• sugar_in_your_tea@sh.itjust.works
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    5
    ·
    edit-2
    3 hours ago

    Sauron wore it in the great battle, and he was by all accounts visible, otherwise how could Isildor cut the finger off? That would be a very lucky swing if Sauron was invisible.

    No, I think its power depends on the wearer. Frodo didn’t want to be seen, so it made him invisible to everyone but Sauron, who understands its power.

    • Omgpwnies@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      4
      ·
      2 hours ago

      The ring doesn’t as much make you invisible as it transports you into the shadow realm. Sauron, however existed in both the real world and the shadow realm, so there was no transporting needing to happen there.

      • sugar_in_your_tea@sh.itjust.works
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        1
        ·
        32 minutes ago

        The ring’s primary power is control over the other rings, and it seems like the shadow realm is part of how that works (“…and in the darkness bind them”). I’m guessing Frodo is overwhelmed by the power of the ring and is taken to the shadow realm, whereas Sauron has more control and can stay in the real world.

        Other races may have different effects. The elves have some amount of magical ability, so maybe they can stay in the real world too. Maybe the dwarves would concoct some device to block part of the ring’s power to stay in the real world. We don’t know, the only examples we have are halflings and Sauron.

    • MacN'Cheezus@lemmy.today
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      2
      ·
      2 hours ago

      It had the same effect on Bilbo and Gollum, though. The idea of its effects being dependent on race cannot be ruled out just yet.

      • sugar_in_your_tea@sh.itjust.works
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        1
        ·
        2 hours ago

        All three are half-lings, and all three wanted to hide the ring instead of use it to rule, so it makes sense it would have a similar impact on all three of them.

        • MacN'Cheezus@lemmy.today
          link
          fedilink
          arrow-up
          2
          ·
          2 hours ago

          Yes, but without a control group we cannot really rule out whether this is race thing or a personality thing.

          For instance, what effect would it have had on Boromir and Aragorn? How about Gimli? It’s possible it would have made both of the former stronger, for instance, and made Gimli incredibly rich, because that’s what their races desired. We don’t really know, do we?

          • sugar_in_your_tea@sh.itjust.works
            link
            fedilink
            arrow-up
            1
            ·
            31 minutes ago

            Yup, all we know is that there’s some connection to the shadow world (“and in the darkness bind them”) and other rings of power, we don’t know the specific impact it would have on each individual or race.