Purpose of the One Ring
Sauron disguised himself as the lord of gifts Annatar and approached the Noldor elves of Eregion. Lord of Eregion Celebrimbor and the Gwaith-I-Mirdain that were the craftsman elves of Eregion were deceived and created the 16 rings of power that would later become the nine rings for men and the seven rings for dwarves.
Sauron taught Celebrimbor and the elves while he also assisted them to make the 16 rings of power. Sauron would then return to Mordor to forge the One Ring as he wanted to control the elves with the rings of power.
Sauron wanted to conquer Middle Earth and thought that the humans were too weak and Sauron eventually wanted control of the elves to serve his purpose and conquest.
However, when Sauron was gone, Celebrimbor and the Gwaith-I-Mirdain created the three rings of power for elves that allowed them to recognize Sauron’s deception. The three rings of power for elves were not bound to the One Ring so Sauron would go on war against the elves.
Creation of the One Ring
The One Ring was also called Ash Nazg or the Great Ring of Power that contained the soul of Sauron and his powers. Sauron created the One Ring in the flames and magma of Mount Doom also known as the Orodruin.
Sauron forged the One Ring with his power and his will and the One Ring became a part of Sauron as well. The One Ring would constantly try to alter the paths of history and destiny as it would try to return to its master when the time arrives.
The sixteen rings of power that Sauron forged together with Celebrimbor and the elves of Eregion were bound to the will of Sauron while the three rings of power for the elves were not bound to the One Ring and Sauron’s will.
Sauron’s war with the elves of Eriador and fall of Numenor
As Sauron failed to control the elves as the elves found out Sauron’s deception, Sauron would go against war with the elves.
Sauron would take over Eregion and captured all the sixteen rings of power as well as Celebrimbor. Sauron would slay Celebrimbor and humiliate his corpse as a war flag.
Eventually the elves of Lindon led by the elf king Gil-Galad, Elrond from Rivendell and Cirdan from the Grey Havens with support of Celeborn and Amroth’s elves from Lorien with the humans of Numenor, Sauron was defeated from the Ware of the Elves and Sauron.
Later on, Sauron would deceive Ar-Pharazon the last king of Numenor to invade Valinor the land of the Valars that angered the Valars and Iluvatar the god of the Legendarium.
By the wrath of the Valars and Iluvatar, Numenor was sunk to the bottom of the ocean while only a handful of Numenoreans still loyal to the Valars would settle down on Middle Earth and found Arnor and Gondor.
Poem of the One ring
The One Ring could fit the size of its bearer and although it didn’t have any jewelry engraved like the other rings of power, it was a pure golden ring that could not be destroyed except by the flames and lava of Mount Doom Orodruin where the One ring was forged.
When the One ring was heated, the encryption of Tengwar the elvish alphabet would appear that is written in Black Speech which was the language of Mordor and the dark forces. The Black Speech written on the One Ring gave its nick name the Ash Nazg
Ash nazg durbatulûk, ash nazg gimbatul,
ash nazg thrakatulûk, agh burzum-ishi krimpatul.
One Ring to rule them all, One Ring to find them,
One Ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them.
Powers of the One ring
The One Ring bore parts of the soul and powers of Sauron and unlike the other rings of power, the One ring was solely forged by Sauron’s evil will and desire to conquer Middle Earth.
The One Ring could enhance the abilities of its master while it would also elongate one’s life. However like the other rings of power, the One ring didn’t grant immortality but it rather bound the master’s soul from entering the after life so even the master of the One Ring would have an unusual life span but would deteriorate. The example would be Gollum.
Also the One ring would provoke its master’s evil desires and will as the One ring contained the sheer desire and evil of Sauron so it would tempt and seduce others around the One Ring as well by the own will of the One Ring.
The One ring could also temporarily conceal its master as it would shift its master from the world in between the real life and the afterlife.
Thus, the nazguls the ring wraiths that were not dead nor alive could see the master of the One Ring even if they wore it. Elves like Glorfindel that were not bound to death and have witnessed the light of the Two Trees of Valinor could also see the bearer of the One ring.
Sauron bound to the One Ring
During the final chapter of the Silmarillion Akallabes, Sauron caused the downfall of Numenor, but Sauron’s body also sank together with Numenor and Sauron lost his physical body.
Sauron’s soul managed to return to Mordor and only with the One Ring, Sauron could maintain a physical body to dwell on Middle Earth.
After Isildur cut off Sauron’s finger with the One Ring during the last battle of the War of the Last Alliance of Elves and Men, Sauron’s body collapsed.
Isildur failed to resist the temptation of the One Ring and didn’t destroy the One Ring but Isildur also fell at the Gladden Fields.
The One ring escaped from Isildur by its will and remained lost until the hobbits Smeagol and Deagol found it. Sauron after losing his body once more, sensed the will of the One Ring and recovered over time while he would slowly sabotage his enemies.
After Sauron discovers the tracks of the One ring, Sauron would once again attempt to take over Middle Earth and retrieve the One ring.
Seduction and Temptation of the One Ring
The One Ring itself was part of Sauron and was forged with the soul and powers of Sauron. The temptation and the evil will that the One Ring could cause was not even bearable for the Maiars and the great elf lords.
Gandalf was a Maia that was equivalent as an angel in the real world, however even he couldn’t lose the temptation to use the One Ring to defeat Sauron by a simple glimpse on the One Ring.
Thus, Gandalf didn’t even try to take a sight on the One Ring where Galadriel would refuse to take a look on the One ring for a similar reason.
During Frodo Baggin’s visit to Lothlorien, the simple offer of Frodo Baggins to take the One Ring was powerful enough to provoke and tempt lady Galadriel. The One Ring was powerful enough to seduce the strongest beings of Middle Earth such as Galadriel and Gandalf.
Why did Frodo Baggins become the ringbearer destined to destroy the One Ring
Hobbits were begins that naturally didn’t have much evil nor greed or desires. Some might blame Frodo Baggins at his final moment at Mount Doom Orodruin, however the seduction and the temptation that the One Ring caused along with the powerful evil it contained was strong enough to collapse the supernatural beings of Middle Earth such as Gandalf, Elrond and even Galadriel.
The elf lords and Gandalf knew that there weren’t any other beings that were possible to carry the ring but they’ve found a great chance in the kind, naïve and pure nature of Frodo Baggins and the hobbits.
Thus, Frodo Baggins was chosen to become the ring bearer to destroy the One Ring and there weren’t any other being that was capable to pursue such a glorious quest.
