Conspiracy theory

[CAB]

I recently came up with this little conspiracy theory which I now submit for your approval (or more likely: disapproval ).

With this theory I am attempting to answer three questions.

1. How did the Wise know that the One Ring could only be destroyed at Orodruin?

Where is the evidence? Apparently some of the seven rings were destroyed. How would they know the One was different? No attempts to end the Ring's existence were made before it fell into the fire at the Cracks of Doom.

2. Why couldn't the Wise send the Ring to Valinor to be destroyed?

This was the subject of the first thread I started here on Entmoot. http://entmoot.tolkientrail.com/showthread.php?t=13014
No doubt some here will disagree, but I don't think we ever got a sufficient answer to this question. I appear to hold a lesser view of the Valar than most people here, yet even I think that they would end the threat of the Ring and Sauron if the Ring were brought to them.

3. Why did Sauron only guess the Ring-company's quest when he became aware of Frodo standing at the Cracks of Doom?

Now here, I admit, the answer given by the Wise is a good one: Sauron judged others by desire for power, so he wouldn't expect them to attempt to destroy the Ring. But even Elrond conceded that this confusion would probably only last "for a while". When the Ring left Lorien and wasn't on Galadriel's or Gandalf's hand, Sauron should have known something was up. Or how about after a Hobbit turned up in Mordor. Did he think Aragorn had the Ring? I doubt it. Aragorn challenged Sauron via the Palantir by showing himself, his sword, and his banner. Wouldn't he have shown the Ring too if he had it?

According to this theory the answers to these questions center on one person: Saruman. Saruman had great power, authority, and influence, and he desperately wanted the Ring.

1. How did the Wise know that the One Ring could only be destroyed at Orodruin?

Because Saruman told them so. He was the most learned among the Wise concerning the great rings (as ironic as that is, since three other members held great rings and he didn't). Saruman was one of Aule's people and a great craftsman, unlike the other members of the Wise. Also there is the power of his voice, his influence. He didn't want the Ring destroyed if it was found, so he made the others believe that it was (almost) impossible to do so.

2. Why couldn't the Wise send the Ring to Valinor to be destroyed?

Because Saruman told them so. Saurman was the chief emissary of the Valar in Middle Earth. This put him in a very strong position concerning matters such as this. Gandalf may have questioned that the Valar wouldn't accept the Ring, but he (early on) trusted Saruman, and Saruman, unlike Gandalf, was a disciple of Aule (who would probably have been the one asked to destroy the Ring in Valinor), and again, there is the power of Saruman's influence.

3. Why did Sauron only guess the Ring-company's quest when he became aware of Frodo standing at the Cracks of Doom?

Because he didn't realize the Wise had been so deluded by Saruman. At Elrond's council it was stated that the road to the Grey Havens would be dangerous, closely watched by Sauron. Yet in all of Tolkien's writings that I have read, I can't recall anything saying that Sauron took any measures to guard the road between Rivendell and the Havens. He clearly never blocked the path to Orodruin. Why? Because if the Wise wanted to destroy the Ring, they probably could have done so right in Rivendell, and Sauron knew it. According to his knowledge, there was no reason to send the Ring to Valinor or Mordor.

Well…umm…fire away.