Women vs. desire of the ring

[Inziladun]

Originally Posted by Galadriel55

"...proffered temptation to suit the individual"
Percisely! It doesn't really matter what gender the tempted person is, it is more about how ambitious he/she is. That is why Gandalf and Elrond feared the Ring so much; they have too much to strive for.

It isn't so much the ambition of Gandalf and Elrond (and Galadriel) that make them specially susceptible to the Ring, but the fact that they already have so much native power of their own.

Originally Posted by Galadriel55

I think that one of the reasons for Bilbo to be able to let go of the Ring was because he didn't want very much from life at that point - just to go "see the mountains" and visit his friends; he's already reached his main goal.

Well, according to Gandalf the reason Bilbo was able to give up the Ring was that at the start of his possession of it, he had shown Gollum mercy in the Orc-cave.

'Be sure that [Bilbo] took so little hurt from the evil, and escaped in the end, because he began his ownership of the Ring so. With Pity.'

FOTR The Shadow of the Past

Generally I would agree with Squatter: the Ring's call to people was that it offered power beyond that they already had, power to accomplish dreams and prevent fears from coming true. Anyone would be ultimately open to such a call. I could see Éowyn falling under the Ring's sway just as easily as I could her brother, or Háma the Doorward of Théoden.