The Ring and the other races

[Rimbaud]

An interesting thought; speculatively, I would conject that the Ring appeals to a base greed in the afore-mentioned creatures, a facet of the Ents it might find difficult to 'awaken'.

[obloquy]

I would think if an Ent had gotten the Ring, I don't know they would have used it to bring back the Entwives? Or maybe, use it to seek out the Entwives, who knows.

How could the Ring be used to do this?

The Ring had a specific design: to dominate others, and to exalt its master. The Ring didn't do anything, outside of this. If a bearer did not understand this purpose, and tried to keep the Ring without using it to this specific end, he would be "destroyed" by the Ring and enslaved, like Smeagol, or, to lesser degrees, Bilbo and Frodo. If the bearer was aware of the Ring's power (its sole power, mind you) and tried to use it, I can see three possibilities: 1) he would be proven naive and have the same fate as the ignorant one; 2) he would be fooled into thinking he was achieving his ends, only to be betrayed by the Ring; 3) the bearer would utterly break Sauron's imbued power/spirit and become the Ring's new master. Under these last circumstances, it's hard to say what would happen. Could the bearer enslave Sauron's power to use as his own? Or would the Ring just "die" with Sauron and become useless? I would guess the latter, and Tolkien says in Letters that an individual successfully claiming the Ring would be tantamount, as far as Sauron is concerned, to destroying it: that is, Sauron would be reduced to impotence. He doesn't say whether the Ring's power could persist even after Sauron's destruction, but I doubt it.

I doubt a dragon or an eagle would care much for the Ring. Why would a dragon need it? What would it do with it? The Ring is unlikely to make its way back to Sauron sitting in a dragon's hoard, so if it found itself there, it probably wouldn't stick around long. Eagles don't seem to have much to do with any world but their own, and I would be surprised if they cared enough for kingdoms and riches and subjects for the Ring to appeal to them. Kinda like Bombadil.

[Boromir88]

But the ring would no doubt offer the Ents back their Entwives. There is no way the Entwives will just reappear, only logical reasoning is they are either extinct or just wondered away somewhere. However, the Ring would feed off the Ents desires of getting back the Entwives, so it would offer the Entwives back to the Ents, as a way of manipulation.

[obloquy]

But the ring would no doubt offer the Ents back their Entwives.

Yes doubt. :P

There is no way the Entwives will just reappear, only logical reasoning is they are either extinct or just wondered away somewhere. However, the Ring would feed off the Ents desires of getting back the Entwives, so it would offer the Entwives back to the Ents, as a way of manipulation.

Manipulation to what end? Mischief?

The Ring didn't just offer whatever. Those affected by it envisioned themselves achieving greatness, or becoming mighty, or possessing/ruling something. I don't think it would have offered me a turkey sandwich unless there would be something to be gained by me desiring to claim it. My whole point was that it had designs and used its influence to further them, not just as an indiscriminate cry for attention.

[Boromir88]

Those affected by it envisioned themselves achieving greatness, or becoming mighty, or possessing/ruling something.

Not really. The Ring to Bilbo (as well as Smeagol) was more like a toy. Where they could play jokes, disappear, hide, they didn't take the ring in order to control other people, or achieve greatness, have dominion over everyone. They saw it as a valuable item, to play pranks on people, or to "cherish."

The Entwives to the Ents aren't just some "random turkey sandwhiches," it's creatures they've desired back now for a long time. That is a trait the ring can work with. It could offer the Ents dominion over everyone, and in return being reunited with the Entwives. The Entwives would be something the Ring would definately play with, in order to lure in the Ents.

[obloquy]

Not really. The Ring to Bilbo (as well as Smeagol) was more like a toy. Where they could play jokes, disappear, hide, they didn't take the ring in order to control other people, or achieve greatness, have dominion over everyone. They saw it as a valuable item, to play pranks on people, or to "cherish."

But that doesn't change that the Ring had its own purposes for being "possessed" by those bearers. When the time was right, it abandoned Gollum. Bilbo's possession was the perfect place for it to rest, as nobody knew its true power, and Sauron was sure to come looking for it.

The Entwives to the Ents aren't just some "random turkey sandwhiches," it's creatures they've desired back now for a long time. That is a trait the ring can work with. It could offer the Ents dominion over everyone, and in return being reunited with the Entwives. The Entwives would be something the Ring would definately play with, in order to lure in the Ents.

But for what? Lure them into what? To make them his servants? When Sauron wanted to enslave a people, he didn't give them the Ring to wear; the Ring was for his hand only, and the subjugation of races was done by other means. I mean, even if Treebeard had the Ring on his twig and was totally convinced that it would yield some hot tree babes, the most the Ring could hope to achieve is alerting Sauron to its whereabouts and revealing to him the thoughts of a tree-person who was largely unconcerned with the goings-on of the outside world. Even if Treebeard cared for the Ring, the Ring would not likely have cared for him.