Saruman's ring

[Fat middle]

i'm sure this has been discussed before, but anyway...

when Gandalf tells in the Council of Elrond his arrival to Orthanc, he says that Saruman wore a ring , and a little afterwards Saruman names himself as Saruman the ring-maker. Are there more mentions of this ring anywhere or it is only an undeveloped theme.

[Blackheart]

There's been a bit of speculation. Most of it centers around the fact that it was an "essay in the craft" by Saruman, but nowhere near anything like a ring of power.

He was however accounted by all as the foremost expert on the rings in middle-earth, excepting Sauron of course.

I don't remember reading anything else about it, but some have speculated that he used information gathered from the palantir to forge the ring, but that he was subtly guided by Sauron, and thus contributed to his ensnarement.

[Garina]

I wonder what kind of stuff it could do!

[Blackheart]

Here's something from the crackpots that might shed some light for you:

A Theory about Grima of Rohan
From a rec.arts.books.tolkien posting dated 19 July 1995.
Okay, here's a new theory concerning Saruman and Grima.

Saruman, who was a Maia of Aule just as Sauron once was, became learned in Ring-lore as he studied Sauron's evil works. Too well learned, as it turned out; for Saruman gradually turned to evil himself, emulating Sauron's works. Saruman also experimented with the making of a Ring of his own. Here's part of Gandalf's account to the Council of Elrond (Fellowship of the Ring, pp. 271-2 hardback, italics mine):

"'...and there he [Saruman] met me and led me up to his high chamber. He wore a ring on his finger...
"'..."For I am Saruman the Wise, Saruman Ring-maker, Saruman of Many Colours!"'"
But 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!

The above is culled from a link in the footnotes of a tongue in cheek essay: Saruman's Diary

[Lizra]

Oh man!!! The ringworm! I love it.

[Radagast The Brown]

Maybe Saruman just made a reguler ring. Without some magics and stuff like this. I can't see any problam with this.

[Heather Wooltoes]

Maybe Sauron gave him one of the recovered dwarf rings? Saruman did like building stuff.

[Radagast The Brown]

I don't think Sauron will give Saruman a ring, and will call to his self the ring-maker. He probably made this ring.

[Jador]

It's amazing to me that Saruman,who was a Miar,could not make a ring as powerfull,as the 3 which Celebrimbor made. I mean he was a Miar,so surely had more power(and knowledge),than the Elf....Therefore, If this ring was as powerfull as the three,then what happened to it when Saruman perished?

[ringbearer]

Saruman was a "wanna-be"...he got his ring from a gumball machine, or a Cracker Jack box.

[Mordomin]

Originally posted by Jador
It's amazing to me that Saruman,who was a Maiar,could not make a ring as powerfull,as the 3 which Celebrimbor made. I mean he was a Maiar,so surely had more power(and knowledge),than the Elf....Therefore, If this ring was as powerfull as the three,then what happened to it when Saruman perished?

Just because Saruman was a Maiar does not mean that he could make anything that an Elf could make. Saruman the Maiar couldn't make a Silmaril or a Palantir, although Feanor the Elf (grandfather of Celebrimbor) could. To make any of these things required not only Power, but also Knowledge and Skill.

[Garina]

Cool smilie!

Um, I'm guessing Saruman's ring is similar to one of the "essays in the craft" that Celebrimbor and co made before the Rings of Power.

[Radagast The Brown]

originally posted by Mordomin
Just because Saruman was a Maiar does not mean that he could make anything that an Elf could make. Saruman the Maiar couldn't make a Silmaril or a Palantir, although Feanor the Elf (grandfather of Celebrimbor) could. To make any of these things required not only Power, but also Knowledge and Skill.

That what I wanted to say. Maybe Saruman is a maia but if he don't know how to make ring - he can't do one. Celebrimbor was one of the best ring makers ever. He could do easily a power ring.
maybe Saruman didn't know how to do rings of power like Sauron or Celebrimbor.

[Beleg Strongbow]

I like the Ringworm idea. Is it any wonder that Saruman, unable to gain the Rings of Power, decided to make his own? I don't think so.
It probably was not very powerful, since it, like everything else he did, was just a copy of Sauron's craft.

"...was just a copy, a child's model, a slave's flattery, of that great fortress, armoury, prison, furnace of great power, Barad-Dûr, the Dark Tower..."

I think that's about what it said.

[Radagast The Brown]

who said that?

in second thought, maybe Saruman could've make a ring... he was one of the servents of Aule... (like Sauron)

[markedel]

But it is acknowledged that Elves have sub-creative abilities in one way or another. That's where their "magic" comes from. Or as Tolkien puts it "unrestrained art." This is all from the foreward to the Silmarillion, and from Tolkien's hand, so it's trustworthy, if not up to date (it's dated 1951)

[Blackheart]

It's quite likely that Saruman used his voice on Grima, to "enchant" him.

It's also possible that he created a ring, as a minor experiment.

If he did so, it might have been a logical choice for him to choose to enhance his ability to charm and dominate others by creating such a ring.

It seems interesting to me that Grima, who is pretty much a worm anyway, was able to so effectively charm the entire household at Edoras. They may have hated him, even known that he was up to no good, yet he was able to keep a lid on things quite effectively.

To me this implies some kind of sorcerous aid from his master. It's possible that a ring was involved, though it's just as likely there were other means.

By any account, there's really not enough information to say yes or no, I merely pointed out the theory because it's interesting, and damned funny.