The Hobbit Ring-Lord? - The Barrow-Downs Discussion Forum

Fordim Hedgethistle · 12-17-2004, 09:55 AM

I can't at the moment recall where I saw this, but I do remember reading at one point that Tolkien actually plotted out four different endings for the climax at the Crack of Doom. One is the published version, which is the only one he could go with. But he felt it important to know what the other scenarios would be, so that he could know what was at stake, I suppose. The other three are the one cited by Kransha, one in which Frodo takes the Ring and is pushed into the fire by Sam, and one in which Gollum has the Ring and Frodo pushes them both into the fire.

But to respond to this interesting 'what if' -- remember what Gandalf said: "There is only one Lord of the Rings." The One is Sauron's, it is -- in essence -- Sauron. Frodo could not claim it for his own, he could only be claimed by it. The Nazgul would still be enslaved to/by the Ring, but they answer only to Sauron and not the one who happens to be wearing the Ring (remember at Weathertop? They stabbed Frodo when he had the Ring on -- in fact, he was even more vulnerable then). Had Frodo been able to keep the Ring, the Nazgul would have fooled him, led his out, then taken him straight to Sauron where poor Frodo would have been driven into a state worse than madness by having the Ring forcibly taken by him by Sauron himself. And then, well, pretty much a bad ending for everyone.

So no Hobbit Ring-Lord -- just a very very sad little hobbit in the dungeons of Barad Dur, being tormented from time to time with the knowlege that all his friends were, dead, hope was lost, and the world now in the eternal dominion of the Dark Lord.

I'm really happy that Tolkien gave us the ending that he did!

12-17-2004, 09:55 AM	#7
Fordim Hedgethistle Gibbering Gibbet Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Beyond cloud nine Posts: 1,844	I can't at the moment recall where I saw this, but I do remember reading at one point that Tolkien actually plotted out four different endings for the climax at the Crack of Doom. One is the published version, which is the only one he could go with. But he felt it important to know what the other scenarios would be, so that he could know what was at stake, I suppose. The other three are the one cited by Kransha, one in which Frodo takes the Ring and is pushed into the fire by Sam, and one in which Gollum has the Ring and Frodo pushes them both into the fire. But to respond to this interesting 'what if' -- remember what Gandalf said: "There is only one Lord of the Rings." The One is Sauron's, it is -- in essence -- Sauron. Frodo could not claim it for his own, he could only be claimed by it. The Nazgul would still be enslaved to/by the Ring, but they answer only to Sauron and not the one who happens to be wearing the Ring (remember at Weathertop? They stabbed Frodo when he had the Ring on -- in fact, he was even more vulnerable then). Had Frodo been able to keep the Ring, the Nazgul would have fooled him, led his out, then taken him straight to Sauron where poor Frodo would have been driven into a state worse than madness by having the Ring forcibly taken by him by Sauron himself. And then, well, pretty much a bad ending for everyone. So no Hobbit Ring-Lord -- just a very very sad little hobbit in the dungeons of Barad Dur, being tormented from time to time with the knowlege that all his friends were, dead, hope was lost, and the world now in the eternal dominion of the Dark Lord. I'm really happy that Tolkien gave us the ending that he did! __________________ Scribbling scrabbling.