to know is how Sam avoided Frodo's fate considering he too was a ringbearer for awhile.
 
V

VaultBoy101

Member
I don't have a copy of the text in front of me but I believe the Nazgul are said to "wink out" of existence the moment the ring is destroyed.
 
Z

zeemumu

Member
Fugu said:
What I would like to know is how Sam avoided Frodo's fate considering he too was a ringbearer for awhile.
Click to expand...

Carry your whole team in Overwatch call you Samwise Genji.

Yes I know it's Gamgee. It's a pun. Leave me alone.
 
A

Altazor

Member
Fugu said:
What I would like to know is how Sam avoided Frodo's fate considering he too was a ringbearer for awhile.
Click to expand...

he only had it for a very short while and had enough willpower to not keep it. It still took its toll on him and he was "allowed" to sail to the Undying Lands to live out his final days, because he was still a Ringbearer.
 
X

Xe4

Banned
LookAtMeGo said:
What is Tom Bombadils problem and why didnt he just destroy the ring?
Click to expand...

Asking Tom Bombadil to destroy the ring is like asking a flower to destroy the ring. It is beyond his comprehension that the ring is even a problem. He's so detached from the world, the ring doesn't affect him at all, something that couldn't even be said of Gandalf.
 
Strangelove77

Strangelove77

Member
I always felt the ring was overhyped as fuck. It just makes you invisible. Kinda lame. You'd figure it'd have better powers besides that one.
 
Strangelove77

Strangelove77

Member
frontovik said:
Well, it's a literal personification of the concept of total power..

but yeah, the invisibility is neat, I guess?
Click to expand...

I just expected something cool, like being able to shoot lasers out of your eyes or setting motherfuckers on fire. Maybe a little mind lightning or something.
Instead you just get all weird looking, bald and invisible.
 
Z

zeemumu

Member
Strangelove77 said:
I always felt the ring was overhyped as fuck. It just makes you invisible. Kinda lame. You'd figure it'd have better powers besides that one.
Click to expand...

It's implied that only cool people like Sauron get the cool shit. Everyone else gets some other stuff. I think the invisibility might be a hobbit thing due to changing powers based on the nature of the person wearing it but I'd have to double check.
 
M

mjc

Member
Strangelove77 said:
I always felt the ring was overhyped as fuck. It just makes you invisible. Kinda lame. You'd figure it'd have better powers besides that one.
Click to expand...

Outside of invisibility for mortals is also allowed wearers to understand dark languages and the like. I think Sam was able to understand orc exchanges in Mordor when he wore it. I don't think it had any physical effects in terms of enhanced strength or anything.
 
O

Ordinaryundone

Member
Strangelove77 said:
I just expected something cool, like being able to shoot lasers out of your eyes or setting motherfuckers on fire. Maybe a little mind lightning or something.
Instead you just get all weird looking, bald and invisible.
Click to expand...

When Sauron had it it did do things like that. And Galadriel and Gandalf seemed to be under the impression they could do some serious damage with it. I always figured it had to do with type of person wearing it. Hobbits are just too powerless and lacking in ambition so the best it could do for them is make them invisible.
 
E

EGM1966

Member
See how Bilbo ages quite quickly afterwards as he looses the life extending influence of the ring?

That would have been Gollumn.

Two paths lead from there: Gandalf and co take pity and take him into the West as they do with Bilbo (and Frodo) or he dies alone and very sadly.
 
B

blakep267

Member
Strangelove77 said:
I just expected something cool, like being able to shoot lasers out of your eyes or setting motherfuckers on fire. Maybe a little mind lightning or something.
Instead you just get all weird looking, bald and invisible.
Click to expand...
In assuming that you would need to have some power to begin with and then it'd make you a serious threat. Galdriel and Gandalf seemed to think it would corrupt them and make them super villains with much more power than they had
 
S

Shaanyboi

Banned
Log4Girlz said:
Couldn't the eagles have given Frodo a lift to the volcano? Our just dropped it in?
Click to expand...
Because the eagles don't give a shit about what happens on land. They care about Gandalf, but that is about it. Their arrival at the end is their admittance that "This shit cannot be allowed"
 
Y

yanipheonu

Member
Log4Girlz said:
Couldn't the eagles have given Frodo a lift to the volcano? Our just dropped it in?
Click to expand...

The main answers to that old problem are

a) They may well have not been able to get into Mordor without the big distraction at the Black Gate.

b) Tolkien intentionally wanted them to be a miraculous rescue common in other Faerie Stories. They're basically an angel analogue.
 
H

Htown

STOP SHITTING ON MY MOTHER'S HEADSTONE
Altazor said:
the nature of Bombadil is an intentional enigma by Tolkien. A current theory about him is that he's one of the two known beings (the other being Ungoliant, the mother of Shelob) that was a "mistake in Eru Ilúvatar's creation" so to speak. In any case, they are (IIRC) definitely not Valar/Maiar (which are angels/demigods/gods, basically).
Click to expand...

I started reading Silmarillion recently, and it was weird how Ungoliant just kind of showed up out of nowhere.
 
H

Htown

STOP SHITTING ON MY MOTHER'S HEADSTONE
Log4Girlz said:
Couldn't the eagles have given Frodo a lift to the volcano? Our just dropped it in?
Click to expand...
Sauron obviously had creatures that fly through the air, so unless you want to take that little ring into a chaotic air battle over the skies of Mordor, you're going to want to find a better way.
 
N

NandyRewman

Member
LookAtMeGo said:
What happened to the other Valar after Morgoth was defeated and why did none of them intervene against Sauron?
Click to expand...

Because the last time the Valar intervened in Middle Earth, half the continent was destroyed. They didn't want to be involved - at least not in the heavy handed way they dealt with Morgoth.

The wizards were the Valar's attempt at subtlety.
 
A

Altazor

Member
LookAtMeGo said:
What happened to the other Valar after Morgoth was defeated and why did none of them intervene against Sauron?
Click to expand...

the last time they intervened like... half of the world got submerged (War of Wrath). So they decided to be (even) less hands-on this this time and sent the Istári/Wizards to do the job.

Only Olórin/Gandalf really succeeded.

Eru Ilúvatar liked to intervene directly, though. He did it when sinking Númenor and re-shaping the World, when he sent Gandalf back from the Void when he "died", and then he did it again when Gollum tripped and fell into Mt. Doom. Yes, that last one was literally Divine Intervention to save the World.
 
I

itwasTuesday

He wasn't alone.
Why did Frodo have to leave Middle Earth? and other questions
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zQeYyiuqOaI

Basically it says, since Gollum is a hobbit and as a species they desire neither vast wealth or power, they have an easier time dealing with the One Ring's calls. But it still does call, just less so. So I guess he would have still lived the rest of his days, but remember his life was already extended, so his days without were probably numbered.

The video is amazing btw.
 
L

LookAtMeGo

Member
NandyRewman said:
Because the last time the Valar intervened in Middle Earth, half the continent was destroyed. They didn't want to be involved - at least not in the heavy handed way they dealt with Morgoth.

The wizards were the Valar's attempt at subtlety.
Click to expand...

Altazor said:
the last time they intervened like... half of the world got submerged (War of Wrath). So they decided to be (even) less hands-on this this time and sent the Istári/Wizards to do the job.

Only Olórin/Gandalf really succeeded.

Eru Ilúvatar liked to intervene directly, though. He did it when sinking Númenor and re-shaping the World, when he sent Gandalf back from the Void when he "died", and then he did it again when Gollum tripped and fell into Mt. Doom. Yes, that last one was literally Divine Intervention to save the World.
Click to expand...
I see thanks.
 
C

Combichristoffersen

Combovers don't work when there is no hair
Gollum was so corrupted by the malice of the ring, he would not be able to live a normal life again. Without the ring, he would eventually have succumbed and died of old age, considering he was already nearly 600 years old when he died.
 
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