The Ring of Saruman?

[davem]

Originally Posted by obloquy

Why would his ring give him that ability? There's nothing in Tolkien's work to suggest that rings are little power-ups that can be made to confer this or that ability of choice to their maker(s)/bearer(s).

Clearly the Rings are designed to enhance the power of the bearer (Galadriel says as much - that its not by Elven arrows, or singing amindst the trees, that Lorien is protected. They are designed to focus an individual's power & 'actualise their desire' (in CT's words) ie, they are 'magical' objects.

The question is whether they enable the wearer to 'transfer' their own power to another individual. Whether Grima actually recieved some of Saruman's power is a difficult question. Clearly Tolkien believed it was possible for a sufficiently powerful individual to transfer some of that power to creatures or things (Morgoth transfers some of his power into the stuff of Arda in order to control it, as he does into his servants. Sauron transfers some of his power into the One - whether Celebrimbor does the same with the Three is another question. Clearly, though, 'power' can be transferred from one individual to another person or thing. Elrond controls the waters of Bruinen from a distance - how he does that is not clear, because Tolkien never (as far as I am aware) explains the technicalities of magic in M-e. The simplest & most logical explanation of how a person controls an element or person is that he/she transfers some of their own innate 'power' into said element/person. The only other explanation is that there is some form of free-floating power out there which is just up for grabs by those with the knowledge to do it.

However, we do see that use of magic in M-e is not an easy thing (ie, its not simply a matter of saying the right 'magic words' - Gandalf exhausts himself in sealing the door of the Chamber of Mazarbul against the Balrog). Now, to drag in a Primary World example, when the woman in the Gospel touches Jesus' robe & is healed, Jesus responds 'Some virtue has gone out of me'.

Now, if this speculation is correct, & that magic in M-e involves the transfer of the innate 'power' or 'virtue' from the individual it is entirely possible that the Ring enhances this ability (as the 'Torcs' in Julian May's Saga of the Exiles enhance the psychic powers, latent & actual, of individuals). If a Ring gives its wearer the power to dominate the will of others, to control their actions, to control the elements, (as opposed to just scaring people), it must work in some specific way. If the Ring enables its user to dominate the mind & will of another & force that other to do the wielder's will I don't see any reason why that control shouldn't include not so much a 'transference' of actual power - which would be quite dangerous for the dominant party unless they had absolute control over their victim: you don't want to hand out too much power to slaves - but the means to use the subject as a conduit for the wielder's own power.