MOVIES | Peter Jackson | 2001

BOOKS | J R R Tolkien | 1954

#### The Symbolism of the Ring of Power

The One Ring, the central magical artefact in The Lord of the Rings is more than a mere plot device; it is a condensed symbol that encapsulates notions of power, desire, binding, technology, and the paradoxes inherent in human endeavour.

##### An Inverted Holy Grail and Mythological Antecedents

The One Ring functions as an inverted Holy Grail, serving as the ultimate object of universal desire.

Unlike the Grail, which is sought for personal challenge and spiritual enlightenment, the Ring is coveted solely for the raw power it contains and bestows upon its wearer. This concept of a powerful, often perilous, ring is deeply rooted in ancient mythology and storytelling.

Examples include Plato's Ring of Gyges, which grants invisibility and entices its wearer to pursue raw power, leading to usurpation. Arthurian legends also feature such artefacts, with Sir Gawain possessing an invisibility ring and Sir Percival a ring bestowing invulnerability. Wagner's opera The Ring of the Nibelung, based on ancient Nordic legends, similarly portrays an evil ring as a focal point of desire and a catalyst for downfall.

Tolkien's creation synthesises these diverse elements, elevating the Ring from a simple ring of invisibility, as it initially appears in The Hobbit, to an object of cosmic significance that concentrates all power and desire in The Lord of the Rings.

##### Hierarchy of Power and Binding

The Dark Lord Sauron forged the One Ring to control other rings given to the races of Middle-earth, establishing a dark, inverted hierarchy of power.

This hierarchy is explicitly stated in the lines: "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".

The Elves, near-godlike beings, receive three rings; the Dwarves, described as lords of their halls, receive seven; and mortal Men, characterised by their mortality and destined to inherit the Earth, receive the most at nine.

All these rings, however, are ultimately subservient to the One Ring: "One Ring to rule them all, One Ring to find them, One Ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them". This places the Dark Lord at the apex of this oppressive hierarchy, binding the owners of the multiple rings to him.

The very shape of the ring, a band or circle, symbolises this binding. It marks and surrounds the wearer with its power, akin to a wedding band that signifies binding a spouse to oneself. This physical form thus reinforces the Ring's fundamental function as an instrument of control and subjugation.

##### Magic, Technology, and the Concept of Supplement

Stories involving magic and enchanted objects are not merely whimsical entertainment but contain profound wisdom about human activity. They can be understood similarly to narratives about technology or political power, as they represent the development of means to affect the world.

Magic and technology, often considered antithetical, are in fact functionally similar. Both represent a supplement – an addition to oneself or to one's nature to enhance capabilities, protect oneself, or affect the world.

Other examples illustrate this concept of supplement:

• Tools: Writing, medicine, transportation, housing, cell phones, and weapons are all supplements that extend human capacity. Similarly, an amulet, a spell, or a potion serve the same purpose.
• Clothing: This is the primordial technology, representing the immediate act of covering and protecting oneself from the external world. Its appearance in biblical narratives underscores its fundamental role.
• Metal Forging: In its most developed form, technology is mythologically linked to the forging of metal. Figures such as Tubal-Cain, a descendant of the murderer Cain and founder of the first city, are depicted forging weapons of war. Similarly, the deformed Greek god Hephaestus (Roman Vulcan), who forged weapons after being cast from Mount Olympus, symbolises this process.

The development of technology, and the supplement in general, presents a paradox: while it augments power, it simultaneously conceals a weakness and fosters dependence. The myth of Icarus, who falls to his death after flying too close to the sun with artificial wings, exemplifies this: the very power granted by the supplement becomes the instrument of demise. This inherent duality means an increase in capacity can also lead to increased vulnerability.

##### The Paradox of Power: Light and Dark

Technology, as an increase in capacity and a solution to problems, is often intuitively associated with light and glory. The visual representation of power emanating from a person or the concept of a "lightsaber" are examples of this association.

However, as a supplement involves adding layers and is intrinsically linked to materiality, it can also hide or obfuscate that which it is meant to protect. This "darkening" aspect is frequently symbolised by imagery of mines, caves, and underground fire.

Peter Jackson's cinematic portrayal of weapons and armour being forged in the subterranean depths of Isengard in The Lord of the Rings effectively captures this dark element of technology, evoking the imagery of Vulcan forging metal in his underground realm.

##### The Ring as a Multilayered Supplement

• Medicine and Unnatural Life: The Ring's capacity to grant unnaturally long life can be understood analogously to modern medical interventions such as drugs, machines, and respirators that artificially prolong life. While these can be beneficial, they also carry the risk of maintaining individuals in a state that is not fully human or fostering dependence. The Ring encapsulates this paradox of prolonged existence.
• Physical Manifestation: The Ring is forged, made of metal, functions as a type of clothing, medicine, and weapon. Its simple round band shape represents a condensed version of the periphery itself – a limit, a wheel around an axis, a wall around a city, or a magic circle of protection.
• Sauron's Dependence: Sauron infused his own power into the Ring, ostensibly making himself stronger by binding his power into this forged object. Yet, this act, like all supplements, simultaneously made him weaker and dependent on the Ring. When the Ring was lost, his power to affect the world was drastically diminished.

This dependence on external, material power is akin to humanity's reliance on the physical body to interact with the world, where the supplement ultimately represents an increase of body. Sauron's loss of his physical form upon the Ring's destruction underscores this profound dependence.

The concept of supplement extends beyond magic and technology to anything that enhances one's capacity to act in the world. A king, for instance, might add an army to himself, binding his power within it for conquest and protection. However, should he lose his army, his power to influence the world is lost, and he becomes more vulnerable than before.

##### Contrast with Inner Strength and the Ornament

The influence derived from the Ring's raw power contrasts sharply with the development of inner strength through practices like prayer, worship, or meditation. It also differs from the lasting impact of a teacher or wise person who affects the world purely through words and ideas. While a tyrant's weapons and army eventually perish, the ideas of a wise person can persist and transform the world for millennia, even after their death.

Ultimately, the Ring of Power is not merely a tool, coverage, or clothing; it is an ornament.

The symbolism of the ornament reveals some of the most intricate aspects of reality. An ornament is an addition to a person or object that serves no practical purpose for what it adorns. It is an alien form, foreign to the nature of its surroundings; for example, a pattern of flowers on a chair has no practical connection to sitting, just as an ornament on a sword is alien to its function.

The purpose of an ornament is to make something stand out, increasing influence, power, and marking specialness – such as a medal on a champion, a badge on a uniform, or the purple band on aristocratic Roman vestments. The king's crown is the ultimate example of this.

##### The Mystery of the Ornament: Showing and Hiding

The mystery inherent in the ornament lies in the paradox of showing and hiding. While a tattoo or makeup might initially attract attention or enhance natural beauty, creating a sense of glory, they are inherently artificial. An ornament aims to feature and draw attention, yet an excessive reliance on it can indicate an overcompensation for an underlying lack.

This situation is paradoxical: an ornament can make something special, but if pushed to an extreme, it begins to hide rather than show. For example, ornamental patterns like carved vines on architecture can be beautiful, but a vine is also a parasite; if it proliferates unchecked, it can conceal the very structure it adorns.

Similarly, one can vanish behind excessive tattoos, makeup can cease to enhance beauty and instead hide ugliness, and an ornament can become a mask. This process, where the ornament pushed to its extreme leads to disappearance, explains the Ring's capacity to render its wearer invisible.

##### The Inverted Hierarchy of Dependence in Modernity

The inverted hierarchy seen in The Lord of the Rings, where dependence on Sauron's rings leads to a form of slavery (as exemplified by the Ringwraiths and Gollum), is a recurring pattern. This phenomenon is not confined to fantasy; it is observable in the modern world. Excessive reliance on tools, supplements, technology, and weapons to increase power creates an inverted hierarchy, where the very instruments designed to serve humanity become its masters. This constant danger of becoming dependent and subservient applies to various aspects of life, whether it is the state, money, technology, or immediate bodily desires.

The modern age, which once championed the development of science and technology as a path to a morally perfect world, now witnesses its tools slipping from its grasp. Increasing dependence on technological systems, computers, and gadgets leads to an "unstoppable binding" of human power to these creations.

As humanity approaches the advent of Artificial Intelligence, it faces the prospect of having already ceded its will and power to a dark lord, having been seduced by the very power offered by such "rings". This suggests that, in a profound sense, many may have already become like the Ringwraiths, bound by their own creations.