SCOD - The Eye in the Hand

[Darkstone]

Original image is here.

1. Given that ”the Ring is trying to get back to its master”, why does it so quickly jump from Deagol to Smeagol?

2. Jackson uses a shot of the ring in the center of the palm at least once for every ringbearer from Isildur to Bilbo to Frodo to Smeagol/Gollum. (The only exception is Sam, who pulls it out of his pocket still on its chain.) Clean hands, dirty hands, slimy hands, gloves, chewed fingernails, as well as shiny ring, slimy ring, plain ring, fiery ring. Whatever does it mean?

3. Hamsa or stigmata?

4. Any other comments?

 

[willowing]

1. Given that ”the Ring is trying to get back to its master”, why does it so quickly jump from Deagol to Smeagol?

This ring is aiming to get to where it wants to go and sitting in the hand of a dead person is not a perfect start to its return journey. Sméagol has finished his job and reaches across Deagol's body to open his clenched hand and gazes for a bit upon the ring before taking it up into his possession and giving it a name called precious. I think the ring found someone just like it.

 

[Loresilme]

1. Given that ”the Ring is trying to get back to its master”, why does it so quickly jump from Deagol to Smeagol?
Survival of the fittest - Smeagol was able to overpower Deagol, so the Ring will latch on to whoever is most powerful. Apparently the Ring had all the time in the world, so it could conceivably had just gone up the power chain, from one person to the next, always seeking the one with more power, which in its mind would eventually lead it to its master, who held the most power (or so the Ring thought).

2. Jackson uses a shot of the ring in the center of the palm at least once for every ringbearer from Isildur to Bilbo to Frodo to Smeagol/Gollum. (The only exception is Sam, who pulls it out of his pocket still on its chain.) Clean hands, dirty hands, slimy hands, gloves, chewed fingernails, as well as shiny ring, slimy ring, plain ring, fiery ring. Whatever does it mean?
All people, all types, all conditions, all places. One Ring to Rule Them All!

3. Hamsa or stigmata?
Well, hamsa is supposed to be for protection from the evil eye. However here the Ring is a representation of the evilest eye of all! Does that mean it cancels itself out ? Or could this suggest that focusing on something with the idea of warding it off actually draws that thing to you? On the other hand (LOL!), stigmata is generally associated with willingly suffering, so in Frodo's hand it could have that imagery, however none of the other holders of the Ring appear to me to have been carrying that type of on-behalf-of-others burden.

4. Any other comments?
Just an observation, that in the FOTR Parth Galen scene, Frodo and Sam willingly clasp each other's wrist to help each other. In this scene, Smeagol is clasping Deagol's wrist, but of course Deagol is not clasping his in return.



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[willowing]

2. Jackson uses a shot of the ring in the center of the palm at least once for every ringbearer from Isildur to Bilbo to Frodo to Smeagol/Gollum. (The only exception is Sam, who pulls it out of his pocket still on its chain.) Clean hands, dirty hands, slimy hands, gloves, chewed fingernails, as well as shiny ring, slimy ring, plain ring, fiery ring. Whatever does it mean?

The Ring Has Its Own Unexpected Journey


Only one thing the ring could not do and that was to walk to Mordor. It was a 'passenger' looking for a carrier pigeon to accomplish its will. It attached itself to the bearer who came into contact with the ring. It was not easy for Bilbo to let go of the ring. Gollum went into a rage at the loss of the ring. Isildur lost his life because of the ring.

After Isildur, The ring spends its long years in the watery environs of the river getting all polished by the constant friction and movement of the waters before its reappearance.

Deagol-spots a shiny object, grabs it and brings it to the surface of the Anduin, his encounter with the ring is brief, he dies with the ring clenched tightly in his hand. A dead, dark and tight place for a ring to be.

Sméagol releases the ring from Deagol's grasp and it eventually ends up deep down in the slimy darkest recesses of the mountain where it remains hidden for many a long year.

Until an unlikely encounter with a hobbit brings the ring to the surface again and into a cosy dark pocket where Bilbo uses it to his advantage for many years. To Frodo it is just a plain ring, until it is tossed into the fire and its true owner revealed.

Its being held by the same hands many times in all sorts of environments, harsh, gentle, brisk, cold, hot, watery, slimey, fiery. Yet its soul remains true to the one who forged it centuries ago.


3. Hamsa or stigmata?

Neither it had a will of its own and a strong attraction and pull.

 

[flameofudun]

This has inspired me to watch this scene before replying, and also for the pleasure of viewing it. I will be back with a hopefully great answer

 

[flameofudun]

And I conclude that the ring is toying with the minds of the two stoors. This show how extremely resilient Sam, for do and even merry and pippin are to resist this lure. Just look how easily smeagol and deagol resorted to killing each other over something they didn't even know the full power of. They were also weaker than most hobbits, I would assume.

 

[Rostron2]

1. Given that ”the Ring is trying to get back to its master”, why does it so quickly jump from Deagol to Smeagol?

The One Ring can probably sense that Deagol is like Sam, simple and plain. It couldn't do much mischief through him. Smeagol is obviously the one with the higher ambitions, but even teh Ring can make mistakes....

2. Jackson uses a shot of the ring in the center of the palm at least once for every ringbearer from Isildur to Bilbo to Frodo to Smeagol/Gollum. (The only exception is Sam, who pulls it out of his pocket still on its chain.) Clean hands, dirty hands, slimy hands, gloves, chewed fingernails, as well as shiny ring, slimy ring, plain ring, fiery ring. Whatever does it mean?

The Ring is very much a character in the films, so you want to show it as the symbolic circle. It also reveals that the hand that holds it doesn't matter, the One Ring remains the same.

3. Hamsa or stigmata?

I guess for me, it shades to stigmata, since it's a 'burden' that must be carried. Tolkien would probably disagree with that usage.

4. Any other comments?

What happened to the fish prior to this? Would the fish have made a more effective ringbearer if it had swallowed it and swum down to the bridges of Osgiliath?