With Middle Earth, the world in which the Lord of the Rings and Hobbit films are set, author JRR Tolkien has created something unique. The two stories are just two of many examples of the complexity and depth of Tolkien’s worldThis often leaves questions unanswered, and one of these questions has recently been raised again in the brand new series The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power.
An expert now explains why Sauron, unlike Frodo and Bilbo, does not become invisible when he wears the Ring of Ruler.
The Lord of the Rings mystery solved: This is why Sauron remains visible with the ring
In a video by Wired, the American teacher and podcaster Corey Olsenalso known as the “Tolkien Professor”, answered some questions about the backstory of Middle Earth. One of the questions was about the ring, thanks to which Bilbo, Frodo and some other characters could become invisible. Villain Sauron, on the other hand, was very clearly visible in the flashback of the great battle at the beginning of The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring.
For the expert Olsen the matter is quite clear: Sauron has no bodyat least not in the sense that humans, hobbits or elves have. Sauron is a Mayaan angel-like being that existed before the creation of the world. Various Maiar appear in the Lord of the Rings films and The Hobbit series, including wizards like Gandalf and the Balrog of Moria. These psychic beings have the ability to exist in the physical world in a body of their choosing, but actually come from a kind of spirit world. Because they can choose their form, they also have the ability to be invisible to the physical world.
The One Ring of Sauron carries much of the power of its creator. According to Corey Olsen, when someone other than him wears the ring, the person is drawn into the spirit world. This is why they appear invisible in the physical world. In fact, they are more like entering another plane of existence. However, since Sauron had these abilities even without the ring, he could simply decide not to become invisiblewhen he wore it.
The story of the ring only developed after The Hobbit – and is now highly topical again
When Bilbo found the ring, he knew nothing about its origins and its enormous powers. For him, it was only understandable that the ring made him invisible. Only when Gandalf witnessed its effects many years later could he realize that the ring was the one ruler ring of Sauron.
Tolkien expert Olsen suspects that Tolkien also initially conceived the ring as a magic ring that can make you invisible. He probably only later decided to give the ring a background and making him a powerful tool of evil. This initially put the author in the same situation as Bilbo – he did not yet have all the information.
In the 5th episode of the 2nd season of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power In Eregion’s Ringsmith also addresses the issue of invisibility when wearing rings. This is the latest episode of the Amazon series and a similar explanation is chosen: After an experiment, the suddenly invisible blacksmith Mirdania briefly disappears into a parallel spirit world in which she can see, among other things, Sauron’s terrifying true form.