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Originally Posted by Inziladun
What would be the requirements for a 'successful' claim?
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A good question, and one leading me to suggest a conceptual differentiation here.
Now it is clear Frodo could not just claim "the Ring is mine" and govern all the creatures in the ME just by that. Neither could Gollum, or Bilbo.
They would have to make the effect somehow leading armies and destroying Sauron or something they probably couldn't do.
So there is a question of being able to wield the Ring successfully. Galadriel sure betrays it that she had thought of it and so thinking that she could wield it - and Gandalf for sure sees himself able to wield that thing. And in the end also Boromir seems to think he could do it...
So wielding the Ring would require some things not everyone has. Gandalf as a Maia like Sauron could comfortably think he could use it. It is interesting Tolkien let's us think Galadriel thought she could do that as well. With Boromir we might go both ways, maybe he could, maybe he couldn't.
But then there is the other question as to what would become of the one using the Ring? It seems clear both Gandalf and Galadriel deny the offers they've made fearing it would turn them into tyrants, other dark lords... Boromir sure had no problem wishing to try it...
But if even Gandalf couldn't resist the spell in the Ring if he used it for dominance... then it seems clear the Ring is just the evil thing it is: the evil powermaker for anyone strong enough to claim it's service.
So Gandalf would have defeated Sauron with the Ring... Galadriel, Boromir? Maybe. But the results would have been just adding a new tyrant to the throne.