Three vs. One

[AragornII]

I couldn't find a thread on this, so I'll ask it here...

If Sauron had recovered the Ring and taken over Middle- Earth and enslaved the people, and assuming the some of the Elves stayed, instead of just left for the Undying Lands, could the power of the Three Elven rings been used to combat the power of the One?

I mean, its not likely because 1) Gandalf, Elrond, and Galadriel would probably leave Middle-Earth, 2) they weren't used last time Sauron was gaining power (or were they?), and 3) they are connected to the One, which could either help or hinder them, but is it possible? Could they have been used against the power of the One? If so, how come no one ever thinks of it?

[Farael]

I think it was discussed before but I can't find the link. The three rings were not meant for warfare but rather protection. They kept Rivendel and Lothlorien safe, as well as helped Gandalf inspire other men (and elves and hobbits) yet they were not a weapon to be wielded in the battle field.

Also, if Sauron had regained the One Ring, he would have had power over the three elven rings as well, rendering them useless even if they had some use in the battlefield.

And I think that the point of LoTR is not "well, the elves missed something in their reasoning and did things the hard way" but rather "there was no other choice, humanity (or elfanity, hobbitanity.... etc) had one last chance and thanks to the brave souls of the Fellowship and the many that aided them (including possibly Eru) the world was saved".

[AragornII]

Originally Posted by Farael

Also, if Sauron had regained the One Ring, he would have had power over the three elven rings as well, rendering them useless even if they had some use in the battlefield.

That's what I thought, but I wasn't sure. However, if he had power over the Three, how were they hidden from him in the Second Age? Actually, I guess it would work the same as the One. Sauron and the Nazgul knew exactly where the Ring was when someone actually used ut, so if someone actually tried to use the one of the Three, instead of just hiding them, he would probably know where they were and, as you said, have power over them.

Ahh, that clears that up.

[Formendacil]

Originally Posted by AragornII

That's what I thought, but I wasn't sure. However, if he had power over the Three, how were they hidden from him in the Second Age? Actually, I guess it would work the same as the One. Sauron and the Nazgul knew exactly where the Ring was when someone actually used ut, so if someone actually tried to use the one of the Three, instead of just hiding them, he would probably know where they were and, as you said, have power over them.

Ahh, that clears that up.

They're like robots, in a way. If you don't turn them on, they don't work. In a similar way, the Three Rings had to actually be in USE for Sauron to control them. All the Galadriel, Gil-galad, and either Círdan or Elrond did in the Second Age was keep them hidden- as long as they weren't used, they weren't harmful.

[Raynor]

If Sauron had recovered the Ring and taken over Middle- Earth and enslaved the people, and assuming the some of the Elves stayed, instead of just left for the Undying Lands, could the power of the Three Elven rings been used to combat the power of the One?

If Sauron regained his ring, there is little hope that anyone could have stopped him anymore (save perhaps the valar & Co):

Originally Posted by Last debate, RotK

If he regains it, your valour is vain, and his victory will be swift and complete: so complete that none can foresee the end of it while this world lasts.

[Boromir88]

It's interesting that Tolkien brings up a 3rd possibility of defeating Sauron for good. And that is you just kill him so many times he doesn't have enough "inherent spirit" to reform:

'But that of course did not destroy the spirit, nor dismiss it from the world to which it was bound until the end. After the battle with Gilgalad and Elendil, Sauron took a long while to re-build, longer than he had done after the Downfall of Numenor (I suppose because each building-up used up some of the inherent energy of the spirit, which might be called the 'will' or the effective link between the indestructible mind and being and the realization of its imagination).'~Letter 200

This seems as if it takes Sauron longer and longer to rebuild the more times he is killed, as it takes up his "will." And if you just kill him enough times he wouldn't have the "will" anymore to reform.

But as Raynor shows, by the War of the Ring, this is highly unlikely as Sauron had the power and the might where the only way of beating him now was by destroying the Ring.