The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring : Was there a reason Elrond didn't force the ring from Isildur?

I know the real answer is if he did that that there'd be no movie, so save your breath if that's your answer. But was there ever an in movie explanation? Elrond knew how dangerous the ring was. He knew how it needed to be destroyed to kill Sauron forever. When Isildur refused to destroy it, why not attack him and take the ring and throw it in himself? Or even kill Isildur if it came to that? Throw Isildur in with the ring. Did he underestimate how powerful Sauron was and how he could return in the future? Did he not realize just how powerful the ring was until much later?

The choice of free will was important to Tolkien and therefor it was important in Middle-earth. Isildur had the right to make that decision for himself, right or wrong.

"Hell hath no fury like that of the uninvolved." - T. Isabella

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Elrond knew how dangerous the ring was.

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No. He 'had a bad feeling about it' and thought it would be a better idea to destroy the Ring than keep. Up until that point, no one had ever had the Ring but Sauron, so the case file on all the corrupting effects, not to mention the idea that Sauron's spirit would endure, was empty.

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When Isildur refused to destroy it, why not attack him and take the ring and throw it in himself? Or even kill Isildur if it came to that? Throw Isildur in with the ring.

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Because Elrond is not a murderer and Isildur was not doing anything to justify such an action. Full stop.

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Did he underestimate how powerful Sauron was and how he could return in the future? Did he not realize just how powerful the ring was until much later?

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He certainly had no way of knowing definitively.

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Because Elrond is not a murderer and Isildur was not doing anything to justify such an action. Full stop.

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Not to mention that killing the future king (who had also defeated Sauron) would most likely immediately cause another war, now between Elves and Men. They had just ended one, and now they're gonna have another? And all of this for what, because Elrond *suspected* that the ring would have an evil influence? Starting another bloody war right now because of a hunch would make absolutely no sense.

If Elrond had been wise enough to just give Isuldur a shove, the only living witness would have been Cirdan and Cirdan wasn't going to tell the humans that Elrond had killed their king for valid reasons. There wouldn't have been any war between elves and humans, if Cirdan had thought that Elrond deserved to face justice for that he would have dealt with it privately, later. Told him that he was a murderer and unfit to be Gil-Galad's heir, he should resign his leadership position or go over the sea or something.

No, the real reason that Elrond didn't give Isuldur a well-deserved shove was because he wasn't a murderer! (Galadriel might have, but she wasn't there.)




Seventy-seven courses and a regicide, never a wedding like it!

This was never stated in the books but this is my theory:

If any of the major elf-lords had taken the ring for his or her own, they would have been able to become as Gods with all the power it would have given them, and it would inevitably have corrupted whomsoever held it. Any elf-lords who took the ring would have become a few Dark Lord.

Therefore, they didn't trust each other with the damn thing, even if the intent was to destroy it. So they left it in the hands of a human who couldn't touch it without trying his finger off, and who couldn't do anything with it but turn invisible. It was less dangerous there, almost as good as using a hobbit as it's carrier.




Seventy-seven courses and a regicide, never a wedding like it!

"This was never stated in the books"

Well, yes, a couple of times in pretty much those words.

As for the 2nd statement it wasn't "left" with anyone. For 3,00 years it was believed to be lost and that much is clear even from the film.

The Unfinished Tales pointed out that I sulfur died midway between Galadriel's home in Lorien, and Thranduil's home in the Greenwood.

Now, do you think those two would even trust each other to look for the one ring?



Seventy-seven courses and a regicide, never a wedding like it!

I've posted this link before, but the OP may find it both amusing and informative.

http://hubpages.com/entertainment/elrond-isildur

It's an engagingly written but clear exposition of the background and the reasons why Elrond didn't interfere with Isildur.

Read the link. It's pretty accurate (and amusing) and gives a clear enough view to those who just want the answer without getting caught up in all the trivia surrounding it. If the OP wants any sort of further explanation than that, he's welcome to ask.

bumping a worthy thread for the final week.