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Saruman

GoMe Saruman


Home(s)
Isengard; earlier Aulë's Halls in Aman
Language(s)
People
time period
Gender
Male

Saruman (Éo."Man of Cunning"), also known as the White Wizard, was originally the chief and mightiest of the Order of Istari, head of the White Council and one of Sauron's greatest servants.

Saruman had been charged by the Valar with helping the Eruhini counter Sauron's re-emergence. But the White Wizard fell from his high errand, wanting to have his own will to impose order by force, and was soon ensnared by the Dark Lord. Though doing his bidding against the Free Peoples, he also plotted usurp his new master's place as the self-styled Ruler of Middle-earth.

History[]

In Days before days, his name had been Curumo and he was a fire-spirit who joined the Maia folk of the smiths. He could exert much influence (in some cases, even control) over others through his voice and he became an expert craftsman within Aulë's household, surpassed only by the chief of their order, Mairon. Curumo was much like Mairon: his innate strength was significant, his mind was turned towards metal and machinery and he was impatient to see the primacy of order and knowledge being imposed in Arda. Presumably it was then that the seeds of covetousness took root; Curumo admired Mairon, whose power was akin to that of Eönwë, the banner-bearer of the Vala-king Manwë, and in his heart he yearned to one day equal him. But, whereas Mairon joined with Melkor, Curumo stayed faithful and remained in Valinor. When the Elves awoke at Cuiviénen, he was chosen as the one of the five powerful guardians to help Melian protect the First-born from the Enemy. His wards called him Tarindor, and it was mainly thanks to him and his peer, Olórin, that the attempts of Melkor's herald, Langon, to spread heresies among the Elves failed. Nonetheless, Curumo observed that the Elves took more of a liking to Olórin than him, and this proved to be the beginning of a long-standing grudge. Escorting Oromë and the Eldar on their Great Journey, Curumo returned with the other guardians to Valinor and was appointed chief of Aulë's people, replacing Mairon (now Sauron). He continued to hold that position within the Undying Lands throughout the War of the Jewels, up until the end of the First Age.

Curumo3

Curumo in his youth

About S.A. 1200, Curumo was summoned by Manwë to a council of the Ainur in Valinor: Sauron, who had refused to come for judgement, had arisen as heir to Melkor-Morgoth and was moving against the Free Peoples; as his role as Adversary of the Enemy was over, Manwë resolved instead to send Maia as emissaries to the Eruhini. This arrangement led to Curumo and the other four guardians from Cuiviénen being re-established into the Order of Istari (Heren Istarion). Curumo volunteered to travel to Middle-earth first, but his request was denied; Alatar, who had volunteered second, was far more accustomed with the harsh Eastlands as a huntsman of Oromë, and chosen instead to go with his friend, Pallando in S.A. 1600. Curumo accepted the decision, begrudgingly, but felt cheated: he understood Sauron's nature best and thought only he could find a way to victory and order in the ruined Middle-earth.

About the T.A. 1000, Curumo was called to another council: there had been no word from either Alatar or Pallando and, though Sauron appeared to be vanquished, the Valar sought to take indirect action against his potential re-emergence. Curumo volunteered again and this time his request was accepted, and he was to go to Middle-earth as chief of the Order of Istari, with Olórin following him as second and Aiwendil as third. Though Yavanna asked him to take Aiwendil as his companion, Curumo reneged on his promise, having taken a dislike to his peer's naivety and absent-mindedness. Taking the guise of a Man garbed in cream white robes, he left Aman alone and and arrived first at the Grey Havens, where he was greeted by Círdan the Shipwright. Curumo soon after heard of the coming of Olórin, who had taken Aiwendil with him and was incensed: Círdan had given Narya, the Ring of Fire, to Olórin, whom he had divined as the wisest of the Istari.

He traveled extensively his first centuries in Middle-earth, going among both Free Folk and peoples who had been under the Shadow of the Enemy. To most he was Saruman, and to the Elves he was Curunír (S. "Man of Skill"). For a time he remained in the East, where factions of Men were torn between various forms of pagan worship and the magic cults established by the Blue Wizards. Just as Sauron's Shadow was spreading from Dol Guldur in the former Greenwood, Saruman returned to the West. There, Saruman's resentment towards Gandalf, as Olórin was now known, grew into hatred. Saruman envied the love and trust many Free Peoples showed to Gandalf and interpreted this as Gandalf wanting to undermine his authority. Though always greeting the Grey Pilgrim as his "old friend", the White Wizard often belittled them in front of their allies out of pettiness. In spite of their strained relationship, Saruman found himself frequently cooperating with Gandalf in efforts to preserve the northern Dúnadan kingdoms, especially after the appearance of the Witch-king. He thus settled in Gondor's capital of Minas Tirith, offering his counsel to both the King and Steward, and storing scrolls and other pieces of lore he had gathered in his travels, which he enriched with other artefacts from the White City's library. With Arnor fractured and devoured piece by piece by Angmar and its allies, Saruman persuaded Gondor to reinforce its sister kingdom just as Gandalf reached out to Rivendell and the Grey Havens. After the war, Glorfindel relayed the news to both Gandalf and Saruman, who reached the conclusion that the Witch-king was none other than the Lord of the Nazgûl, once Sauron's deadliest servant. Though he did not mention it to his allies, the White Wizard began to suspect that the Dark Lord had indeed returned and that he was the cause of the stirrings of all foul things and wicked Men.

With the Dwarves being attacked by the Orcs of the Misty Mountains and Dragons, while the Gondorians faced incursions from Easterlings, Haradrim and Variags, Saruman was asked to join the White Council, a group of the Wise who were concerned about Sauron's return. Though he was named head of the cadre, Saruman did not overlook the fact that Galadriel had initially nominated Gandalf, even though Gandalf had stepped down with humility. The main ground for the White Wizard's new position was owed to his extensive knowledge of the Dark Lord. Though his original intention for studying Sauron and his works was to perhaps discern therein a means to withstand him, Saruman had, in truth, grown even more fascinated with Sauron, whom from the beginning he had adored. As much as he was in awe of Sauron, whose power he coveted, Saruman hated Gandalf. The White Wizard hindered the Grey Pilgrim's efforts whenever he could and even hired spies to watch and report back his movements. He was particularly suspicious of Gandalf's frequent visits to the Hobbits. The White Wizard had seldom visited the Shire himself and had aided its people only incidentally; now he had several trusted spies at the region's borders.

Based on information from Minas Tirith's library, Saruman ascertained that a Palantír was probably locked within the Tower of Orthanc at Isengard, a long overlooked stronghold of Gondor lying in the Gap of Rohan at the juncture of the Misty and White Mountains. The banishment of the Dunlendings from Isengard by Fréalaf Hildeson and the Rohirrim presented Saruman with an opportunity. The White Wizard appeared at the king's crowning with gifts and offering his friendship. Saruman convinced Fréalaf and Beren, the Steward of Minas Tirith, to let him settle at Isengard as the new warden of Orthanc. But this was not out of a concern to strengthen the alliance between Rohan and Gondor. The White Wizard's reasons for this move were the establishment of his own seat of power and the gaining of the Seeing Stone.

His researches into the lore of Middle-earth, particularly the devices of the Enemy, had led him to think that he could take up the Dark Lord's mantle for himself and rule the Free Peoples. Saruman saw his allies as weak and not comprehending that order must be imposed by any means necessary, even if it meant the dominion of a tyrant like the "heir of Sauron", which would be himself. Aside from spying on the other members of the White Council, Saruman used the Palantír to try locate the One Ring, hoping to find it first and perhaps wield its power.. With Isildur being its last known bearer, Saruman started searching the waters of the Anduin and the nearby Gladden Fields for the Ring. He also persuaded Radagast to teach him to train birds. Thinking nothing of it, or that it would advance the goals of the Wise, the Brown Wizard consented. Saruman used what he had learned to train crows, mainly Crebain of Dunland, to act as his spies. When Gandalf argued that an attack on Dol Guldur was necessary, all the more to prevent an alliance between Sauron and Smaug, Saruman opposed him. He wanted to allow the Dark Lord to regain more of his strength, which could lead to the One Ring revealing itself to try attract its master's attention. If he was fast enough, Saruman thought he could claim it first. Eventually, he was forced to consent to an assault upon Dol Guldur and Sauron was driven out; this coincided with the slaying of Sauron's potential servant, Smaug, just as Gandalf had planned.

Saruman retreated to Orthanc and continued peering through the Palantír, which resulted in him eventually communing with Sauron. Lured by promises of power and thoughts of his own mastery, the White Wizard was ensnared by the Dark Lord and became one of his greatest servants. Though he desired his new master's victory, Saruman still sought to seize the Ring first and try use it to usurp Sauron's place as Lord of the Rings and of Middle-earth; if this desperate gamble failed, the corrupted Wizard's fawning and feigned allegiance would see him rise in the Ruler's favor and grow into the grey eminence of behind the Dark Throne. Through the White Council had grown suspicious of him and may have doubted his intentions concerning the One Ring, not even they knew of his defection to the service of the Dark Lord. Saruman turned Isengard into a fief, or "slave's flattery", of Mordor and surrounded himself with Orcs of the Mountains, Dunlendings, Wargs and other beings in thrall to Sauron and/or hating Free Folk; this resulted in him forming alliances, spy networks and secret societies in Dunland, Saerlann, and the settlements along the Gwathló and the BrandywineBased on teachings imparted by his new master, or otherwise gained through his own researches, the former White Wizard forged his own Ring, although one infinitely lesser to the Ruling Ring and the others.

Twisted in spirit by Sauron's influence and by his own desire for power, Saruman finally renounced his guardianship over Orthanc in T.A. 2953, claiming the fortress and the surrounding valley as his own. He then began gathering an army of Orcs, wolves, wargs , and evil Men in the caverns under the southern Misty Mountains, transforming the once-placid Wizard's Vale (S. "Nan Curunír") into a fortified realm of mines and factories. His minions in Orthanc called him Sharkú (Or."Old Man"); this name was passed on to his mannish agents in Eriador as "Sharkey". His servants and allies in Eriador now began to gather information and resources for Saruman's own ends; the wizard betrayed some of the most noble of them in the process. When Sauron began taking an active interest in Eriador, Saruman arranged to eliminate Sauron's agents and kept him dependent on his own sources. Saruman sincerely believed to have fooled his master; but the Dark Lord was far from falling for the wizard's trickstery.

As the White Wizard grew accustomed to the epithet "Sharkey", he began to take an active interest in the Shire. He realized in 2953 that Gandalf had asked the Rangers of the North to devote more of their limited manpower to guarding this peaceful realm. The Shire-folk seldom dealt with outsiders, but Sharkey was able to use the greed and ambitions of merchant-traders like Oldenad and Lotho Sackville-Baggins to his advantage. Not only did he develop sources and spies within the Shire, he was also able to purchase quantities of leather goods, cloth, and bulk foods in the Shire and ship them south for the use of his growing army. In spite of Sharkey's efforts, the most important bit of knowledge he might have secured—the location of the One Ring—eluded him until Frodo Baggins had already left for Rivendell.

Saruman eventually betrayed the White Council and the Free Peoples of Middle-Earth. He made Isengard a breeding pit of Orcs, Wargs, and evil Men. He was able to maintain his treachery until almost the last throw of the dice, even managing to imprison Gandalf in 3018 when the latter refused to join with Sauron. The escape of Gandalf on Gwaihir and the attack at Amon Hen complicated Saruman's plans: he was revealed a traitor to to the Free Peoples and an unreliable ally of Mordor.

Saruman understood his terrible predicament and that it all came to his own utter destruction or being spared by Sauron. Trusting his judgement and resuming his use of the Palantír to receive his master's instructions, the former White Wizard committed his armies to an assault on Rohan, only to see all his might and machinery crumble due to the efforts and bravery of the Rohirrim and the Ents. As he met Gandalf the White, he ended up being cast out of the White Council by the new white wizard's hand. Saruman remained in Orthanc until his voice could bewitch Treebeard to let him go. Weakened, suddenly and horribly aged, his staff broken by Gandalf, Saruman fled northward following the defeat of Sauron. Bitter at the destruction of the Ring and the downfall of his master, Saruman roused a band of ruffians made up of Half-Orcs, Dunlendings, and renegade Breelanders to go scour the Shire.

Lotho had already seized power in the Shire; the Wizard came to Bag End in fall of T.A.3019 determined to seek revenge on the Hobbits by destroying as much of the country as possible, for their role Sauron's defeat and his own fall into disgrace. His Staff having been broken by Gandalf and much of his power taken away, his magic items, for the most part, were drained and useless. One of his purposes in coming to the Shire was to locate new sources of power; he expected to find artifacts here left untouched since Arnorian times and manuscripts hidden in ancient times by devout Sauronites. Fortunately, the Ringbearers returned home only two months after the initiation of Sharkey's plan. That return brought about the Wizard's removal and death. He finally met his end at the hands of his servant Grima Wormtongue, who in turn was shot by the Halflings of the Shire. His spirit was not allowed to go to the Undying Lands and was left much-impotent and bereft of shape to ceaselessly wander Middle-earth.

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References:[]

  • Lords of Middle-earth Vol I: The Immortals
  • MERP:Middle-Earth Adventure Guidebook II
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