This is my second posting and I have to say, after spending 3 decades of reading, re-reading and contemplating Tolkien's works I've never been able to bounce ideas of people with similar passion for his world. I new you people were out there but I've never know anyone as "into" it as me. I appreciate this opportunity to bounce my thoughts off the members of this group.
And thanks specifically to Legate of Amon Lanc for the direct comments to my first post regarding the possibility of a high level of awareness of the Ring as it was lost by Isildur, found and secreted in the underground lake by Smeagol and later discovered by Gandalf/Bilbo--perhaps indirect agents or tools of Ulmo--as claim that Ulmo and possibly other Vala were directly influencing events in that age. Point in case, Manwe may have been telling the Eagles to assist Gandalf etc.
You have all made be think a lot about this. Now I find myself startled to see that it is a most unlikely claim. Let me explain. After the fall of Numenor Valar caused the shape and nature of the world to be changed. No longer could you physically get in a boat, sail straight across the sea and land upon the shores of the Blessed Realm. No, unless you were an elf your ship would sail around the curve world and end up on the other side. Elves could still take the straight path to Aman and return because the Valar forgave them and the Doom of the North was laid to rest. As far as I know, there is no mention of any other races or animals allowed this privilege, including eagles. I would contend that once the world was changed the opportunity for physical manifestation by the Valar was generally lost but the opportunity to affect the minds of persons in Middle Earth may have remained.
Enter the Istari. These were Mair who were sent to aid the peoples of Middle Earth against the power of Sauron. They were charge with the task of moving men, elves and dwarves to acts of courage. This single act of assistance may be the sole effort of aid brought on by the Valar. Basically, the changing of the nature of the world meant that the time of Man had begun. Galadriel and Elrond both knew it but kept their small realms alive and imperishable with the powers of their rings. But an inevitable decline was underway. Any spirits which wanted to last had to bail to the Blessed Realm or eventually fade.
And so now I believe that the Rings of Power were chiefly designed to combat and counter this decline. Destroying the One Ring represented a giving in to that ultimate eventuality. So I agree with the people who say Ulmo was not present in the waterways of the world after the War of Wrath. He did not know such detail as to the whereabouts of the ring.
What I seem to have forgotten was that Tolkien was writing a work of fiction. He needed to set good versus evil in a way which would appeal to the reader. Gandalf was the centerpoint upon which the allies against Sauron found focus. But if Gandalf had not been involved with the finding of the ring, there would not have been a story at all. Sauron and his allies would have overrun Middle Earth without much difficulty whether or not he had the ring or even if Suraman or any of the wise had found it, even Gandalf himself. The outcome is the same. And why bother writhing about that? Everything points to non-involvement of the Valar. Without actual proof of visions or directions in some secret manner, Gandalf was just lucky enough to discover the ring first. But the odds of dealing with it were so slight that the story has great meaning for people because it explores the limits of the hearts of the characters as they develop and find the bravery and courage to accomplish thing which they never would have guessed they could do. Consider the heart darkened Eonwy slaying the Lord of the Nazgul, the minstrel begging leave to sing of Frodo and the Ring of Doom and the description of that song on the company, the final mental battle between Frodo and the Ring at Mount Doom, even the grief of Sam as he returns to the Shire...no I have to say all these things were experienced through the courage and motivations of individuals who played out the story.
I now think it was all done without any contact or direction from the Valar since they themselves changed the world, forever cutting the physical link between Middle Earth and Aman. The Istari were sent to help in the third age because of that break of contact which can be seen as a way to not fully abandon Middle Earth and its peoples to the will of Sauron. Of them only Gandalf returns briefly to Aman after his ordel with the Balrog and he was sent back to finish what he started.
Anyway, enough of my ramblings. Thanks to you all.
