The Lord of the Ringsis full of mysteries, but one thing that can be explained, if tackled right, is why the wearer of the One Ring became invisible.The One Ringwas Sauron’s remote control for the nine weapons of mass destruction that were his Ringwraiths.Each of the nine Ringwraiths possessed one of the Rings of Powerthat Sauron had made for the race of Men, all of which were made to bow fully to the One Ring’s control. The Ringwraiths and Frodo all experienced invisibility due to wearing their rings at some point, with Bilbo also disappearing when he put on the One Ring.
Holding the One Ring, Sauron had a level of control over the wearers of all otherRings of Power. This was always Sauron’s intention, designed into the rings. Sauron would have preferred to control more than just nine warriors and authority figures with Rings of Power, but the seven rings he created for Dwarves didn’t quite yield the same submissive slaves. Dwarves were too hardy to be enslaved by the Seven, although they were corrupted. Nor did the Three enslave the Elves.Invisibility was just one power conferred by the toxic rings, lulling owners into a false sense of their own might, but it proved to be a curse a well.
The One Ring Takes The Wearer Into The Unseen Realm
Most People Exist In The Seen Realm
Most people in Middle-earth, across all its fantasy races, existed in the Seen realm, butthe Seen realm could be exited by putting on a Ring of Power. Putting on a Ring of Power could immediately transport its wearer intothe Unseen realm ofLord of the Rings, which was inhabited by certain magical beings. The Ringwraiths had been drawn into this world almost completely, leaving only the suggestion of their physical selves. This is why Frodo could see them when he put on the One Ring. He disappeared from the Seen realm but entered the Unseen and was “half in the wraith-world.”
The Unseen Realm Corrupts The Wearer Of The Ring Over Time
The Ring Warps Its Wearer
All Rings of Power were vulnerable to Sauron’s influence, being designed by him from the start, sobeing drawn into the Unseen realm by a ring was often a bad signfor the wearer. Wearing a ring transported its wearer to the Unseen realm, but unfortunately, the more the ring was worn, the harder it was to leave.The sinister Ringwraithswere enchanted by their rings and the powers they granted them, clinging to them. All this time spent in the Unseen realm eventually left them wraiths, barely able to touch the Seen realm, although their robes gave them visible form in the Seen.
Rings of Power enabled their wearers to see other beings in the Unseen realm and to be seen by them. This is whySauron could see Frodo when he put on the One Ring. Sauron was a spirit being able to exist in both the Seen and the Unseen realms. Gandalf confirmed thatthe Elvish Eldarcould too - “those who have dwelt in the Blessed Realm live at once in both worlds, and against both the Seen and the Unseen they have great power.” The One Ring may have made its wearer invisible to most, but it made them more visible to some of the most powerful beings inThe Lord of the Rings,from the Ringwraiths to Sauron himself.
The Lord of the Rings
The Lord of the Rings is a multimedia franchise consisting of several movies and a TV show released by Amazon titled The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power. The franchise is based on J.R.R. Tolkien’s book series that began in 1954 with The Fellowship of the Ring. The Lord of the Rings saw mainstream popularity with Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit trilogies.
