Who would have fallen? - The Barrow-Downs Discussion Forum

davem · 09-07-2005, 01:55 AM

I think the problem is that no-one apart from Gandalf & Aragorn could use the Ring more or less straight away. Any of the others would, as I pointed out earlier, have to 'train their minds' to its use - ie attune themselves to it. This would have taken a good while in the case of the Hobbits, Gimli, Legolas & even Boromir. If any of them had taken the Ring the others would have simply slapped them around & taken it & given it back to Frodo - & I include Legloas, Gimli & Boromir as 'slappees'.

So, we're not talking about who might desire the Ring but about who was a real threat if they had it. Only Gandalf & Aragorn were potential Ring users - both have a 'dark side' to their characters, & a willingness, in the 'right' circumstances to 'do what's necessary' - think back to their treatment of Gollum when they captured him. Both were 'ungentle' which we can only take to mean they were fairly brutal.

Yet we know that both Gandalf & Aragorn were aware enough of the danger the Ring presented not to go that way.

In short, no-one who was a potential Ring user was a potential Ring claimer. All those likely to fall were not strong enough to get away with taking it.

View Poll Results: Who would have been the first of the Fellowship to succumb to the One Ring?
Sam	0	0%
Merry	1	1.89%
Pippin	17	32.08%
Gandalf	7	13.21%
Aragorn	13	24.53%
Legolas	6	11.32%
Gimli	3	5.66%
Frodo	6	11.32%
Voters: 53. You may not vote on this poll

09-07-2005, 01:55 AM	#11
davem Illustrious Ulair Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: In the home of lost causes, and forsaken beliefs, and unpopular names,and impossible loyalties Posts: 4,240	I think the problem is that no-one apart from Gandalf & Aragorn could use the Ring more or less straight away. Any of the others would, as I pointed out earlier, have to 'train their minds' to its use - ie attune themselves to it. This would have taken a good while in the case of the Hobbits, Gimli, Legolas & even Boromir. If any of them had taken the Ring the others would have simply slapped them around & taken it & given it back to Frodo - & I include Legloas, Gimli & Boromir as 'slappees'. So, we're not talking about who might desire the Ring but about who was a real threat if they had it. Only Gandalf & Aragorn were potential Ring users - both have a 'dark side' to their characters, & a willingness, in the 'right' circumstances to 'do what's necessary' - think back to their treatment of Gollum when they captured him. Both were 'ungentle' which we can only take to mean they were fairly brutal. Yet we know that both Gandalf & Aragorn were aware enough of the danger the Ring presented not to go that way. In short, no-one who was a potential Ring user was a potential Ring claimer. All those likely to fall were not strong enough to get away with taking it. __________________ “Everything was an object. If you killed a dwarf you could use it as a weapon – it was no different to other large heavy objects."