The Ring and 'what if?'

[Reyna Evergreen]

I've been wondering what would have happend if the Ring would have stayed hidden with Gollum.

Think about it; no war; a lot of past people would have satyed alive without much hurt. And the pain of traveling, carrying the Ring to Mordor. It would have stayed hidden away from it all. Maybe Sauron would have grwon in strenght, but Gollum would not have wandered out of his mountain, so no one would have known.

Also, it would have meant that the Three would have stayed in power, since the Ruling Ring was still around, but hidden. So the elves would have stayed in Middle-earth, their lore still alive, and Lothlorien would not die.

There would have been no plot, I know, but think about it!

[Aule]

wasn't the ring always trying to get back to his master, so that in the end Gollumn would have become a wraith and taken the ring back to Sauron

[Arwen Imladris]

I think that Golum would have eventually gone to Mordor with the ring. Either that or someone else would have found it and brought it to Mordor eventually.

If bilbo had not found the ring, what would have happened to the dwarves and the men of Dale? I think that in the long run, it caused less suffering when Bilbo did find it.

[Reyna Evergreen]

Ok, I've been proven wrong. I just thought that since once the Ring perished, Lothlorien and the Three would dissapear, and the elves with them. You know, that is a great loss. But hey! Seriously, you guys are right. ^^

[Imperica]

The Ring probably would of fell off of Gollum's finger like it did and stay lost for a couple age(s) untill somebody else came across it, just like with Isildur. Probably a 'Goblin/Orc' that was under Saruman or Sauron's command would find it in those caves.

[lathspell]

Why would you want the Ring to stay hidden? Yes, Lothlorien and Rivendell would stay and be beautiful, but not for long. That the Ring was found was magnificent for the 'good guys', for that was the only chance they to destroy Sauron for he was already too powerful to overthrow in war, so they had to destroy him with the Ring. If the Ring wasn't to be found, Lotien and Rivendell would have been overthrown, it would only be a matter of time!

greetings,
lathspell

[Tar-Haydon]

I agree with lathspell, the third age was going to come to an end one way or another, either Saurons destruction or victory. So if the ring had stayed hidden Sauron would have won and that would have been the end for Rivendell and Lorien anyway.

[NazgulNumber10]

i say sauron would have won.
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| see no monkey club

[Niphredil Baggins]

Both the Maker of the Ring and the Powers of the West wanted something else: the ring abandoned Gollum, for it was "bored" of the silence under mountains; it wanted to do something nasty... and yet, somehow it ended up with Bilbo instead... coincidence?

Hidden, the ring kept up a fragile balance that nobody was satisfied with... in my point of view, balance is something that starts adventures rather than ends them... for the balance alvays tips... suddenly... this is 'faeriewordweavers' stuff... I'll stop muttering to myself.

[The Silver-shod Muse]

I always thought about how much hinged on whether or not Frodo happened to be at the right place at the right time, or the wrong place at the wrong time for that matter.

For example: Frodo twists his ankle in the Emyn Muil, the journey is put on pause for him, Gollum catches up, Sam kills him because Frodo is holed up back at camp and can't intervene, and the ring is never destroyed because they get lost in the Dead Marshes.

It's no wonder Frodo was cracking towards the end. Besides the effect of the ring, the pressure that was laid on his shoulders; the victory or defeat of all the free peoples of Middle Earth. Wow...I don't see how he did it.