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Old 08-23-2006, 09:23 AM   #5
Raynor
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Again, I don't think this means Isildur and Gollum were 'evil.'
Debatable; Tolkien made some interesting refferences to Gollum in letter #181; though he did agree that the ring was too powerful for him to withstand, he also notes that he was already corrupted; he "appears 'damnable'", he has a "mean soul" and is described as a "mean son of a thief" [sic].

Was Isildur's claim right? I don't think so, by any standard. He wasn't the only one to lose a dear person; if anything, the Ring was a "weregild" for all those who somehow lost someone to Sauron - if anything, the Ring is more of an elven matter than a Mannish one. And on the moral plane, his claim is highly questionable, since it perpetuated Sauron's power.
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