Sauron (pronounced /ˈsaʊərɒn/ , Quenya:, literal meaning: "Abhorred" ) is the titular character and the principal antagonist of the fantasy novel The Lord of the Rings by J. R. R. Tolkien.
In the same work, he is revealed to be the same character as "the Necromancer" from Tolkien's earlier novel The Hobbit . In Tolkien's The Silmarillion (published after The Lord of the Rings and Tolkien's death by his son, Christopher Tolkien, but begun decades before), he is also revealed to have been the chief lieutenant of the first Dark Lord, Morgoth. Tolkien noted that the “angelic” powers of his constructed myth “were capable of many degrees of error and failing”, but by far the worst was “the absolute Satanic rebellion and evil of Morgoth and his satellite Sauron.”
Biography
Before Creation of the World
The cosmological myth prefixed to the The Silmarillion explains how Eru, “the One”, initiated his creation by bringing into being innumerable spirits, “the offspring of his thought," who were thus with him before anything else had been made. The being later known as Sauron thus originated as an “immortal (angelic) spirit.” In his origin, Sauron therefore perceived the Creator directly. As Tolkien noted: “Sauron could not, of course, be a ‘sincere’ atheist. Though one of the minor spirits created before the world, he knew Eru, according to his measure.”
In the terminology of Tolkien's invented language of Quenya, these angelic spirits were called Ainur (sg. Ainu ). Those who entered the physical world were called Valar (sg. Vala ), especially the most powerful ones. The (relatively) lesser beings of the same race, of whom Sauron was one, were called Maiar (sg. Maia ). In Tolkien's letters, the author noted that Sauron “was of course a 'divine' person (in the terms of this mythology; a lesser member of the race of Valar)”. Though less mighty than the chief Valar, he was more powerful than many of his fellow Maiar; Tolkien noted that he was of a "far higher order" than the Maiar who later came to Middle-earth as the Wizards Gandalf and Saruman. As created by Eru, the Ainur were all good and uncorrupt, as Elrond stated in The Lord of the Rings : “Nothing is evil in the beginning. Even Sauron was not so.”
Rebellion originated with the Vala Melkor (Morgoth). According to a story meant as a parable of events beyond elvish comprehension, Eru let his spirit-children perform a great Music, the Music of the Ainur (Ainulindalë), developing a theme revealed by Eru himself. For a while the cosmic choir made wondrous music, but then Melkor tried to increase his own glory by weaving into his song thoughts and ideas that were not in accordance with the original theme. “Straightway discord arose around him, and many that sang nigh him grew despondent ... but some began to attune their music to his rather than to the thought which they had at first.”
The discord of Melkor would have dire consequences, as this singing was the very song of creation, a kind of template for the world to be: “The evils of the world were not at first in the great Theme, but entered with the discords of Melkor.” However, “Sauron was not a beginner of discord; and he probably knew more of the Music than did Melkor, whose mind had always been filled with his own plans and devices." Apparently Sauron was not even one of the spirits that immediately began to attune their music to that of Melkor, since it is elsewhere noted that his fall occurred later (see below).
Soon it was as if the discords of Melkor were at war with the themes of Eru – the cosmic Music now representing a conflict of good and evil. Finally, abruptly, Eru brought the Song of Creation to an end. To show the spirits, faithful or otherwise, what they had done, Eru gave independent being to the now-marred Music. This resulted in the manifestation of the material World, Eä , where the drama of good and evil would play out and be resolved. Eru allowed the spirits who so wished to enter into the new world of Eä and follow its history from inside. Many did so, Sauron among them. By granting free will to enter into Eä, Eru allowed great evil, as well as great good.
First Age
Entering Eä at the beginning of time, the Valar and Maiar tried to build and organise the world according to the will of Eru. Each of the Maia spirits was associated with one of the powerful Valar whom they served; for example, Ossë and Uinen, who were spirits of the sea, belonged to Ulmo, the Vala who was lord of the oceans. Sauron was prominent among the Maiar who served Aulë the Smith, the great craftsman of the Valar. As a result, Sauron came to possess great knowledge of the physical substances of the world, forging, and all manner of craftsmanship—emerging as “a great craftsman of the household of Aulë”. Sauron would always retain the "scientific" knowledge he derived from the great Vala of Craft: “In his beginning he was of the Maiar of Aulë, and he remained mighty in the lore of that people.” Sauron's original name was probably Mairon (the Admirable), but this name was changed to Sauron after he was suborned by Melkor. However, during the First Age Sauron continued to call himself Mairon.
Sauron's Fall
Within the vast spaces of Eä, the Valar eventually concentrated their efforts on the realm of Arda, the Earth, where Elves and Men were destined to appear as the “Children of God.” But Melkor, who would later be known as Morgoth the Black Enemy, had also arrived in Arda. Fiercely desiring to become its supreme lord, he opposed the other Valar, who remained faithful to Eru and tried to carry out the Creator’s designs. Around this time, Sauron fell victim to Melkor’s corrupting influence: “In the beginning of Arda Melkor seduced him to his allegiance.”
As for Sauron's motives, Tolkien noted that "it had been his virtue (and therefore also the cause of his fall ...) that he loved order and coordination, and disliked all confusion and wasteful friction." Thus "it was the apparent will and power of Melkor to effect his designs quickly and masterfully that had first attracted Sauron to him."
For a while, Sauron apparently kept up the pretence that he was a faithful servant of the Valar, all the while feeding Melkor information about their doings. Thus, when the Valar made Almaren as their first physical abode in the world, “Melkor knew of all that was done; for even then he had secret friends and spies among the Maiar whom he had converted to his cause, and of these the chief, as after became known, was Sauron.”
Almaren was destroyed by Melkor, and the Valar established a new abode in the Uttermost West: the Blessed Realm of Valinor. They still did not perceive Sauron’s dubious loyalties, for he too became “a being of Valinor”.
At some point, Sauron left the Blessed Realm and went to Middle-earth, the central continent of Arda. In one text, Tolkien wrote of Sauron that “in Valinor he had dwelt among the people of the gods, but there Morgoth had drawn him to evil and to his service”. It would seem that Sauron now definitely sided with Melkor. No longer just a spy and secret sympathizer, he deserted his service to the Valar and openly joined their great enemy: “Because of his admiration of Strength he had become a follower of Morgoth and fell with him down into the depths of evil.”
The Lieutenant of Melkor
After joining his new master in Middle-earth, he proved to be a devoted and capable servant: “While Morgoth still stood, Sauron did not seek his own supremacy, but worked and schemed for another, desiring the triumph of Melkor, whom in the beginning he had adored. He thus was often able to achieve things, first conceived by Melkor, which his master did not or could not complete in the furious haste of his malice.” “In all the deeds of Melkor the Morgoth upon Arda, in his vast works and in the deceits of his cunning, Sauron had a part.”
In chapter 3 of The Silmarillion , Tolkien writes that by the time the Elves awoke in the world, Sauron had become Melkor’s lieutenant and was given command over the newly-built stronghold of Angband. To protect the Elves, the Valar made war on Melkor and captured him, but could not find Sauron.
Thus, “when Melkor was made captive, Sauron escaped and lay hid in Middle-earth; and it can in this way be understood how the breeding of the Orcs (no doubt already begun) went on with increasing speed.” In the Blessed Realm, Melkor feigned reform, but eventually breached the trust of the Valar and escaped back to Middle-earth, holding the Silmarils of Fëanor. By then, Sauron had “secretly repaired Angband for the help of his Master when he returned; and there the dark places underground were already manned with hosts of the Orcs before Melkor came back at last, as Morgoth the Black Enemy.”
Shortly after the return of Morgoth, the Noldorin Elves also 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, such as Gothmog, the Lord of Balrogs. 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 M
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