A few things

Oh yeah I know that, but just as Sauron put on the One Ring the 16 rings were in Eregion with the Elves. So he wouldn't have needed to wage war to regain the rings if the elves hadn't sussed him out.

[Lalwendë]

It begs the question of whether the Rings were made specifically for certain races. One one hand (not an intentional pun ) Gandalf was not an Elf but was able to wear one the Elven rings, but on the other hand, the Ring Verse seems to imply that the rings were created for specific races. And they did seem to work in certain ways according to those races which bore them; the rings of Men worked on their lust for power and immortality, the rings of Dwarves on their lust for Gold and treasure (I think each ring was associated with a horde).

[davem]

Originally Posted by Lalwendë

It begs the question of whether the Rings were made specifically for certain races. One one hand (not an intentional pun ) Gandalf was not an Elf but was able to wear one the Elven rings, but on the other hand, the Ring Verse seems to imply that the rings were created for specific races. And they did seem to work in certain ways according to those races which bore them; the rings of Men worked on their lust for power and immortality, the rings of Dwarves on their lust for Gold and treasure (I think each ring was associated with a horde).

Its possible. Of course, its also possible that the Rings brought out/enhanced the 'faults' in each race. Most likely they were designed by Elves for Elves.

(On another board someone mentioned the odd 'coincidence' that Tolkien died is 1973. 1=the One Ring, 9=the 9 Rings for Men, 7=the 7 Rings for the Dwarves & 3=the 3 Rings for the Elves. I suppose one could further point out that TH was published in 1937. )

[yavanna II]

Originally Posted by Lalwendë

It begs the question of whether the Rings were made specifically for certain races. One one hand (not an intentional pun ) Gandalf was not an Elf but was able to wear one the Elven rings, but on the other hand, the Ring Verse seems to imply that the rings were created for specific races. And they did seem to work in certain ways according to those races which bore them; the rings of Men worked on their lust for power and immortality, the rings of Dwarves on their lust for Gold and treasure (I think each ring was associated with a horde).

The Ring verse as you call it, I think, was made after the One was made, discovered, and disperesed

Three Rings for the Elven-kings under the sky,
Seven for the Dwarf-lords in their halls of stone,
Nine for Mortal Men doomed to die,
One for the Dark Lord on his dark throneIn the Land of Mordor where the Shadows lie.
One Ring to rule them all, One Ring to find them,
One Ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them
In the Land of Mordor where the Shadows lie.

And did the Elves of Eregion know Sauron's plan--the dominion over the other races thing? Sauron, aka Annatar, told them that they make ME as fair as Valinor and/or Eressea, but I don't remember reading that he told them that they needed the help of other races (correct me if I'm wrong here).