If Frodo successfully redeemed Smeagol, who did not fall back into becoming Gollum again, then would Smeagol - technically a Ring-bearer - be permitted into Valinor like Frodo and Sam after the Ring is destroyed?
121800
If Gollum had not died in Mount Doom, would he have been allowed to join the elves, Bilbo, and Frodo in the Undying Lands?  He was, after all, by far the longest-lasting bearer of the One Ring (not counting Sauron himself before it was taken from him), which is the reason given for Frodo, Bilbo, and Sam’s being allowed to go there.  And would his being or not being allowed to go to the Undying Lands be affected by whether or not the Gollum part of him would vanish after the destruction of the Ring, leaving only Sméagol behind?  Note: As Richard’s answer (with comments) points out, there are various logistical practicalities that would likely get in the way of Gollum ever getting anywhere. However, what I am asking here is whether whoever decides who is and isn’t allowed to go to the Undying Lands would consider Gollum, as a Ringbearer, qualified to go there.
91023
According to the poem:     Three Rings for the Elven-kings under the sky,   Seven for the Dwarf-lords in their halls of stone,   Nine for Mortal Men doomed to die,   One for the Dark Lord on his dark throne   In the Land of Mordor where the Shadows lie.   One Ring to rule them all. One Ring to find them,   One Ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them   In the Land of Mordor where the Shadows lie.   This implies that the One Ring has power over the other rings and those that bear them. I'm not fully knowledgeable about the state of the other rings in the setting of the Lord of the Rings trilogy but I'm under the impression that nine rings were worn by the Nazgûl were already under the power of Sauron. The rings given to the Dwarves were lost, or Sauron had recovered them. The rings owned by the elves could have been destroyed or safely hidden so to avoid being used by anyone.  Why was it imperative that the One Ring be destroyed if its control over the other ring bearers would be negligible?
28735
I was just watching Ultimate Avengers and apparently, Hulk got really angry and just decided to pick up Thor's hammer... Twice. Now we do know that people other than Thor can wield it as long as they deemed worthy, but I highly doubt that was the case here. So is it canon that Mjölnir has been lifted before just by the Hulk's or any other character's brute strength?
91213
Gandalf wasn't an elf, but rather he was one of a few wizards sent to help Middle Earth. So, how did he end up with one of the Elf Rings? And, why did Frodo not notice it, when he easily noticed Galadriel's ring?
92438
The most iconic of Middle-earth questions:  Who or what was ?  Was he an elf? Was he akin to Gandalf, and one of the wizardly stock?  Was he something… else?
38394
All I've ever been able to find is that they arrived in Middle-earth and left to go do something outside of the scope of the story. Has anyone ever found any additional information?
103843
It says that Sauron waited over a thousand years or more laying dormant regaining his strength after being destroyed when his ring was severed from him. But does the text say how he actually recovers strength?
28122
It is my understanding that Celebrimbor forged the Three Rings of Power, and that Sauron had no part in the creation of those rings. So why is it he was able to control them. I thought that all the other rings were bound to his will because he instructed their craft. So how is it that the rings which Celebrimbor made, presumably due to his own craft, could be made thralls for Sauron?
21260
Was there something more mystical about Mount Doom that meant another volcano wouldn't work and no matter how much energy was put into it, it would not be destroyed?  A comment mentioned that not even Ancalagon the Black, the greatest dragon, could not have done it; but how about a Balrog? What about another Maia or a Vala? Could a sufficiently advanced technology destroy it? Given that middle earth was becoming more industrialized wasn't it only a matter of time until a furnace or other artificial heat source that was hot enough was created?  If some catastrophe destroyed Middle Earth entirely would the ring be unmade, or would Eru have to do it himself?
124223
I am aware that the "Eye of Sauron" in Peter Jackson's movies was not Sauron's actual physical form.  What the answers at '' don't indicate is, despite this, what abilities of vision Sauron may have had.  Did he have the ability to see from afar? If so, what are his limitations or details of this power? Is it some kind of Elvish-sight like Legolas but stronger? Was it a magical power? Or perhaps with the help of the Palantir (I'm not sure of this last one because I dont remember if the Palantir could only see what other Palantíri were seeing or anything he wanted)?
98861
Duh!  But, do the books ever describe what he actually looks like? I found a diagram by Tolkien himself:  But this looks too... vague? And I don't know whether he was ever intent on continuing with this one as the official look for the great villain. I just started reading Fellowship, completed half of it, when I was informed that everything in the movies is not accurately modelled after the book. And I know for a fact that the fiery eye was just imagined by Peter Jackson for the movies. So, is the Sauron seen in the movie a correct description? Is there a description at all? And if there is, how do the books describe Sauron?
28514
Many of the Ringbearers (particularly those who carried it longer) used the word "precious" to describe it. Isildur described it as:     "But for my part I will risk no hurt to this thing: of all the works of Sauron the only fair. It is precious to me, though I buy it with great pain."   Bilbo himself used it at least once, when arguing with Gandalf about leaving it behind when he was leaving Bag End (this exchange and the lines were different in the movie, but the word is still there):     "Well, if you want my ring yourself, say so!" cried Bilbo. "But you won’t get it. I won’t give my precious away, I tell you."   And Gollum used it incredibly frequently, almost as if it was the ring's name. It was even his last words:     "Precious, precious, precious!" Gollum cried. "My Precious! O my Precious!"   So my question: Why "Precious"? It wasn't part of the inscription. It wasn't part of the poem that included the inscription. Was it somehow part of Sauron's crafting spell? Did Tolkien ever indicate why the Ringbearers would use that word in particular, other than that it sounded good?
105547
A  on a recent question stated     The Undying Lands doesn't prevent mortals from dying so, in fact, [Frodo] died... maybe sixty years (or more, if his life was prolonged) after the end of the story.    If this is correct, Gimli certainly would have died.  Is there any direct reference to his death (preferably with age)? Failing that, what canon states or implies that mortals will still die there?  The Undying Lands might not prevent death, but the One Ring seems to. Gollum lived for over 500 years because of it. Bilbo, Frodo, and Sam all aged slowly before making their way to Valinor, even after the Ring's destruction.  My impression was that because of the Ring's influence they were expected to live forever, and their residence in Valinor served not only to make them comfortable, but also (perhaps even moreso) to protect them from becoming wraiths due to the Ring's effect.   So, did the Ring Bearers live until the End of Days in Valinor, or did they eventually expire, and at what age? Were they mortal once again because the Ring's power had been broken by its destruction, or the magic of the Undying Lands, or did the Valar themselves reverse it?  I'd also appreciate canonical references to age at death if it did happen.
75108
I was wondering; what is the name of the place Gandalf falls to when the Balrog drags him down, after the fight in Moria?   What information from the Legendarium is there available about this place?
69773
Who is the Lord, as referred to in the title? Frodo? Sauron? Someone else? Or is it more of an abstract title, not referring to a single person, like "He who wields the One Ring"?
74972
I was recently reading The Republic, by Plato, and when we came to the section about the ring of Gyges, my teacher claimed that this was the inspirition for the One Ring. I doubt he had any real evidence for this, but the story, or at least some aspects of it, are remarkably similar, so I get where he got the idea. Here's Plato's story:     According to the tradition, Gyges was a shepherd in the service of the king of Lydia; there was a great storm, and an earthquake made an opening in the earth at the place where he was feeding his flock. Amazed at the sight, he descended into the opening, where, among other marvels, he beheld a hollow brazen horse, having doors, at which he stooping and looking in saw a dead body of stature, as appeared to him, more than human, and having nothing on but a gold ring; this he took from the finger of the dead and reascended. Now the shepherds met together, according to custom, that they might send their monthly report about the flocks to the king; into their assembly he came having the ring on his finger, and as he was sitting among them he chanced to turn the collet of the ring inside his hand, when instantly he became invisible to the rest of the company and they began to speak of him as if he were no longer present. He was astonished at this, and again touching the ring he turned the collet outwards and reappeared; he made several trials of the ring, and always with the same result-when he turned the collet inwards he became invisible, when outwards he reappeared. Whereupon he contrived to be chosen one of the messengers who were sent to the court; where as soon as he arrived he seduced the queen, and with her help conspired against the king and slew him, and took the kingdom.   The story is being told by a character who is trying to prove that people are naturally evil, and given the opportunity (a magic ring that allows one to do whatever they like without being caught) people will act evil. To put that another way: power makes people evil.  We see that both rings are invisibility rings, seem to have evil origins, and both cause evil.  I wouldn't be the least bit surprised if Tolkien had read The Republic, probably in the original Greek, knowing him.  However, I also know that, at least, this wasn't Tolkien's origional inspiration. The ring wasn't even faintly evil in the first version of the Hobbit, published in 1937. In 1951 he changed it so that it worked better with The Lord of the Rings, which he was working on at the time.   So the question is: Was Tolkien inspired by the Ring of Gyges, or did he come up with a similar artifact on his own?  Disclaimer: I know that I'm generalizing a bit about the nature of the One Ring, and this is a loose analysis, so don't cite me as some sort of Plato expert. Also, please do not insult my teacher.
70388
In the Peter Jackson movie, once the One Ring is thrown into the volcano in Mount Doom, why does the mountain and tower collapse, and the ground disappears everywhere where the orcs are standing but not where the humans are? Where are all the orcs running to, what do they do next?