I ask this because Gandalf tells the Council of Elrond that at his last visit to Saruman he saw him “wear a ring on his finger. ...‘I am Saruman the Wise, Saruman Ring maker.’” [LotR p.275-276] But this is never followed up, and we don’t see any evidence that Saruman had any enhanced Ring-derived power.
What was this ring that he wore then? Did Saruman create another ring of power?
I would be interested to hear people opinions on this.
no, it was not a ring of power though it did have some powers I believe In 3018 Saruman set a trap for Gandalf, using the Radagast to lure him to Orthanc. When Gandalf came, Saruman revealed that he had made a Ring of his own, and that he was no longer Saruman the White, but claimed the ****le Saruman of Many Colours, and also claimed the ****le of Ring-maker. But his ring was far from the power of a ring of power.
Maybe I could get my ring to work ... Ring-lore has only given me Voice: Saruman's ring is noted briefly by Gandalf in Fellowship of the Ring, pp. 271-2:
"But I rode to the foot of Orthanc, and came to the stair of Saruman; and there he met me and led me up to his high chamber. He wore a ring on his finger...
"'...and here you will stay, Gandalf the Grey,' [said Saruman,] 'and rest from journeys. For I am Saruman the Wise, Saruman Ring-maker, Saruman of Many Colours!'"
It suggests the possibility that Saruman may have attempted to enslave Grima with a second ring. If Saruman were to experiment with making Rings of Power, he wouldn't make only one, would he? No; I think he'd make at least one other, and try to get his ring to exert an influence over the wearer of the other. And who would he give such a ring to?
Grima Wormtongue seems the obvious answer, since he was so completely under Saruman's control.
...Kind of helps you see Saruman in a new light, doesn't it? Sure, Sauron may have had the Nazgul, the Ringwraiths; but perhaps Saruman in his turn had Grima, the Ringworm!
More interesting, though, is Saruman's comment, "the Ring-lore has only given me Voice". It gives me a chance to propose a theory: that it was Saruman's investigation of Ring-lore, particularly the One Ring's ability to dominate the wills of others, which first taught him the ability to daunt and influence others with his voice. Certainly the power of his voice had some Ring-like effects on the wills of his listeners; note Two Towers, p. 183:
"For many the sound of the voice alone was enough to hold them enthralled; but for those whom it conquered the spell endured when they were far away, and ever they heard that soft voice whispering and urging them. But none were unmoved; none rejected its pleas and its commands without an effort of mind and will, so long as its master had control of it."
The question of when Saruman developed this Voice, however, has never been satisfactorily answered. Was it a skill he had when he first arrived in Middle-earth, or did he learn the skill through his investigation of the Rings? I've found nothing to suggest he had this power before the mid-to-late Third Age.
hehe I liked the part with the Ringworm and personally I fount the part about the voice of saruman very very interesting since I never thought about it really and it sheds a whole new light on Saruman's powers. And we know he was a good smith and so we can easily think of him creating his own ring.
Why would he not do so... studying in the books only? No a true master would do some practice also. The voice of Saruman must be explained somehow, maybe my suggestion is an idea. What you think?
I never thought of this before! Saruman has got a ring that gave him so much power! I never payed attention to those Saruman or Gandalf quotes you wrote, Beren! I never thought of that possibility before! I feel like a whole new world has opened infront of me...
^ I believe he has learned it elsewhere... Saruman was also Curunir and was one of the people of Aule. Sauron also was one of Aule's servants, before he has left and served Morgoth. Maybe they both learned the lore, how to forge rings, together. Or they have learned it from each other... Could that possibly be, or am I writing completely nonsense?
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What do you fear, my Lady?
~ A cage. To stay behind bars until use and old age accept them, and all chance of valor has gone beyond recall or desire.
I personally believe the voice of Saruman did come from the ring "...but Curunír went most among Men, and he was subtle in speech and skilled in all the devices of smith-craft." -
"But Saruman now began to study the lore of the Rings of Power, their making and their history." - Silmarillion, Of the Rings Of Power just a few quotes on the topic and a very very interesting thing I just found out is this: for the Council of elrond where Saruman was present and where the problem of Dol-Guldur was discussed there are 2 drafts one that comes in the books, and one that was given up. now in draft 1, the one in the books it says: 'He wore a ring on his finger ' in 2 we have the quote higher quote as in the book and this also: ... For Saruman the White is, as some of you know, the greatest of my craft, and was the leader in the White Council.... But Saruman long studied the arts of the Enemy, and was thus often able to defeat him; and the lore of rings was one of his chief studies. He knew much of the history [of the rings of power >] of the Nine Rings and the Seven, and somewhat even of the Three and the One; and it was at one time rumoured that he had come near the secret of their making.
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interesting isn't it? I personally do think now he got the power of the voice from the ring.
I ask this because Gandalf tells the Council of Elrond that at his last visit to Saruman he saw him “wear a ring on his finger. ...‘I am Saruman the Wise, Saruman Ring maker.’” [LotR p.275-276] But this is never followed up, and we don’t see any evidence that Saruman had any enhanced Ring-derived power.
What was this ring that he wore then? Did Saruman create another ring of power?
I would be interested to hear people opinions on this.
It is odd. I happen to be re-reading the book as we e-speak, and I'm am at the passage during the Council of Elrond, when Gandalf tells about Saruman, and mentions the ring on his finger, but there is nothing further mentioned in the book(s). It's almost as if Tolkien, wanted to branch of in a direction and either thought better of it, or overlooked it.
As I remember it, Tolkien started the book and "painted himself in a corner" numerous times, and started over.
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I am Anduril, who was Narsil. Let the thralls of Mordor fear me.
or perhaps it was just another mystery I just had an idea as I was reading your post - what about the old white man that surprised the Three Hunters as they were sleeping under a tree near Fangorn? It is in my opinion, most likely Saruman, wanting to meet his Uruk-hai force sooner, and to claim the Ring as soon as possible Of course this was not possible anymore because all Uruks had been killed, but at least he found a Man, a Dwarf and an Elf. But the distance was still a great one...so couldn't it be that the ring played a part in this? I think yes.
