How did Gildor's messages get to Aragorn and Rivendell so fast?

[Ivriniel]

Originally Posted by William Cloud Hicklin

The silent conversation between the Wise in Dunland, late in RK, is certainly Osanwe (and has nothing to do with the Three Rings, which by then were merely historically-significant jewelry).

I'm going to hold you to that--respectfully. I have not read my materials about the Three and messaging for a long while, but I'm going to find them. The question for me is whether or not there was a residual capacity of the Three. Galadriel's commentary in Lothlorien about the Rings, or other comments I read, implied that the Rings would not become entirely worthless, but merely overly impotent to do anything great. I formed the inference for a reason, I recall, but just cannot, for the life of me, remember where I read it. (Though the Dunland meeting of the Wise rings a bell. Can you quote from it, please?)

But--we also know that Sauron could put thoughts into the heads of the Nine before they were wraiths, during the transformation phase, with increasing tendency. It's implied from the comments about the Mortal Men when Tolkien says that their minds were filled with phantoms or thoughts and they could not discern that those were not their own.

Sauron's presence through The Three, when their wielders took the Rings off (TA) during the War of Elves and Sauron emphasises the point. I believe they couldn't use the Rings during the War of Elves and Sauron for that reason.

[edit]".....the Rings off (TA) during...." should read ".....the Rings of (SA) during..." [/edit]

[Inziladun]

Originally Posted by Ivriniel

The question for me is whether or not there was a residual capacity of the Three. Galadriel's commentary in Lothlorien about the Rings, or other comments I read, implied that the Rings would not become entirely worthless, but merely overly impotent to do anything great.

Are you referencing this quote?

'If you fail, then we are laid bare to the Enemy. Yet if you succeed, then our power is diminished, and Lothlórien will fade, and the tides of time will sweep it away.'

She says our "power is diminished", making no mention of the Three. With the destruction of the One, the Elves are shorn of that power given by the their Rings. Notably, after refusing Frodo's offer of the One, Galadriel says:

'I pass the test. I will diminish, and go into the West, and remain Galadriel'.

I see no reason why the Three would not instantly lose their virtue when the One is gone. The Nazgûl instantly fall at that time, intimately tied to their Nine Rings. and though we don't see the start of it, Bilbo's age catches up with him incredibly quickly after the One is destroyed.