Sauron | A Response To Screenrant | Part 2

[@countravid3768]

What a way to completely undermine the burden and describe Frodos journey as, "Frodo Strolls almost all the way to mount doom."

[@philipmarsh2172]

Strolls? STROLLS??!!! 😠😤😡

[@YarPirates-vy7iv]

"Frodo and Sam moseyed on over to Mordor".

[@davidkulmaczewski4911]

"15 Things About Sauron That I'm To Ignorant To Understand, and Too Lazy To Read About In The Source"

[@TheRedBook]

Shall we recommend a change of title? :D

[@dlevi67]

@@TheRedBook I would recommend a change in your title to "Is Rose confused about Sauron?" Though I appreciate that the algorithm may not really like that... 😁

[@treydixon5399]

A related article would be "William Shakespeare must be dumb because he didn't talk like me and my friends."

[@TheRedBook]

While I understand that Screenrant pretty much operates as a clickbait generator, I still think responding to their nonsense was worthy of my time. Part 3 will be my last video related to the article in question. Are there any articles you have come across that you'd like to see a video about? Perhaps a video you think is worthy of a response from other people on KZbin (including other Tolkien KZbinrs? Feel free to share!

[@BenFrayle]

I just spent 5 minutes trying to find your new video about Gandalf's staves until I realised it was a Quora answer..... Seems like an interesting topic, also is there any theory on how Gandalf kept Glamdring with him after his death atop Kaza Dum?

[@TheRedBook]

@@BenFrayle - Haha sorry about that. I've been putting some Quora answers up for topics I think might not be worth a full video (maybe). I don't think people are too bothered about things like my favourite chapters, etc. As for Gandalf. Well, he returned to where he had died. His sword and Ring of Power would still be with him :). "Naked I was sent back - for a brief time, until my task is done. And naked I lay upon the mountain-top. The tower behind was crumbled into dust, the window gone; the ruined stair was choked with burned and broken stone. I was alone, forgotten, without escape upon the hard horn of the world..." He was then carried to Lothlorien, where he was given robes. Now you can imagine naked Gandalf riding an Eagle.

[@theMightywooosh]

the pitch meetings are great

[@johnpiccolini3305]

I deeply appreciate your videos and calm reasoning in response to the original author's glib and under-researched questions. It is gratifying to hear reason and method, and true familiarity with the material win out.

[@TheRedBook]

Thanks a lot John :D

[@beatleblev]

A "Find My Ring" app attached to the One would have been a great idea that a mortal sorcerer might think of if they were worried about losing their Ring of Power. I think this greatly underestimates Sauron's arrogance. He's not ever going to lose the Ring. Who could take it from him? It is not explicitly stated anywhere in the Legendarium as far as I know, but it is implied that, when a spirit (mortal, immortal, or Ainu) pours their power into the matter of Arda, it is gone. This is no more apparent than in the contrast between Melkor, the elemental colossus, with fire in one hand and ice in the other, from the Ainulindale, and Morgoth, the giant black knight with a big hammer who got slashed and crippled by a Child in the Silmarillion. Sauron can't feel his soul power anymore because he has poured that part of him into a physical receptacle of that power that resembles a plain gold band. It's a ring. Besides, Sauron's never going to take it off, so what does it even matter... There is a difference between being a Ring bearer and being the Lord of the Rings. When Sauron took up the One for the first time and started laying down poetry, all the elven Ring wearers could hear him from hundreds of miles away. Who knows how many "lesser essays in the Craft," sat upon the hands of the Jewel Smiths of Ost-in-Edhil? Can you custom order them as a Midsummer's Eve gift for your one true immortal love? We know there were enough for the Jewel Smiths to know that they had been deceived into crafting shackles for their own minds. Evidently, in all of his years with the Ring, Gollum did not use it to dominate others, only using it to make mischief and murder easier. It is only when Frodo goes from Ring bearer to Lord of the Rings that Sauron becomes aware of the location of his Ring. Perhaps because of his connection to Mount Doom, or perhaps because nine Rings of Power adorned all the remaining fingers of his black hands, when Frodo claimed the Ring for his own, Sauron knew, and he knew where he was, and perhaps was relieved that the Ring had won over the will of this little twit. The Nine would be there directly to relieve the hobbit of the Ring and invite him over for a pointed discussion about who is and who isn't Lord of the Rings. Unfortunately for him the Lord of the Lord of the Rings had other plans.

[@Crafty_Spirit]

A cool comment, but please use more spacing in the future 😅

[@Crafty_Spirit]

It's a really interesting idea that Frodo claiming mastery over the Ring appeared like a lightfire throughout the dark mist to Sauron's vision. The image of him wearing the 9 is cringy so I love it 🤣

[@vortex_1336]

Even if it ever occurred to Sauron that he'd lose the ring, what would it matter? The ring would eventually make it's way back him. The only thing that would be less likely to occur to him than losing the ring is that someone would destroy it. Destroy an artifact of ultimate power? Noone would do that. They might attempt to use it to usurp him. A powerful entity like Saruman, Gandalf, or Galadriel taking the ring would be Sauron's worst case scenario. But even then, I'm sure he'd be confident about being able to defeat them eventually.

[@beatleblev]

@@vortex_1336 True. Sauron was ultimately right. No one could willingly destroy the Ring in the Sammath Naur. What he could not foresee was that the Ring's power might be inadvertently turned against itself by an angry Ringbearer and his binding curse on Gollum. Further still from his mind was the grace of Eru, which he could not comprehend and who's existence he had long chosen to disregard.

[@istari0]

I appreciate articles like these. I get asked these sorts of questions from time to time and this makes it easy for me to give them a good answer.

[@TheRedBook]

I'm sure you will be able to answer claims like these pretty easily! I have quickly discovered Screenrant writers know less than most, which makes it sad that they have the power to distribute the nonsense to many readers.

[@MistaGify]

I am so glad you decided to space out your 3-part refutation. I think I said this before, but I had originally expected you to answer the article with extended materials that only devoted fans will know, only to be surprised by how much is actually addressed in the books themselves. Sites like Screenrant and articles like this are indeed just clickbait generators.

[@TheRedBook]

They definitely are but unfortunately I realised that after I had already started my response! I'd never really bothered with Screenrant in the past. I certainly would have used extended materials, but as you say, there was no need. In most cases the points can be refuted using The Lord of the Rings itself...which is crazy. Just read the thing you are complaining about! :D

[@TheRedBook]

And just to add, that's why I'd welcome material from those who claim to know what they are talking about. Would be more interesting to respond to.

[@SmoughTown]

Just got to say mate - stumbled across your channel recently and you have catapulted into #1 for LoTR lore. Great work dude and keep it up and also nice to see another Scot on YT!

[@TheRedBook]

Hello! Cool to hear from you, been a fan of your channel for quite a while - found it when I was looking for Dark Souls content a few years back 😅 Thanks a lot for the message and support too!

[@SmoughTown]

@@TheRedBook That's awesome to hear man! Honoured you like my stuff too. Will be binging your stuff over the coming weeks!

[@TheRedBook]

I would say I was far more influenced to start YT channel because Souls KZbin channels than Tolkien ones 😅 and yeah it's always cool to hear other Scottish folk on here doing well . Look forward to watching more of your stuff too :D

[@SmoughTown]

@@TheRedBook Legend! Thanks man

[@MasterBombadillo]

Another point I would like to make is that I cannot recall any mention of Tolkien saying Sauron poured his spirit or soul into the One Ring. Tolkien seems to solely use the term "power" in relation to what Sauron put into the One Ring. This seems to be in line with what Tolkien said about fear: they are indestructible. If one can split a soul itself into multiple parts, the implication would be that it is destructible. Thus I think a similar case could be made for ealar. Furthermore, Tolkien seems to equate the "soul" not with power, but with rational life (which becomes apparent in his essays about the origin of Orcs), so I really think Tolkien's usage of "power" and "soul" can't be seen as synonyms. I think the soul really equates to the very essence of the being: the part capable of independent thought. So if you would be able to split said soul, it would have far graver implications that just being less powerful. The mind itself would be diminished.

[@TheRedBook]

I think we are splitting hairs when we make that distinction. Tolkien also talks about the "will" of Sauron each time he dies, saying that he would suffer each death and the will would diminish in some way. He says this in letter 200. "After the battle with Gil-galad and Elendil, Sauron took a long while to re-build, longer than he had done after the Downfall of Númenor (I suppose because each building-up used up some of the inherent energy of the spirit, which might be called the ‘will’ or the effective link between the indestructible mind and being and the realization of its imagination." I tend not to say "soul" when discussing these things and I'd be open to some distinction, but I really closely tie the will, power, and spirit, together. Something for me to think about though...

[@MasterBombadillo]

@@TheRedBook Yeah, I also try to avoid using the word "soul", but the way I understand it, "fear" and "ealar" are the equivalent of what we would call a "soul". But that particular quote actually shows the same distinction I was talking about. It actually goes in depth about how the things relate to each other: you've got the indestructible mind (which I would equate to the soul), and power the mind can use to realize its imagination. A mind needs the power or will to realize these things. This power may be inherent to the spirit, but it's not the essence of what makes the spirit that spirit. So when Tolkien says Sauron put his power into the One Ring, he meant the power his spirit could use to realize things. I think this distinction is more than splitting hairs - I think it's necessary to understand the logic behind the argument of the author of the article, I think a true explanation can only be reached on a metaphysical level. Especially in an age where Harry Potter exists which has created a lot of comparisons between the Ring and Horcruxes. The problem here would be: if Sauron put a part of his essential being into the One Ring, then the author of the article might've had a point. After all, it's one's essence that's inside the One Ring, so why wouldn't he be able to feel it, why wouldn't these parts be attracted to each other all the time? However, if it's just power that has been poured into the One Ring, then that's not part of Sauron's essential being, only his energy - and I don't think the Ainur can feel every single thing they did with their power, and where every single drop of their powers is located. Otherwise, locating Morgoth would've been easy as hell, since Aule would've been able to feel the location of Utumno, Yavanna would've been able to feel when her plants were felled for the construction of the fortress, etc. Hope it makes sense. Can't seem to explain it quite clearly yet. Too much information whirling in my head at the moment.

[@TheRedBook]

@@MasterBombadillo - That's why I say splitting hairs because you have said the Fëa is what we would call a soul, which is correct, but it's also literally described as the "indwelling spirit". But it's certainly given me some things to think about. I haven't really thought on the differences between soul and spirit because they are so often used interchangably. What you say does make sense though, especially when we start talking about the "potential of the spirit". Does this mean that you'd think of some distinction between what is inside a "soulless" creature. It could still have a spirit? Do the two require each other? A lot of questions can be raised from this.

[@MasterBombadillo]

@@TheRedBook Hmm, good question. Needed a while to think about that. I think soul and spirit are the same, and these would be eternal and indestructible. The potential of the spirit as you called it I would call energy or power, which can be used to alter the world around it. Maybe a way I could describe it better is to equate it to our mind (spirit) and our body (power). Our body is the tool our mind can use to interact with the world. But the more we interact (i.e. when we get older) with the world, the more our body degrades, and becomes less and less able to do what we want. I.e. our power diminishes and is forever lost to us. What Sauron did when he created the Ring was to speed up that process by cutting of his hands and somehow stuck them into the One Ring. So his mind was still intact, because the hands aren't really where our mind resides, but just like we can't feel where our hands are when they have been separated from our body, Sauron can't feel where the power he put into the One Ring is anymore. Sorry for the graphic explanation, but can't think of something else.

[@TheRedBook]

@@MasterBombadillo No, that does make sense. it would explain why after the destruction of the ring, Sauron's spirit was maimed, yet he remained. He wasn't outright destroyed, but that "energy" or "potentiality" that was externalised was gone. His eternal spirit remains but a shadow of what it once was. It also explains what I often try to explain to people about why Sauron would believe the One Ring was destroyed when it wasn't. He had no idea what it would feel like when it was destroyed until it really was. He had not realised his folly until it was gone. He isn't a master of know everything that will happen with the ring, all the side effects, all the consequences. No, I like these explanations. It's strange that they aren't talked about more...

[@osirisrexx2336]

Found this channel due to a recent craving for Sauron content, and it’s my new favourite. Thank you for your great work!

[@TheRedBook]

Thanks for checking out the channel. I have to say if you want Sauron content, this is the place for you :D

[@Enerdhil]

I think the author of the article may be setting the stage for Amazon Prime to "correct" a lot of "mistakes" in Tolkien's Second Age lore. We should be seeing more of these kinds of articles before next fall if I am right.

[@TheRedBook]

I think the Amazon show will add to the pile of incorrect assumptions and mistakes!

[@Enerdhil]

@@TheRedBook We need you to set the record straight once they start to stray from the lore.

[@ladyalaina42]

@@Enerdhil that will be a thankless task. Amazon has already hired a black actor to play a Hobbit. OMG.

[@Enerdhil]

@@ladyalaina42 What I meant is mainstream media will spew out articles saying how great the series is, while ignoring the numerous violations of canon. This has proven to work before. Check the media's handling of senile Basement Joe Biden vs. Donald Trump in 2020. All one-sided for China Joe. They'll do the same for the Woke Series....

[@jpgduff]

@@Enerdhil People who use the word 'woke' as a pejorative are idiots. Stay away from the kool aid.

[@favugabriela]

Thank you for the analysis!

[@jamief1263]

Got the first part about the winged beasts is so stupid and shows that they never read the books. A valid point is that they didn’t explain this in the film. In the book it is quite an important part, as this is how the wraiths discover Saruman betrayed them, as they asked where the Shire was, he lied and said he had never heard of it, but they discover the truth from Wormtongue. Sauron does sense the ring, but thinks it’s with Aragon, he think Aragon used the ring defeat his army at Minas Tirith.

[@justrusty]

It seems that the writer of the article thought of a bunch of stuff, then didn't bother to research further to see if there was an explanation. Like life, Tolkien's works are very complex and one must look beneath the surface to get to the answer.

[@TheRedBook]

Yes, I get that impression too. Hastily thrown together and put online for quick views...

[@robertstewart239]

I think C. S. Lewis sums it up well in That Hideous Strength. "One of Ransom’s greatest difficulties in disputing with MacPhee, who consistently professed to disbelieve the very existence of the eldils, was that MacPhee made the common, but curious assumption that if there are creatures wiser and stronger than man they must be forthwith omniscient and omnipotent." Sauron is more powerful than his enemies, but he is not all-powerful or infallible. If he were the person that Rose imagines him to be, he would never have been defeated in the Second Age and therefore there would be no story to tell.

[@virtualcircle285]

Welcome to the age of mediocre authors writing about things they don't understand just for the sake of it.

[@jmitterii2]

Doesn't help the remaining authors of these fewer and fewer remaining consolidated essentially propaganda networks are trust fund babies who write as a lazy hobby on a late summer afternoon. Has no merit. There's not enough decent paying jobs in journalism under the consolidation buy out of the press by various ever increasing power of the few remaining plutocrats. So this is the garbage you get. And it's become so poor quality, and the morons who produce such trash, so dimwitted, they don't even realize their own absurdities. They're not even trying anymore to conceal their ineptitude... frankly they don't know they're inept. And thus why so many of the people have fallen away from even bothering what the few remaining media put out. It's a parody... Reminds me of many other periods in time when propaganda becomes so absurd and disconnected from reality. Even that of subjects such as review of a fiction epic like JRR Tolkien's works. They're not even trying.

[@Internetshadow0000]

I see the primary issue is that the article`s author assumes Middle-Earth operates like how the modern world views reality but with magic thrown on top. They fail to grasp the fact that it is not a Platonic dualist world. Spirit and physicality are inseperably intertwined. It is a created world not one that emerged from a nonspecific aethereal field.

[@tominiowa2513]

Was Orodruin created by Morgoth? If so, it would be natural for it to have a connection to Sauron. As for Sauron's physical death unleashing great destructive power, it seems we may have a precedence for that if the destruction of the Balrogs and other Maia servants of Morgoth in the War of Wrath was the cause of Beleriand being literally wiped off the map with the remains sinking into the sea.

[@TheRedBook]

Yes, it is considered a remnant of his work in the First Age. I'm sure the death of such figures of power would have certainly aided in the destruction of the landscape, but also the mass destruction of Melkor's forces whom he had poured his own power into (his devices). His ring (Morgoth's Ring) causing damage as his own power is torn from him through the death of his slaves and those he had poured his essence into.

[@dlevi67]

@@TheRedBook Plus, Sauron is a Maia of Aulë - associated with fire and the inside of the Earth. No big surprise that a huge event such as the destruction of (most of) a powerful Maia's spirit connected to fire and earth inside a volcano causes an eruption...

[@stefanol7814]

@@dlevi67 strictly speaking, didn't Sauron physically die in the collapse of Barad-Dur?

[@dlevi67]

@@stefanol7814 Yes, but the Ring, which contained most of his power, was unmade in Orodruin.

[@stefanol7814]

@@dlevi67 of course.

[@Emanon...]

Damn dude, this is a bigger burn than the inferno in Esgaroth.

[@IanHeins]

Nice work dude thanks

[@Crafty_Spirit]

Hi Steven 🖖🏼 I read you are dismayed with the current reach of your videos and subscription numbers. Sorry to hear, I think you are doing a marvellous job. Why don't you ask some of the bigger channels to promote yours in a community post? I think that is a legitimate request, even if it I don't know it would feel like an awkward idea...

[@TheRedBook]

Thanks! And I always appreciate the constant support of you and other familiar faces. As for asking for a promotion, no I couldn't do that. I'd feel like it was charity and would rather have my material promoted through others wanting to promote it or through me paying for advertising. It's why on places like Twitter, I will reshare videos I have actually watched and enjoyed rather than just everyone's. If I had access to community posts, there are some channels I'd be happy to promote as well.

[@Crafty_Spirit]

@@TheRedBook Well, thank you 🖖🏼 Yeah I suspected you would feel this way, I think it's quite how I'd see it, too xD Macbeth of Gondor (who competes with you for the best narrative voice 😉) recommended you in a community post and the others list you in their channel tabs. Let's see where it goes. I think Philosopher's Games demonstrates that you can reach a sizeable following with a "niche channel" (his would be his very long, detailed classic lore videos, the painstakingly researched pronunciation, and essays on cerebral topics such as the nature of the unseen), there also have to be 40k+ people regularly interested in your style of content.

[@TheRedBook]

@@Crafty_Spirit - Yes, he even asked my permission before recommending my channel, which was very unnecessary but polite! Lore of the Rings also recommended me after my first video and was essential in even getting me on KZbin. None of the really big ones have but that's to be expected and I wouldn't ask! Yes, the adding each other to the channel list is a courtesy it seems. There's a discord channel with the Tolkien KZbinrs and when someone new appears, they get added to the lists. Most of the channels seem happy to do this. I'd be happy with 1000 because I want to use the community posts section. Just to engage with the audience a bit more.

[@matroska_5625]

To be fair, using fellbeasts would still be better in getting from place to place. They could land them somewhere and go on foot if they want to mingle with people without terrifying them. It does also seem odd that they don't just look on a map to see where the Shire is, then fly there. Also, if the argument is that after they chase Frodo but then get washed away, they don't need to appear human so they can ride fellbeasts around then, why don't they also take off their cloaks? If the horses and cloaks are to appear more or less human to gather info, if the reason for horses has gone, so has the reason for cloaks. Why didn't the Witch King go to Pelennor Field invisibly and just assassinate people like Theoden, Aragorn, Gandalf, etc? Why didn't they take off their cloaks when they attack the four hobbits and Aragorn at Weathertop? They would definitely have killed all 5 of them and reclaimed the Ring. Or wait for them to sleep at Weathertop and then attack? They tried this later at the Prancing Pony, attacking them in their beds, so it's not an alien idea to them.

[@JazzGuitarScrapbook]

Even though it’s likely Sauron had an accurate idea of the world and its physical geography it doesn’t mean he was aware of everything within it. We are told that the shire is insignificant in the grand scheme of things and furthermore somewhat protected by the actions of the Dunedain.

[@stevencolatrella3257]

This is a brilliant explanation . A question- these images of Middle Earth are magnificent- where do they come from? Is there a source, a book of website where we can find them?

[@danieldeclue1466]

Tolkien is brilliant for the shire being located in the very lands that the witch King had previously conquered. Which ABSOLUTELY highlights, and somewhat foreshadows the fact that Sauron's dismissive attitude towards the little folk would be his downfall. It caused so many setbacks for him😂 Tolkien's a master

[@TolkienLorePodcast]

And I though part 1 was bad 🤣

[@TheRedBook]

Hopefully you don't mean the video 😂😎

[@TolkienLorePodcast]

@@TheRedBook of course not, but I’m glad you clarified in case anyone else took it the wrong way 😂

[@dlevi67]

Well, the most wonderful Ros(i)e - bless her cotton socks - seems to be intent in judging things in such a simplistic way that everything is turned out into a tier list, so her most preposterous claims come later as she climbs the ladder...

[@decem_sagittae]

That article made my blood boil.

[@mariakittynight716]

Coz freaking Gandalf and the Dunedain archers are guarding The Shire they see a fellbeast they shoot it.

[@sonicintervention7474]

Great vids bro. Screenrant aside, i learned a lot

[@TheRedBook]

Screenrant is indeed terrible but I'm glad you enjoyed the videos nonetheless :D

[@aliciaarden2019]

Please give credit to Phil Dragash for the clips of the audiobook you used in the video. I could not find it anywhere in the description box.

[@TheRedBook]

I use Phil's work with his permission and used to add him in descriptions but he felt it unnecessary.

[@demilung]

This is prime categorical or meme-based thinking. Instead of thinking what Sauron is, the author thinks "what label do I put on Sauron? The Dark Lord, of course. Now, there are these things that I think of when I think about the Dark Lord trope, and these things don't fit with Sauron - well, it definitely means that Sauron doesn't make sense!".

[@mariakittynight716]

If you throw out any trash inside a volcano into the lava, then the volcano will soon erupt. So throwing Golem and the Ring will erupt Mount Doom. Also it is active and it is about to erupt eventually and plus when the ring was destroyed so did Sauron and Barad Dur and the whole land got a massive earthquake that took down all the orcs and trolls and Earthquake also causing the mountain to BOOM.

[@martystrasinger3801]

Regarding the Nazgul and Sauron knowing of “Shire”, at best they knew it was a location (but possibly not even that). Even if they knew it was a location, they didn’t know if it was a country, or a river or meadow or bridge or a cave in the Misty Mountains. Same for “Baggins”- they didn’t even necessarily know that it was a person’s name. In Gollum’s ravings while being tortured by Sauron, apparently only those two words were understandable, but they didn’t necessarily have any context for Sauron to make sense of them. Which is likely a major reason they let him go, hoping that by tracking him they could make some sense of it all. There are some actual, real, plot weaknesses in LOTR (how come sometimes the Naz_ies can cross water, sometimes not); are you aware if anyone has done an examination of those?

[@helenwhs]

Nazgûl hate water, but will cross it if necessary. In Rivendell they can’t because of the enchantments laid on the river by Elrond; I think that is the only exception.

[@philmace81]

You say pippin would have glanced into a stone and done nothing. I think you're in the sense that pippin is not of the scale of being as Aragorn or Saruman to use the stone but pippin was the heir of of the thain of the king. For hobbits he was the equivalent in arnor to faramir and denethor. He is often seen as a childish trope but in reality he is a spirit willful and wild of a high lordship that is not tamed by conventional wisdom. Only the struggles of war temper his spirit, which temper him to the betterment of the shire in their future. He might have eventually had the strength of will to see through the palantir.

[@TheRedBook]

I don't use power scales. But I was talking about Pippin as he was in the tale, especially at that time, but the potential of Pippin.

[@kirandeepchakraborty7921]

Bro you are a genius

[@neildaly2635]

Needed to get you into 3 digits fight the power John Jefferson my Joe.

[@obxwave]

What is the basis for pronouncing Isengard “Aisengard?” Seems to be ubiquitous these days, but I don’t think that pronunciation conforms to the orthographic rules in LotR.

[@TheRedBook]

There's a recording of Tolkien speaking the Ent march and he says it that way. It is a translation of the Sindarin Angrenost. And Isen apparently, iron, should be said this way.

[@obxwave]

@@TheRedBook I wonder what language “isen” belongs too…it seems as though in most words (at least Quenya and Sindarin), the “eye” sound is “ai” and the letter I is more like “ee.” Is there any basis in Rohirric for this pronunciation…I wouldn’t think so. And yet as you say, we apparently have Tolkien himself as a guide. Quite puzzling, as generally Tolkien’s languages are very regular in their orthography.

[@Crafty_Spirit]

@@obxwave Actually, Chris from Philosopher's Games claims that it is pronounced as in Anglosaxon / Old English, so the "i" is as in "wind". Tolkien was not always faithful to his pronounciation rules on record anyway.

[@obxwave]

@@Crafty_Spirit I was wondering whether the Professor himself hadn’t misspoken on the tape…my sense is that orthography is Tolkien’s world is very regular, yet I cannot think of any instances where I=“eye”…Minas Ithil, Isildur, Idril, etc.

[@Crafty_Spirit]

@@obxwave That's because your examples are all Sindarin words, where you get "eye" in *ai* (Ainur) and *ae* (Maeglin). Isengard is derived from Anglo-Saxon and Germanic words follow different rules than Sindarin, which resembles Welsh. If you say 'eye-sen-gard' you apply modern English to an old English word, which is fine, but it's good to be aware of it.

[@PlanetZoidstar]

How much do you want to bet the ScreenRant review writer ONLY saw the movies?

[@TheRedBook]

Well, that's the strange thing - she mentions the books more than once and talks about parts only found in the books.

[@iangavin631]

Are you ever going talk about the Amazon LOTR dumpster fire?

[@TheRedBook]

No, there won't be any videos about Amazon.

[@danmitchell1955]

This is the problem with poorly written click bait by modern talentless writers who don’t have one ounce of Talent that Tolkien has . And fact he being dead for years yes people still to this day enjoy his works and made his estate millions upon millions .

[@f.b.l.9813]

This article is what happens when a 6 year old reads the book and write an article complaining about it....

[@Phoenix-King-ozai]

Atleast 5 of the 15 aren't half bad Sauron not being able to sense the ring unless worn is really silly no matter what we tell ourselves

[@TheRedBook]

What's really silly? This person thinking Sauron senses the ring when someone wears it?

[@Phoenix-King-ozai]

@@TheRedBook Look, I am not saying Sauron is be able to sense the ring and is a fool for not doing it I agree there's no basis for it But, it would certainly make a lot more sense if he could detect his own Innate power placed in an object without needing someone to actualy use it

[@Vito_Tuxedo]

@@Phoenix-King-ozai For my part, I think Steven's explanation makes perfect sense. The act of claiming the ring as one's own is the thing that sets off the Detect-o-Ring Alarm-that is, not just putting it on one's finger, but actually doing so with the intent of *_using_* it for its original purpose, which was to dominate and control the will of others. Sauron believed that he alone was entitled to use the ring in that way, and tolerated no usurpers. There is a hefty hunk of semantic imprecision in the usage of the verb "use" in connection with the ring. From the standpoint of "use" as defined above, Bilbo didn't actually "use" it when he disappeared from his 111th birthday party; he wasn't trying to control anyone against their will. Similarly, the concept of "innate power" in the ring doesn't quite ring true (...ouch!). What I mean is, it is an inert object. Sauron never intended or expected it to be anywhere but on his finger. It always required a wearer, and if the wearer was not Sauron, its effect was different for each wearer, and not necessarily predictable or intuitive. Anyhow, this is fantasy, and Tolkien gets to make the rules in the world he created. On that basis, the reader's role is to let the story unfold in whatever way the author intended. It doesn't have to make sense in the context of "the real world", because it exists in its own context. We aren't required to like it or agree with it. All we have to do is let him tell the story he wants to tell. And, of course, if we dislike or disagree with it sufficiently, we always have the option of not reading it.

[@rodgerbane3825]

Voldemort never knew where his horcruxes were either. So the makers seem to not be able to sense them.

[@dlevi67]

Which is a fair point, though the Ring is not a horcrux.

[@rodgerbane3825]

@@dlevi67 Well....... no, since Sauron was already immortal he didn't need it to insure immortality but it seems to have functioned in much the same way and had the same "power source" IE, a slice of essence, life force or soul.

[@Dadecorban]

If I cut my finger off and lose it....I have virtually no chance of finding it in the whole world. Why should your soul be any different? Sauron doesn't like leaving his centers of power, so he created creatures that could sense the ring and find it for him. This seems reasonable. Nazgul technology.

[@DaBIONICLEFan]

'It doesn't line up with the lore at all' - what does this author know about the lore, when they claim that Mount Doom has 'no real connection to Sauron', which is so obviously false as to be laughable. It's clear that the author knows nothing about the lore and is trying to be provocative.

[@Bablobiggins]

There's something I could never understand. In his interaction with Pippin through the palantir, it seems Sauron believes that Saruman is in possession of the ring. He says he will send for it. If he knows that Saruman betrayed him and also knows of the nature of Saruman and his powers, surely he would know that if that were the case, Saruman would use the ring against him. Wouldn't he deduce that Saruman was not in possession of the ring then? Or am I reading that passage wrongly?

[@furryferret8514]

Nope! You read correctly. Sauron assumed Pippin was being forced under torment by Saruman to look into the palantir. Sauron only knew that a hobbit had the ring, so a hobbit randomly using this device used exclusively by Saruman surely threw him into confusion. In one of Tolkiens other works (Unfinished Tales I think?), he writes about how Sauron immediately sent some of the Nazgul to Isengard and that upon arriving, they were stopped at the gate by Saruman's voice telling the Nazgul that he neither has the ring or knows of its location, and that if he did possess it, they would know it and bow down to him as lord.

[@vladescu3g]

I dont know why, but the critique who wrote the article like most of the females that read LOTR have a hard time understanding it, i found that fascinating.

[@davidbaldwin9830]

Said in your most sarcastic voice and with an eye roll, “women”.

[@ScaricoOleoso]

The author wrote an inaccurate and possibly deliberately dishonest video to generate buzz. And it worked. I mean, here we are.

[@TheRedBook]

Certainly one theory. Another is that the author really doesn't know what she's talking about, which would make sense for Screenrant writers.

[@ellanenish5999]

Did the author seen your work?

[@TheRedBook]

No idea, I didn't share it on the page or anything. This is more for others to view. I don't want to harass the author or anything like that.

[@mrillis9259]

With the soon to be released, destruction of Tolkien's works. This all seems a waste. An epic waste. Sorry for your loss.

[@TheRedBook]

I only look at the texts really and they aren't going anywhere.

[@jpgduff]

@@TheRedBook perfect response. New sunscriber; binging all your vids. Awesome work. Really outstanding!! Thanks for the effort you put it- greatly appreciated.

[@TheRedBook]

@@jpgduff I'm glad you are enjoying the videos :D ! Thanks

[@wafflingmean4477]

Tbh this article seems completely valid and these videos, like every response to Tolkien critics, give some extremely vague piece of lore or says it's mysterious. Look, I love Lord of the Rings, but the simple answer to 99% of these questions is that Tolkien, like literally every author, is fallible, and his works have major flaws. Why didn't the Nazgul whip out the Fellbeasts at the start? Either Tolkien hadn't thought of them yet or he didn't want them to break his story. So it's a plothole. The end. The eagles are the classic version of this. I don't care if they're some fancy spiritual beings. Tolkien knew they could solve every problem he had and that is the *only* reason they didn't show up until the end.

[@TheRedBook]

I gave some vague "pieces of lore" 😂 I think the response deserves more credit than that. But thanks for sharing your thoughts anyway. I completely disagree with all of it but we all have opinions.