# Sauron's Mercy?



## Ancalagon (Jun 19, 2002)

Would Sauron have put Frodo to death if he had succeeded in capturing him with the Ring?


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## Lantarion (Jun 19, 2002)

Well I don't know who 'Fordo' is, but I think he would have tortured Frodo for a very long time before he killed him, if at all. A slave saved is a penny earned they say.


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## Flame of Anor (Jun 19, 2002)

If my memory serves me, Sauron would have killed the person with the Ring. I don't think that Sauron would have shown mercy to anyone who carried the Ring. If I remember right, Sauruman said that the Nine had left Mordor in search of the Ring and would kill the person who had it, or something to that effect.

BTW I voted other because I believe that he(Sauron) would not have hesitated to kill the person with the Ring.

-Flame


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## Ancalagon (Jun 19, 2002)

I suppose what always sticks in my mind is the fact that the Black Riders said to Frodo at the Ford; 'Come back! Come back! To Mordor we will take you!'

I always thought that they would bring Frodo before Sauron to face his greatest fear. Seeing the ring on the finger of Sauron!


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## Turgon (Jun 19, 2002)

> *By Ancalagon*
> I always thought that they would bring Frodo before Sauron to face his greatest fear. Seeing the ring on the finger of Sauron!


That would be torture enough. There is a passage in LoTR in which Gandalf tells Frodo exactly was Sauron had planned for him.



> *from 'Many Meetings'*
> 'What would they have done to me?' asked Frodo. 'What were the Riders trying to do?'
> 'They tried to pierce your heart with a Morgul-knife which remains in the wound. If they had succeeded, you would have become like they are, only weaker and under their command. You would have become a wraith under the dominion of the Dark Lord; and he would have tormented you for trying to keep his Ring, if any greater torment were possible than being robbed of it and seeing it one his hand.'



Scary!?!


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## Niniel (Jun 20, 2002)

And remember what the Mouth of Sauron said to Gandalf, that they would torture him until he was broken and then relaese him, so that they could see whtra they had done. But then they didn't know that Frodo had the Ring. Still, I think that Sauron would not have killed Frodo, but have kept him alive to torment him.


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## Ithrynluin (Jun 20, 2002)

I don't think Sauron would have killed Frodo. With the One ring back on his finger,why do that? He would be delighted to torment Frodo and see him break and "fall apart" as the years went by.
As the book says,he would probably let him go after a long period of time,when he was completely changed and withered.


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## Gamil Zirak (Jun 20, 2002)

If Sauron had taken after his master, Melkor, he would have tortured Frodo for many a long time. He would have then let him go so that after his tortue and dimension in hopes that Frodo would do some harm or misfortune to the enemies of Sauron.


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## Theoden (Jun 21, 2002)

> _Originally posted by Flame_of_Anor _
> *If my memory serves me, Sauron would have killed the person with the Ring. I don't think that Sauron would have shown mercy to anyone who carried the Ring. If I remember right, Sauruman said that the Nine had left Mordor in search of the Ring and would kill the person who had it, or something to that effect.
> 
> -Flame *



but do you remember what the Mouth of Sauron said to Aragorn, Gandalf, and Pippin at the Black Gates of Mordor?


> _ The Return of The King_
> *He was dear to you, I see. Or else his errand was one that you did not wish to fail. It has. And now he shall endure the slow torment of years, as long as our arts in the Great Tower can contrive, and never be released, unless maybe when he is changed and broken, so that he may come to you and you shall see what you have done *


I think that Saurons mouth makes it clear that had Frodo been captured, he woud have been tormented and tortured until there was nothing left of the gentle hobbit we all love and admire. 

-me


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## Gandalf_White (Jun 21, 2002)

I picked Yes, but after many years of torment.
IMO if Sauron had the Ring he would have loved to see Frodo suffer. He would probably tell Frodo what an idiot he was to have even tried to destroy the Ring.(Frodo would believe it too.) In the book I understood that they would torment him as stated in:


> The Return of The King
> He was dear to you, I see. Or else his errand was one that you did not wish to fail. It has. And now he shall endure the slow torment of years, as long as our arts in the Great Tower can contrive, and never be released, unless maybe when he is changed and broken, so that he may come to you and you shall see what you have done


I figure maybe Sauron would release him when he was "changed and broken" just so people could see what kind of torment and evil he could contrive.


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## Anarchist (Jun 30, 2002)

What does mercy have to do with Sauron?? I guess he would make Frodo a statue and place him high on a mountain, where he could see ME and especially Shire being destroyed. It has happened before with Morgoth.


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## Smokey (Jun 30, 2002)

I think Sauron would probably have tortured Frodo for as long as he could before he died.
Though that might not have been much longer.


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## Gilraen (Jul 22, 2002)

full marks to turgon and theoden. i think it was tolkiens intention to make it clear that ring's spell enslaves the ringbearers. transforming them (or twisting them), they will risk all to keep the ring 'safe' i.e. in their hands. they will kill to keep th ering, but once they have it, intoxicated by its power, they feel invincible. they torment those who covet the ring with their possession of it and they realise that the greatest torment is to see the ring on another's finger. the text is clear on this issue. it is part of the nature of the ring rather than sauron or anybody else. but perhaps it is a nature of the ring only because sauron made it and put so much of himself and his power into it. one way or another, sauron would most certainly have imprisoned frodo if he had captured him and mercy would have had nothing to do with it.


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## Aragorn*9 (Jul 29, 2002)

I think that the passages some of you posted is what we have to follow. That he would be tortured untill he was "brocken" and then release him to the fellowship "to see what they had done".
Julie


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## Grond (Jul 30, 2002)

I voted that Sauron would keep Frodo a prisoner forever. It would have been to Sauron's delight to hold a bearer of the Ring to torment him and flaunt His possession to someone who had borne it for years. 

One must remember that the only ringbearer that Sauron ever captured was Gollum. Only after He had tortured him and learned all that he could from him did He release him and He released him solely because Sauron knew that Gollum would continue to search for the Ring and likely lead Him directly to it. 

Sauron was the epitome of Evil that remained on Middle-earth. I doubt He would ever have let any single living being, who had borne the Ring, out of His sight.


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