Sauron's Girdle?

[Inziladun]

The Girdle of Melian was a sort of 'force field' around the forest of Doriath in the First Age created by Melian. Only the friends and servants of Thingol were allowed to pass through. Melian and Sauron were both Maia. Could Sauron not have placed a similar field around Mordor? It wouldn't even have had to have been around the entire expanse, just in the areas of the Morannon and Cirith Ungol, the easiest ways of entry. It certainly would have stopped the Ring-Bearer. Any thoughts?

[Daniel Telcontar]

You may be right that Sauron could place a similar force field, but it must have been very draining on his energy. With the Ring gone, and his need to control all his soliders, I do not believe that he had sufficient energy to make such a force field. Besides, Melian's Girdle was broken when a desiny (Beren's) greater than Melian's came.
I think that something similar would have happened, since Frodo was meant to take the Ring to Mount Doom.
And third, Saruon had no idea of his enemies intention of destroying the Ring. Not until it was to late, when Frodo revealed himself on Mount Doom did Sauron realize what they had planned.
Until then he had not thought upon the fact that someone would destroy the Ring.

An interesting idea, but unlikely.

[Keeper of Dol Guldur]

That may have been why eagles and the likes couldn't have just flown the ring in and destroyed it. But those protective barriers don't seem to work on any species. Or at least people have gotten through anyway.

[inglorion]

I think Sauron relied more on the ruggedness of the terrain, the Mountains of Shadow and of Ash, then on misty incantations, which I don't believe are his style - that's more a thing Galadriel would do. He just placed hordes of his servants at the few entrances into Mordor to keep anybody from entering unbidden.
The darkness and the fumes are a product of Mount Doom - just another natural phenomenon which he possibly encouraged by 'adding some choals to the fire'. If I remember rightly Sauron used to be a servant of Aule, so he should have some knowledge on geology and chemistry.

Btw, great signature Daniel Telcontar! smilies/smile.gif

greetings, gildor

[Mankáno]

First, the girdle of Melian acted confusing the people that tried to pass through it and it worked by the power of Melian applied to a totally different environment. The forest of Region and Neldoreth were appropiate for that, Mordor wasn't.

Second, I am not sure if Sauron was as powerful as Melian. They were both Maia but that means very little because the difference in power of the maiar was big, Eonwe, Osse, Uinen, Arien and Melian were known to be much more powerful than the rest.

Sauron was the most powerful of Morgoth's servant but that doesn't mean he was as powerful as the main maiar and, as Morgoth, he had given up part of his power to the one ring and to his servants.

Third, I don't think Sauron would think that was necessary, in the first place, the access to Mordor was nearly impossible, there were only two entrances from the West, Cirith Ungo and the Morannon and both were heavily defended. Secondly, Sauron didn't know, and didn't expect they would try to enter Mordor and destroy the ring, he thought the danger he was facing was that one of the wise could use the ring to destroy him, he couldn't think (in his greedy mind) that someone would refuse the power and would simply try to destroy the ring.