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So... if Nenya IS the White Ring, then how come we dont put as a "arguable" point the affirmation that Vilya is the mightiest of the 3...
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Tolkien saying so doesn't leave much room for other options with him being the creator and all. Not everything white was automatically better than anything of another colour. It's not much of an argument to say Nenya was mightier than Vilya because Tolkien chose it to be the white ring since explicitly stated which was mightier/st.
When you say the Rings weren't used for "war," I think you're being too general. Does it ever say that the Rings weren't used for war? If it does, it means they would not be used for taking the offense and attacking - not that they couldn't be used for any purpose relating to war.
Aha, I found it. The Rings were not "
weapons of war." Elrond's word at the Council:
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They are not idle. But they were not made as weapons of war or conquest: that is not their power. Those who made them did not desire strength or domination or hoarded wealth, but understanding, making, and healing, to preserve all things unstained. These things the Elves of Middle-earth have in some measure gained, though with sorrow.
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Defending Lorien definitely falls under the purposes he lists while not being a weapon of war. Even so, he says they were not "
made as weapons of war," but I imagine there might be instances in which one of the Rings could be useful in a battle (even if not as a "weapon"), and, in dire need and with much reservation, might be used.
[ September 25, 2003: Message edited by: Legolas ]