The Ring and the other races

[the phantom]

Yes, I'm sure dragons have very strong wills, but SP asked "What makes you think that the Dragon would have the strength of will to resist it?"

Just like Boromir has strong arms but he still can't beat a gorilla in arm-wrestling.

[gorthaur_cruel]

Elves; it is simple. Tolkien already laid out possible situations on how Elrond and Galadriel could've used the Ring. They'd eventually fall prey to the Ring.

Orcs, I think, would've actually tried to keep it for themselves. They are not wholly under Sauron's will. They only act under fear of Sauron and hatred of the Free Peoples. If they were given a power that (they think) would be enough to topple Sauron, they'd use it. One of the main reasons that Sauron used the Nazguls to hunt for the Ring was because he could be sure they wouldn't claim the Ring for their own (see Unfinished Tales). I'm not sure about Trolls...would they be smart enough?

However, what intrigues me is the possibilities of a Vala claiming the Ring...

The Ring was made by Sauron, so its power can't be greater than Sauron's original native strength, can it? So the question is, if somebody was more powerful than Sauron ever was, would he be able to truly master the One Ring and remain uncorrupted? After all, the Ring's corrupting power is essentially Sauron's own power acting.

So if Manwe somehow ended up with the Ring, I think that he could actually use its power for good. Would he be able to hallow it and make it 'pure'?

[Saurreg]

According to Letter No. 246 Elrond, Galadriel and Gandalf can possess the capability to destroy Sauron. But for the former two, to what extent will the Darklord's "destruction" be?

I can imagine the destruction of all of Mordor's forces, the death of Sauron's minions and perhaps the destruction of Sauron's own corporal body itself physically, but can the very essence of sauron be destroyed by elves with the ring? After all the darklord fled the cataclysm that was destruction of Numenor itself.

If the wielders of the ring are ultimately corrupted by the evil influence in the ring, does it mean that an essence of Sauron still survives in the end and wins? Or is the ring a independent source of evil by itself with or without Sauron?

[gorthaur_cruel]

I think that question can be answered by this from Tolkien:

If Gandalf proved the victor, the result would have been for Sauron the same as the destruction of the Ring; for him it would have been destroyed, taken from him for ever. But the Ring and all its works would have endured. It would have been the master in the end.

I don't think a Vala would have any use for the ring, it would be too feeble for them to bother with, kinda like a dragon with a bb gun.

[Thinlómien]

Dragons would of course taken the Ring, but considered it only as a part of their treasure, maybe a not even regarding it any higher than their other things, a ring is after all only a little bit of gold.
But in the other hand dragons are very clever. Maybe they would have used it. I don't know.

(I say them, because I speak about dragons generally, groupwork with the ring seems to be impossible... I just wanted to make it clear.)

[Neithan]

Dragons would take the Ring as a treasure as Thinlómien said. But I think that the Ring's power would work on the Dragon to some extent and it would treasure it above all other wealth. Think of what Gollom did with it and now imagine a creature who is already a treasure hoarder.
Orcs, being already evil and weak willed, would be overcome by the Ring almost immediatly. They would fade much quicker than other races.
Trolls would last an even shorter time because of their relative stupidity.
Ents would not understand a thing like the Ring. Being of nature they are wholly different from it. So I doubt the Ring would be able to corrupt them. The same goes for the Eagles.
A Valar would have no interest in the Ring but Morgoth would probably take it if he was still around. It would be far more deadly in his hands than it had been with Sauron.

As for the will of Sauron in the Ring, the ability of the Ring to awaken the desires of others is not dependent on Sauron's will. As obloguy has said the only use for the Ring is to dominate others, it cannot be used for anything else. It awakens the desire for domination in others and the desire for them to use it(the Ring) which, of course, leads to domination. This is what Tolkien was saying would happen to Gandalf, he would not become "evil" per se but he would become dominating. Just as some well intentioned religions have done.