From the outset, it becomes clear in the very beginning of the Lord of the Rings that the One Ring has the ability to twist and pervert the soul of its bearer, turning them into a shadow of their former self. Forged by and bounded with its dark master, it seems to not only corrupt people but bring out emotions of jealousy, hatred and lust in the rings presence. The death of Deagol at the hands of his friend Sméagol or Gollum as he became known is a fine example of this.
But Gollum is not the only bearer of the One Ring who changed in possession of the intrinsically evil item. Bilbo Baggins himself makes a transition from the unassuming hero of The Hobbit to one who reluctantly gives away his prized treasure, breaking down in Rivendell at one stage in shock at the hold the ring truly has over him. The changes to Bilbo mentally as well as physically, the effect of time on his appearance reduced, are noticeable.
This weekend, the Hall of Fire crew are talking about the effect of the One Ring on Frodo, as he makes his travels to Mordor with his friend Sam at his side, oblivious to the War of the Ring between Elves, Men and Orcs nearby in the kingdom of Gondor. What would have happened if Sam was not with Frodo, would he have been totally demoralised and have failed? Did the One Ring scar Frodo for the rest of his days in Middle-Earth? Did the Ring effect him differently to Bilbo? Did it effect him more? And does this experience have any connection to Tolkien’s time in World War Two? Join in our discussion this weekend as fellow Tolkien fans discuss all these questions and more!
Recommended Reading:
http://home.mn.rr.com/karynmilos/essays/toodeeplyhurt.html
(thanks to NotLost for the link)
Place:
#thehalloffire on theonering.net server; come to theonering.net’s chat room Barliman’s and then type /join #thehalloffire .
Saturday Chat: 5:30 pm ET (17:30) [also 11:30 pm (23:30) CET and 7:30 am Sunday (07:30) AET]
Sunday Chat: 7:00 pm (19:00) CET [also 1:00 pm (13:00) ET and 4:00 am (04:00) Monday morning AET]
ET = Eastern Time, USA’s East Coast
CET = Central European Time, Central Europe
Questions? Topics? Send ‘em here.
