Timeline for Why didn't Elrond or Círdan take the ring from Isildur by force and destroy it?
Current License: CC BY-SA 3.0
19 events
| when toggle format | what | by | license | comment | |
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| Jul 6, 2020 at 9:19 | comment | added | OrangeDog | @Petersaber Elrond and Cirdan were just as tall, if not taller. The short answer is because they're the good guys, and that's not what good guys do. | |
| Aug 16, 2017 at 19:25 | comment | added | Pryftan | @JohnBell 'For Isildur would not surrender it to Elrond and Círdan who stood by. They counselled him to cast it into the fire of Orodruin nigh at hand, in which it had been forged, so that it should perish, and the power of Sauron be for ever diminished, and he should remain only as a shadow of malice in the wilderness.' So actually the film had it closer to truth; it wasn't in The Lord of the Rings: it was in The Silmarillion (though not the Silmarillion proper). | |
| Oct 5, 2016 at 8:21 | comment | added | John Bell | @Petersaber the film depicts Isildur stood within mount doom with Elrond, but that isn't depicted in the book. In (in-universe) reality, they didn't actually know the full power of the ring, they just knew it was dangerous and certainly weren't going to risk it. That and also Isildur was a huge mountain of a man, seven feet tall by Tolkien's account. Buffed with a ring, he's the most powerful being on Middle Earth at that time. Even as a powerful ring-bearing Elf, I wouldn't risk the confrontation. | |
| Aug 8, 2016 at 14:41 | comment | added | Prahlad Yeri | Bilbo isn't the only exception. Aragorn took it from Boromir as well in the Fellowship of the Ring and didn't feel a thing. I guess, that was because he was just taking it in order to pass it on to Frodo. | |
| Jul 31, 2015 at 6:19 | comment | added | Petersaber | Taking the Ring is dangerous, but all they had to do is This Is Sparta him into the lava. Or drag his body with the Ring on it. | |
| Jan 22, 2014 at 0:15 | history | edited | Secko | CC BY-SA 3.0 |
made references part of the comment
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| Jan 21, 2014 at 22:03 | comment | added | user8719 | Cirdan knows about it because "as soon as Sauron set the One Ring upon his finger they were aware of him; and they knew him, and perceived that he would be master of them" (Rings of Power); Elrond knows from Gil-galad ("At that time also Gil-galad gave Vilya, the Blue Ring, to Elrond" - UT, Galadriel & Celeborn). | |
| Jan 21, 2014 at 21:37 | comment | added | mort | While this is a create answer, most of the arguments happen after the insident with Isildur. This means that Elrond and Cirdan couldn't know very much about the Ring since until then it was always in Saurons keeping! | |
| Jan 21, 2014 at 17:16 | comment | added | user8719 | I should also note Gandalf's "Be sure that he took so little hurt from the evil, and escaped in the end, because he began his ownership of the Ring so. With Pity". | |
| Jan 21, 2014 at 17:07 | comment | added | user8719 | I'd forgotten Sam, but he does fit the pattern, yes. So my previous comment should actually read "The only people who willingly gave up the Ring were Bilbo and Sam, and even then Bilbo required quite some urging (from Gandalf) and Sam showed some reluctance". | |
| Oct 14, 2013 at 20:45 | comment | added | KutuluMike | @JimmyShelter Sam was (very briefly) a ring-bearer and surrendered the ring back to Frodo, but again, he "found" it after Frodo left it behind, so he also fits the pattern. | |
| Jul 23, 2013 at 19:52 | comment | added | user8719 | I haven't found any explicit reference in Letters, but it's obvious if you think about it. The only person who willingly gave up the Ring was Bilbo, and even that required quite a bit of urging from Gandalf. Otherwise it must always be taken by force. Starting one's custody of the Ring with a violent act certainly doesn't bode well. | |
| Jul 23, 2013 at 18:24 | comment | added | Ron Smith | Love this answer! After all this time, I had never considered that the manner in which the ring was taken was significant. Looking at the evidence, it would seem this might have been Tolkien's actual intent. Did he ever make any explicit reference to this theme in any of his letters or interviews? | |
| Jul 23, 2013 at 10:17 | comment | added | Ash | Mario: Déagol found the ring. When he wouldn't willingly give it to Sméagol (for a "birthday present"), Sméagol...took matters into his own hands. | |
| Jul 23, 2013 at 9:30 | comment | added | br3w5 | I think there's also the Elves' understanding of the Middle Earth's Fate fate or doom | |
| Jul 23, 2013 at 9:05 | comment | added | Mario | Taking the "how someone got it" into consideration is actually an interesting thought I haven't considered so far. But I don't remember. Wasn't Smeagol the one who just "found" the ring as well? Or was it his friend whoes name I've forgotten? | |
| Jul 23, 2013 at 5:25 | vote | accept | Petr | ||
| Jul 22, 2013 at 22:13 | history | edited | user8719 | CC BY-SA 3.0 |
Biblo -> Bilbo
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| Jul 22, 2013 at 20:58 | history | answered | user8719 | CC BY-SA 3.0 |