Can Sauron get to Aman?
This is unclear. As dlanod's answer to the linked question notes, Aman has been removed from the circles of the world, and is only accessible via the Straight Way. The Elves are, of course, allowed to follow this road to Aman.
What's unclear to me is how the Straight Way works. There are a lot of unknowns.
For example, it's possible that the Straight Way is accessible by any ship on the correct bearing. If so, then Sauron could probably build his own ships and (eventually) find it.
It's also possible that the Elven-ships are under some enchantment that allows only them to pass into Aman. If so, then Sauron would have to fight all the way to the Grey Havens (before the inhabitants destroyed all the ships). It would be supremely unlikely to succeed, but not impossible.
Finally, it's possible that the Valar themselves individually decide whether each ship is allowed to pass into Aman. The odds of them letting Sauron through are astronomically slim.
However, even if Sauron could get to Aman, he's not dumb enough to try. It's worth noting that when he sends Ar-Pharazôn and his men to invade Valinor, Sauron stayed behind:
For Sauron himself was filled with great fear at the wrath of the Valar, and the doom that Eru laid upon sea and land. It was greater far than aught he had looked for, hoping only for the death of the Númenóreans and the defeat of their proud king. And Sauron, sitting in his black seat in the midst of the Temple, had laughed when he heard the trumpets of Ar-Pharazôn sounding for battle; and again he had laughed when he heard the thunder of the storm;
The Silmarillion IV Akallabêth
Granted, this takes place relatively early in Sauron's role as Dark Lord; he has grown more powerful in the intervening millenia. But he's not strong enough to contend with all the Valar combined, and that's assuming they don't call on Eru again.
Trying to invade Aman is suicide, and Sauron knows it.
Is the Ring dangerous if it's beyond Sauron's grasp?
This is unknowable, but I submit to you that it's the wrong question to ask. A better question would be "is Sauron still dangerous if the Ring is beyond his grasp?", and the answer it a resounding "Yes." Even without the Ring, the Elves consider Sauron's victory to be practically inevitable. I can't point to any particular quote, but that's the general tone of the Council of Elrond.
Of course the ultimate danger of leaving the Ring undestroyed (even if it's beyond Sauron's grasp forever), is that there is no other way of destroying Sauron. This is covered by Why was the One Ring such a problem?
Is Elrond strong enough to resist the Ring?
Ultimately, no; Elrond would succumb like everyone else. Tolkien himself says this in Letter 246:
Elrond or Galadriel would have proceeded in the policy now adopted by Sauron: they would have built up an empire with great and absolutely subservient generals and armies and engines of war, until they could challenge Sauron and destroy him by force.
The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien 246: To Mrs. Eileen Elgar (Draft). September 1963
Could the Ring be taken to Aman?
No. This is discussed in the Council of Elrond, and Elrond himself rejects it:
'Then if the Ring cannot be kept from him for ever by strength' said Glorfindel, 'two things only remain for us to attempt: to send it over the Sea, or to destroy it.'
'But Gandalf has revealed to us that we cannot destroy it by any craft that we here possess,' said Elrond. `And they who dwell beyond the Sea would not receive it: for good or ill it belongs to Middle-earth; it is for us who still dwell here to deal with it.'
Fellowship of the Ring Book 2 Chapter 2: "The Council of Elrond"
No comments:
Post a Comment