[Legate of Amon Lanc]

Originally Posted by Rumil

By the third age he has become so attached to his patch that he now fulfils a role similar to the 'Genius loci' of classical mythology, the anthropomorphisation of a particular place. Though JRRT seems to have little truck with classical mythology I think such an idea was popular with many ancient peoples, especially the Celts.

I think it will be more appropriate to finish the last sentence with words: "...especially everyone."

Also Tom must either have had a quarry or recycled building stone from the ruined settlements of the Dunedain.

I would say the latter is more probable; after all, this is how it used to be done in the Middle Ages, and I would think that if for example Bree had stone houses, then surely they were built this way.

Now a thought which has never struck me before, (doh!). Tom fails to become invisible when he puts on the ring. Sauron, as far as I can make out, was not invisible during his epic battle with Elendil, Isildur and Gil-Galad on Mount Doom, though he was wearing the ring. This seems to argue that Tom and Sauron are at least similar types of beings, be that Maiar or related spirits. Perhaps invsibility was one of the things implied by Gandalf when he said that the ring would give power according to the stature of the wearer, ie to elect whether to be invisible or not when wearing the ring?

That's plausible, however I'd be careful on using the words "Tom" and "power" too close to each other. As it is said in the Council of Elrond, it's not that he would have power over the Ring, but that the Ring has no power over him. So this is how I would attribute that. Sort-of existencially speaking, Tom doesn't have anything to hide, so he feels no need to become invisible, and he does not become invisible. And I'd say the incident doesn't tell that because the Ring works (or rather, doesn't work) in one aspect similarly on Tom and Sauron, it tells anything particular about their similar... substance, or how should I say that One possibility is that for example Sauron wanted to represent visible power, so he wouldn't want to become invisible in the first place; or maybe he would, but the power was so great that he simply couldn't be invisible anymore even if he wanted, if you know what I mean? Tom, on the other hand, I think did not simply even consciously, and not even subconsciously think about becoming invisible, or in any way interacting with the Ring in the first place. He simply thought it nothing more than a simple ring (a piece of gold, indeed), and so it had no power over him. I would once again point out the fantastic essay of Hookbill, which he quoted several posts above - if you think about the Ring as one of the things which he "does not let dominate his life", this well goes with the idea.