Sauron
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Sauron (IPA: /'sɑurɔn/, Quenya: "Abhorred") is the title character and main antagonist of The Lord of the Rings by J. R. R. Tolkien (where he is also revealed to have been "the Necromancer" from The Hobbit). In Tolkien's The Silmarillion (published after The Lord of the Rings), he is also revealed to have been the chief lieutenant of the first Dark Lord Morgoth.
Biography
First Age
Template:Middle-earth portalThe Silmarillion explained that, before the godlike Valar entered the realm of Arda, Sauron originated as a spirit called a Maia. He was at first one of the most powerful servants of the Vala Aulë.
Sauron was soon corrupted by the Dark Lord Melkor (later known as Morgoth), the evil Vala. After Morgoth was defeated and cast outside the confines of the world, Sauron encouraged and coerced Men to worship Morgoth and himself as gods. While Morgoth wanted to either control or destroy the very matter of Arda itself, Sauron desired to dominate the will of its creatures.
During the First Age, the Noldorin Elves left the Blessed Realm of Valinor in the Uttermost West against the counsel of the Valar to wage war on Morgoth, who had stolen the Silmarils. In that war, Sauron served as Morgoth's chief lieutenant, surpassing all others in rank. Only Gothmog, the Lord of Balrogs, equalled him. Known as Gorthaur the Cruel, Sauron was at that time a master of illusions and changes of form; werewolves and vampires were his servants, chief among them Draugluin, Father of Werewolves, and his vampire herald Thuringwethil. When Morgoth left Angband to corrupt the newly-created Men, Sauron directed the war against the Elves. He conquered the Elvish island of Tol Sirion, so that it became known as Tol-in-Gaurhoth, the Isle of Werewolves.
Ten years later, Finrod Felagund, the king of Nargothrond and former lord of Tol Sirion, came there with Beren. He duelled Sauron and was defeated (in part because of the curse of Fëanor). Later, he died fighting a wolf in Sauron's dungeons to save Beren; soon afterwards Lúthien and Huan the Wolfhound defeated Sauron and rescued Beren from the dungeons.
After his master was defeated and cast out by the Valar, Sauron repented (truly at first, if only out of fear) and pled for mercy. But he was unwilling to go to the Uttermost West for judgement, and so hid in Middle-earth.
Second Age
In the Second Age, after lying dormant for about 1,000 years, Sauron reappeared, having assumed a beautiful appearance and calling himself Annatar, "the Lord of Gifts". Sauron befriended the Elven-smiths of Eregion, and counselled them in arts and magic. Some of the Elves distrusted him, especially the Lady Galadriel in Lórien and Gil-galad, the High King of the Noldor; the Elves in Eregion did not heed their warnings, however.
With Sauron's assistance, the Elven-smiths forged the Rings of Power, which conferred great power to their bearers. Unbeknown to them, Sauron had secretly forged the One Ring in the volcanic Mount Doom in Mordor. This "One Ring to rule them all" had the power to dominate the other Rings and enslave their wearers to Sauron's will. The Rings of Power were extremely potent, however, and to accomplish his goal Sauron was forced to place the greater part of his native power into it. Anyone of sufficiently strong will who possessed the One Ring had available to him much of Sauron's own power to dominate. Should the One Ring ever be destroyed, Sauron would be reduced and forever unable to take any physical form.
When Sauron put on the One Ring and tried to dominate the Elves, they became aware of his intent and removed their Rings. Sauron responded with military force, initiating the War of the Elves and Sauron and conquering much of the land west of Anduin. This began the Dark Years. He massacred Eregion, killed Celebrimbor, leader of the Elven-smiths, and seized the Seven and the Nine Rings of Power that had been previously forged with his assistance. However, Celebrimbor had forged three Rings himself without Sauron's help, and these were saved and remained in the hands of the Elves. According to The Lord of the Rings, Gil-galad, Galadriel, and Círdan were entrusted with the Rings. Note that Unfinished Tales and The Lord of the Rings differ on this point (see article Three Rings).
With the Elves near incapacitated, Sauron besieged Imladris, battled with Moria and Lórien, and pushed further into Gil-galad's realm. The Elves fought back, however, and with the aid of a powerful army from Númenor under their king Tar-Minastir, destroyed Sauron's army and drove it back to Mordor. The Númenóreans held the most powerful kingdom of Men at this time; they were descended from the Three Houses of the Edain who helped the Elves in their war against Morgoth, and they lived on the island of Númenor in the seas between Middle-earth and Valinor.
From this time on, Sauron became known as the Dark Lord of Mordor. He erected Barad-dûr, the Dark Tower, and built the Black Gate of Mordor to prevent any possible invasion. He distributed his 16 Rings to lords of Men and Dwarves, giving them nine and seven respectively. Dwarves proved too resilient to bend to his will (instead being overwhelmed with greed), but the Men were enslaved to Sauron as the Nazgûl, his most feared servants. Sauron regained control over all of the creatures that had served Morgoth in the First Age (such as Orcs and Trolls). Sauron also gained power over most of the Men in the East and the South, becoming their god-king. Towards the end of the Second Age Sauron assumed the titles of Lord of the Earth and King of Men.
Toward the end of the Second Age, Ar-Pharazôn, the last and most powerful of the Númenórean kings, came to Middle-earth with massive armies, and Sauron's forces deserted him rather than fight. Realising he could not defeat the Númenóreans with military strength, Sauron allowed himself to be taken as a prisoner to Númenor. Tolkien later wrote (in a letter, #211) that Ar-Pharazôn did not know about the Rings of Power and did not take the One Ring. Sauron quickly grew from captive to adviser of the king. Sauron eventually became the High Priest of Melkor, "Lord of the Dark", and a great temple was built where human sacrifice was carried out. A decade later he convinced Ar-Pharazôn to attack Valinor itself, persuading him that whoever possessed the Undying Lands would live forever. A few years later, the greatest armament Middle-earth had ever seen landed on the shores of Valinor. At this point Eru (God) directly intervened: Númenor was drowned under the sea, and the great navy of Númenor was destroyed. Sauron's body was destroyed, and his spirit returned to Mordor and took up the One Ring. Over time Sauron assumed a new physical form and began to rebuild his forces. He was unable ever again to take on the fair shapes under which he had deceived the Elves and seduced the Númenóreans, and from then on he could only rule through terror and force.
The few faithful Númenóreans were saved from the flood, and they found the kingdoms of Gondor and Arnor among the numerous Númenórean colonists and the natives of north-western Middle-earth.
In The Fellowship of the Ring, Tolkien wrote that Elendil and his sons forged the Last Alliance of Elves and Men with Gil-galad, to fight Sauron. The Alliance won a great victory on the plain of Dagorlad and invaded Mordor, laying siege to Barad-dûr for seven years. During the siege, Elendil's younger son Anárion was killed by a stone cast from the tower. Finally, Sauron was forced to emerge from his tower and fight himself. He was overcome and physically killed by Gil-galad and Elendil, although they both died in the act, and Elendil's sword Narsil broke beneath him when he fell. Elendil's surviving son, Isildur, cut the One Ring from Sauron's hand with the hilt-shard of Narsil. With the loss of his Ring, Sauron was defeated, and his spirit went into hiding.
Elrond and Círdan, Gil-galad's lieutenants, urged Isildur to destroy the Ring by casting it into Mount Doom, but he refused and kept it for his own. A few years later, Isildur's party was ambushed by a band of Orcs on the way to Rivendell and overwhelmed. He put on the Ring and attempted to escape by swimming across Anduin, but the Ring — which had a will of its own and a desire to return to Sauron — slipped from his finger. He was spotted and killed by Orc-archers. The Ring remained lost beneath the water for more than 2,000 years, until it was found by a Hobbit named Smeágol, who was corrupted into the creature Gollum and took his "Precious" into the Misty Mountains.
Third Age
In the Third Age, Sauron emerged yet again, at first in a stronghold called Dol Guldur in southern Mirkwood. In Mirkwood he was known as the Necromancer (mentioned briefly in The Hobbit), but the Elves did not recognise him at first. Gandalf the Wizard stole into Dol Guldur and discovered the truth; eventually the White Council of Wizards and Elves combined to put forth their might, and Sauron was driven out of Mirkwood.
Sauron's power recovered to the point that he was able to extend his will over Middle-earth. The Eye of Sauron, as his attention and force of will was perceived, became a symbol of oppression and fear. Following his expulsion from Dol Guldur, Sauron returned to Mordor, publicly declared himself, and raised Barad-dûr anew. In preparation for a final war against Men and Elves, he bred immense armies of Orcs, augmenting them with Men from the East and South who (through their leaders) were in his service.
In The Fellowship of the Ring, Gandalf discovered that the Ring had been found. He went for advice to Saruman the White, leader of the White Council, but discovered that Saruman secretly planned to either gain the Ring for himself or to make his own ring of power. Gandalf was held captive for some time, but escaped with the help of the giant eagle Gwaihir.
Meanwhile, following the capture and torture of Gollum, Sauron learned that the One Ring had been found by a Hobbit named "Baggins". Sauron sent the Nazgûl to the Shire, Bilbo's home, only to find that both Bilbo and his nephew, Frodo, had left.
At the behest of Gandalf, and unknown to Sauron, Frodo and his friends set out to take the Ring to the Elven stronghold at Rivendell. There Elrond convened a high council of the peoples of Middle-earth to decide how to handle the crisis. The council determined that the Ring must be destroyed, and Frodo and his friend Samwise Gamgee joined the Fellowship of the Ring, accepting the council's mission to destroy the Ring forever by casting it into Mount Doom.
In The Two Towers, Saruman raised a vast army on Sauron's behalf and invaded Rohan. With the help of the giant tree-herders of Fangorn forest, Gandalf and the Ents, led by Treebeard, defeated Saruman's armies. His stronghold at Isengard was overthrown and Saruman was trapped within the Tower of Orthanc.
During Saruman's confrontation with Gandalf, the palantír of Orthanc fell into the hands of the Fellowship. In The Return of the King, Aragorn, the heir of Isildur and thus rightful owner of the palantír, exploited it to create a ruse which he hoped would distract Sauron long enough to allow Frodo to reach Mount Doom and destroy the Ring. Sauron was led to believe that Aragorn had (or would soon have) the Ring. Sauron therefore attacked sooner than he had planned by sending an army commanded by his strongest servant, the Witch-king of Angmar, to overthrow Minas Tirith. (See Battle of the Pelennor Fields.)
Although Sauron's invaders were destroyed, he still had sufficient armies in reserve to recover his strength and, over the long term, win the war. He was outwitted, however, by Gandalf, who urged the captains of the West to march on the gates of Mordor in another action to divert the Dark Lord's attention long enough to allow Frodo to reach Mount Doom. The battle was joined and went very poorly for the West.
Frodo, meanwhile, reached his goal, but he failed at the last moment. Unable to resist the power of the Ring, he put it on his finger and claimed it for his own. At that moment Sauron discerned the truth and turned his gaze to Mount Doom, sending his remaining Nazgûl to capture the Ring. The attempt was futile, however: Gollum attacked Frodo and bit the Ring from his finger, but lost his footing and fell with it into the fire.
At the Ring's destruction, Sauron's power was immediately broken and his form in Middle-earth was destroyed. His departing spirit towered above Mordor like a black cloud, but was blown away by a powerful wind from the West. Barad-dûr crumbled and Sauron was permanently crippled.
Names and titles
The name Sauron (from an earlier form Þauron) originates from the adjective saura in Tolkien's invented language Quenya, and can be translated as the Abhorred or the Abomination; in Sindarin (another fictional language created by Tolkien) he is called Gorthaur, the Abhorred Dread or the Dread Abomination. He is also called the Nameless Enemy. The Dúnedain (the descendants of Isildur) call him Sauron the Deceiver due to his role in the downfall of Númenor and the forging of the Rings of Power.
His two most common titles, the Dark Lord of Mordor and the Lord of the Rings, appear only a few times in The Lord of the Rings. His other titles or variants thereof include Base Master of Treachery, the Dark Lord, the Dark Power, Lord of Barad-dûr, the Red Eye, the Ring-maker, and the Sorcerer.
In the First Age (as detailed in The Silmarillion) he was called the Lord of Werewolves of Tol-in-Gaurhoth. In the Second Age he assumed the name Annatar, which means Lord of Gifts, with which he assumed a new identity and tricked the Elves into working with him to create the Rings. In the Third Age he was briefly known as the Necromancer of Dol Guldur because his true identity was still unknown.
Appearance
According to the The Silmarillion, Sauron was initially able to change his appearance at will. In the beginning he assumed a beautiful form, but after switching his allegiance to Morgoth he frequently took the appearance of a dark and terrible shadow. As part of a plan to destroy Huan, Sauron took the form of the greatest werewolf in Middle-earth's history, and then assumed several other forms when attempting to escape. He took a beautiful appearance once again at the end of the First Age in an effort to deceive Eönwë. He took this form again when appearing as Annatar to the Elves, and again when corrupting the men of Númenor.
Like Morgoth, he lost the ability to change his physical form (his hröa). After the destruction of his fair form in the fall of Númenor, Sauron was unable to take a pleasing appearance or veil his power again. Thereafter, at the end of the Second Age and again in the Third, he always took the shape of a terrible dark lord. Tolkien described Sauron's form in the Third Age as "that of a man of more than human stature, but not gigantic." (The Letters of J. R. R. Tolkien #246)
Isildur recorded that Sauron's hand "was black, and yet burned like fire, and so Gil-galad was destroyed..." Also, Gollum (who is tormented by Sauron in person) told Frodo in The Two Towers that Sauron only had four fingers on one hand- perhaps because of where the Ring was cut from his hand.
Frodo perceived Sauron as a massive eye in The Fellowship of the Ring. The Eye of Sauron was described as yellow with a black slit for a pupil, rimmed with fire.
In Peter Jackson's trilogy of films based on The Lord of the Rings, Sauron's physical form is portrayed as being a towering "black knight" wielding a massive, jet black mace (reminiscent of Tolkien's descriptions of Morgoth); in this form, he is portrayed by Sala Baker. After his "death" at the hands of Isildur, he is thereafter portrayed as the Eye of Sauron, which becomes his physical form, contrary to the text.
Concept and creation
Since the earliest versions of the Silmarillion legendarium as detailed in the History of Middle-earth series, Sauron undergoes many changes. The prototype of this character was Tevildo, Prince of Cats, who played the role later taken by Sauron in the earliest version of the story of Beren and Lúthien in The Book of Lost Tales. Tevildo was later replaced by Thû, the Necromancer. The name was then changed to Gorthû, Sûr, and finally to Sauron. Gorthû, in the form Gorthaur remained in The Silmarillion.
Prior to the publication of The Silmarillion Sauron's origins and true identity were unclear to those without full access to Tolkien's notes. In early editions of Robert Foster's The Complete Guide to Middle-earth, Sauron is described as "probably of the Eldar elves."
Adaptations
In film versions of The Lord of the Rings, Sauron has been portrayed as either a humanoid or an Eye (making the Eye his physical form as opposed to a metaphysical one). Ralph Bakshi's 1978 animated version, The Lord of the Rings showed him as a humanoid. The 1980 animated The Return of the King showed him as an Eye.[1] Jackson's films show both forms.
Though both the 1978 animated film and the 2001 live-action film based on The Lord of the Rings show the forging of the Rings of Power, the War of the Elves and Sauron is skipped and the films go straight to the much later War of the Last Alliance. In both, Sauron does not have a beautiful form ("Annatar") when he forges the One Ring, but rather his later, post-Númenor form, dark and terrible. In the 2001 film directed by Peter Jackson, Sauron wears plate armour, as do many others, while Tolkien never explicitly mentions the existence of plate, favouring mail and scale armour instead.
In Jackson's film adaptation of The Return of the King, Sauron is shown scanning Mordor rather like a lighthouse, and can only observe one location at a time. Curiously, before the Battle of the Black Gate, Aragorn says a line from the book, "Let the Lord of the Black Land come forth!" despite earlier references in the films that Sauron lacks a physical form. The Eye falls from Barad-dûr when it collapses after the Ring is destroyed, and is destroyed with both.
In earlier versions of the script Sauron would indeed "come forth" at Aragorn's challenge, and do battle with him. Scenes of the fight were shot, but later this idea was discarded and was replaced by a scene where Aragorn fights the Mouth of Sauron, a representative of Sauron. This was closer to the events of the book.
Games
Sauron appears in the Two Towers but just appears in the cut-scene. In the Battle For Middle Earth II, Sauron appears to the evil side as an ring charcter.
