Why not sail The One Ring to Mordor?

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[@FourOf92000]

guessing, before finishing the video: 1) shipwrecks are most definitely a thing and the Ring needs to be _destroyed,_ not just gotten rid of 2) the Corsairs of Umbar 3) they wouldn't have known it at the time, but the Ring + Denethor's compromised state is probably a good way to a bad time 4) if someone (Boromir again, or whoever) were corrupted by the Ring on a ship, Frodo now doesn't have the option to just leave 5) hobbits hate boats

[@IStealButterdToast]

I figured that the Corsairs raiding Gondors south (and that they would be close to Minas Morgul) would immediately deter the fellowship from trying to sail close to Mordor

[@FourOf92000]

hi Robert, this is everyone

[@cpeteman1]

Hi Robert, this is everyone.

[@Math_Yeww]

Robert has an intro as iconic as Jonathan Ferguson...keeper of firearms and artillery at the royal armouries museum in the UK.

[@npickle54]

Hey robert

[@EdMcF1]

Sauron's U-boats, that's why.

[@henrikg1388]

Warg packs

[@Kacpa2]

​@@henrikg1388 *Sea-warg packs

[@awesomehpt8938]

Why not sail on the eagles to Mordor? Best of both worlds

[@michaelstirn7039]

Lmao

[@Rat_Nasty]

The question we’ve been waiting for.

[@flyboy970]

One does not simply sail eagles to Mordor.

[@PatataMaxtex]

Imagine giant ducks instead of eagles!

[@pillepolle3122]

Lmao

[@awesomehpt8938]

If they hadn’t gone through Moria Durins bane wouldn’t have been destroyed and the dwarves wouldn’t have been able to reclaim it. And also Gandalf wouldn’t have been able to level up. The route that the fellowship takes feels like it was destined by Eru illuvatar to solve the problem of not just Sauron but other problems aswell.

[@Rockoblocko]

There would have been a different set of problems to overcome, some different evil to fight and some different prize to win. Gandalf would’ve still leveled up somehow because it is a fixed point in time and the Balrog might have just continued to slumber forever.

[@DrLicuid]

@@Rockoblocko Balrog was waiting for dwarves after their war with orcs when Azog was chopped down. He was indifferent to Balin's actions, perhaps sleeping while meaningless skirmish was happening upstairs, but he was not dormant as he was after he escaped War of Wrath. He was still there, and no longer in stasis. With Gandalf sailing away, who else there was to take him down? Seems like numbers don't matter, a personal exceptional strength is required, and apart from Glorfindel (who is not some demon hunter, his first one was similar to Gandalf's - act of heroism), who else was there? Age of Man was about to come, and ancient, now unbeatable horror would be left lying in well excavated mountains in the middle of their lands.

[@feynthefallen]

I've always said, why didn't they put the thing into the nose of a well-programmed tomahawk cruise missile? Easily enough range, fast enough to outrun anything Sauron could send after it, maneuverable enough to dodge the rest, and thoroughly indifferent to any whispering of promises and visions of greatness. It's sad, really, when authors just ignore the obvious solutions to artificially draw out the plot.

[@thefench1]

I honestly doubt that anyone would be able to give the ring up aside of Bilbo and Sam who just whore it for a very short time and even there he didnt give it up freely but Frodo just snatched it back.. especially if knowing that giving up the ring and all its ... possibilitys would lead to its destruction

[@decoutan3900]

Why not fly ships to Mordor Earendil style?

[@AndersonLLuiz]

Why not ski the ring to Mordor?

[@kristianwesterdahl9576]

So the sea isn’t always right???

[@VCBird6]

Why not use the Dwarves and tunnel their way into Mordor? 🤪

[@Mrhill-l2z]

Probably has something too do with the big scary worms from the hobbit

[@awesomehpt8938]

Aren’t there sea monsters aswell to deal with?

[@Rockoblocko]

True. Much like the watcher in the water. I imagine a kraken or giant squid would be drawn to the one ring.

[@baronjutter]

Yeah, monsters smart enough to find and take the ring even if you tossed them in some deep ocean trench too.

[@michaelshelton5488]

One does not simply sail into Mordor

[@rafaelgustavo7786]

Well, the Pirates of Umbar + Sauron could control the weather and maybe he could sink the ship: "The skirts of the storm were lifting, ragged and wet, and the main battle had passed to spread its great wings over the Emyn Muil, upon which the dark thought of Sauron brooded for a while. Thence it turned, smiting the Vale of Anduin with hail and lightning, and casting its shadow upon Minas Tirith with threat of war. Then, lowering in the mountains, and gathering its great spires, it rolled on slowly over Gondor and the skirts of Rohan, until far away the Riders on the plain saw its black towers moving behind the sun, as they rode into the West." "Do not mount on this sea-monster! If they have them, let the seamen bring us food and other things that we need, and you may stay here till the Witch-king goes home. For in summer his power wanes; but now his breath is deadly, and his cold arm is long." "But Arvedui did not take his counsel. He thanked him, and at parting gave him his ring [the Ring of Barahir], saying: 'This is a ring of worth beyond your reckoning. For its ancientry alone. It has no power, save the esteem in which those hold it who love my house. It will not help you, but if ever you are in need, my kin will ransom it with great store of all that you desire."

[@Rockoblocko]

Sauron can’t control the weather. I think your talking about Saruman using his voice to cause an avalanche, so I guess he might be able to have some affect on how the ship sailed.

[@aleksanderkrauze9304]

Hi Robert, great video as always. Thank you for always entertaining content. One other thought. The Fellowship was not supposed to go together the whole way. Other than The Ringbearer everybody was free to stop their journey whenever they would see fit. Sailing by boat would make them stuck together until they would dock by the Mordor.

[@cyrilmeynier5688]

Her : He look absent and preoccupied. I'm sure he is thinking about another woman. Me: Why not sail The One Ring to Mordor?

[@weiSane]

Getting the coast would be a problem and even in the sea Sauron would still send foul sea creatures to get them.

[@sydhenderson6753]

Because Mordor is landlocked?

[@IveytheGrey]

Has a video been made about taking the ring to the undying lands?

[@dlxmarks]

This idea is from people who have no problem with all the fast travel in fantasy TV.

[@simonw560]

Yooooo. Why didn't they just fast travel to Mt Doom?!

[@rodgerbane3825]

Mordor is landlocked in a serious way.

[@VTPSTTU]

Another issue is that Boromir wouldn't have agreed to route anyway because his goal was to get advice in Rivendell and then return home. If I'd been in Elrond's place, I might have sent a small party of elves and maybe men on one of these routes as a diversion. Even if they did nothing more than go to the sea and return, they would keep Sauron busy with reports from his spies of an elvish party moving in that direction. If they could find a small boat that was seaworthy, they could sail along the coast to provide additional diversion. They could sail back to where they started before they encountered the Corsairs of Umbar. Another option would be landing the boat before they reached where the corsairs were but then going overland. The report of a boat beached along the shore and those in the boat having disappeared would be another worry for Sauron. With Sauron's forces attacking the coast, the small party of elves could join forces with men along the coast to defend those lands. Granted, half a dozen elves are not that important militarily, but if Sauron suspects that one of them has the ring, he's going to be worried.

[@alexmmin]

why not sell the one ring to mordor

[@enoughothis]

Even elven ships can sink. It would take more time than they really had and would be no guarantee of safety.

[@deejayxcrypt]

Did I just hear that *the One Ring is on SALE* ?

[@turrican4d599]

"I'll happily take it off your hands." Damn, you beat me to it.

[@sandygehrmann6309]

Eh, decent answer, but the only reason that sways me here is that of the corsairs. I think going by sea is always going to be safer (excepting a chance encounter with a corsair), albeit longer, but as you said, it would still be virtually impossible to get into Mordor once they sailed near there. I think this is less of an issue with the 'sailing' part of their plan though, and more an issue with their plan in general. Sending 9 people, 4 of whom are near-useless hobbits, to break into the most secure place on Middle-Earth is a terrible plan, and if the fellowship hadn't got exceedingly lucky with the allies they met upon the way, they would have surely failed.

[@IStealButterdToast]

Don’t forget to mention they’d have to pass Minas Morgul if they decided to hop off right before they reached Osgiliath

[@xXFrItZgErAlDXx]

Next Question: Why not sail The One Ring to The Undying Lands? I don't think Sauron can ever retrieve the ring from that place

[@yael9137]

That option is discussed in the Council of Elrond. Basically, who is to say that the Valar would accept it? Would they be able to get it to the coast, as Gildor says? And besides, if Gandalf was afraid of what the temptation of the ring could turn him into, imagine the risk of exposing all the Valar to the ring’s temptation.

[@akiramasashi9317]

So why not build a gigantic trebuchet and fire the One Ring into Mordor?

[@baronjutter]

I feel so bad for that troll being whipped to row a boat

[@DraconimLt]

Cos Mordor doesn't have a Coastline...duh.

[@MrTod1984]

Wouldn't be much of a story now would it?

[@keybladechosn1]

You know what I want to know Robert? Why weren't the dwarves more involved with the fight against Sauron? At least in the movies, it said that Elves and Men fought. Sauron in the Last Alliance, how come the dwarves weren't involved? Why weren't dwarves at any of the other battles. The Elves were leaving Middle Earth but the dwarves remained, wouldn't they want to fight Sauron to, since he was a threat to all the peoples of Middle Earth

[@istari0]

Dwarves were a part of the Free Peoples army in the War of the Last Alliance although it is also said there were a few on Sauron's side as well. As far as the War of the Ring goes, the Dwarves of Erebor under King Dain were allied with the Men of Dale and fought bitter battles in the north against an army of Easterlings during the war.

[@Startreader]

The dwarfs and the elves had a big history of animosity and mutual distrust, didn’t they?

[@istari0]

@@Startreader Not all of them. The Noldor typically got along fairly well with the Dwarves but the Sindar and the Dwarves did have a long history of hostility.

[@andyl8055]

Based on the timescales mentioned there’s a good chance they would have arrived to the ruins of Minas Tirith and Edoras. Yes the presence of the fellowship pushed Saruman and Sauron to war earlier than expected, but the forces of Umbar, Harad, Rhun and Khand took time to assemble and they were already in motion before Pippin or Aragorn touched the palantir. In three months? June of that year? Who knows? At least there’s good reason to believe Ithilien would have been utterly impassable by then.

[@venkelos6996]

So, at the risk of sounding dumb, this "sailing to Mordor" isn't what I would imagine when I say sailing to Mordor. The world is round, post-Fall of Numenor, so if they sail west, they'd keep sailing west, until they circumnavigated the globe, eventually seeing Mordor west of them, and popping up in that part of the map it's like Tolkien never filled out, between the Ash Mountains and Khand. They could then go west toward the Sea of Nurnen, and eventually to Mount Doom, with the majority of the Orcs being well west of there, marshaling at the Gate, to go assault Gondor. I'm certainly not saying it would work; as was spelled out, they NEEDED to lose Gandalf, so he could get juiced, meet allies, have that thing that happs to Sean Bean in most good movies he's in, and such. The road to victory was very narrow, and likely wouldn't have worked for the same reasons as so many other plans, but to me, sailing to Mordor would mean a very long trip, totally bypassing most of the continent, and beaching in the extreme east of Mordor, where we don't know anything. Hell, they might've found Alatar and Pallando, but they would've passed through the extreme east, and skipped Shelob, the Gate, and so much more.

[@ericvanvlandren8987]

Indeed, why not have used the High Pass just north of Rivendell? The goblins there were enormously reduced. They would then have been able to shelter and recharge among the Beorlings and then taken boats all the way to Lorien. After that the journey might have progressed much as it did, but until then it would have likely been safer (Gandalf would likely have been with them the whole way) and easier.

[@licmir3663]

I always felt that the reason why the chose a band of hobbits, plus a wizard, two men, a dwarf and and elf was because they would look, in the eyes of spies, as just another band of travelers. The witch king KNEW that the ring was with Bilbo, and the last time he had seen Bilbo was when Glorfindel took him to safety to Rivendell. So, for all purposes, Sauron must have thought that the ring was kept there. Sending Glorfinfel with the party would be a huge RED FLAG, because he could be recognized. Aragorn always travelled south under disguise, and Gandalf was just an old man known by different names in different places. The hobbits could pass as children. Thus, it makes sense that Sauron was attacking Rohan and Gondor in the south, Erebor to the east, and the realm of Galadriel to the southeast. Sauron was trying to reach Rivendell. I also imagine that Rivendell must have faced attacks from orcs coming from Moria as well. The fellowship as actually a neat plan. It failed during its journey, but the idea made sense. It was a sabotage mission, not an attack. If the eagles tried to take them, Sauron would have easily destroyed them. He had fellbeasts and other creatures that could spot giant eagles carrying people. The giant eagles only passed through because of the chaotic nature of the last battle. Now, to the last point: if they had tried to take the sea, how would they do that? With a ship from the Grey Havens? That could be spotted. The Corsairs of Umbar must have had control over the sea at that point. It was too risky.

[@WestOfEarth]

Isn't only in hindsight that we know the Fellowship would receive gifts and gain allies? I agree going by sea would be a terrible idea, but if one is considering the decision at the point it was made, the Council of Elrond, could they count on these boons? I don't think so.

[@gregorybeattie]

Also, Cirdan's ships don't handle the globe Earth. Taking one of his ships would take the Fellowship into space.

[@thylange]

The council of Elrond said that the journey to the havens were dangerous. But the Nazgul were out of action and no other forces are mentioned. Sarumans ruffians have not yet arrived, so that leaves Bill Ferny and the squint eyed southerner.🤔

[@noahdoss1967]

If I was amazon, I’d put a scene in rings of power where a council is trying to come up with plans, and you’re just in full elf makeup and costume, just explaining all the upsides and downsides of every plan as they suggest them

[@P0w3rsl4v3]

Can you cover the Eagles in an episode? It's the only major plot hole that just annoys the crap out of me. Could be I don't understand why it wasn't feasible to fly the ring with them directly Mordor.

[@eumaies]

i don't buy that the west journey to cirdan was actually dangerous. Just a convenient comment Tolkien inserted for himself. But the corsairs are a good reason anyway.

[@eumaies]

probably the biggest thing that was just terrible decision making was sitting around in rivendel for a long time "scouting" until the middle of winter.

[@imqqmi]

The map always look so 'empty' at the back/east side of Morder, I was thinking taking a ship in the direction of Ruhn and circle the mountains from the back then head to mount Doom. But the same issues arise as raised in the video. More and different enemies and the gifts that were missed and the other evils not avoided. They'd need a lot more provisions and a much larger campaign to make the journey.

[@JackGladstoneHolroyde]

I read that as ‘why not sell the one ring to Mordor?’ and I thought ‘Great, now late stage capitalism has even reached Robert from in deep geek’

[@nayfpauly9910]

You forgot to mention the best help or worst danger depending on your outlook that they would have missed... Gollum!

[@frankbauerful]

Come on. Really? This question? I don't need to watch this video to know that sailing is a really stupid idea. It's about the least safe way to travel. Besides, there is no sea route to Mount Doom.

[@istari0]

It's true that many events that ended up being crucial for the victory of the Free Peoples in the War of the Ring came about because the Fellowship took the path it did. At the same time though, there was no way to predict many of those things at the Council of Elrond. But there were still numerous reasons not to go by sea, the most important of which IMHO was it would have not been a stealth mission. The path the Fellowship set out on was intended to be a route that supported the need for stealth.

[@henrikg1388]

Denethor wouldn't have tried to snatch the Ring, since he didn't know it has even been found or that it was en route anywhere. Sauron would definitely never have revealed to him through the palantir and get another competitor to it. The snappy comment to Faramir is only in the movie.

[@TRONMAGNUM2099]

Smaug getting the ring would have been an interesting. It wouldn't be easy for Sauron to get it back. It might still be laying in his giant pile of treasures to this day.

[@animalian01]

Plus, going overland, you have lots of choices of ways to go and you can make changes, and the enemy can't be certain where it is, but on a ship,the ring and bearer is stuck on a wooden box, going to an easily deduced destination perfect for capture.

[@isaakring2573]

If iluvatar made gollum fall (insert video title); Why didnt Eru Iluvatar give frodo a stealth bomber to fly to mordor?

[@worf7680]

They knew the English would be patroling the seas in search of French ports.

[@Mysticlxl]

I think another fun thought experiment you can do later in the future "Why not sail the one ring to valinor"

[@JoeMoody-v3k]

What would happen if Frodo had dropped the one ring of the bridge of khazad dum when the fellowship where running from the belrog

[@jackcrawford6078]

I'm picturing Ring Wraiths mounted on sea serpents....

[@lavamanherovlo684]

Wow I’m early! Welp, time to get watching, this is gonna be fun!

[@SHARKVADERS]

I D G !!!!!

[@johnsmith-i5j7i]

What about popping the ring in a envelope "mount doom lava pit" and postman deliverers it

[@GRB-tj6uj]

Also, Gandalf mentions that the route around the White Mountains was too long and dangerous

[@DanielJamesEgan]

Idea for a future video: what if the ring had fallen into the fires and lava at Mount Doom and was destroyed?

[@TheInselaffen]

Doesnt our modern calendar sound anachronistic in LOTR?

[@gffg387]

Good question, afterall, the sea is always right!

[@Michael-ji3gw]

The reason is that it would have made for a less dynamic and interesting story.

[@25Patman]

You have the eagle fly really high, and dive into mordor, and the mount doom.

[@MrTod1984]

Wouldn't it be harder because they would have to sail to the farming part of Mordor?

[@reallythatbad1]

Why not give the one ring to Sauron and hope he will be super chill about it?

[@KurtShaw-v4w]

Last time I was this early, Tulkas hadn't descended yet.

[@foragingadventures]

Because one does not simply sail into Mordor, obviously

[@rossnsuchthangs]

Next week: why not fire the ring into Mordor with a giant cannon?

[@JervisGermane]

I did a video on the eagles myself, but this one never even occurred to me

[@ednec8909]

The narration style and "Reddit" do not go together for some reason.

[@Kennylaggins]

Take the eagles to the sea, to take the boats to Mordor 😂😂😂😂😂

[@AllAhabNoMoby]

Why couldn't the eagles fly the ring to Cirdan and charter a boat?

[@basiliskwardroid]

thats not the story tolkein wanted to tell simple answer 😂

[@Corleone1891]

I love this channel, so, SO much.

[@sarad2659]

Could you hide the ring within Old Man Willow lol

[@voodoobram]

Hi Robert why not hide the ring in Valinor.

[@turrican4d599]

Why not sell The One Ring to Mordor?

[@Decrepit_biker]

One does not simply sail into Mordor

[@MayhapsYes]

Why not sell the one ring to Mordor?

[@MartinLeDúnedain]

why not take the ring to Valinor?

[@drink2003]

Its crazy how much ur voice sound like Ai

[@Dragblacker]

You mean it isn't? o_0

[@dansuciu733]

I liked the title si i hoped in.

[@niyanlan8928]

Has anyone seen my cat?

[@peterstumberger2823]

The sea is always right

[@kitsch888]

Early woah

[@Cy3berGh0st]

Hey how’s it going

[@_whatsername1911]

Having a shitty day. How about you?

[@austinflynn5374]

Not bad. You?

[@michaeldionne2438]

hello!

[@timber72]

Here!

[@lukullus4039]

[@roblewis8227]

Because it would make a crap book

[@truthsedge6514]

1st

[@dantakeoff]

So close

[@evrenturan5632]

🐐

[@truthsedge6514]

@@dantakeoff Actual 1st, no other comment is older