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Originally posted by drigel
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"...Morgoth's power was disseminated throughout Gold, if nowhere absolute (for he did not create Gold) it was nowhere absent. (It was this Morgoth-element in matter, indeed, which was a prerequisite for such 'magic' and other evils as Sauron practised with it and upon it.)"
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So could it then be said that Morgoth's will was also in the Ring? If Morgoth was ever present in the element of Gold, he must have had some power in the Ring also. Which brings in an interesting proposition: Would the Ring have been as strong/potent/powerful if it had been made of, oh say, Mithril? I chance that it would not have been.
But why then did Morgoth choose Gold? Of all the choices to pick as an element to corrupt, why that? Surely he could not have known the power it would have over the Three Kindreds, especially Dwarves and Men? Or perhaps he simply wanted to mar(sp) the fairest thing that Arda had to offer.
In any case, I think it is interesting that we are talking about gold being the source of evil, yet that 'evil' within gold comes from Morgoth, as
drigel's post states above. Gold in and of itself is not evil, but it is that power of lust that Morgoth placed into it and around it. So that those who see it long for it and are often corrupted by it. So then the 'Root of all Evil' then goes back simply to Morgoth. Not a very deep root, now is it.
I would say that Gold is somewhat like the trunk and branches of that tree. Morgoth is the root, creates malice and sends it through gold up to his leaves and fruit. Now there are probably a great number of things that could be put in place as the trunk, but gold does fit well.