[Jafin]

<blockquote>quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by Tancred:
The three Elven-Rings were originally held by Galadriel, Elrond and Cirdan (Lord of the Grey Havens, a western outpost of Elves beond the Shire); however, Cirdan's ring was given to Gandalf, Cirdan admitting that 'you'll need it more than I will'. Not that Gandalf ever wears it - that would reveal him to Sauron fully - but as Gandalf appears to have some affinity for fire in the book, and the ring he keeps is Narya - Ring of Fire - perhaps he gains something from it passively, just as Galadriel and Elrond do.
The seven Dwarf-Rings were lost; four of them were destroyed by dragonfire, as the Dwarf Lords tried to battle the Dragons that sought to take the dwarf gold hoards. Three of them Sauron has found, and he keeps them (one he took from Thorin's grandfather Thror, if any of you know 'The Hobbit').
The Nine Rings of Men are still held by the Ringwraiths. By each one are they kept slaves to Sauron's will.

As to why Sauron did not turn invisible... well, the Ring 'shifts' a person into the spirit realm, essentially. Hence why Elves appear to almost shine, Frodo can see the Ringwraiths as they truly are, and the real world seems shadowy. Sauron, being in essence a demigod, is a powerful spirit, perhaps his physical and spiritual forms are one and the same?

The One Ring's powers... who knows? Domination and control, the power to conquer - mainly. Had Aragorn taken the ring, for example, no doubt he would have raised the armies of Gondor and Rohan, and the surrounding realms to boot, and sought to invade Mordor to fight for mastership of Middle-Earth - only to become like a second Dark Lord in the Process. Who knows? Much of Sauron was in it, so eventually the Ring's main function is to turn whoever uses it into another Sauron... Frodo, Bilbo - even Gollum - were able to resist for so long because, as hobbits or hobbitlike folk, they did not dream of conquest, and because they had little or no strength of their own. The Ring is mentioned as 'giving power according to the measure of its' possessor'. This is, naturally, why Gandalf (and Galadriel)refused to take it, and why the possibility of Saruman gaining it would be terrible - as Wizards, the power they would gain would easily match Sauron's.<hr></blockquote>

Wow, mucho excellent post! And very accurate to boot! But as far as the owners of the elven rings go, didn't Gil-Galad have Quenya, until he died in the final battle between Sauron and the Last Alliance, at which point he gave it to Elrond? Either way Elrond's got it now!

-Jafin