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Alternate history in the Tolkienverse: What if Gandalf or Galadriel had claimed the One Ring?

Hendryk

Taken back control yet?
Published by SLP
Location
France
With that power I should have power too great and terrible. And over me the Ring would gain a power still greater and more deadly.

And now at last it comes. You will give me the Ring freely! In place of the Dark Lord you will set up a Queen. And I shall not be dark, but beautiful and terrible as the Morning and the Night! Fair as the Sea and the Sun and the Snow upon the Mountain! Dreadful as the Storm and the Lightning! Stronger than the foundations of the earth. All shall love me and despair!

Every reader of the books has wondered what might have happened if Gandalf or Galadriel had, against their better judgement, yielded to the temptation of claiming the One Ring for themselves. Nerd of the Rings examines each hypothesis in turn:



 
Interesting stuff, well-researched too, though perhaps the question is less “What if X took the Ring” and more “What if the Ring was usable for people other than Sauron?” as I seem to recall the Ring was as cursed as that of the Nibelungs and possessed of a Will of its own, so an equally possible answer could be “They take the Ring to the Black Gates and are betrayed by it to Sauron?”

Though I guess Tolkien thought Gandalf could win and become the new Dark Lord. Not sure how that checks out with Sauron being immortal as long as the Ring exists. Does that mean he and Gandalf are stuck in a forever war with Sauron coming back every other millennium?

On the Galadriel Scenario, I tend to think this one goes against the tides of History itself: the time of Elves has passed, their numbers and strength and Will are diminished, though this could be like the Eastern Roman Empire during the reign of one of its last great emperors, a great reconquista but not enough to bring the whole of the Middle Earth back under Elven Rule.

On the other hand, I’m reminded of one of the later Dune books, in which the dead Baron Harkonnen is able to possess his granddaughter and cause quite some ruckus from beyond the grave. Of course it works differently here, but since the Ring is the Will and Power of Sauron in jewelry form, the possibility of him possessing Galadriel through it came to mind.
 
Every reader of the books has wondered what might have happened if Gandalf or Galadriel had, against their better judgement, yielded to the temptation of claiming the One Ring for themselves. Nerd of the Rings examines each hypothesis in turn:
Had to add this one:

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It’s been a while since I read LOTR, but I think it was clearly established that someone on the level of Gandalf or Galadriel (like Sauraman) got their hands on the One Ring, they could control it rather than have the ring threaten to overpower them and/or turn them into a monster. Sauraman certainly believed this to be true – he wouldn’t have gone to so much effort to take the ring if he didn’t think he could use it. (If he couldn’t, destroying it was clearly the wise choice even if one wants to rule in Sauron’s place.)

Gandalf does not have a major power base, which is clearly required as both Sauron and Sauraman built up massive armies, but Evil Gandalf can presumably change that by turning the humans and dwarfs into his servants, either through proxies or simply using his earlier reputation to convince them to support him. (Twist – if this starts early enough, he might get his hands on Smarg too). If he does, and if he can use the ring, he might overthrow Sauron and then go on to impose his own order. Or he might face challenges from Sauraman (who will guess the truth) and Galadriel, sparking off a war that will weaken the forces of good while allowing Sauron to build up his own armies and crush the winner.

Galadriel (and Sauraman) do have power bases, so if they get the ring and become evil – Sauraman is already 9/10s there – they will pose a more immediate threat. In this world, it may take some time for Gandalf to realise what’s happened (depending on how it plays out), giving them time to take full power and use the ring. Again, we wind up with a civil war – ironically, this time Sauraman and Gandalf may wind up on the same side, both fighting to stop Evil Galadriel and the former, at least, also planning to take the ring himself afterwards.

There was a fan fiction about something like this - https://www.fanfiction.net/s/2232043/1/Love-Me-and-Despair

Of course, if they’re wrong and using the ring gives Sauron access to the bearer’s mind, they’re going to be warding off his influence (like Frodo) or completely overwhelmed. In this world, there will be no war between Sauron and Sauraman. They’ll be on the same side.

Chris
 
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