But when Frodo Baggins, a hobbit of The Shire, and one of the least fearsome or battle-worthy creatures of Middle Earth, is challenged with taking the one ring of power to Mount Doom to destroy it, there is a very real threat of another figure rising to seize power if they get a hold of the ring.
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The best example of this is Saruman, the once White Wizard of Isengard, who has chosen to turn his back on his friends and make a bid for power for himself. He intends to use the ring to become the strongest force in the world, and combined with his wizarding powers of control and manipulation, he would be almost unstoppable. Luckily, he never gets his hands on the ring, and never gets a chance to fulfill this dark and desolate fate. However, there are two other very notable and powerful beings who are able to resist the One Ring by choice and sheer willpower, and if they had not, the story, and the fate of all of the peoples of the world, would have ended very differently.
The first is of course Galadriel. Her famous speech at the mirror in the Lothlorien glade has become one of the most well-known and iconic moments of the entire trilogy, as Frodo offers her the ring after seeing the terrible pain and suffering that awaits in her mirror of visions and prophecies. In response, she enters what many fans have coined ‘her evil mode’ in which she begins to radiate a murky light and becomes entranced into the future possibility of what would happen if she accepts the ring. She says “In the place of a dark lord you would have a queen, not dark but beautiful and terrible as the dawn, treacherous as the sea, stronger than the foundations of the earth. All shall love me and despair!”
In this, the audience sees a shocking and horrifying possibility of the corruption she would undergo, in turning from a softly-spoken, kind, and wise she-elf to a supremely domineering and dangerous ruler. As one of the oldest beings of Middle Earth, Galadriel is already ridiculously strong and capable, but adding the dark manifestations of the ring into the mix would create an outcome too abhorrent to even think about.
This is equally true, if not even more so of Gandalf the Grey. Gandalf is such a brilliant character, because he is a very powerful wizard, with knowledge and experience across all areas and realms of Middle Earth, but rather than being involved in a bid for power, he prefers to spend his time roaming the lands, engaging with the peoples, and creating fireworks that bring joy to all who behold them. He is a caring and gentle old man, who just happens to possess extraordinary abilities, but he is also very careful and responsible in how he chooses to use them.
When Frodo offers him the ring, Gandalf is horrified at the possibilities of the danger it could bring to the world. He warns the hobbit not to tempt him, and explains “I would use the ring from a desire to do good. But through me, it would wield a power too terrible and great to imagine.” There is that word again: terrible. And it’s true. The outcome if Gandalf had been unable to resist the ring would have been disastrous.
In fact, many agree that Gandalf would have been a far more threatening and grievous dark lord than even Sauron himself. This is because Sauron’s biggest weakness is his lack of compassion and understanding of men. He deeply underestimates his opponents, because he cannot even conceive of the idea that someone might want to destroy the ring rather than trying to use it for themselves. He doesn’t realize this fact until it is far too late, which allows Frodo and Sam the valuable time that they need to complete the quest.
However, Gandalf would have no such folly. He has spent thousands of years among the people, he knows their politics, their kingdoms, their customs, and more importantly their hearts. He would know just how to form and break allegiances, how to coerce and divide nations, and how to unravel Middle Earth from the ground up. He also has an amazing affinity for the animals of the world, and would have no trouble involving even the most formidable off creatures, including Shadowfax and the Giant Eagles. With his insider knowledge and affinity for every aspect of the world, it is clear to see that Gandalf would be an even more ruthless and unstoppable force than Sauron.
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