[Keneldil the Polka-dot]

I agree with Sauron999, Gandalf would have been unable to throw the Ring into the Crack of Doom had he been the one in possession of it at that point. The idea being that whoever possesses the Ring would be unable to throw it in, but someone not possessing it could throw the possessor in with it…..if that makes any sense.

So what's left to do? Throw Frodo AND the ring into the fire.

Now that is a pretty interesting idea that I hadn’t thought of before. That is probably exactly what Gandalf would have done if forced to the choice.

Something to think about though: Cirdan and Elrond were present with Isildur when he cut the Ring from Sauron’s hand. They did not force Isildur to destroy it, and they did not attempt to throw Isildur in. Could the Ring have been influencing Cirdan and Elrond even though they were not in possession of it? I realize Isildur had his soldiers about him and all that, but you would think that would be worth the risk in order to destroy Sauron.

Yes, but Gandalf was a Maia and so he understood Eru’s purposes more fully then others, and he knew that the hobbits would succeed.

I agree that Gandalf had better understanding of Eru’s purposes, but I don’t think he knew Frodo and Sam would succeed. He knew they were the best candidates to bear the Ring, and he did what he could to give them the best chance at success, but I don’t think he was certain of the outcome. I think Gandalf was operating on faith quite a bit, especially after he was separated from the Fellowship in Moria.

I don't think Gandalf was a madman, but I bet his nerves were a little fried there toward the end [img]smilies/smile.gif[/img].