Why not give the ring to Gimli?

[@InDeepGeek]

This is an updated version of a video previously uploaded in Jan 2023

[@dromankass8655]

No worries, I'll happily listen to it again, enjoying your descriptions of Gimli & the art work. All very good.

[@danielduncan6806]

Ah, okay, I started to question reality there for a moment.

[@jetsamrover]

Curious, why was it updated?

[@danielduncan6806]

@@jetsamrover I think he does that periodically, to cover things that had not yet been thought of. Or maybe for corrections. I like the description he gave in this video, his musings about what Gimli would've been like had he been corrupted by the ring. I don't remember that from original.

[@bomouth142]

I was wondering about that. I'm curious if your video on Isildur after claiming the ring was taken down for edits, because it's gone now.

[@thebreadbringer]

Gimli could throw the ring into the pit, so long as Legolas dared him to do it.

[@GlazedLemon]

"Certainty Of Death? Small Chance Of Success? What Are We Waitin' For?"

[@MusMasi]

That still only counts as ONE!!

[@theBlankScroll]

"Toss me."

[@BrainboxccGames]

NOBODY TOSSES A RING!

[@kineticstar]

But wouldn't have gotten the "And you'll have my axe" line.

[@347Jimmy]

While it was movie-only, being the only person to ever outright attempt to destroy the Ring deserves honourable mention

[@Cognitive_Ape]

Someone had to try. Up until that moment the rings was only known to be so durable based on the word of Sauron the Trustworthy.

[@347Jimmy]

@@Cognitive_Ape well, most info about the Ring came from Isildur's account, but Movie Isildur wasnt a trustworthy source either (they kinda did him dirty)

[@jamesadkins7150]

@@Cognitive_Apelol Sauron the Trustworthy got a great laugh, thanks 🤣

[@jamesadkins7150]

@@347JimmyI was fine with the Isildur tone change, but the Faramir changes got under my skin hard

[@347Jimmy]

@@jamesadkins7150 that's fair.

[@graemenicholls2836]

Gimli couldn't have done it because the one ring still only counts as one.

[@mjohnson5030]

😂 Took me three readings, but I cackled loudly when I got it. Thanks for the belly laugh.

[@i_need_a_name4977]

@@mjohnson5030 I dont get the joke. Pls explain?

[@coldnoodles2951]

​@@i_need_a_name4977 🐘 🏹🏹🏹🏹 still only counts as one.

[@armorhide406]

​@@i_need_a_name4977When he and Legolas were counting and comparing kills

[@diallo1347]

😂😂😂 you win the comment section

[@mattturner6017]

In addition to all the solid reasons you gave, I dare to add another: politics. Frodo-- in addition to being stealthy, resistant to corruption, and fated -- was an a-political choice. The Elves and Dwarves clearly had trust issues between them, and both Elrond and Gandalf were well aware of the possible dangers of entrusting the Ring to a Man of Gondor, either of the line of Stewards or of Kings. Neither Frodo as an individual nor the Shire as an entity presented any political power threats to anybody, so the Noble lines of Elves, Men, and Dwarves had no cause to fear "somebody else" gaining some kind of advantage over them.

[@Nimelennar]

And that's not just on the scale of kingdoms but within the party as well. Frodo, who had never been outside the Shire, was content to delegate leadership to Gandalf. Would a Dwarf-lord, as the Ring-bearer, be so keen to be led? And if not, would Legolas submit to the commands of a Dwarf? Would Boromir? No, it was best that when the Ring started whispering treason into the hearts of the Fellowship, that there be no preexisting grievances there for those whispers to latch onto.

[@lennic]

nice catch, didnt think of it like that but it makes sense!

[@MusMasi]

Imagine if Frodo had taken the Ring and Started the Hobbit Empire?

[@KristiaanVanErmengem]

@@MusMasi Frodo The Great

[@la_scrittice_vita]

That's a good point. It sits neatly next to the Gandalf-Galadriel argument: Not resistance but damage control. _If_ a hobbit was turned, how much damage would he actually do? How much time would it take him to work himself up to be any kind of a threat. Faced with Dark Gandalf, ME is instantly screwed. Aragorn, might take a few weeks tops to get his armies in place. But Frodo? There is time for containment. It won't be fun, but it's easily the least instantaneously threatening.

[@justinnyugen7015]

Pros: - Resistant to succumbing to the Ring's will - Wouldn't be manhandled by Boromir - Put up a better fight against Smeagol obviously, as well as any would-be kidnapper orcs Cons: - Zero stealth. Would be spotted much sooner on the marshes by Naz Ghul, at the gates, or going up the secret path. - Zero tact. Would have probably been killed by Faramir's group because of how hostile he is. Frodo did well in de-escalating the situation - Would probably attempt to charge the front gate

[@calorion]

Actually dwarves are established, in the Hobbit, as having plenty of stealth. Just less than elves or hobbits.

[@Свободадляроссии]

Faramir was pretty friendly from the get go in the books, Gimli would have gotten past book Faramir

[@Iscannon]

These are good reasons, better than "It was ordained!"

[@34566454332]

Gimli can be very charming, "'There is nothing, Lady Galadriel', said Gimli, bowing low and stammering. 'Nothing, unless it might be - unless it is permitted to ask, nay, to name a single strand of your hair, which surpasses the gold of the earth as the stars surpass the gems of the mine. I do not ask for such a gift. But you commanded me to name my desire'."

[@lomiification]

Proper con: would have killed smeagol immediately

[@victorymansions]

Everyone: see the ring and want to caress it and love it for eternity. Gimli: pulls out a massive axe and tries to smash it to smithereens.

[@alicaramba7680]

He just wanted to give a bit of it for everyone who wants.

[@victorymansions]

@@alicaramba7680 🤣🤣 most generous dwarf ever?

[@matthiascerebri3315]

But not on mount doom

[@Mae_Dastardly]

Gimli: waste of good gold!

[@katarsiz2]

though it was not his own axe he used to try that :D

[@Froggy67823]

3 times, Feanor asked for one strand of galadriels hair. 3 times, Galadriel denied him. One time did Gimli ask for a hair of Galadriel’s, and she gave him three. She always saw the pure of heart, and wicked.

[@joecross3708]

Gimli is one dwarf who would not have been easily ensnared! He has the eyes of a hawk and the ears of a fox..oof..

[@rajeshnd]

That's just in the movies. In the books, the "breathing loud" comment wasn't even aimed at Gimli 😁

[@Lakibdishma]

​@@rajeshndI guess everyone's a loud breather compared to an elf

[@caryrogers9676]

@@Lakibdishmaloud breathers, walkers, pretty much everything.

[@theBlankScroll]

I love that Sauron gave the dwarves rings and the dwarves were like "What rings, off with ya."

[@argonianale5716]

Dwarves in any are always chads 🗿

[@TETASARAIVACS]

Not really! The Dwarves cherished very much their Rings. “Gold-sickness” was a relentless drive to accumulate riches and was a consequence of their Rings. The Ring of Thrór was passed to his son Thráin (Thorin’s father), and until the Dwarves of the Lonely Mountain learned that Sauron had already taken back this Ring, they always kept searching for it. In fact, when Balin went to try and retake Moria, the main objetive was to try and get that Ring back! As Glóin tells us: “The Seven are lost to us - if Balin has not found the Ring of Thrór, which was the last; naught has been heard of it since Thrór perished in Moria. Indeed I may now reveal that was partly in hope to find that ring that Balin went away.” (Glóin, in “The Council of Elrond”)

[@lomiification]

​@@TETASARAIVACS gold sickness came from dragons infecting and cursing the gold, no? With morgoth's influence?

[@dimestorephilosopher3308]

I don't know enough of the lore or if Tolkien even wrote it in, but it would be interesting if bc they were children of Aulë and not Ilúvatar, they were just just different enough that it didn't work.

[@lynwood77]

@@lomiification Dragons don't actually have any use for gold, but hoard it anyway. "Dragon sickness," which is basically unimportant to the story as a term, is just a metaphor for greed, particularly greed that blinds the "dragon sick" to the values Tolkien (and by extension the heroes of his books) held dear: friendship, kindness, peace and pleasant company.

[@Nick-zp3ub]

Dwarves are more resistant to evil, but if you give them gold it makes them greedy and selfish. Just like Thorin when he entered Erebor. Gimli would have kept the ring for himself, established his own dwarven empire, cut himself off from his human and elf allies, and been overwhelmed by Sauron's orcs like Balin in Moria

[@RKroese]

Yea, finally someone said it! ☝🏼 👍🏼

[@Mr11ven]

The video does say this at 4:33

[@DillonHockett]

In 2001, a 10-year-old boy watched Gimli son of Gloin raise his axe and smash it down upon the one ring. That was his first thought. Even at 10 years old I understood the weight and significance of that action. He has been my favorite Lord of the Rings character ever since.

[@rikk319]

It was a bold if foolhardy action in the film, as he was there in a council where they were democratically deciding what to do, and he jumped in with both feet as it were--even if his heart was in the right place, his head wasn't. But it showed he wasn't easily swayed, either. He didn't take any time to consider what should be done, he just said to himself, "Evil artifact? Wreck it." Pretty much the opposite of Boromir.

[@DillonHockett]

​@@rikk319 Oh for sure lol. Of all the intelligent decisions made in the story, this was pretty close to the bottom of the totem pole. That said, I still loved it.

[@hedgehog3180]

@@rikk319 I mean it isn't really stupid, like how could you know that the Ring was nearly indestructable if you didn't try, and I figure that by just doing it without much forethought it meant that the Ring didn't have any tine to influence you and make you stop. The main issue for basically everyone was that by the time you got to Mount Doom you'd have spent so much time with the Ring that even the strongest wills would fail.

[@roosterman84]

I figured the greatest risk with Gimli would be his loyalty to his family. He would become distracted by the idea of restoring the honor of his family and their mines.

[@aerinsoleris]

Pre Moria definitely a possibility and the Ring would also antagonize the bitterness in his heart against Legolas and elves in general. Post Moria/Lothlorien he'd probably stay true to the mission to the bitter end and would have been an excellent backup ring bearer. Problem is he'd definitely wouldn't be merciful to Gollum and thus would lose out the safe/secret way to Mordor.

[@mickys8065]

@@aerinsoleris but he wouldn't leave Moria if he had the ring. Moria would be where the ring finally had something to tempt gimli with. "I can help you restore Moria, bearer. Through me, you could reclaim this home, build it anew a thousand times stronger." And Gimli would've been taken.

[@viktorreiter8811]

@@mickys8065 yeah, gimli would just use the ring to smash the orcs and the balrog head-on, in a revengeful rage. then probably never leave moria (after he realizes he has the perfect and probably only weapon to rebuild and save their cities)

[@mickys8065]

@@viktorreiter8811 exactly. Or he fails, and now we have a Balrog with the One Ring. Either way, you've now got to fight a highly dangerous ring bearer in their own domain. Not good.

[@spgoo1]

The "so loud could have shot him in the dark" quote is actually directed at Sam in the book

[@rajeshnd]

Exactly! Also surprised that it was mentioned here falsely 😅

[@bityew]

Thank you for putting in the time to "fix" whatever you feel the need to, rather than just removing these videos-I have searched through a great muddle of Tolkien "information" on KZbin, and you are truly one of the most reliable and thought-provoking-so I would dislike seeing your insightful content go away.

[@lomiification]

It also is good for making new videos without having to do a ton of writing and video ideation. Plus, it's a known popular-to-the-algorithm topic

[@markhunter3533]

In the books Gimli actually destroyed the ring with his axe and saved the middle earth, the movies just removed that to make the history longer.

[@HumanThing-fm6xt]

Haters will say you’re lying

[@dzbanke.]

Destruction of the ring boils down to pity. Bilbo's pity, Frodo's pity and even Sam's. Nobody could make themselves voluntarily destroy the One Ring, its power over the user grew exponentially in Mount Doom, so Gimli simply couldn't do it himself. As a noble warrior, not a simple hobbit, he would not be able to show pity to Gollum, which led to its destruction.

[@Aetheraev]

Indeed. And this is explicitly called out in the text by Gandalf. "Pity? It was pity that stayed Bilbo's hand. Many that live deserve death. Some that die deserve life. Can you give it to them, Frodo? Do not be too eager to deal out death in judgment. Even the very wise cannot see all ends. My heart tells me that Gollum has some part to play in it, for good or evil, before this is over. The pity of Bilbo may rule the fate of many."

[@Annathroy]

The older I get the more I appreciate J.R.R. Tolkien and his son Christopher for giving us such an amazing story and lore. Very much one of the most influential writers in history.

[@greengrendel]

Let's be real, a council of elves just wouldn't have given the flippin' One Ring to a dwarf.

[@gabinator92]

Well it wasn't a council of Elves... Gimli was on the council lol

[@user-bl7em8sx6o]

​@@gabinator92 okay a council run by elves in rivendell

[@gabinator92]

@@user-bl7em8sx6o Calm down dude, the elves were not rabidly racist towards dwarves, especially not Elrond. If that was the most sensible solution he would have supported it, and it was not "run by elves", Elrond hosted the council there.

[@WayanMajere]

​@@gabinator92Elrond wasn't the only one making decisions and it's pretty clear from the get go that dwarfs and elves wouldn't give the ring to the other.

[@boatrat]

Two words. "Dwarvish Racket". As Bilbo long ago observed, Hobbits, while ALSO being "resistant" to the power of the Ring(s) in their own way... are simply much better than Dwarves at the "sneaking" part.

[@jackiespeel6343]

What can the Ring offer the Hobbits that they want? More archives and family trees?

[@KuK137]

@@jackiespeel6343 LOL, what a stupid way of thinking. Seeing hobbits have rich, lords, and powerful, it means they desire money and power too. How do you think Saruman found so many allies there without even trying? Tolkien's naive and rosy look falls apart when you consider they have feudalism and rich dominating everything like humans do...

[@Rollacoastertycoon]

@@KuK137what a stupid way of thinking about a fantasy book? You must be smart

[@jackiespeel6343]

@@KuK137 But the Ring is not Saruman - and you have not answered the question.

[@jackiespeel6343]

@@KuK137The inhabitants of the Shire were in a position to expand the territory and/or have settlements outside it should they so wish - there was territory so available. Bilbo and Frodo were members of what in the UK of a previous period would have been called the squirearchy; Smeagol's grandmother was a person of influence in her community. Sam Gamgee was presented with the concept of 'dominion over territories' so presumably the other three had similar 'visions' but did not pursue it, but used the Ring for their own immediate purposes.

[@f0rth3l0v30fchr15t]

4:30 One thing that I think is interesting is the parallel between Gimli's desire to settle the Glittering Caves and Galadriel's wish to cross the Misty Mountains and establish a new kingdom of her own is that neither did so with the aim of conquering or toppling an existing ruler. If they had been playing a game of Civilisation, both are clearly looking for a Cultural Victory (or at least to build a Wonder, anyway), rather than to dominate others.

[@Fridaey13txhOktober]

They would still have subjects??

[@davidioanhedges]

Gimli's role was always, with Legolas, to heal the rift between the Dwarves and the Elves, to unite them for the final battles in case Frodo faltered ... and the moment when the Elves decided to give him a chance, was when Gladriel asked him to name anything, and it would be his, and what they thought of as a greedy, blundering Dwarf, bashfully refused, saying he wanted nothing, just seeing her was enough, but when pushed repeatedly, he tentatively asked, if permitted, for a single hair to remember her by, and she gave what she had refused to Faenor three times, and gave him three golden hairs ...

[@MoonlightHorizon-ev7ev]

Him posessing the ring at that moment he found out his kin were dead in moria could've been disastrous. Vengeful sorrow combined with ultimate power seems like it could end badly.

[@Corleone1891]

This is still the greatest Lord Of The Rings channel ever on KZbin. Your pleasant voice and narration skill is wholesome, inviting, and downright lovely. Please don't ever succumb to the modern trend of using the stupid AI voice that everyone uses. Also, your videos are not exhaustively long. They are to the point and disseminate the information in just the right length of time for the given topic of the day. Also, the mixture of Lord Of The Rings artwork from all different eras combined with film and television images just feels so all-encompassing and all-inclusive. Please never stop making these fantastic videos.

[@rikk319]

100% agree. I also like how Robert finds quality Tolkien art online and adds it to his videos. I love seeing different artists' interpretations of the Professor's work.

[@esshor.]

Perfectly articulated. Ditto

[@mattyboyb523]

It’s recently struck me how incredibly deep this story goes and how many forks in the road there were therefore there is so much to discuss and ponder about. Amazing.

[@GalacticChimp]

5:20 The elves did not say that Gimli breathed so loudly that they could have shot him in the dark. They said that of Sam. (Another Peter Jackson alteration.)

[@TillionTirrion]

Brilliant job with this one, you speak to Gimli’s martial prowess exceedingly well.

[@chamuuemura5314]

With the ring he could’ve had the prowess, 3 strands of Galadriel’s hair, and a pet balrog.

[@kineticstar]

I think the reason Sauron's rings couldn't truly affect the Dwarves was because they were not part of the Song of the Ainur. They were made later and in secret, so Sauron did not know what exactly what was needed to over come their creation. But, thats my lowly opinion.

[@haga2519]

Good theory.

[@Tomichika]

I like you opiniom very much 🦖

[@thing_under_the_stairs]

@@Tomichika I like your dinosaur very much.

[@ianover6838]

Did anyone besides Aulë know they weren't Eru's creation?

[@kineticstar]

@@ianover6838 Yavanna did. That's how she got permission to create the Ents.

[@BLooDCoMPleX]

Considering how the Arkenstone tempted the dwarves in Hobbit, I assume the temptation of the One Ring would be irresistible for Gimli.

[@mateuszslawinski1990]

This. Dwarves were tempted by pretty jewelry twice and both times they failed. I can't really see Gimli being able to throw the Ring into the lava.

[@12classics39]

@@mateuszslawinski1990it’s a canon fact that NOBODY could throw the Ring into the fire….including any dwarf. Gimli would’ve turned away at the last minute just like Frodo. And somehow I doubt Gimli would’ve treated Gollum with the same compassion as Frodo, which would’ve thus doomed the mission.

[@emilrobyn4216]

​@@12classics39 is it canon? do you have any sources? maybe not anyone that was in possession of the ring as long as Frodo was. but I believe Sam would have thrown the ring, and others as well if they'd only carried it for a few days. Frodo had the ring for 17 years, and being stabbed by that Morgul blade didn't make things easier. so it's a mircale he made it as far as he did. but if e.g. Isildur had given the ring to Elrond after it fell of Saurons finger (or even better Cirdan), they certainly would have been able to throw it into the fire.

[@disturbed157]

​@@emilrobyn4216tolkien said it in a paper i believe. Only frodo could have made it that far but eru had to intervene again to finish the job.

[@IngoSchwarze]

@@emilrobyn4216 Actually, even Sam doubted he could do it and became frightened by suddenly seeing delusions of grandeur, such as he would never have considered himself capable of, when he first looked into Mordor from Cirith Ungol, wearing the ring. He feared losing essential aspects of his personality if he had to wear the ring, and that's quite plausible because it's exactly how the ring works: eliminating positive traits of personality and reinforcing dubious aspects of the personality, and such aspects exist in every mortal, even in Sam. Yes, Sam might have been even more resistant to the ring than Frodo was, but it's far from a foregone conclusion that he would have been able to throw it into the lava, even if you only consider the published text of the LotR and not later writings by JRRT.

[@ImagineMySurprise510]

Another factor that is overlooked is that when Sauron poured his power into the Ring while making it, he gave it the power to prevent anyone, even himself, from destroying it. So that means that Gimli would not have been able to cast it into the fire, and in fact Frodo wasn't able to do this for the same reason. If it wasn't for the 'chance' of the mad capering of Gollum and falling accidently over the edge, the Ring would not have been destroyed.

[@MCFoultier]

Thats your point of view. I think, it would have happened like this. Legolas :"stupid dwarf, you cant even toss a Ring!" Gimli :"I'll show ya, ya slim bread eating tree lova!"

[@12classics39]

I think a big reason why it had to be a hobbit was that, until Gollum’s torture, Sauron had no idea what hobbits were. Chances are he doesn’t even know what a regular hobbit looks like. So it would be much harder for Sauron to spot a hobbit in Mordor since he’s so unfamiliar with them. Whereas he is quite familiar with dwarves and would’ve easily seen Gimli.

[@thebatmary5954]

In the Ring’s POV, its chain of possession goes: Sauron! My guy, cool. Uh oh he’s gone but I’m picked up by the high king of men! Not too bad. Let’s ditch this guy and get to an orc and why is no one searching this riverbed?! Ok I’ll take anyone- what is this thing? It’s really short… oh, its creepy friend killed it. Another halfling. Ok imma ditch him and try to find a goblin AND WHERE ARE ALL THESE HOBBITS COMING FROM??? Ok, he’s giving me up so maybe the wizard will take me- you’ve got to be kidding me. Why. Ok, time for a journey and… What even is this Tom Bombadil guy??? He’s weird; please save me, Frodo. Ok, Council of Elrond. I’ll take anyone except another hobbit. 🤬 Ok, let’s see if that creep can get rid of this guy. C’mon, Shelob, “precious,” anyone except the gardener. Urghhhhhh. Ok, back to Frodo. I’m getting sick of all these hobbits. If the next person to take me is a hobbit, I’m leaving. Well crap. I’m out.

[@dimestorephilosopher3308]

I think the Hobbit and LotRs showed that while the dwarves might be resistant, they are also very tempted by other things, and just like Galadriel showed that she would start with the best intentions, the temptation would be too strong. So I think Gimli or any other dwarf would have turned back before the mission was finished for some reason such as retaking Moria.

[@XianHu]

Dwarves seem to be generally resistant to influences. Like Gimli’s line about Saruman, The wotds of this wizard stand on their heads, etc. Though I agree with everything you said.

[@adamhixon]

Is that asmongold at 2:52?

[@WiZard_3829]

💀

[@Sim4oo]

Last time I came this early, Sauron was still Annatar.

[@benrodir2]

and wasn't a dainty elf

[@ernestcline2868]

If you'd truly been early, Sauron would have still been Tevildo.

[@davidcooke8005]

I like the notion that it was The Ring itself that destroyed the ring. When Gollum swore to serve Frodo, he was made to swear his oath on The Ring, even as Frodo warns that It is treacherous. So at Mt Doom, when Gollum betrayed Frodo and bit The Ring and his finger off, The Ring held Gollum to his oath, and destroyed him, accidently taking itself along.

[@pong9000]

Yeah I suppose the prospect of another 500 years in Gollum's smothering care, would drive even The Ring to a reckless fury.

[@saladinbob]

There's another very good reason why it would have ended in disaster that you didn't cover in the video and that is politics. The Elves and Dwarves almost come to blows over the idea of other taking ownership of the ring, so it most likely would have ended up in a war between the Dwarves and Elves further weakening the the free peoples and very effectively handing Middle Earth to Sauron without even needing the One Ring. The complex politics of Middle Earth is something often overlooked.

[@doublestarships646]

I think only a simple person can carry the ring. No deep seeded desires that deal with the politics of their world. Frodo was truly meant to carry the ring.

[@rikk319]

Frodo wasn't simple like Sam was simple, though. He was an upper-class hobbit, educated, spoke a good deal of elvish, was taught history by Bilbo, and educated on what went on outside the Shire by Gandalf. Gandalf even said he was the best of all hobbits, and while he wasn't quite as humble as Sam was, he was humble enough for all his abilities and knowledge to quietly bear the burden of the Ring for months without complaint.

[@fjccommish]

I would carry it, walk right into Mt. Doom, toss it in. It wouldn't tempt me.

[@doublestarships646]

@@fjccommish Literally one of the first things it points out that people with an ego like you wouldn't be able to carry the ring lmfao!

[@Fridaey13txhOktober]

Put it on Joe Biden!

[@whitmerule2753]

Re. stealth, you're confusing movie comedy with the book lore. Tolkiens' Dwarves aren't actually so clumsy as we like to think when we compare them to light-footed Elves and sneaky Hobbits. (Though prim smug Bilbo might disagree.) In Lothlorien, the line 'they say you breathe so loud they could have shot you in the dark' is aimed at Sam, not Gimli - and just a few paragraphs earlier, Gimli was leaning down to listen to the ground in response to Frodo's instinctive fear of a following enemy (Gollum) , so he is at that point being portrayed as a character capable of doing the whole stealthy ranger thing, if not to the extent that Aragorn does.

[@calorion]

4:54 "It's just that he wouldn't have been controlled by Sauron." Now wait a minute; there's no indication that *any* of them would have been controlled by Sauron if they had taken the Ring. But they *would* have turned to evil, and that, perhaps would have been the difference.

[@irtnyc]

I agree with this refutation. I think more likely they would displace Sauron over time, and now we're in the new Dune film universe: the Harkonens leave Arakkis suddenly, and Villanueve has Chani ask in voiceover "Who will our new oppressors be?" We know it COULD have been Galadriel, or Gandalf, a Balrog, presumably Aragorn maybe... definitely not Bombadil, any hobbit we know of. But we still don't know about the dwarves let alone Gimli. I think the video fails to answer the question it asks. Why not Gimli? The answer can't just be, because it's a hobbit centric story. We're already in alt universe so that dog don't hunt.

[@rikk319]

@@irtnyc Good thoughts. Knowing how inward-seeking and introverted dwarves were, I think if the Ring corrupted Gimli, he'd have brought it back to the Lonely Mountain and eventually used it to become lord or King under the Mountain, and as time passed he'd have likely thought of reclaiming Moria. Of course, Sauron and his armies would still be around, though he'd be focusing on Gondor for the most part, he still sent an Easterling army to Erebor/Dale, and would have eventually figured out that Gimli had the Ring. I doubt there were enough dwarves to rally behind Gimli to fight off all of Sauron's armies he'd send to Erebor, and Gimli wouldn't be able to use the Ring like an istari or an elf like Galadriel, so he'd likely lose it to Sauron after making wall of orc and troll bodies around him.

[@patriciofernandez6500]

3:00 what a beautiful drawing!

[@jamesford2192]

Rip king theoden. Would love a video in his honor

[@marieroberts5664]

If we go by the book, only two people put themselves forward to take the Ring to Mordor: Bilbo and Frodo his heir. " 'Bilbo the silly hobbit started the whole affair, so he'd best finish it, or himself.' ... Boromir made as if to laugh, but found that no one was smiling, except for Gloin, whose smile came from old memories. " When Bilbo's offer was rejected, due in large part to his advanced old age (even tho he still maintained the vigor the Ring had acvorded him), the old Hobbit asked then who would go? And Frodo, drawn by some other far greater power, spoke: I will take the Ring to Mordor, tho I do not know the way. Gimli, nor Legolas, nor anyone else, even offered to take it to the fires. Elrond and Gandalf were so freaked out by the likelihood they would fall, they refused to take the Ring for any reason. Boromir already thought that going to Mordor was a stupid idea, as did a few of the elves, until Elrond corrected them all, and none of them offered. Boromir had come looking for counsel and alliances if possible, and so Aragorn made up his mind to go to Minas Tirith with Boromir and to go so far on the southern road until after crossing the mountains, when had Gandalf lived, he and Boromir were off to Minas Tirith and war. Aragorn was "laboring to repair Isildur's fault" and not interested in repeating Idildur's folly by claiming the Ring in any way. Elrond refused to force anyone to take this burden, so Frodo rose up to become the hero of the age, to take on a quest to cast a cursed treasure away.

[@irtnyc]

Underrated comment

[@howardadamkramer]

An often overlooked passage in the Fellowship of the Rings indicates that Aragorn only intended four to go to Mordor (Frodo, Sam, himself and Gimli). He was apparently concerned that Boromir and Legolas would have succumbed to its power. But he did trust Gimli to resist.

[@JohnnyREB1977]

I’m not so sure I agree with this. Sure, the Dwarves were a resistant people. But, the 3, the 7, and the 9 were all lesser rings and were connected to the One Ring, correct? So, to me it seems those lesser rings would logically have less control on the Dwarves in particular. But, the One Ring? That was imbued with much of Sauron’s will and power. As much as I like Giimli, I think he’d have succumbed. It just would’ve taken longer.

[@dromankass8655]

I agree that given enough time and exposure, all who came in contact with the One Ring would have been corrupted. I also like that in the Books, the Dwarves of the Lonely Mountain turn down the chance to have some of the Seven Rings of power back. Prior to the Council of Elrond an Emissary of Mordor came to them, and spoke with Dain, asking for news of 'The Shire' and of 'Hobbits' and where they may be found. The sinister figure told the dwarves that a thief had taken a ring, a little ring, the least of rings, a mere trinket that Sauron desires. Bring news of this thief or where he could be found, and they would have the friendship of Mordor. Bring Sauron the Ring itself, and he would give the three remaining Rings of the Seven (the other four having been consumed by the dragons), as he had given on old. To his great credit, Dain did not consider betraying Bilbo or the Hobbits of the Shire, and instead played for time, telling the dark Emissary that 'I must consider this message and it's true meaning'. 'Do not take long.' 'I will take as long as I need, for my time is my own.' 'For the moment.' Retorted the Emissary. Dain, having got the measure of the Emissary, did not feel tempted by the offers of Rings or friendship or cowed by the threats. Instead he acted swiftly, dispatching Gloin and Gimli to Rivendell (and to the Shire if need be) to warn the White Council and Bilbo that the power of Mordor was seeking him and his Ring, and that he needed to get to a place of safety. Perhaps you can't fool the dwarves the same way twice, or they had learned to beware of Dark Lords bearing gifts . . .

[@DevinDTV]

The premise is that he'd be resistant, not immune.

[@shaneg9081]

We meet all three who hold the three and all nine who hold the nine and not one who holds one of the seven, right? Dwarves may lust for treasures, but they don't seem to be all that into magical power. Frodo was still the right choice, but even he nearly failed on occasion because of his temptation to its power. But it is fair to say that Gimli may have been a valid choice, and if he were just slightly braver of character on his own accord, the true hero of the story, Samewise Gamgee, could have been the best to do it. But as written, yeah, pretty much had to be Frodo.

[@unintelligentlifeform7180]

I love all the connections and history that Tolkien gives his characters...especially the friendships. I love that frodo's uncle helped Gimli's father (and people) and now years later Gimli gets to return the favor. I image that gimli would have been right beside Frodo much like Sam....all the way to the end.

[@m.Diesel]

Getting back into the story with Andy Serkis' audiobook. Your vids are excellent supplemental material!

[@PeterBrieck]

"We dark lords are natural sprinters! Very dangerous over short distances!"

[@Nokyyyyy]

"Since Gimli got the one ring, he started digging even deeper and more greedily than ever." "Did he awaken another Balrog ?" "Worse than that it is, a Warden, from the ancient cities of sculk" "Dear lord."

[@lomiification]

Minecraft really needs to add a balrog. If you dig far enough through bedrock in the nether, you're comfronted by a balrog that has 1000x the health of a wither, causes everyone to catch fire with fire resist/gapples changing that to half damage, and weapons that one shot kill anyone with full protection (all of the protections at the same time V), and can throw fireballs that break bedrock. A proper final boss of the whole game

[@Cast-Carnival]

@@lomiification L minecraft take

[@hasan6698]

@@lomiification Your comment reminded me how I would imagine the new and powerful stuff that I would love to be added to Minecraft when I was a kid. It's gotta be nice to be able to think of possible new stuff from your perspective, try to not lose that perception

[@Nokyyyyy]

@@lomiification this is a mod I wouldn't play. It doesn't sound fun to fight :( But I appreciate the idea ! Also, how do you want to dig through bedrock ?

[@theanarchistcook]

My favorite part of the story is that nobody could willingly throw the ring into the fire. It's remarkable that Gimli honestly tried to do it, but over time it would have worked on him like it did Frodo. If he were carrying the ring, he probably never would have gotten past his fear and hate of elves. He probably would have stayed in Khazad-Dum and become a tyrant. Or, at the most opportune time, the ring could have somehow become lost or caused his death in order to fall into someone else's hands.

[@kzhou13]

So basically he couldn't carry the ring because that's not how the story was written

[@scottgalbraith7461]

Orcs can smell a dwarf a mile away. Most probably never smelled halfling.

[@caryrogers9676]

I believe that you are getting the book and the movie confused about whose breathing was so loud the elves could have shot him in the dark. In the book they said this about Sam. The movie used the line as comedy by giving it to Gimli.

[@rikk319]

Good spotting! Sam even covered up his mouth after Haldir relayed this from his brother...was it Orophin?

[@jonfiedler7639]

really enjoying the videos. great work!

[@pawbard]

Thanks Robert

[@procrastinator9]

I have always loved Gimli ever since I read the book for the first time back when I was in junior high school. Gimli inspired me to always play a dwarf when my fellow nerds got together to play D&D (back when it wasn't the abomination that RPGs became). He prompted my life long affinity for 3rd fiddles. I was always a George Harrison or Peter Tork or bass player fan. Gimli rocks. The solid back up without whom the ensemble would be evidently less and yet whose star rarely outshone the front men.

[@sonokawaray]

Thing is, Frodo was right for the job not just because of his resistance to the ring, but because he was also the perfect compromise pick as ringbearer. Everyone could see him with the ring and accept, "well, at least that bull-headed dwarf/dainty elf/weak-minded human doesn't have it." Gimli getting it could have resulted in at least one party walking out, and we see in canon how essential everyone was to Middle-Earth's victory. There's also the issue that, unless you're Tom Bombadil, no one is 100% immune to the ring's corruption. Frodo didn't have much latent ambition for it to play off of, but was exhausted enough physically and mentally by the end of the journey that he succumbed. Gimli has the opposite stats --- could get there and back again without breaking nearly as much of a sweat, but he's got big dreams for his family and people (lest we forget how psyched he is at the idea of Moria being reclaimed) that the ring could use to sway him into abandoning the mission. At that point either the rest of the Fellowship stops him and the ring changes hands to someone more easily influenced by it, or this skilled dwarven warrior overpowers everyone and goes home with it. And sure, Sauron can't control him, but what matters is that the ring would still be out there, safely in the hands of someone who can eventually be hunted down.

[@mayapapaya4952]

Dwarves weren't resistant to the rings lure, they were resistant to the powers mind control. The lure would still tempt them, but Sauron failed to control the dwarves who had their rings. Those who had rings hoarded so much thanks to the ring's lure that they attracted dragons who ate them and stole their hoards. Gimli would have struggled with the lure just as anyone else. But would have been impossible for Sauron to control while he wore the ring. That's why he didn't take the ring.

[@Ak_jet_owner]

I love your videos. Your content is interesting and your voice is strangely soothing.

[@Kennylaggins]

Dwarves aren’t resistant to the lure of beautiful jewelry. 😂

[@jarkin94]

You should do audio books! I'd definitely listen to you reading LOTR. Great vid, loving your content.

[@goldtoothslair3052]

Gimli will always be one of those characters that I like. And I remember reading a comment a long time ago about that Gimli was the only person that decided to just go ahead and try to destroy the ring. You're in a council full of the most powerful warriors in Mages of all time yet not a single one of them try to destroy the ring except for Gimli. Which granted Gimli failed put that still shows that he was willing to do something that the others just thought was impossible to even do though that thing that they thought was true. But nobody knew you can only destroy the ring if you throw it into the fires of Mount Doom. Because why does it have to be the fires of Mount Doom why can you not just go to any volcano and just throw it in there because if it's just the destruction of lava itself than any pit with lava would do. Or any magic that has the capability to summon fire as hot in potent as lava or just literally summon lava would just destroy the ring. And that's why I love Gimli because he at least tried and didn't just believe in some Superstition that was passed down by an elf that saw one guy get corrupted and didn't throw the ring in the fire and believed in a story that was possibly even told by the dark lord himself.

[@RolandoRatas]

I've been thinking about this exact same question for a little while. only about 35 years

[@danielduncan6806]

Gimli with the ring of power? After your description, I want to read that book, watch that movie, play that game.

[@BrainboxccGames]

great videos as ever! keep it up, I'm always looking forward to new content

[@mbryson2899]

"We really shook the pillars of Heaven, didn't we, Wang?" Gimli was definitely a Jack Burton style sidekick. Otnay ootay itebray, but a perfect member of a hero's company.

[@rikk319]

He was more serious, quiet, and grim-humored in the book at times, but he could be positive and eager to communicate with his teammates. I remember multiple times in the book where Gimli was the one arguing out a course of action with Gandalf or Boromir or Aragorn. He was 139 years old during the War of the Ring after all--older than Aragorn at 87, so he had a fair store of wisdom in his head. I still like the comparison to Jack Burton, since I love Big Trouble In Little China. "We really shook the pillars of Orthanc, didn't we Legolas?"

[@lsedge7280]

Also an additional reason: Gimli *is* a dwarf. The Council of Elrond consisted of Men, Elves, and Dwarves, primarily. Gandalf obviously sat on it, due to his status as a Wizard (in fact, it was noted as weird Saruman was not present), and Bilbo and Frodo sat on it, as Ringbearers, and in Bilbo's case, as the finder of the ring. Entrusting it to any Man, Elf, or Dwarf, would risk disillusioning the others, and could play into their temptations further even if the one carrying it was themselves resolute. (The corruptive temptation of the ring is merely stronger if worn, not limited wholly to the one wearing it). * Elrond, Gandalf, and Glorfindel sat on the council as some of the Wise, and Galdor was a messenger of Cirdan, another of the Wise, and just sort of in the right place at the right time. * Gandalf, Glorfindel, and Aragorn also sat on the council by virtue of having escorted the Ringbearers. * Elrond, Erestor, and Elrond's advisors, by virtue of being the host of the council (Lord of Rivendell and all) and while some others brought messages with them, Boromir, Gloin, Gimli, and Legolas primarily attended as representation of the Humans, Dwarves, and Elves. Also, Faramir was known to have had a prophetic dream pertaining to the ring, and Halflings, destining one of them to bear the ring. Likewise, Gimli and Gloin were sent by King Dain, who had been tempted by a messenger of Sauron to give up information in exchange for three of the Dwarf-rings, *Dain refused* after contemplating it. If they took the ring, it would undermine that act.

[@whatdothlife4660]

6:00 is an exquisite painting.

[@mercurydylan899]

In the book I seem to remember it’s Sam who is jibed for being a loud breather.

[@Tinnesa]

Elves would never allow a dwarf to get a hold of the one ring.

[@BrynLipinski]

Okay of all the Lord Of The Rings quotes, that one by Elrond must be Robert's favourite

[@rikk319]

It was a really pivotal point Elrond (and thus Tolkien) made, that quote.

[@rickmaldoo4205]

We dwarves are sprinters, very dangerous over short distances😅😂 I love that line

[@Ranger1741]

"If Frodo couldn't find a way, no one would." But since Frodo found a way, then perhaps Gimli would, too.

[@beagcradh4510]

As a heart akin to Gimli, i'll explain where things 'fall apart'. Innate and honed strength, beget a deeper hubris as elders would call it, the issue with this is a soul like mine at the point of 'needing to destroy' the ring would be prone to its whispers that 'Others were just fragile or lacking'. Pride and self-confidence too are a weakness when over-cultivated and that is why Gimli would have been a poor choice, he'd of made it to the finish line, only to risk absolute consumption over a slow-burn period.

[@refragerator]

It would be interesting to know if Gimli would have even wanted to bear the ring, had they asked him. Considering his very dwarven stubborness and upbringing, I could easily see him look at the ring and shaking his head, grumbling about why Elves would make a dwarf wear something that evil. The Gimli at the start of the fellowship, I feel, would have denied it and the Gimli at the end of the story would have acted much like Sam, carrying it only at a time for someone else who was too weak.

[@caryrogers9676]

In the Peter Jackson movie, the Lothlorien elves said of Gimli that he’s breathing was so loud they could have shot him in the dark. In the book, they actually said this of Sam.

[@isaach.1135]

Another mention as to Frodo being the apt choice, is that he demonstrated his own resilience to its influence pretty well up to the point of bringing to the council (as far as they were concerned). Gimli was yet to be tested (although again, he didn't seem to have much interest in it).

[@mjohnson5030]

Great video. Thanks. The lack of stealth, tactics nor diplomacy would have doomed a "Gimli Ringbearer" Fellowship. Gimli would have charged and triggered a fight against everyone when not appropriate: Boromir, elves, Faromir and the Rohirim, , the Rangers, the Mountain Ghosts... I love the character Gimli, he was good and brave, but he would have failed with the ring for certain.

[@FilmCram]

"All shall Toss me and despair!"

[@MountainFisher]

I always wondered the same since dwarves didn't disappear when wearing a great ring and they could not "fade" as Gandalf put it. Gollum had it for centuries as well, but he didn't wear the Ring all the time as it began to eat at him. After Gollum lost the Ring to Bilbo Gandalf referred to Gollum as recovering from it. An odd thing to say yet true, it wasn't eating at him anymore and Gollum like Bilbo got better. Remember Bilbo said to Frodo in Rivendell he often thought of returning to Bag End to get it back, but Elrond and Gandalf stopped him. It's as though he thought Frodo would give it back, but he would've been sorely mistaken. Gandalf I'm sure would not have let him go back regardless knowing that trying to take the Ring back from Frodo would have created an unrepairable rift between them. Bilbo just asking Frodo to let him hold it created a picture in Frodo's mind of a bony wraith-like creature that made Frodo want to strike him. It wouldn't have that effect on Gimli, but Gimli's destiny wasn't down that path. As Gimli said later in Minas Tirith in the Quest For Erebor chapter of Unfinished Tales Tolkien wrote that Gimli looked at Gandalf after Gandalf told about how he had told Frodo that Bilbo was meant to find the Ring and Frodo was meant to take it to be destroyed. Gimli looked hard at Gandalf and asked if he was meant to guide them to their final ends. I wished I could remember the reply by Gandalf exactly, but he knew he was meant to do what he'd done. Gimli's path was to go with Legolas to Valinor after the death of King Elessar to see the beauty of the Lady Galadriel once more before he died. If he'd taken the Ring he may have never gone that way to meet her.

[@BrandonRohe]

We can always rely on great content from you!

[@VasinSkulphichetrut]

What’s about “…over you gold shall have no dominion.” from Galadriel.

[@rom65536]

Dwarves have the phrase "You ain't the boss o' me!" stamped on their souls.

[@IngoSchwarze]

Except that they said exactly the opposite and begged for mercy when Eru commanded Aulë to destroy the presumptuous sub-creation of his, and Aulë raised his hammer to smash them. But probably you are right that bowing to Aulë and bowing to a being of lesser rank than one of the chief Valar are two completely different things.

[@rikk319]

@@IngoSchwarze Eh, that was right after they were created, being in the presence of their creator and the God of the universe, it's not surprising.

[@octaviusmigtonius2965]

5:19: No they didn't! That was only in the movie. In the book, they didn't even know there was a dwarf among them at that point. In the book, the comment was about the entire fellowship, not specifically Gimli.

[@Endlessvoidsutidos]

amazing video as always could you possibly do one on - What is The Door of Night I think a deep dive into this could be really cool :D

[@Tletna]

Frodo needed Sam and Gollum's help to succeed, not to mention Gandalf and the rest of the party to get through the mountains. I think with the same amount of help, Gimli could have succeeded. But, we see from Gimli that he is less interested in keeping the ring or hiding it or taking it to Mt Doom to destroy it and more interested in destroying it immediately (at least in the film). And, that would've been Gimli's greatest strength and weakness. He was very straightforward and trustworthy, so he would've resisted temptation but he also wouldn't have hidden well or used any sneaky tactics (at least not well). I still think with help from someone clever though he could've succeeded.

[@LongPeter]

Gimli with the ring is basically the Doomslayer.

[@animoetprudentia2865]

It's easy to suggest Sam was the hero in the story due to his heroics and courage at the most crucial moments in the journey. But Sam would've never been afforded the opportunity were it not for Gandalf. His decision to give Sam the "job" of escorting Frodo to Bree is what made destroying the ring possible. He was in all ways the living hand of Eru in that beloved tale.

[@Sasso-pf1mo]

Its been at least 6 weeks since I watched the entire saga..time to watch again

[@tonyhacker5980]

Love gimli. Love this video man!

[@acediadekay3793]

Here is a wild one for you: What if Sauron had the power of the industrial revolution on their side? (Napoleonic age) Would Sauron be able to mach our individual might? (Muskets - Rockets - Hot air balloon's - Steam powered factories) Or would the Army of Mordor crumble if faced with exploding mortar shells and bouncing cannonballs rained down upon it?

[@bewawolf19]

Sauron would have had better luck imitating a pipe and shot era than napoleonic. His Uruk-Hai had the discipline to form excellent pike and shot formations and early pike and shot formation did feature bows. Formation wise it would be devastating to fight and the disciplined Uruk-Hai would be able to keep cohesion fairly well, and more importantly could to a limited degree be equipped with the technology Sauron has. Otherwise Sauron needs to figure out how to effectively replicate what in real life was hundreds of years of history within a span of a few years without him even knowing what a musket or suchlike is. It would be a complete waste of time, whilst he could've potentially fielded atleast a few pike and shot formations.

[@rexlevitak1]

Because if they did give the Ring to Gimli the story would be 90% shorter as he would slam dunk into Mordor without hesitation and Boromir would be just like “ no thanks Ring I am not catching rhse dwarven hands “

[@scottleneau6221]

"When Sam wore the ring, the orc saw him as a mighty warrior, and that was Sam." But... Sam defeated Shelob. His bravery was absolutely legendary in that chapter. I think the ring was just showing the Orcs who he actually was.

[@MoraqVos]

Why not Zoidberg?

[@ФедяКрюков-в6ь]

In fact, Zoidberg could be easly corrupted by the limitless power. And he would just loose the ring anyway at some point thanks to clumsy claws

[@erikgilson1687]

Gandalf saying that Tom Bomadil wasn't powerful enough to confront Sauron was probably the most telling line about the limits of Tom's powers which everyone still debates today. He was probably extremely powerful in the limited area he had set up for himself and probably would have been able to withstand Sauron in his glades etc even if he'd taken over Middle Earth but his power greatly diminished outside of those parameters

[@faketheo3432]

is this a re-upload? I thought I've already a video on this exact question

[@i.b.640]

The pinned comment says it is an update from a post in jannuary 2023

[@347Jimmy]

There's probably some updated info, if not at least editing wording from the original Definitely an update, as opposed to a straightforward re-upload

[@faketheo3432]

got it. there just was no pinned comment yet, when I wrote mine 😅

[@judsongaiden9878]

1:25 Almost a Baphomet pose right there. 3:54 He would have become a Blood Knight fueled by a lust for sporting challenges.

[@CWGworden]

I never thought of the The fact that they could just give it to the dwarfs and it would be a lot safer. Even though I doubt the doors would take it

[@juskahusk2247]

1:27 They should have made this hot evil Galadriel vision into a 9 hour trilogy.