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Sauron

Sauron Tolkien illustration


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Sauron (Q."The Abhorred"), known by many names and titles (the Dark Lord, the Lord of the Rings, the Lord of the Earth, the One Enemy, the Deceiver etc.) was originally Mairon (Q."The Admirable), the first leader of Aulë's household and later the chief agent of Morgoth, before becoming the second and last great incarnation of evil.

Lesser only than Eönwë, Sauron's duty as one of the Maiar had been to aid the Valar in shaping Arda according to Eru's vision. But he forsook this humble purpose, wanting instead to bring order through his own dominion over the whole World and lusting for complete power as a god-king. Sauron joined at first with Morgoth and had a part in most of his misdeeds against the Eldar; when his master fell, he claimed his mantle for his own. Gathering foul things under his government and engaging the service of many corrupted beings, the Dark Lord strove to enslave the Free Peoples of Middle-earth through armies or by other more cunning means, such as the Rings of Power that were bent to his own Ruling Ring.

History[]

A chief of the Maiar and the mightiest of the fire-spirits of Aule, Mairon was second only to Eonwë, the herald of Manwë. More potent than his peers, he had a love of order and coordination and came to believe the Valar as not wise enough to ensure the prosperity of Arda. Fuelled by these initially honourable intentions, he came to lust for the mastery that would advance his agenda. Drawn to the rebel Vala Melkor's ability to affect his own designs quickly, he resolved to ally with him so that he could achieve his goals faster. Mairon took part in the Ainulindalë, during which his theme intertwined with that of Melkor - both of them craved power and lordship of .

When the wars of the First Age broke out, Sauron left Aulë's employ and entered service to Morgoth. Learning dark arts and bringing other lesser Maiar under his sway, he came to be dreaded as a sorcerer, necromancer and the greatest servant of Morgoth. When his master was first defeated, Sauron hid himself within Angband and rebuilt the fortress years later. By the time Morgoth escaped captivity, Orcs, Trolls, Wolves, Wargs and other monsters had multiplied under his lieutenant to twice the numbers they had been before.

At the time Morgoth left to try recruit Men to his side, Sauron waged war against the Elves and stroke a decisive blow by conquering the island of Tol Sirion. Wanting to leave his master's side so he could prepare his own plots, Sauron claimed the tower as his new dwelling and summoned Werewolves, Orcs and Vampires to him to carry out his wishes. Disrupted by the meddling of Barahir and his folk, the Sorcerer sent his trusted servants to find his lair. So it was that Gorlim the Unhappy was captured and brought before the dark seat of Sauron himself. Daunted by the promise of seeing his wife, the man gave up the secret only to be put to slow death afterwards, to join her. Not long after, Barahir was slain and the Quest for the Silmaril began, during which he captured the Orc-disguised company of Finrod Felagund and Beren Ercharmion, whom he imprisoned and cruelly tortured, having his wolves devour them one by one while the others watched in horror. Upon the arrival of Luthien Tinuviel, Sauron caught wind of her song and in his twisted mind sought to either take the beautiful maiden for himself or hand her over to Morgoth. The servants he sent to fetch her were all slain by Huan the Hound of Valinor and he himself came forth as the greatest wolf yet. Despite his might, Sauron was defeated and yielded the keys to the tower. Set free, he took the shape of a vampire and fled to Dorthonion. It was here he settled and called his remainder of underlings, hiding to avoid the scorn of Morgoth or perhaps the wrath of the Valar.

Following Morgoth's defeat, Sauron came before Eonwë and asked forgiveness. His plea, whether genuine or not, convinced the herald, who was unable to do so given that they had once held similar ranks and were of the same order. Unwilling to heed Eonwë's advice and return for judging before his former lords Manwë and Aulë, Sauron left in great haste and returned to his devious devices, for the bonds he had laid upon himself and his former ties to Morgoth were stronger still. Having coming to believed that neither the Aratar nor the rebel Vala cared for the needs of Endor, Sauron claimed the titles of Dark Lord, King of the World and Lord of the Earth, supplanting both Manwë and Morgoth and setting himself as the rightful ruler of Middle-Earth.

Denied the lordship and worship he so coveted, Sauron fashioned himself servants and bought the allegiance of once honorable folk from among Men and Dwarves. He bred Orcs, Wolves, Wargs and Trolls anew, delving into experiments for stronger varieties, and made Fellbeasts and other monsters, though his were lesser than those of the First Age. The Dark Worship began anew, with devout Sauronites. Using their hatred for the Elves and Men as well as their need for a master, the Dark Lord brought even the Orc tribes of the Misty Mountains at his back and call. The chieftains of Gundabad made rituals and sacrifices in his name, while the confederations of Easterlings paid him tribute. In the shadowy land of Mordor, Sauron had the tower of Barad-dûr built as his personal bastion and fortress from where he amassed massive armies through his chief agents.

Taking fair shape once more as Annatar the Bringer of Gifts, Sauron taught the Elven smiths of Celebrimbor the secrets of Ring-making. Under his mentorship, the Noldor crafted the Rings of Power, but in secret he forged the Ruling Ring. Were it not for the Numenorians, the Enemy would have succeeded in bringing the Quendi under his sway as well, for his servants were many and his power had grown immensely (therefore the name of the Dark Power).Sauron surrendered, having formed a plan in his mind, and left with the "victors" to Numenor. In time, he was able to become King Ar-Pharazôn's trusted aide and initially coerced Men to worship Morgoth (but only due to his state as an apparent prisoner not out of loyalty). He further convinced the King to assault Valinor, leading to Iluvatar sinking Numenor. He survived however, though he lost the ability to take fair form again. King Elendil of the Men of Númenor faithful to Eru alongside High-King Gil-Galad of the Noldor Elves warred against the Dark Lord, managing to push back the Orcs to Mordor and the Misty Mountains, while the Dwarves battled Dragons in the Grey Mountains and Withered Heath, some of whom served the Enemy. During the Battle of the Last Alliance, Sauron himself came to lead his servants against the allied forces of Men and Elves, killing Elendil and Gil-Galad, at the cost of being severely weakened. Prince Isildur cut the One Ring from his hand in a desperate act to protect himself, resulting in the destruction of the Dark Lord's physical form.

Taking the guise of "the Necromancer", Sauron recovered and began too manipulate events into his favour. Many of the Orcs of the Misty Mountains, descendants of those who had fought for him in the War of the Last Alliance, gathered back under his banner and it was said that even Azog the Defiler and his line paid homage to him. It is also said that Sauron furthered the hatred between Dwarves and Dragons by spreading false rumors that the former race had slain kin of the latter from the Grey Mountains.This resulted in numerous attacks against the Dwarves by the Drakes and them being more susceptible to becoming servants to the Evil One. He further struggled to bring Smaug, the last of the great Dragons, under his employ, and Gandalf the Grey feared that the Dark Lord may succeed if he had not already. His fears were confirmed by the dying Thrain II in Dol Guldur, which convinced him that the Dragon needed to be dealt with. Ultimately, the Quest for the Lonely Mountain resulted in Smaug the Terrible's end and the defeat of Bolg and the Gundabad Orcs, a significant loss for the Enemy altogether. Sauron was "forced" to leave Dol Guldur by the White Council, though it was only later that they realized that he was aware of their imminent attack and that his preparations in Mordor had already begun.

Settling back into his Tower of Barad-dûr he began once more to rally his underlings and turn others to his side. Using the Palantir recovered from Minas Ithil, he established contact with Saruman, who swore his allegiance to him and betrayed the Valar. The Dark Lord was pleased by the latter's service to him, yet felt a bit uneasy, for he suspected that Saruman had considered acquiring the Ring for himself. Nonetheless, he taught him much lore. He had learned that the Ring was no longer in the Anduin and had captured Gollum, whom he tortured into revealing two vital informations: "Shire" and "Baggins". He released the creature, thinking he could trace it back to the "thief", but Gollum was captured by Aragorn and was now imprisoned in Mirkwood. To find his lost possession, he sent the Ringwraiths to look for the Shire. The Orcs of the Misty Mountains attacked the Elves and though they captured Gollum, the creature ultimately escaped. The Ringwraiths reached Eriador, where their agents had been mostly thined up by those of Saruman, who also lied about not being aware of Hobbiton. The Witch-king managed to capture Bill Ferny and Doeth, who happened to be in the wizard's employ and who revealed Saruman's knowledge of Eriador and that he was not as genuine of a servant to the Lidless Eye as he seemed. Sauron's deadly agents reached the Shire and followed Frodo Baggins and his companions to Bree, where they were aided by the two ruffians, now in league with the Dark Lord. They failed yet again to gain the One Ring at Weathertop and were later forced to return to Mordor, empty-handed. Sauron had the Witch-king direct the war against Gondor, while Saruman, who had abandoned hopes of gaining the Ring, sought to prove his allegiance by weakening Rohan and expanding Sauron's influence in Eriador, wanting now merely to be his highest servant.

Saruman was soon defeated in the Battle of Helm's Deep and Siege of Isengard, resulting in Sauron losing one of his most potent servants as well as the army of Orcs, Half-orcs, Uruk-hai and Hill-men. He had the Witch-king and his forces move against Gondor, resulting in a serious defeat and another loss. Believing Aragorn or Gandalf to have the Ring and thinking that the hobbits were a ruse, the Dark Lord sent forth much of his army in the Battle at the Morannon, during which the One Ring was cast into the fires from whence it came. Crippled, Sauron fell with his tower. His spirit was rendered impotent, much like Morgoth's own, and imprisoned into the Void, never to return till the Last Battle.

Origin[]

Sauronsf

Sauron's original name was Mairon, he was chief among Aule's people. Before entering Ea. He took part in the Ainulindalë , But he didn't align himself to Morgoth from the beginning. Sauron was also known to be one of the most powerful Maiar being far more stronger than other maiar like Gandalf and Saruman. His downfall at the end of the Third Age of Middle-earth was described in The Red Book.

The tale of Halbrand according to the Book of Lies[]

One of many forms the deceiver took in the second Age was that of Halbrand (Hal. "Border Chief"), a hero of the Second Age who tried to escape his past, and found his destiny intertwined with that of Galadriel.According to Annatar's lies Halbrand was the rightful heir to a great chief of the First Age who had sworn a blood oath to Morgoth, and had united much of the Arrónai (especially those close to the Daen) in the southern Westlands under the forces of the Dark. Halbrand himself was raised in the southern Westlands, among the Donaen, and inherited a stone that bore the symbol of his ancestry. After his home was attacked by Orcs, he and a group of refugees fled the southern Westlands, looking for remote kinsmen who had generations ago left the valleys of the White Mountains to move into Eriador and eventually settled later Bree.After losing their primitive ship they eventually ended up adrift as castaways in the Sundering Sea. A "worm" attacked them, killing all but Halbrand and Galadriel, an Elf who had come aboard and who Halbrand saved. They were eventually rescued by Númenóreans, and brought to Rómenna, where Halbrand tried to start a new life, though none would accept a Lesser Man with no qualifications. He was arrested after getting into a street brawl while trying to steal a man's guild insignia, and brought to the dungeons, where Galadriel revealed she knew of his ancestry, and wanted to help him redeem his past.

Items[]

Other names[]

Names[]

Among the many names, titles and epithets he possessed were:

Cults[]

Notes[]

  • During the War of the Ring, the Dark Lord did not accept that someone wanted to destroy the One Ring. He thought that his enemies were trying to push him out of the Dark Throne and rule instead of him. Sauron's false belief seemed to be justified in his own treacherous servant, Saruman, who was eager to wield the Ring's power for himself and usurp his new master's place.
  • In the early legendarium, his character was represented by the cat Tevildo, and then the necromancer Thû, whose name evolved to Gorthû, Sûr and finally Sauron.
  • In Letter 175, Tolkien referred to Sauron as "the Devil", a title reserved in many cultures and religions for the supreme spirit of evil: Satan. Both are fallen angelic beings, both bear similar titles (Dark Lord and Prince of Darkness respectively), and both corrupt others and twist them into doing their bidding. Whereas Morgoth embodies Lucifer (the prime mover of evil and first rebel), Sauron is a representation of Satan (the tempter and deceiver). In this aspect, the Dark Lord also resembles another biblical figure, namely the Antichrist. Sauron's actions that led to the Fall of Númenor especially, bear parallels to those of the Antichrist: both Sauron and the Antichrist are false Messiahs (denying the existence of God and encouraging their followers to worship them instead as deities) and both crave absolute power as dictators over humanity. This comparison between Tolkien's character and the figure in the New Testament is further supported in Gandalf, a character with Christ-derived traits, being the chief adversary of Sauron.

References[]

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