Ah Frodo, I wish you'd had the chance to straighten Grima out! I don't think he could have loved you as well as Gollum, though, there was a kinship with Gollum that you and Bilbo had that was lacking in Grima, I think.
Yes, Saruman had a ring he made for himself, but I haven't been able to find out anything about what it did, if it worked at all other than looking pretty. During the confrontation with Gandalf in which Saruman reveals his evil designs, Gandalf notices the ring as he meets Saruman, Saruman calls himself 'Saruman ring-maker' and Gandalf sees that Saruman has made himself new robes of many colors. I recall some speculation in this forum-- can't remember the topic-- that the ring might have enhanced the persuasive powers of Saruman's voice.
I can just as well see Saruman deluding himself that he had made a ring of power-- there is a large share of fantasy in his plan of playing Barad-Dur and Minas-Tirith off each other and replacing Sauron himself. He had made a special study of the rings of power, though, so perhaps he learned something. My intuition is that if his ring had any effect it was through intensifying the persuasive power of his voice.
Songs had great power in the first age, for example Finrod Felagund's song-duel with Sauron, but this power seems to have faded by the third age-- perhaps not entirely, though. Think of Sam inspired to sing at the top of Cirith Ungol, and then hearing Frodo's cry afterwards-- did that song attract Frodo's attention in the ordinary way, or was it magic? What do you say, Frodo? Did you feel a musical tonic waking your spirit, giving you hope?
[ September 23, 2002: Message edited by: Nar ]
[ September 23, 2002: Message edited by: Nar ]
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