Seven: Four From Five or One?

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Originally Posted by Lalwendë

When Tolkien tells us that some of the Dwarves' rings were 'consumed by dragons' it could be taken one of two ways: they may have been eaten by the Dragons, or they may have been 'consumed' by Dragonfire as they were burnt up and destroyed. That second idea is very exciting!

I guess we should assume both possiblities. Did the Dragon eat the Dwarf - armour, boots, Ring and all? Or did it torch the Dwarf, and, seeing the Ring, eat that?

Now, Dragons love treasure as much as Dwarves do, and the Rings brought to their bearers even more treasure - each was associated with a hoarde. Given that the Dwarves and the Dragons shared much of the North between them the chances of conflict must have been high. That some of the Dragons 'consumed' some of the Dwarves' rings must mean that there were independent Dragons, free of the control of Sauron and hence not terribly worried about destroying his Rings of Power in order to get their claws on that treasure (does this mean there were also female Dragons and Dragon babies?).

Could a Dragon wear/use a Ring of Power? Did a Ring inside the Dragon beget anything more than indigestion? Could a Dragon detect that these Rings, even the least of them, contained something more than just ornamental value?

Were the Dragons located/designated so that each would spoil a specific treasure hold (which usualy was surrounded by a Dwarven community), or were they more freelance, foraging for treasure wherever they could find it? Does this mean that Dragons fought one another? Would one Dragon try to take the Ring of another?

Why were there no Dragons in Moria? It had treasure, the possibility of a Ring and Dwarves - what's not to like? Sure, there was a Balrog running about, but given enough avarice (especially if the Dragon held a Ring), that fear could be surmounted.

And another thing that fascinates me...Why did Sauron want his Dwarf rings back?

My thought has always been so that he could regift them. Without arms to work the forge, he had to make due with what remained.

Or maybe he saw how much they would bring on eBay...