Agreed

Can confirm, the Flame Imperishable is explicitly referred to the Secret Fire in the Silmarillion.

Hmm, I don't recall exactly, but most of the references I can see online refer to Vilya as being of the Air and Nenya as being of the Water. That would make a degree of sense, as Vilya was held to be the mightiest of the Three and the element is of course Manwe's domain.

I’ve always heard that Vilya is the ring of air

In the book (Fellowship of the Ring) it was Gandalf who conjured the water horses. That part was changed in the movie.

I had to pull up my copy of the silmarillion for this "now these were the Three that had been made, and they possessed the greatest of powers. Narya, Nenya, and Vilya, they were named, the Rings of Fire, and of Water, and of Air, set with ruby and adamant and sapphire." Narya ring of Fire Nenya ring of Water Vilya ring of Air 😊

Yes, and that will probably take up a whole video by itself in the future! It’s super interesting.

Great question! The simple answer to why the three Elven ring bearers didn’t sense the One Ring is because none of the ring bearers after Sauron were able to use it in that way. It’s almost like one of the abilities of the ring is to reach out and communicate with the other rings, but it isn’t *automatic*. The wearer of the One Ring has to try to do it themselves. Gollum, Bilbo, and Frodo did not know how to do this. Plus, all of them only used the ring sporadically, whereas Sauron wore it 24/7. The reason the Nine could sense Frodo is because by the time Frodo got it, they had regained their strength, and all of their will was bent towards finding the One Ring. They were still weak when Gollum and Bilbo had the ring. And the three elven ring bearers did not bend their will towards finding the ring previously because if they had, the rings temptation and draw would have consumed them. Best to just leave it lost and be content.

@@factorfantasyweekly There is some indication that Gandalf did know that Frodo had put on the Ring at Amon Hen. Sauron perceived Frodo's gaze and was about to pinpoint his location precisely and then his attention was diverted at the last minute (before Frodo took it off). Although Frodo didn't know it, Gandalf as the newly-returned Gandalf the White was nmot only aware of Frodo's act but psychically contended with Sauron to prevent the latter from discovering exactly where Frodo was. Not only that but there was the "Fool take it off!" mental message that was almost certainly from Gandalf to Frodo. From the Two Towers, Chapter 5; The White Rider: - 'Yes,' said Gandalf, 'that was Gwaihir the Windlord, who rescued me from Orthanc. I sent him before me to watch the River and gather tidings. His sight is keen, but he cannot see all that passes under hill and tree. Some things he has seen, and others I have seen myself. The Ring now has passed beyond my help, or the help of any of the Company that set out from Rivendell. Very nearly it was revealed to the Enemy, but it escaped. I had some part in that: for I sat in a high place, and I strove with the Dark Tower; and the Shadow passed. Then I was weary, very weary; and I walked long in dark thought.' 'Then you know about Frodo!' said Gimli. 'How do things go with him?' 'I cannot say. He was saved from a great peril, but many lie before him still. He resolved to go alone to Mordor, and he set out: that is all that I can say.' and from Fellowship, Chapter 10- The breaking of the Fellowship: - And suddenly he felt the Eye. There was an eye in the Dark Tower that did not sleep. He knew that it had become aware of his gaze. A fierce eager will was there. It leaped towards him; almost like a finger he felt it, searching for him. Very soon it would nail him down, know just exactly where he was. Amon Lhaw it touched. It glanced upon Tol Brandir he threw himself from the seat, crouching, covering his head with his grey hood. He heard himself crying out: Never, never! Or was it: Verily I come, I come to you? He could not tell. Then as a flash from some other point of power there came to his mind another thought: Take it off! Take it off! Fool, take it off! Take off the Ring! The two powers strove in him. For a moment, perfectly balanced between their piercing points, he writhed, tormented. Suddenly he was aware of himself again. Frodo, neither the Voice nor the Eye: free to choose, and with one remaining instant in which to do so. He took the Ring off his finger. He was kneeling in clear sunlight before the high seat. A black shadow seemed to pass like an arm above him; it missed Amon Hen and groped out west, and faded. Then all the sky was clean and blue and birds sang in every tree.

Wow I'm shocked that the actual Gandolf found this video on youtube. Cool to meet you, sir.

He actually did know that Gandalf had the ring: “And the Grey Messenger [Gandalf] took the Ring, and kept it ever secret; yet the White Messenger [Saruman] (who was skilled to uncover all secrets) after a time became aware of this gift, and begrudged it, and it was the beginning of the hidden ill-will that he bore to the Grey, which afterwards became manifest.” From the Unfinished Tales

@@factorfantasyweekly Thanks for explaining that. I had not read the Unfinished Tales.

@@factorfantasyweekly I agree with you that Saruman did in fact know that Gandalf had the ring, but I thought that Unfinished Tales was considered "non-canon" since it contains many writings that contradict that the finished lore?

It’s just one of those things that you have to read with the thought that not everything is going to be 100% factual. But just because some isn’t aligned with the lore doesn’t mean the entire thing is invalid. As far as I know, there’s nothing in the LOTR, Silmarillion, or other writings that would contradict with Saruman knowing about the rings. Sadly we’ll never know for sure as Tolkien is no longer with us.

​@@factorfantasyweekly exactly, as a writer myself I have many abandoned plotpoints, and as time passes with new iterations before publishing, those dropped plotlines can become counter to final timeline. like Bob goes to bakery before saving the world, but I decide to give him a love interest, a nurse, who he meets because he's gluten intolerant and villain hit him with a baguette. Therefore I abandon bakery visit subplot because he knew as a child he had celiac disease.