[Lalwendë]

SpM is onto something here, saying that while the One Ring existed, even if his physical body was destroyed, he could maintain his power, and tha chance of being 'rehoused'. Its a very old idea and occurs in folklore, how a spirit or soul may be confined within an object instead of a body. If you want another example then I'm sure a lot of you will have read the latest Harry Potter and learned how Voldemort has maintained a semblance of immortality by doing exactly that, by containing aspects of his soul/spirit within the Horcruxes.

I think Tolkien was working from an old idea that is still inspiring wrieters today. And if you think about it, it also makes a perfect literary device - trapping the soul/spirit within an object or objects might seem foolproof (and you can imagine our Dark lord laughing at his cunning plan and going "Mua-ha-ha" at his own cleverness), but like all 'bad guys', the act of doing this actually turns out to be a fatal flaw when the hero of the story comes along.

I wonder why Sauron chose to use a gold ring - not exactly unobtrusive is it? Especially with bling-hungry Hobbits around. Yes he also wanted to control the other rings, but he could have made the One an ugly ring - the kind that leaves a green stain on the finger! Maybe that reveals something about his vanity too?

I hope that makes sense, I'm not exactly lucid right now, as I'm running an horrific fever.