agitated and shows the change in his attitude. It is very important to understand that the ringthe crucial point of the conversation - seems to have a great influence on Bilbo, who thus appears to be very biased.

In contrast, Gandalf acts really controlled. First, he analyses Bilbo’s attitude and also extraverts his conclusions. It thus becomes obvious that he considers the situation in a very reflected way. He holds a virtual mirror up to Bilbo and lets him see the consequences his behaviour will result in if it does not change (l. 13-15). Subsequently, he tries to disabuse Bilbo by pointing out for the better way (l. 15-16). Schenkel denotes Gandalf as the Merlin of modern age, as he knows almost everything, which seems to be the case in the excerpt, as well (32). Toward the end of the dialogue, Gandalf becomes appealing and forceful (lines 18-20), which is recognizable by his use of diction, syntax and punctuation marks. First of all, Tolkien uses a repetition at the beginning (“Now, now [...]” (l. 18)) of Gandalf’s last speech of the excerpt, hence creating an urgently appeal. Moreover, Gandalf addresses Bilbo very personally, but simultaneously dissociates himself from him by using a hypernym (“[...] my dear hobbit [...]” (l. 18)) instead of his name. Furthermore, the meaning of Gandalf’s sentences is enhanced by several exclamation marks and an ellipsis sentence construction, which is also used to highlight the importance of his words. It can therefore be said that the most significant things come at the end of the conversation. This is supported by several phrases in which Gandalf appeals to the Bilbo (“[...] you owe me something.” (l. 19), “Do as you promised: give it up.” (l. 19-20)), which are intended to make Bilbo feel guilty about his behaviour and also support Gandalf’s intention of convincing the Hobbit to give him the ring. Nevertheless, Gandalf, who acts very consciously later, seems to be worried and shocked at first (“[...] he was startled and indeed alarmed.” (l. 9-10)), which leads to the conclusion that Bilbo’s behaviour is somewhat apprehensive and unusual.

The Origin

Before the role of the ring can be analysed, some knowledge of background facts, more precisely, the origin of the ring-symbol, is required. In the publication Tolkien’s Ring, David Day notes that Tolkien’s inspiration for The Lord of the Rings was the world of myth and legend, and that the epic tale made Tolkien the “heir of an ancient story telling tradition that

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used common symbolic language and a wide range of mythological structures”, which includes the symbol of the ring (12).

The ring itself has its origin in a tradition of ring quest tales that first came into being “among tribal people long before written records were kept” (Day 11-12). This statement shows that Tolkien’s world is not just invented; he also uses “a vast range of histories, myths, tales, folklore [and] sagas” for the development of his epic tale (Day 14). Tolkien himself described that process by using the metaphor of soup making, which means that “the pot of soup or the Cauldron of Story has always been boiling and that to it have continually added new ingredients” (Day 14). The ring is one of the bits and pieces of the traditional soup that Tolkien used; as aforementioned, the ring quest tale is nothing new. The belief in the power of supernatural rings “has been with the human race since the dawn of history”; therefore it is “very much a part of history itself” (Day 19). Three examples illustrate the importance of rings in a historical context. First, the ring was adapted by the church as a symbol of authority and power (Day 25). Examples include officers of the church wearing a ring as a symbol of office, the taking of marriage vows with a ring at Christian weddings, and nuns who are “wed” to Christ with a golden ring (Day 25). Another example is the ring as a symbol of the alchemist, which represented the forbidden quest for knowledge and was also linked with alchemist practises (Day 25). Finally, a ring could also be a cause of war (as in Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings). One such example is the downfall of the Roman Republic because of the Social Wars or the downfall of the once mighty sea empire of the Republic of Venice. (Day 19) These are just few examples taken from an enormous spectrum of backgrounds, to which David Day devotes his whole book.

The Ring as a Symbol of Power

Knowing that rings have always played a significant role in history as well as mythology and oral tradition, both of which inspired Tolkien, one can now take a closer look at the way the writer applied the ring symbol in his epic tale. As a “symbol for absolute power”, the ring belongs to a superior being and constitutes the key element of Tolkien’s work, as its “possession or destruction is one of the main themes” (Döffinger 64). It influences the entire philosophical alignment of Middle-Earth through representing the “nature and the cause of evil and the overcoming of radical finiteness with inner cosmic tools” (Kölzer 234).

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Power itself is connoted neither negatively nor positively; only through the variation of its implementation does the motive get its corrupt meaning. As Elrond says “Nothing is evil in the beginning.” (Flieger 97) Moreover, the prevalent worldview in Middle-Earth is not to criticise power. Instead, the “hierarchic order of social structures is a reflection of "good order" on a macrocosmic level” (Kölzer, 235). Therefore, it is necessary to elaborate on the dark side’s ambition to explain the first assumption.

Initially, the ring was created to enable the accomplishment of the “dark-side's” intentions. This can be understood as something one-dimensional, since the military triumph and thus the repeal of the predominant order through the commitment of an autocrat is the only visible one (Kölzer 235). Furthermore, it can be argued that this “reckless egocentricity” concerning on the one hand the claim to power and on the other the exercise of power finds its symbolic expression through the element of the "one ring", which is the “only tool to negate the “God-given order of creation”” (Kölzer, 235). For that reason it can be said that the nature of the one ring and the way it should be used reveals the ring as a symbol of the nature of evil (Kölzer 236). It cannot be used even with good intentions. This is due to the power the ring has over the ring-bearer rather than it being the other way around, which will inevitably have negative consequences (Kölzer 237). This is furthered by the fact that the ring's power is absolute, does not have to be shared and is not connected to any conditions or obliged to any other power, as the ring-bearer represents the top of the hierarchic order of creation, but at the same time he exonerates from it by disregarding the demands of everyone else (Kölzer 237). Additionally, K. quotes Hauser that the ring is a “symbol of the overcoming of radical finiteness”, which is a concept from anthropological ideology (239). This means that the ring lends its bearer certain powers, like a longer life, supernaturally keen senses and access to a world in between, which can be used to surmount this profound worldview (Kölzer 239). Recapitulating, this dream of almightiness can only get achievable by taking it into consideration, because as seen in The Lord of the Rings, resistance can destroy the power.

The Relationship

As can be gathered from the analysis of the excerpt, the ring has great influence on its bearer, whereby it can be inferred that a kind of relationship is involved, which is reinforced all the more the longer the ring is in the possession of the ring-bearer.

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