Bilbo Baggins first came into possession of the ring when he beat the creature Gollum at a game of riddles during his own adventures under the lonely mountains several years prior. The ring is then passed down to his heir Frodo, who believes that he must only take it as far as Rivendell, and then his part in the quest will be over. However, this is sadly not the case, and Elrond reveals during the council that the ring cannot stay there, for it would too easily fall back into the hands of its evil master. It is then up to the company to decide where it should go, and the conclusion they draw is that there are really only two options: To hide the ring forever, or to unmake it.
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When trying to decide which is best, several suggestions are made. It is thought that it might be given to Tom Bombadil, who lives in the old forest, and is thought to be the oldest creature in Middle Earth. He has already encountered the hobbits during their crossing from The Shire and offered them rest and sanctuary in his abode, and during this time, he proves that he is completely unaffected by the ring and shows no sign of being tempted or seduced by its power.
Although at first he seems like the perfect guardian, Gandalf says that the perils of the mortal world are beyond Bombadil’s care or concern. Therefore the wise old spirit is just as likely to carelessly lose the ring or throw it away as keep it safe, without even knowing the great harm and evil this could do. It is also suggested that the ring be thrown into the depths of the deepest ocean, where it will be lost beyond all recall.
However, this suggestion is also debunked, as there are dark and evil creatures who lie within the sea, who may find the ring and deliver it to the dark lord himself. And as can be seen when the ring betrayed Isildur, one of the Gondorian kings upon whom the Argonath are based, and made its way first into the sea, and then down the great river into the hands of Deagol the Stoor hobbit, and then Smeagol (aka Gollum), the ring cannot be trusted not to make its own way out of the sea and into the hands of the enemy.
Lord of the Rings fans worldwide have often asked why the giant eagles of Middle Earth didn’t simply fly the ring to Mordor themselves and drop it in the fire. However, these creatures are Maia, ancient spirits, and therefore are not inclined to interfere in the affairs of men, and even if they were so, they wouldn’t put themselves in close proximity to the ring and its alluring voice, in case they too were sucked in and twisted by its power. So the audience then turned to asking: why didn’t they hide the ring in the Undying Lands of the west, where Sauron could never reach it? The answer has to do in part with the lore of the Grey Havens, and in part with Tolkien’s own beliefs.
Tolkien was raised by a Catholic priest after his mother died tragically young from diabetes, and so he has a strong sense of religion. The undying lands, then, can be interpreted as a sacred place, akin to heaven. This in part explains why the ring could never go there, it would be like unleashing a great evil upon the sanctity of paradise, and would tarnish not only the sacred memory of those who dwell there but also the lands themselves. This is the second part of the answer, for in the Undying Lands there are many pure and beautiful things, including plants with healing powers, ancient and powerful magics, and the secrets to immortality, such as those included in the making of the elven Lembas bread. The ring is too dangerous a commodity even for the Undying Lands.
Elrond makes the final decision, stating that ‘the ring should be destroyed: as long as it is in the world, it will be a danger even to the wise. For nothing is evil in the beginning.’ This is shown to be true over and over again, in the sad life of Gollum, in the case of Boromir, who tries to take the ring, and even in Frodo himself, who is almost completely corrupted of its power, and remains affected by it to the end of his days, long after the ring itself is destroyed.
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