There Was Another Way to Destroy the One Ring in The Lord of the Rings

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The One Ring from J.R.R. Tolkien’s stories seemed simple, but it was incredibly durable. This was famously shown in Peter Jackson’s movie when Gimli tried to destroy it with his axe, but only managed to break the axe itself. While the Ring could be destroyed by melting, no normal fire – not even dragon fire – was hot enough. It had to be cast back into the volcano where it was originally made, Mount Doom. The story presents Mount Doom as the only way to destroy the Ring, but Tolkien hinted that another method might have existed.

According to Tolkien, Sauron wasn’t worried about the One Ring being destroyed because it couldn’t be broken or unmade by anyone less skilled than himself. This suggests that a craftsperson with equal or greater skill could have potentially destroyed the Ring without needing to throw it into Mount Doom. By the time of The Lord of the Rings, though, no one alive possessed that level of skill. Sauron had originally learned his craft from Aulë, a powerful god of forging, but there might have been individuals in the distant past who could have unmade the Ring.

Gandalf Believed That Fëanor Was a Better Smith Than Sauron

Fëanor is considered one of the most talented smiths in Tolkien’s world, second only to the god Aulë. In The Silmarillion, Tolkien portrays him as the most ingenious and skillful of all the Noldor elves, capable of crafting gems more brilliant than any found on Earth. His most famous creations are the Silmarils – three stunning jewels that held the sacred light of the Two Trees of Valinor – and they are the namesake of the book. These masterpieces were so coveted that numerous battles were fought over them during the First Age. Gandalf suggests in The Lord of the Rings that Fëanor and other Elven artisans were actually more skilled than Sauron, making Fëanor a strong possibility as someone who could have unmade the One Ring.

In a chapter of The Two Towers titled “The Palantír,” Gandalf explains that these seeing-stones weren’t made by Saruman or Sauron. Instead, they originated from a much older time and place – Eldamar – and were crafted by the Noldor, possibly even by Fëanor himself, long before years were even counted. Since the Noldor could create objects beyond Sauron’s abilities, it’s logical to conclude that their most talented craftsman, Fëanor, was more skilled than Sauron.

The Silmarils were incredibly durable, almost impossible to destroy – similar to the One Ring. As described in The Silmarillion, they were made of a substance stronger than any known material, resistant to all damage. Fëanor, their creator, thought he could have shattered them to recover the light of the Two Trees, but they were stolen by the evil Morgoth. Though Fëanor died in battle long before the Rings of Power were made, he likely had the ability to destroy the One Ring if he had lived into the Third Age.

Celebrimbor Knew the Rings of Power Better Than Any Other Elven Smith

As a Tolkien fan, I’m always fascinated by the lesser-known characters, and Celebrimbor is a big one. You might recognize the name from the Rings of Power show on Prime Video – Charles Edwards played him really well. He was Fëanor’s grandson, and a seriously skilled smith. But what he’s really known for is working with Sauron – though Sauron was cleverly disguised as this helpful guy named Annatar – to forge the Rings of Power. Those rings were ultimately given to humans and dwarves, and, well, you know how that story goes!

Celebrimbor created the Three Rings independently of Sauron, though he learned techniques from him. This meant the rings weren’t inherently evil, but they were still vulnerable to the power of the One Ring. Tolkien noted Celebrimbor’s skill was unmatched by anyone except Fëanor, describing the jewel-smiths of Eregion – known as the Gwaith-i-Mírdain – as the most cunning craftsmen ever, with Celebrimbor being their most talented member, as detailed in The Silmarillion’s section “Of the Rings of Power and the Third Age.”

While Celebrimbor wasn’t as masterful as his grandfather, he was likely better equipped to dismantle the One Ring due to his experience with creating magical rings. The recent season of The Rings of Power depicted him unsuccessfully attempting to destroy the Nine Rings, but Tolkien’s original writings don’t suggest he couldn’t have undone his own work. In Unfinished Tales, it’s stated the Elves could have destroyed all the Rings of Power, but simply lacked the resolve to do so, implying they had the ability but not the willpower.

Destroying the One Ring would have been harder than destroying the other Rings of Power, but Celebrimbor might have succeeded if he’d had the chance. He was alive when the One Ring was made – unlike Fëanor – though he didn’t live much longer. When the Elves stopped Sauron from controlling them with the other Rings, Celebrimbor died defending them.

Destroying the One Ring Was More Than a Matter of Skill

Even if these skilled craftspeople had lived during the time of The Lord of the Rings, they wouldn’t have been able to destroy the One Ring. As Tolkien explained in a letter, the Ring’s power was so strong that anyone who used it would become obsessed with it. He believed it was impossible for anyone—even Sauron himself—to willingly harm, discard, or ignore the Ring.

Despite being incredibly talented, Fëanor was a deeply flawed individual – arrogant, possessive, and quick to violence, shown by the terrible acts he and his sons committed. He almost certainly would have been unable to resist the power of the One Ring, particularly if he thought it could help him recover the Silmarils or get revenge on his enemies.

Celebrimbor was a better person than his grandfather, though he wasn’t perfect. He was driven and wanted to achieve great things, which made him believe he could use the power Sauron offered to benefit the world, instead of getting rid of it. Because Celebrimbor couldn’t see through Sauron’s deception, it’s clear he was easily influenced and manipulated.

Aulë was likely the only being capable of both destroying the One Ring and resisting its corrupting influence. Despite this, he and the other Valar chose not to directly interfere in the war between Sauron and the people of Middle-earth, only sending the Wizards as aid. Therefore, even if the heroes had obtained the Ring while Fëanor or Celebrimbor still lived, their only option would still have been to destroy it in Mount Doom.

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2026-03-02 19:13