What powers did the One Ring have?

[Revan]

I have always wondered about this... And can' think of any explanation... Sure it corrupts the bearer... and turns someone who cannot wield it Invisible, and whomever possesses it does not age... but that is the same for all the rings of power... So I always wonder... What could Sauron do with the Ring if he had it? And if it was so powerful... why did he not kill the entire army of the Last Alliance? He would have been master if he had... But he doesn't... So I can't think of why it's as powerful or as to be feared as it's made out to be.

[aTOMiC]

Evil lords with unstoppable cosmic powers do not make for long stories.

[Revan]

Answer the question or don't

[aTOMiC]

Isn't that enough? By all rights Sauron should have been invincible, yet he was defeated twice. Why? The ring was forged to be the master of the rest. I'm guessing a control. Sauron embued the ring with his life essence in order to accomplish its purpose. The ring bearer was corrupted by Sauron not the ring itself. The ring's other uses are secondary.

[Revan]

But the first time round you weren't even trying to answer the question... And the other uses are not secondary, because they are the reason why this topic was created.

[aTOMiC]

I'll grant you that.
Okay. The ring was pretty heavy. It could have made a pretty effective paper weight. If you fired it from a rifle it might hurt someone. Honestly there isn't much evidence to suggest the ring had many more uses than what we've read about. I haven't read everything. Maybe someone can answer better than I have.

[Revan]

You can count on it... If you don't know the answer... (I know I need to take my own advice) Then don't answer...

[DukkhaWaynhim]

Here's one power that the One Ring had: in the book and in the movie, Gollum swears loyalty to the holder of the Precious, and he swears ON the Precious to do so. Frodo says "It is perilous, it will hold you to your word," or something close to that.
At Mt. Doom---in the book, which did not need to have a Hollywood ending ---when Gollum finally wrestles the Ring back from Frodo, by breaking his word, he is grabbed as if by an 'unseen force,' which causes him to fall into the lava below.
So, one power of the One Ring ironically happened to contribute to it's own demise, by punishing Gollum for not holding to the promise he made over the Ring.

DW

[Revan]

Here's one power that the One Ring had: in the book and in the movie, Gollum swears loyalty to the holder of the Precious, and he swears ON the Precious to do so. Frodo says "It is perilous, it will hold you to your word," or something close to that.
At Mt. Doom---in the book, which did not need to have a Hollywood ending ---when Gollum finally wrestles the Ring back from Frodo, by breaking his word, he is grabbed as if by an 'unseen force,' which causes him to fall into the lava below.
So, one power of the One Ring ironically happened to contribute to it's own demise, by punishing Gollum for not holding to the promise he made over the Ring.

DW

Hmmmm... I have never considered that idea Dukkha... I shall read that part through again... It's a good ideal through

[Ermingard]

I have always imagined the Ring to be a way for Sauron to store his power outside of his "body" (such as it is).
An extra storage unit for "evil power"

I'm thinking of the folktale of the giant who places his heart in an egg that is in a duck that is in a box that is on a far away island. By removing the heart, the source of his life and his power, from his body and hiding it he is made immortal and invulnerable. (until the hero finds it of course )

It's not a perfect paralell, but I have always imagined the Ring to work a bit like the giants heart...

[Xar]

Well, according to Gandalf and Tolkien himself, the One Ring gives each wielder power according to one's stature; so, the mightier the wielder, the more powerful the Ring. This is why Gandalf didn't want the Ring, not even to keep it safe: as a Maia, he already was virtually at about the same level of power Sauron wielded before he forged the Ring; with the Ring at his command, Gandalf would have become more terrible than Sauron, thanks to the Ring's powers and its corruptive effect. Tolkien himself speaks of this in a letter of his, although I can't remember which one: he says that Gandalf would have become more dangerous than Sauron, not only because he would have been more powerful, but also because he would have not changed his outwards appearance - he would have believed to be doing good, in the full belief that nobody could understand what would have to be done more than him, since he was wiser than any mortal. In Tolkien's own words, he would have make good despicable as evil.

[Gil galad]

well put xar

[Variol Farseer]

I'm thinking of the folktale of the giant who places his heart in an egg that is in a duck that is in a box that is on a far away island. By removing the heart, the source of his life and his power, from his body and hiding it he is made immortal and invulnerable. (until the hero finds it of course )

It's not a perfect paralell, but I have always imagined the Ring to work a bit like the giants heart...

Actually, it is not only a parallel, it's a very common motif in folktales, and JRRT certainly had it in mind when he developed the idea of the Ring. The story goes back as far as ancient Egypt! The Egyptians had a story about a sorcerer who hid his heart in the top of a tall cedar-tree, and a hero who slew the sorcerer by chopping down the tree and destroying the heart.

Lloyd Alexander uses a Welsh version of the legend in his book Taran Wanderer. The evil wizard Morda has put his life-force into his little finger, then chopped off the finger and hidden it in the bole of a hollow tree. When the finger-bone is broken, the wizard dies.

So you're even more right than you knew. Spot on!

[Baradakas]

The Ring did possess the power of command, at least over the other rings, and those who had worn the One Ring for an appreciable amount of time; and I humbly quote:

'I did not mean the danger we all share,' said Frodo. 'I mean a danger to yourself alone. You swore a promise by what you call the Precious. Remember that! It will hold you to it; but it will seek a way to twist it to your own undoing. Already you are being twisted. You revealed yourself to me just now, foolishly. Give it back to Smeagol you said. Do not say that again! Do not let that thought grow in you! You will never get it back. In the last need, Smeagol, I should put on the Precious; and the Precious mastered you long ago. If I, wearing it, were to command you, you would obey, even if it were to leap from a precipice or to cast yourself into the fire. And such would be my command.

Beyond that, I believe that the Ring allowed Frodo a minor precience (seeing Gandalf in his dreams), but a nasty side effect was that Sauron could sometimes glimpse Frodo as well.

That's all I got for now...

-B

[Xar]

To speak some more of what i said previously: the fact that the One Ring gave each being who wore it power according to their stature doesn't necessarily exclude the fact that it was a means to concentrate and increase one's power. Indeed, in his letters, Tolkien explains that that was the meaning of the Ring. Still, if you think about it, if the ring amplifies one's power, then it will grant more power to those already powerful than to the weak. Therefore, Frodo's power would have never rivalled Sauron's - mathematically speaking, if the ring gives the owner's power x2, then Sauron x2 is much more powerful than Frodo x2

[High Lord Tolkien]

You're all forgetting the other Rings.
The 3 Elven Rings were extremely powerful.
They couldn't slaughter armies or destroy mountains but they could affect time, heal and renew.
Sauron created the One Ring to have control of the others and that's it.
Tolkien did say in a Letter that it augmented Sauron's own power to some degree but that wasn't the point of it.
The whole war against the Elves in the 2nd Age was to get those other Rings.

I have my own idea why Sauron wanted them so bad.
He's an immortal in mortal lands but his power/essense has been "leached" out of him over the ages as he bends others to his will.
He was becoming more and more bound to his physical form.
The 3 Rings would have sustained and healed him for all eternity.
That's my two cents.

[Warmark Troy]

Nature of the One Ring

1. It is intelligent and has its own willpower being a carbon copy of Sauron.

2. It can change its own size and mass so that it can appear heavy and slip off a finger.

3. Its almost indestructable.

4. It can disguise itself as an ordinary plain gold ring as its binding spell is only visible when the ring is heated.

5. It is intrinsically evil but is not detectable as such unless it chooses to reveal itself to one holding it.

Powers of the Ring in the hands of a person of an ordinary person.

1. It acts as an involuntary junction to the spirit world this manifests itself as:

a. Causing the wearer to become invisible to physical sight.
b. Causes the wearer to become more visible to spiritual sight.
c. Enables the wearer to see spiritually.

2. It acts as an involuntary anchor to the spirit world this manifests as un-natural life extension, the bearer becomes more and more wraithlike.

3. It slowly but surely corrupts the bearer into becoming a more evil person, eventually the bearer would become as corrupted as Sauron himself.

4. The Ring acts as a conduit for Sauron's own will, so long as he is actively searxching for it. While worn the connection is very strong, but it is also present to a lesser degree simply by being carried.

Powers of the Ring in the hands of a person of magical potency.

1. The Ring acts as a force multiplier of the persons own magic power and will. This is its principle ability but is only useful in the hands of a higher being either an ancient Elf or Maiar spirit.

2. The Ring can translate the strong will of a non magical person into magical power. Even someone of limited magical ability such as Aragorn would become a potent mage by power of the ring.

3. The Ring has no power in the hands of a creature of a higher order of creation than Sauron (a Maiar). Thus it has no useable powers or currupting influence on a Valar or God - (Eru Illuvatar)

4. The Ring will more quickly and more securely corrupt its wearer if this powr is accessed. With the exception of a Valar as above.

5. The wearer of the One Ring can automatically detect the location of any of the other greater rings of power if worn.

6. The wearer of the One Ring can corrupt the wearer of of any of the Seven Dwarf rings to a lesser extent causing their normal function (wealth accumulation) to be reversed.

7. The wearer of the One Ring can corrupt the wearer of any of the Nine Rings to a lesser extent causing their normal function (augmented sorcerous power) to be turned to evil.

8. The wearer of the One Ring can subvert a corrupted wearer of one of the Nine Rings to his will as a slave. The wearer of one of the Nine retains his own power but not identity.

Powers of the Ring in the possession of Sauron

1. Sauron is immune to the rings corrupting influence as the ring is already in full agreement with him.

2. Sauron is able to bind the power of the ring with his own latent power to restore his physical form.

3. Sauron is able to control wearers of the Nine rings to a much greater extent than a regular wearer, the Nazgul are still bound to Sauron even when not in possession of the ring so long as control is not actively wrested from him by another user.

4. Other than that Saurons possession of the ring is similar to its potency in the hands of another Maiar.

[dlbpharmd]

Darth sure was snippy back then....

[Warmark Troy]

You're all forgetting the other Rings.
The 3 Elven Rings were extremely powerful.
They couldn't slaughter armies or destroy mountains but they could affect time, heal and renew.
Sauron created the One Ring to have control of the others and that's it.
Tolkien did say in a Letter that it augmented Sauron's own power to some degree but that wasn't the point of it.
The whole war against the Elves in the 2nd Age was to get those other Rings.

This is incorrect.

The Three, Seven and Nine all aided what was important to the races they were connected with.

By human standards the Three and Seven were weak, the Nine werer to man the most powerful as they turned the wearer into a mighty sorceror. One of the Nine probably had 'more plusses' than one of the Three.

The Seven rings were designed for wealth accumulation, of most importance to dwarves.

The Three rings were designed to preserve against aging and corruption. They did have utility value, but only in the hands of someone who was alread a great sorceror. Their main value was in protecting territory against decay and magical assault.

Sauron didnt want the Three rings, he just wanted to bring down misery upon the Elves. Sauron empowered the One Ring by leeching power from the three - an act of betrayal against their maker. Sauron dioesnt need the Three in his possession at all, if he has the One then the Three are impotent as he can corrupt their use.

I have my own idea why Sauron wanted them so bad.
He's an immortal in mortal lands but his power/essense has been "leached" out of him over the ages as he bends others to his will.
He was becoming more and more bound to his physical form.
The 3 Rings would have sustained and healed him for all eternity.
That's my two cents.

Sauron was in a state because he had been killed twice. Once during the destruction of Numenor and once by Isildur. After each case he was not able to reform himself perfectly his form at the time of the War of the Ring was a single disembodied eye. This was not a projection but Saurons 'true' form and he had only been able to maintain even this form since shortly before the series of events outlined in the Hobbit.
However with the one ring in his possession Sauron could reform himself into a person again.

[High Lord Tolkien]

This is incorrect.

Not at all.
Check out: oakroadsystems.com/genl/ringfaq.htm#Q79-Intent

for a better Rings rundown than I could ever give.

Actually after reading some of your other Tolkien posts you might want to check out the whole FAQ page (no offense):

tolkien.slimy.com/