In 'The Lord of the Rings' what really is the ring like why is it so powerful?

Answer 1

The 'One' ring had power over all the other rings "One ring to rule them all One ring to find them One ring to bring them all , and in the darkness bind them ."

ANOTHER ANSWER

I'm actually not sure about HOW it controls the world, but I know it does. Sauron poured his will into it, part of his soul, his malice, his evil, his will to dominate all Middle-Earth. I think the real power of the Ring is its will: it is like Sauron's evil will ten times intensified, so he can never lose. As long as he has it, he is the most powerful being under the sun. (Because he's got this evil thing with an incredibly powerful will to dominate.) When the Ring is still in existence (not destroyed), he cannot be destroyed, as it is a part of him and he is a part of it. (Sort of like the Horcruxes in Harry Potter: I hope you've read Harry Potter?) They are bound. It can only be destroyed in the fires from whence it came. Only then can Sauron be destroyed.

Ahem, the full rhyme (yes, I have it memorised):

Three Rings for the Elven kings, under the sky

Seven for the Dwarf-lords, in their halls of stone

Nine for mortal men, doomed to die

And one for the Dark Lord, on his Dark throne,

In the land of Mordor, where the Shadows lie.

One Ring to rule the all, One Ring to find them

One Ring to bring them all, and in the darkness, bind them

In the land of Mordor, where the Shadows lie.

Yes, I am the certified biggest LOTR fan and nerd in the universe! Taking Autographs now!

You have competition for that title. The ring was a mere shadow of Sauron's strength of will. It was his strength of will that made the orcs fight when they were craven to the core, before he made the ring and after. The problem was (like Melkor before him) he wasted his power on such endeavors and could never do the same again. Just like Yavanna could not remake the 2 trees after they were destroyed. They had finite powers! Peter Jackson's movies changed all the important parts of the book (all!) and cannot be used as a reference.

Answer 2

Gandalf throws Frodo's Ring into the fire, where it comes out unscathed, and not even heated up. The words "One Ring to rule them all, One Ring to find them, One Ring to bring them all, and in the darkness bind them" also appear, written in Elvish script but the language of Mordor.