"One Ring to rule
them all,
One Ring to find them,
One Ring to bring
them all
and in the Darkness bind them"
(1 LotR II,2 The Council of Elrond)
One of the masters of
British Literature, John Ronald Reuel Tolkien has the unique ability to create
a fantasy world in
which exists a nearly
endless supply of parallelisms to reality. By mastering his own world and his
own language and
becoming one with his
fantasy, Tolkien is able to create wonderful symbolism and meaning out of what
would otherwise
be considered nonsense.
Thus, when one decides to study The Ruling Ring, or The One Ring, in Tolkien’s
trilogy "Lord
of the Rings", one
must not simply perform an examination of the ring itself, but rather a complex
analysis of the events
which take place from the
time of the ring’s creation until the time of its destruction. Concurrently, to
develop a more
complete understanding of the
symbolic nature of the ring, one must first develop a symbolic understanding of
the
characters and events that
are relevant to the story. This essay begins with a brief background of
Tolkien’s life, followed
by a thorough history of
the "One Ring" including its creation, its symbolic significance, its
effect on mortals, and its
eventual destruction. Also,
this essay will compare Tolkien’s Ring to the Rhinegold Ring of Norse
mythology, and will
also show how many of the
characters in the trilogy lend themselves to Christ-figure status. By examining
the Ring from
these perspectives, a
clearer understanding of its symbolic significance will be reached.
John Ronald Reuel Tolkien,
an English scholar and storyteller, became fascinated by language at an early
age during his
schooling at, particularly
the languages of Northern Europe, both ancient and modern. This affinity for
language did not
only lead to his
profession, but also his private hobby, the invention of languages. He was also
drawn to the entire
"Northern
tradition", which inspired him to study its myths and sagas thoroughly.
His broad knowledge eventually led to
the development of his
opinions about Myth, its relation to language, and the importance of stories.
All these various
perspectives: language, the
heroic tradition, and Myth, as well as deeply-held beliefs in Catholic
Christianity work
together in all of his
works, including The Lord of the Rings (LotR).
The creation of the
"One Ring" or the "Ring of Sauron" goes back to the years
following the fall of Morgoth. At this time,
Sauron established his
desire to bring the Elves, and indeed all the people of Middle-Earth, under his
control. It was his
opinion that Manwë and the
Valar had abandoned Middle-Earth after the fall of Morgoth. In order to bring
the Elves
under his control, Sauron
persuaded them that his intentions were good, and that he wanted Middle-Earth
to return from
the darkness it was in.
Eventually the elves sided with Sauron, and created the Rings of Power under
his guidance.
Following the creation of
these rings, Sauron created the One Ring in secret, so that he would be able to
control the other
rings and consequently control the
Elves. The creation of the Ring, and the essence of its power is revealed in
the
following passage.
"and their power was bound up with it, to be subject wholly to it and to
last only as long as it too
should last. And much of
the strength and will of Sauron passed into that One Ring; for the power of the
Elven Rings was
very great, and that which
should govern them must be a thing of surpassing potency; and Sauron forged it
in the
Mountain of Fire in the
Land of Shadow. And while he wore the One Ring he could perceive all the things
that were done
by means of the lesser
rings, and he could see and govern the very thoughts of those that wore
them." (from The
Silmarillion, Of the Rings
of Power and the Third Age)
The power of the One is
recognized by the Elves as soon as Sauron puts the Ring on his finger. They
realize that he can
control their thoughts, and
they decide to remove their rings and not use them. The history of the ring,
then, follows that
the Elves and Sauron became
bitter enemies, and the One ring remained in Sauron’s possession until it was
taken by
Isildur after Sauron’s
defeat, and was then lost in the river for many years. Eventually, it was found
by Deagol, who was
in turn murdered by his
brother Smeagol. Smeagol is the same person as the pitiful Gollum, who retained
the ring until it
was taken by Bilbo Baggins.
From here, it logically follows that it was given to Frodo Baggins by Bilbo,
under the
guidance of Gandalf the
Grey, and so we reach the beginning of LotR. The nature of the One Ring can be
explained in
three distinct ways. First
as a personification of Sauron’s power. Second as a symbol of evil in general.
And finally, as an
inanimate object with a
mind of its own, with the ability to work away from its creator as well as
return to its creator of its
own accord.. The next
section of this essay will examine these three explanations.
Indeed, as the Ring’s
creator and original "owner", Sauron had placed a great amount of his
own power into the ring for
the purpose of controlling
the other rings. Because of this, the Ring is effectively an extension of
Sauron’s might. The loss
of the Ring does not
destroy Sauron, as would the destruction of it. Rather, his power is simply
spread around, and his
influence affects whomever
should have possession of the Ring at any time. Should Sauron recover the ring
again,
however, his power will be
greater than ever, as is explained in Book one of LotR. "If he recovers
it, then he will
command them all again,
wherever they be, even the Three, and all that has been wrought with them will
be laid bare, and
he will be stronger than
ever."(1 LotR I,2 The Shadow of the Past) Even without the ring, then,
Sauron's power was
immense. Throughout LotR,
however, there are only hints of this power. Sauron’s power lies in control and
dominion,
and the deprivation of free
will. One example of Sauron’s power reflected in LotR is in Gollum, whose
pitiful condition is
the result of Sauron’s
domination over him as the bearer of the One Ring.
The Ring presented as a
symbol of evil is possibly the most important idea represented in the trilogy.
In Tolkien’s world,
evil is the antithesis of
creativity, and is dependent on destruction and ruin for its basis. Conversely,
goodness is
associated with the beauty
of creation as well as the preservation of anything that is created. The
symbolic nature of these
two ideologies is
represented in the Elven Rings, which symbolize goodness, and the One Ring,
which is wholly evil. A
main theme of LotR, then,
is the struggle between good will and evil. Another theme that is in accordance
with this
struggle is the theory that while goodness
can create and be beneficial, evil can only serve to pervert and destroy.
Therefore, evil cannot
exist unless there is something that can be perverted and destroyed. This idea
is the main essence
of Sauron’s evil nature,
and thus the One Ring is the essence of evil as well, as it is the
personification of Sauron. In the
"Letters" of
Tolkien, it is said that, "Essentially the primary symbolism of the Ring
is as the will to mere power, seeking to
make itself objective by
physical force and mechanism, and so also inevitably by lies." (Letters
180) This is to say that the
purpose of the Ring is to
destroy, through deceit and corruption, anything good in the world. Another way
to show the
symbolic nature of the ring
is to say that it represents the omnipresence of evil. Its very existence,
because it contains the
evil will of its creator,
has the power to tempt, corrupt, and in doing so destroy.
The next way in which the
nature of the Ring can be examined is in the way it has seemingly animate
abilities as an
inanimate object, namely
the ability to work away from and return to its creator. In order to understand
this, one must
realize that if the Ring is
evil in itself, which has been explained earlier, then it must also have the
ability to work evil. It
cannot necessarily create evil
ideas on its own, but instead it can take advantage of any opportunity which
presents itself
to the Ring. Specifically,
whenever Frodo is tempted to use or actually uses the Ring, the Ring has a
chance to work
corruption on him, even in
the absence of the creator. In this way, the Ring is advantageous, and the
stronger the
presence of evil, the
easier it is for the Ring to work on the bearer. For example, on Weathertop,
the presence of the
Witch-king is a tremendous
evil, and the Ring takes advantage of this, convincing Frodo to use it in order
to escape.
Although Frodo is not
permanently corrupted at this point, the Ring is slowly eating away at him, and
its power over him
grows each time he uses it.
This leads inexorably to the final failure of Frodo, that being at the Cracks
of Doom, when he
decides that the Ring is his
by right. At this point, the Ring has won, and it is only by chance that it is
successfully
destroyed. It can be said
that it is either the culmination of the Ring’s corruption of Frodo that
resulted in its victory or
else it is that the Ring finally had
enough outward evil presence to aid it in conquering the bearer, that presence
being
Mordor itself, the heart of
evil.
The idea that the Ring has
a mind of its own is further explained in the way it is never lost or forgotten
for long. As
Gandalf explains in
Fellowship, "A Ring of Power looks after itself, Frodo. It may slip off
treacherously, but its keeper
never abandons it." (1
LotR 1,2 The Shadow of the Past) This statement shows how the Ring will protect
itself from
destruction if at all
possible. The further explanation, that, "It was not Gollum…but the Ring
itself that decided things. The
Ring left him." (1 LotR 1,2 The
Shadow of the Past) again shows how the Ring always strives to return to its
creator. This
goes to further the notion
that Sauron has control over the Ring even when it is not in his possession. His
power is not
vanquished by the absence
of the Ring, simply reduced and spread out. The Ring will always be found, and
it will always
return to its creator so
that its evil nature can be whole.
The temptation of Frodo throughout LotR
is another important aspect of the power of the One Ring. Unless one first
understands what is
involved in a struggle between Good and Evil, it is incomplete to simply say
that such a struggle
exists. Also, in order to
examine the nature of temptation, one must also discuss the idea of free will.
If the essence of Evil
is control and domination,
which has been explained earlier, and the essence of goodness is freedom and
creativity, then it
seems as though temptation
is based on evil. The Ring does tempt Frodo, in an effort to subvert him and
conquer his
ability to choose whether
or not to wear the Ring, but it is not the nature of goodness to prevent this
from happening,
because to do so it would
be to destroy Free Will in a different fashion with the same result. From
Frodo's point of view,
the entire trilogy is an examination
of choice and free will. When Frodo chooses to take the Road to the Fire at the
Council of Elrond, he is
not only choosing to take a dangerous path, but he is also choosing to continue
to allow himself to
be presented with the temptations that are
presented by the Ring. There is a very important relationship that concerns
both temptation as well as
the general effect of the Ring on mortals. This is the conflict between Frodo
and Boromir. Their
confrontation is an example
of the choice issue, and the temptation and fall of Boromir is the first of two
critical choices
that are made at this
point. Boromir is overwhelmed by the Ring’s power, and it eventually results in
his madness. The
Ring preys upon Boromir’s
desire for the power of Command, and it corrupts him through this weakness. In
the end,
Boromir is rescued only by
his death, which, coupled with his last-breath admission of his attempt to
retrieve the Ring,
give a bittersweet sense of
redemption. Aragorn’s words following Boromir’s death, "In Minas Tirith
they endure the East
Wind, but they do not ask
it for tidings. But now Boromir has taken his road, and we must make haste to
choose our
own."(2 LotR III, 1
The Departure of Boromir) sum up the fall of Boromir, and show what the future
must hold for the
rest of them. The second
choice made at this point concerns Frodo’s choice to use the Ring in order to
escape from
Boromir. At this time, the
power of the Ring nearly conquers Frodo, and it is only the last-minute
intervention of Gandalf
which saves Frodo. The enhanced powers
of perception that Frodo has when he wears the Ring is the essence of
temptation put forth by the
evil forces at work. Frodo is obviously tempted to use the Ring for his own
prosperity, for the
power of perception is very
great with the Ring. At this time, he is unable to see the danger of the Ring
that is
ever-growing. This section
of the trilogy is one of the most important of all, and it is a turning point
in both the reader’s
understanding of the Ring
as well as Frodo’s. There is an interesting parallel here, concerning an issue
which will be
expanded on at a later
point, a parallel between Frodo’s individual struggle with temptation on the
summit and Christ’s
temptation on the summit.
Not necessarily to say that Frodo Baggins is a Christ-figure, but rather to
suggest that the issue
of free will is an
individual matter seems relevant here.
The effect of the Ring on
mortals is not limited to temptation and corruption. In addition to these, the
Ring works in
different ways, exploiting
the weaknesses and fears of each individual who encounters it in any way.
Evidently, there are
only three individuals who
are not tempted by the Ring. Sauron is immune to the power of it, for it is the
personification of
his own evil nature which
the Ring represents. Sam is only tempted by the Ring once, before the Tower of
Cirith Ungol,
and he defeats the
temptation. This is most likely because of his undying loyalty to Frodo and his
intentions. He would
never think to upstage
Frodo by allowing the Ring to become an issue for him. The third individual who
is immune to the
temptation of the Ring is
Tom Bombadil, who is possibly the strongest reference to a Christ-figure in the
trilogy. He is "the
Master of Wood, water, and
hill" (Elwood 105) according to Old Man Willow and other inhabitants of
nature. It is his
nature not to be influenced
by the evil forces of the Ring. He knows his bounds, and will never go beyond
them. It is this
which prevents him from
becoming corrupted by the Ring. He has set bounds for himself, and is
completely content with
them. This lack of ambition
is something not present in any other character in the story. Any other
character, including
Gollum, Frodo, Boromir, and
even Gandalf, possesses an innate sense of ambition which allows for the evil
of the Ring to
work. The most obvious
example of the Ring’s effect on a mortal is obviously Gollum. Gollum is the
result of nearly
complete corruption by the
Ring, and his situation demonstrates to us the way that the Ring’s evil works.
He is evasive,
cunning. He lies and
deceives everyone, including himself. He has a peculiar relationship with the
Ring, hating and loving it
at the same time. In
effect, Gollum represents what Frodo could have become. Also, he represents in
an exaggerated
fashion what becomes of Frodo
whenever he wears the Ring. Gollum’s mind and soul are shattered by his
obsession for
the Ring, and its retrieval
is his only and ultimate goal. This advanced stage of corruption is another example
of the
parasitic, evil nature
which the Ring represents.
The next section of this
essay deals with the destruction of the Ring, including the failure of Frodo
and the irony of
Gollum’s intervention. At
the last moment, in the heart of Sauron’s kingdom, Frodo wavers in his quest,
and gives in to
the temptation completely.
The Ring has complete control over Frodo for only an instant before the
intervention of
Gollum, whose death is redeemed only
by the ultimate completion of his quest, that to retrieve the Ring. His
intervention
seems to prevent an
ultimate catastrophe, but one must realize that Gollum would’ve attempted to
retrieve the Ring from
Frodo whether or not Frodo
had accepted it as his own. Therefore, it is irrelevant to wonder what would
have happened
if Frodo had not failed in
his individual quest. At first, it seems as though this ending to such a
complicated ordeal is too
incomplete, leaving too
much to chance. However, it is this ending which further develops the concept
of evil explained
earlier. Evil is a
destructive force, and it carries within it the formula for its own
destruction. Therefore, because the Ring is
the embodiment of Evil, it
had the potential for self-destruction. This idea, of the self-destructive
nature of Evil, is the most
important issue concerning the destruction of
the Ring. There is a major flaw in the mind of Sauron, and in turn the mind of
Evil, which is that Sauron
never considered the possibility that anyone would desire to destroy the Ring.
Similarly, the
Ring itself, in its desire
to return to its master Sauron, never considered the possibility that the level
of corruption that it
had performed against
Gollum would turn against it. Indeed, Gollum was so obsessed with the Ring that
when he finally
gets it back, he is so
ecstatic that he missteps. In both cases, Evil has deceived itself, which in
turn has brought about its
destruction. The Ring, the
symbol of Evil and evil power, has been defeated, not by the will of goodness,
but rather by its
own doing.
The next section of this
essay will make comparisons between LotR and Norse Mythology, specifically the
myths of the
Rhinegold Ring and Otter’s
Ransom. Also, comparisons will be made between LotR and Christianity,
specifically the
possible presence of one or
more Christ-figures in the trilogy. Through these comparisons, a greater understanding
of the
universality of the Ring’s
symbolic significance will be reached. The Myth of Otter’s Ransom is a
retelling of a myth
contained in the Volsunga
Saga of Norse Mythology. In this account, three gods, Loki, Odin, and Honir,
are in a
predicament over the
accidental killing of Otter, brother of the giants Fafnir and Regin. The gods
are trapped by the
brothers, and held to
avenge Otter’s death. In order to save them, Odin makes an offer to repay the
family for the death.
The ransom price set by the
family is a horde of red gold, enough to entirely cover the body of Otter. In
order to
accomplish this, Loki
leaves while Odin and Honir remain. Loki borrows a net from another god, and
proceeds to
capture the dwarf Andvari
from the bottom of a pool inside a cavern. Loki demands that Andvari give him
his horde of
gold that he controls within
the pool. Andvari reluctantly agrees, and gives Loki the gold. After this, Loki
notices a ring on Andvari’s
finger, and demands it as
well. A conflict emerges from this demand, and eventually Loki gets the ring,
along with Andvari’s curse upon it
and the gold. Loki returns,
and they give the gold to the family and cover Otter’s body with it. As they
leave, they tell the family of the
curse. The important thing
to realize about this story is that the ring is actually the Rhinegold Ring of
Norse Mythology. The bearer of this
Ring is the one who
controls the massive horde of Rhinegold. A case can be made for the horde as a
symbol of power, in which case
there is direct relevance to the One Ring in
LotR. Whoever bears the ring has power, the power to command. This possibility
in itself has
the power to corrupt those
who desire possession of the ring. Another account of the Rhinegold Ring is
portrayed in Stephan Grundy’s
novel,
"Rhinegold". In this account, the power of the ring is shown more
clearly than in the first account. After the father of Otter,
Hraithmar, puts on the
ring, he is overcome by his desire for the gold. As soon as he comes upon the
pile covering Otter’s body, he is
drawn to it. "The
longer Hraithmar gazed at the gold, the hotter its light seemed to burn in his
body, shaking him with a sudden fear of
desire." (Grundy 35) In a
shocking similarity to LotR, the Ring, once used, has a tremendous power to
corrupt and overpower. These are
two examples of the many
parallels that exist between Tolkien’s fantasy and that of Norse Myth.
The possibility of a
Christ-figure in LotR is a difficult issue for several reasons. First, Tolkien
himself denied any such allegorical meaning
behind the trilogy and in
fact denied nearly any allegorical meaning at all in his works. Also, it seems
as though many of the characters bear
some similarity to Christ
at times, but none are completely representative of Him. There is almost always
some area in which the character
in LotR is lacking with respect to
his Christ-like status. For example, The character of Tom Bombadil, discussed
earlier with respect to the
Ring’s power, seems to be
extremely Christ-like in that he is considered by those who know him to be,
"The Master of wood, water, and
hill." (Grundy 35)
Also, he is truly the master of himself, and he knows his limitations as a man.
Like all men, he is limited; like Christ, he
limits himself. At this
point, it would seem that Tom is a good representation of Christ. However,
there are two distinct differences that
separate Christ from Tom.
The first is the fact that Tom knows of the miserable existence of the
Barrow-Wights, yet is unmoved by the
thought of them in misery.
This lack of human compassion is a key difference between Tom and the Christ of
faith. Also, while Tom has
limited himself like
Christ, he has never suffered to gain his humility. He has never been
ambitious, and is not tempted. To create another
symbolic
reference to the One Ring, Tom would never feel the temptation for the Ring, in
the same way he would never be tempted by a source of power such as
the Tree of Knowledge
in the Garden of Eden. This is an aspect of Tom that would suggest that he is
less human than he would appear to be. Perhaps he is a "joyful
savior"
rather than the type of savior that the faith Christ was portrayed to have
been. Tom is one example of a Christ-figure in the trilogy. Others include
Gandalf,
whose remarkable
return to life after the battle with the Balrog could be symbolic of Christ’s
resurrection. Also, Gandalf’s ability to be tempted yet resist temptation,
his ordeal after
his resurrection in which his friends did not at first recognize him, and his
transformation from Gandalf the Grey to Gandalf the White are all areas in
which parallels
can be drawn to Christ. The only problem with the theory of Gandalf is that he
is ultimately unable to save Middle-Earth. Although he guides Frodo in
his mission, he
can hardly receive credit when the mission fails. He is not strong enough to
save middle-earth, and this is because he was too strong in his successful
attempt to resist
the temptation of the Ring.
In order to
summarize the essence of this study on the symbolism of the One Ring, it can be
said that the Ring itself can be explained separately from an explanation
of the Evil
nature of the Ring. The Ring itself is the reality of Evil in the physical
world. In every way, it is the nature of evil which must be either accepted or
rejected
outright. Its
mere presence is a personification of the opportunity for people to have and
execute free will and make morally correct or incorrect decisions. Also, the
ring is a symbol
of power, evil power. It is the part of nature that continually strives to
destroy a person’s ability to exercise free will. The exercise of Evil, and in
essence the power
of the Ring, is the exact opposite of freedom. As for the nature of evil, it
has been shown that no good can possibly come from evil means, but
evil results can
be averted if one can acquire the evil object while resisting the evil nature
of it. Also, the Ring is both real and symbolic. While the physical nature of
the Ring is
behavioral, and can be physically observed, the essence or power of the Ring is
also a concept, a concept which opposes morality. Because of this, the
Ring may be
destroyed physically, and with it the power of its creator, but its essence,
Evil, will remain present in some form until the end of time.
Works Cited
Crossley-Holland, Kevin. The Norse Myths. New York: Pantheon, 1980.
Ellwood, Gracia Fay. Good News From Tolkien’s Middle Earth. Grand Rapids,
Michigan: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1970.
Grundy, Stephan. Rhinegold.
New York: Bantam, 1994.
Tolkien, John Ronald Reuel. The Lord of the Rings Trilogy. New York:
Ballantine,
I--1954, II--1955, III--1956.
(References to The Lord of the Rings
(LotR) are by volume, book
number, chapter
number and chapter title.)
Tolkien, John Ronald Reuel. The
Silmarillion. New York: Ballantine,
1995.
(References to The Silmarillion are by
chapter name)
Works Consulted
Carter, Lin. Tolkien: A Look Behind The Lord
of the Rings. New York:
Ballantine, 1969.
Kocher, Paul H. Master of Middle Earth. New York: Ballantine, 1972.
Petty, Anne C. One Ring to Bind Them All:
Tolkien’s Mythology. Mobile:
Univ. of
Alabama Press, 1979
Ready, William. The Tolkien Relation. Chicago: Henry Regenery Co., 1968.
Schlauch, Margaret. The Saga of the Volsungs. New York: W.W. Norton &
Co., 1978
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