Sauron. Everyone loves to hate him, but no one seems to know much about him. The movies leave out a staggering amount of detail concerning Sauron, and no, we don’t blame them at all for doing so. We didn’t expect Jackson to halt The Lord of the Rings for twenty minutes to give us an extensive detailing of all the important Sauron lore!
The movies did what they needed to - Sauron makes ring, gets ring cut from finger, then seeks ring. Easy peasy. But there’s a ton of good stuff that was left out in the process. These are ten facts about Sauron from the books that the movies leave out.
He Is A Maia
We know what you’re thinking - what in the heck is a Maia!? Unfortunately, The Lord of the Rings completely eliminated any mention of the Maiar. The Maiar are essentially powerful spirits who helped the Valar (the Gods) create the world.
The Maiar take on many corporeal forms - some take the form of the Balrogs, while others appear as wizened old wizards (Gandalf and Saruman). Anyway, Sauron was a very powerful Maiar (or Maia) who came the Valar Aulë. The other Maia who came from Aulë? You guessed it - Saruman.
His Real Name Is Mairon
Our old pal Sauron was not always known as “Sauron.” He was actually known as Mairon, which means “admirable” or “excellent.” While in the kingdom of Men known as Númenor, Mairon added the title “Tar” to his name, making him Tar-Mairon, or King Excellent.
He was widely known for being a noble Maia who relished in perfection. It wasn’t until later that he became known as Sauron, as “Sauron” is the Quenya term (an Elvish language) for “The Abhorred.” As you can probably guess, this came AFTER all his misdeeds…
He Is A Shape Changer
We don’t get to see much of Sauron in the movies. He is briefly seen at the beginning with his signature black armor, and he later appears as the Eye of Sauron. This is in keeping with his real identity, as Sauron was a shapeshifter and few people recognized his real physical appearance.
He has taken on many forms throughout the years, including a vampire, a serpent, and a wolf, and he was even able to make himself appear “fairer” and more divine in appearance to trick the people of Númenor.
He Was Corrupted By Morgoth
As we stated earlier, Sauron, or Mairon as he was then known, was a good and noble Maia. But he quickly found himself corrupted by the power and ambition of Morgoth. Morgoth was the first Dark Lord, and Mairon quickly found himself acting as a double agent within the ranks of the Maiar.
Once Morgoth gained enough credible power, Mairon switched sides and openly defied the Maiar. It was this event that caused the Elves to name him The Abhorrent, or Sauron. Thus, Sauron, as we know him, was born.
He Was Blackened By Fire
The movies rightfully associate fire with Sauron. His Ring was forged on Mount Doom, the Eye of Sauron is made of fire, and his finger can be seen smoldering once Isildur cuts it off. That’s because Sauron himself is basically walking fire. His physical appearance is not often detailed, but Tolkien does mention a “black hand” on numerous occasions.
This is clearly seen in the movie, as Sauron’s finger crumbles like charcoal when Isildur claims the Ring. The Elvish king Gil-galad also perished upon touching Sauron, a clear indication of his immense heat.
He Was Morgoth’s Lieutenant
Once Morgoth rose in power, Sauron became one of his most feared lieutenants. In the First Age, war was declared on Morgoth by the Elves, as Morgoth had stolen their precious Silmarils. The Silmarils were highly valuable and wildly famous gems that were crafted from the Two Trees of Valinor.
Once Morgoth stole the Silmarils from the Elves, the Elves left Valinor and waged war on Morgoth, beginning the War of the Jewels. It was during this war that Sauron became a feared and powerful lieutenant of Morgoth. That is, until his master’s defeat. Then he ran away like a little pansy instead of answering for his betrayal.
War Of The Elves And Sauron
Once Sauron disappeared, he began to forge the Rings of Power, which he obviously gave to men, dwarves, and Elves. Of course, he also crafted the One Ring, which was meant to bring all the other races under his command. However, the Elves recognized Sauron’s treachery and open war was declared.
The result was The War of the Elves and Sauron (not the catchiest of names), and it decimated most of Eriador (a region in Northwest Middle-earth). Of course, Sauron was defeated and once again retreated to his fortress in Mordor.
Life As A Númenórean
After the battle, Sauron was approached in Mordor by the Númenóreans, a race of Men who hailed from the island of Númenór. Their King, Ar-Pharazôn, approached Mordor and demanded that Sauron bend the knee. Sauron appeared as a fair figure (as we discussed before) and tricked Ar-Pharazôn into taking him back to Númenór.
There, he became a trusted adviser of Ar-Pharazôn and began tricking the Númenóreans into worshiping Morgoth. He essentially destroyed Númenór from within. And the plan worked flawlessly.
He Literally Altered The Landscape Of The World
This story proves just how cool Tolkien’s writing can be. After Sauron infiltrated Númenór, he convinced Ar-Pharazôn to invade Valinor and attack the Valar. Essentially, he wanted Ar-Pharazôn to attack the Gods themselves. However, THE overall God of Arda, Eru Ilúvatar, put a stop to that.
He sunk the island of Númenór, destroyed the Númenóreans’ fleet of ships, and altered the landscape of the very world, changing it from flat to spherical. This was known as the Change of the World.
His Time In Mirkwood
Sauron spent some time in Mirkwood, AKA the home of Legolas. Once his physical body was lost in the Battle of Dagorlad (depicted in the movie), Sauron’s essence took a stronghold in Mirkwood known as Dol Guldur. There he took the form of a necromancer and became known as, well, The Necromancer.
The Elves did not suspect it of being Sauron, and it wasn’t until Gandalf was sent by the Valar that Sauron’s identity became known. He fled back to Mordor, and the War of the Ring began…
