I always assume there was a proximity to Mordor thing. So out at the Shire, it was pretty weak and Gandalf could get away with the envelope trick, but when they get into Mordor, an envelope or chain wouldn’t have worked.
The closer to Mordor the ring got the more powerful its pull becomes. To the point that realistically no one would be able to willingly throw the ring into the lava. The ring simply would not let them. It’s how Isildur failed. He was met with maximum temptation from the beginning.
Tolkien corroborated this in one of his letters by saying that in mount doom, where the ring’s power is at its highest, even Souron himself would not be able to throw it in (not that he’d want to anyway of course).
Which is why Frodo cursed Gollum, so that if Gollum ever took the ring back, he would immediately fall into the lava. And the ring held him to his word.
I always assume there was a proximity to Mordor thing. So out at the Shire, it was pretty weak and Gandalf could get away with the envelope trick, but when they get into Mordor, an envelope or chain wouldn’t have worked.
They bring this up in the movies.
The closer to Mordor the ring got the more powerful its pull becomes. To the point that realistically no one would be able to willingly throw the ring into the lava. The ring simply would not let them. It’s how Isildur failed. He was met with maximum temptation from the beginning.
Okay, glad I didn’t make that up. But it’s been a while since I’ve read the book. Guess it’s time to rewatch the movies though.
Tolkien corroborated this in one of his letters by saying that in mount doom, where the ring’s power is at its highest, even Souron himself would not be able to throw it in (not that he’d want to anyway of course).
Which is why Frodo cursed Gollum, so that if Gollum ever took the ring back, he would immediately fall into the lava. And the ring held him to his word.