The White Council

Re: Why stop at One indeed

Tolkien and Inklings Discussion

[snip]

: : As for why Sauron did not give Ar-Pharazon a Ring of Power, I can think of a few reasons:

: :Sauron had already given away all the Rings of Power, and he himself lacked the strength to create new ones (having spent the better part of his native power creating the One).

: He was wearing the one at this time, and he was at the height of his personaly power (IMHO). His powers were enhanced by the ring, and he must have been mighty indeed. He still had his original physical self as well, which must have helped things. I think (personally), that Sauron certainly DID have the power to make more rings.

And in spite of all this, the mere arrival of Ar-Pharazon upon the shores of Middle-earth caused Sauron's armies (and probably even the Nazgul) to desert him. Even at the height of his power, Sauron was in no position to contest the will of Ar-Pharazon.

: :Ar-Pharazon possessed great strength of will; it is possible that he could not have been controlled, even with a Ring of Power.

: Oooh, I dunno. (IMHO) I think that Sauron could subdue any man with the rings. They break down the person's very will, and subjugated them to the power of the One. Ar-Pharazon may not have been aware of the One anyway, and slowly he would have become a wraith, which would have put him totally under Sauron's sway.

Ar-Pharazon is described as the mightiest King ever to sit upon the throne of Numenor (including the 23 rulers who went before him). He was not a man to be controlled by others or to brook rivals to his claim as King of Men. I find it doubtful that Sauron would have been able to conquer him simply using a Ring of Power.

: :Sauron had no desire to increase the already formidable might of Ar-Pharazon. With a Ring of Power in his possession, he may have decided that Sauron had outlived his usefulness. He may have even demanded that Sauron relinquish the One.

: Well, I don't think Ar-Pharazon knew about the One. He certainly didn't, when he conquered Sauron, or else knowing it's might, he probably WOULD have demanded it.

Which is why Sauron purposefully removed the One from his hand before surrendering himself to Ar-Pharazon. In LotR, the main characters (Gandalf, Aragron, Elrond, Galadriel, etc.) refused the One because they knew the Ring would corrupt them, no matter how good their intentions. Ar-Pharazon, OTOH, did not suffer from this moral dilemma - he was already corrupt. For him, the Ring would have been the perfect tool for accomplishing all of his goals. Remember, during The Last Debate Gandalf mentions that Sauron's greatest fear was that the Ring had been found and that one of the mighty among his foes would attempt to use it to overthrow him. I doubt Sauron ever breathed one word concerning the Rings of Power to Ar-Pharazon.

: Secondly, giving Ar-Pharazon a ring of power would have increased his power, yes, but Ar-Pharazon's existing power was in his fleets and armies. He personally wasn't a great or powerful being. I dunno how to make my idea clear, but I got the impression that Ar-Pharazon was under the sway of Sauron anyway, so Sauron kinda killed the goose which laid the golden egg by pushing him too far. Sauron himself should have known that he couldn't combat the Valar, or Eru, so pushing Ar-Pharazon that far probably wasn't the best idea.

Sauron convinced Ar-Pharazon to attack the Valar because he knew they were the only power in Middle-earth capable of defeating the Numenoreans. Sauron didn't push him too far, he manipulated him in to doing exactly what the Dark Lord wanted.

: Maybe the guy was just short sighted? Why destroy Numenor, when he could have become the master of it, and REALLY taken over Middle-Earth for himself? And if he had, then couldn't he have THEN challenged the Valar? (Assuming that Numenor was as powerful as some people make it out to be).

Sauron had no intention of challenging the Valar. His desire was the destruction of Numenor, not a second War of Wrath.

: Also, Personally, I think that Saruon should have pulled the strings the other way, and gotten Ar-Pharazon to conquere the elves for him. Okai, assuming Numenor was powerful enough to challenge the Valar, Gil-Galad wouldn't have been a close match in comparison.

Certainly a valid idea...