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When Frodo put on the ring at Amon Hen, he could see telescopically for hundreds of miles. And when he put it on at Weathertop, everything became dim and dark except the Ringwraiths.

Yet the first time Bilbo put on the ring, he didn't notice anything until Gollum ran straight past him. Subsequent uses of the ring also describe nothing but invisibility.

Is there a reason for this? My guess would be Sauron wasn't as powerful in The Hobbit, and so the ring wasn't as powerful, until he rose up again and his power increased, letting Frodo perceive more of the other side, but I'm not sure.

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  • Does this answer your question? Why didn't Sauron find Bilbo when he put on the ring like Frodo? – Mixxiphoid Feb 14 '22 at 13:45
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    @Mixxiphoid - this question is asking if Bilbo had the same visual experiences as Frodo while wearing the ring, nothing about Sauron being able to find either of them – fez Feb 14 '22 at 14:47
  • @fez true, but I think the accepted answer on that question actually answers this question as well. Perhaps not as clearly as you would expect from a direct answer to this question. – Mixxiphoid Feb 14 '22 at 14:51
  • @Mixxiphoid - so actively looking for Sauron draws you deeper into the Wraith world, Bilbo never actively looked for Sauron. therefore Bilbo never had the same visuals? If so, I follow that logic, but don't think it's good enough for a dupe closure – fez Feb 14 '22 at 15:05
  • @fez I agree it is not as solid, still a good reference though. The answer does mention that there is little to no difference between Bilbo and Frodo while wearing the rind, until a certain point. – Mixxiphoid Feb 14 '22 at 15:16
  • Note that there is also a none-lore answer to this because the character of Sauron and the story of the Rings weren't as developed yet. However, I don't have the references to make a full answer. – Mixxiphoid Feb 14 '22 at 15:17
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    Amon Hen was specifically a special lookout point. Bilbo's cave was already dark so you wouldn't notice. – OrangeDog Feb 14 '22 at 17:25
  • In the book, everything was already dark and dim (it was night, after all). The only change was that he could clearly see the Nazgûl as well. – chepner Feb 14 '22 at 18:24
  • @Mixxiphoid the accepted answer kinda gives credence to my idea of Bilbo not seeing anything different because Sauron wasn't as powerful (and not looking for him), but it'd be nice to have something supporting the idea, because the only thing confirming it is "when Bilbo found the ring, Sauron wasn't powerful and also the White Council had driven Sauron from Mirkwood but when Frodo had it, Sauron knew it had been found and was looking for it" – Grayda Feb 14 '22 at 23:42
  • And you didn't consider comparing Amon Hen being a hill vs Bilbo being in a very dark cave? Not to mention Hobbit and LotR not being completely in continuity, with Lotr forming a bridge between Hobbit and Silmarillion. – Mithoron Feb 15 '22 at 12:40
  • @Mithoron but he also wore the ring during the Battle of Five Armies, and outside of the Goblin cave when escaping from them. I also understand LoTR and The Hobbit not being completely continuous, but the book was revised to bring it in line with the LoTR,, so I would have guessed that what one saw when they put on the ring would have been changed as well. – Grayda Feb 16 '22 at 21:45
  • In Hobbit it was just an invisibility ring of unknown origin. In LotR it was an artefact of primeval evil. Later change in Hobbit book was very small. Also Tolkien kept the details of magic, in particular ring magic, vague on purpose. It was stuff that was mysterious for like everyone in universe. Even Sauron had his huge surprise when certain hobbit "somehow" got to Orodruin. – Mithoron Feb 16 '22 at 22:25

1 Answers1

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In-universe, I think you're correct in that the Ring was mostly dormant, or was just beginning to come out of dormancy. Also, Amon Hen was the "Hill of Seeing," and so the Ring must have tied him into some powers specific to that locality.

Out of universe, when The Hobbit was first written, the Ring was simply a tool that helped Bilbo accomplish his quest, and had no broader connection to Dark Powers in the world. So there was no reason for it to have powers beyond invisibility. But Tolkien is extremely good at continuity, and the fact of the Ring being dormant while Sauron was dormant ties in well with this. The chapter where Bilbo finds the Ring even ends with an ambiguous and slightly ominous note, about Bilbo having a dream where he wanders through his home looking for something he lost, but can't remember what it looks like. Whether intended originally or not, this to me can be seen as the first sign, even in The Hobbit, that the Ring was more sinister than it seemed.

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