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| “ | We may join with that Power. It would be wise, Gandalf. Its victory is at hand; and there will be rich reward for those that aided it. | „ |
| ~ Saruman, inciting Gandalf to join with Sauron. |
Curumo, also known as Curunír in Sindarin, better known as Saruman the White and later Saruman of Many Colors after his betrayal of the White Council, is the secondary antagonist of J.R.R. Tolkien's Middle-earth legendarium.
Once an aspiring Maia of Aulë, he became an extremely powerful Wizard and the chief of their order sent to Middle-earth to help counter the returned Sauron. However, Saruman's lust for power and his accompanying greed led to him betraying the Free Peoples and offering his fealty to Sauron. Seeking to share in the Dark Lord's power by any means necessary, Saruman is plotting against his former allies and against Sauron, his new master. Saruman hopes to seize the One Ring and claim it for himself, thus taking Sauron's crown for himself. If that failed, he believes he would at least have his dark master's favor in victory and rule Middle-earth as his right-hand.
As Sauron's two-faced vassal in the War of the Ring, Saruman commands from his fortress at Isengard and marshals impressive Uruk-hai legions against the neighboring realm of Rohan; he also buys the allegiance of Gríma Wormtongue, using him to sap King Théoden of strength so Rohan could fall to Sauron. However, the Wizard also hunts for the Ring-bearer of his own accord, hoping to obtain the Ring for himself and so cheat his Master given the chance. He is also the former superior and arch-nemesis of Gandalf.
Biography[]
Background[]
Saruman was originally a Maia, an angelic being created by Eru Ilúvatar, Tolkien's analog for God. His original name was Curumo, and like Sauron, he served under the Vala known as Aulë the Smith, and was ambitious and obsessed with order from the beginning. Under the name Tarindor, Saruman and the other four Maiar, the would-be Istari, formed the Five Guardians and sent by Melian to aid the other Guardians in protecting the newly-awakened Elves from Melkor's forces.
Sent to Middle-earth[]
Around 1000 years into the Third Age, Curumo and his fellow former members of the Five Guardians incarnated as Wizards, known collectively as the Istari, and were sent to Middle-earth by the Valar to contest the return of Sauron, with Curumo himself taking on the name of Saruman. Initially, Gandalf was asked by Galadriel to lead the Istari, but he declined and promoted Saruman instead. Saruman later learned that Círdan the Shipwright had given Narya, the Red Ring, to Gandalf when the Five first came to Middle-earth. All of this fueled Saruman's jealously towards Gandalf, as he deep down knew Gandalf was the best of the Five.
Saruman and the other Wizards and the Elves would then form the White Council to counter Sauron, with Saruman himself being entrusted by the steward of Gondor, Beren, to look after the tower of Orthanc in Isengard and become the representative of Minas Tirith. However, as he studies the Lore of the Rings, he grows to covet the secrets of the Enemy's power, and desires to claim the One Ring for himself. After Gandalf discovers that Sauron has returned, he attempts to urge the White Council to attack him, but Saruman refuses, deceitfully claiming the One Ring would never be found. In truth, Saruman does not want to attack because he believes he has higher chance of finding the Ring if he lets Sauron be for the time being. However, he later agrees to attack Sauron, leading to the White Council chasing him out of Dol Guldur, only for him to go back to his throne in Mordor.
He uses the palantir to communicate with the Dark Lord, who ensnares him and sways him into betraying the White Council and his people, and becoming one of his chief vassals. Thus, Saruman no longer opposes Sauron's triumph but willingly assists it, hoping to curry his favor and so obtain a quasi-equal status at the side of the "Ruler"; although subservient to the Dark Lord, the traitorous Wizard also seeks to get his hands on the One Ring and betray and supplant his master as the new Lord of the Ring if possible.
War of the Ring[]
Saruman begins his part in Sauron's conquest of Middle-earth by having his mole, Gríma Wormtongue, poison the mind and body of Théoden, King of Rohan, rendering him weak and powerless; he then has Wormtongue daunt the monarch into staying idle in the face of the Dark Lord's encroaching forces. In his bid to crush the kingdom of Rohan, Saruman assembles his following of Orcs, with Uruk-hai among them, into a mighty army, both in service and in competition of Sauron, all while fortifying Isengard in preparation for the assaults against the Men of the West. To further support the Dark Lord's war effort, the corrupted Wizard rallies the Wild Men of Dunland to join the union between Mordor and Isengard in harrying the people of Rohan; in Eriador, Saruman has his spy network watch Gandalf's movements in and around the Shire and mislead Sauron's more trusted minions in the region.
Calling Gandalf to Isengard through Radagast, Saruman announces his betrayal and plan, and advises Gandalf to submit to him or to Sauron. The Grey Pilgrim refuses both choices and is imprisoned atop the tower; Gandalf escapes with the help of Gwaihir the Eagle and unveils Saruman's treachery. Following a "visit" from the Black Riders, the corrupted Wizard becomes desperate: he is a known traitor to the Free Peoples and he fears being caught as a faithless servant of the Dark Lord; therefore, he puts all efforts into both reassuring his master of his commitment and hunting the Ring-bearer for his own ends. Saruman has his Orcs pursue the Fellowship of the Ring and kidnap the hobbits Merry Brandybuck and Pippin Took, in hopes of capturing the Ring-bearer, Frodo Baggins.
When Gandalf helps Théoden overcome Wormtongue's (and thus Saruman's) influence, Saruman sends his Orc army to attack Rohan while he watches from his tower sanctuary. Saruman appears to be winning the battle at first, but then a herd of Ents (giant, tree-like beings) attack on the Free Peoples' behalf, angered by Saruman cutting down whole forests to supply his army with weapons. As the tide of battle has turned against him, the Wizard locks himself within his tower, neither willing to sue for pardon out of arrogance nor further betray the Dark Lord's trust.
The Scouring of the Shire and Death[]
After Sauron's defeat, Saruman leaves Isengard, together with Wormtongue, intent on avenging both his and his master's downfall on the peaceful Hobbits. Thus, he chooses settle in the Shire, under the guise "Sharkey", and turns it into his own petty realm, with a ragtag company of Half-Orcs and evil Men as his main enforcers. Eventually, Frodo and his companions come back to the Shire and break Saruman's hold over it. As Saruman and Wormtongue are chased out of the Shire, the fallen and traitorous Wizard curses his minion and kicks him. Enraged and having reached his breaking point, Wormtongue cuts Saruman's throat, killing him; moments later, Hobbit archers shoot and kill Wormtongue. Saruman's spirit arises and briefly looks west before being blown away by the wind.
| “ | Whereas Curunir was cast down, and utterly humbled, and perished at last by the hand of an oppressed slave; and his spirit went whither-soever it was doomed to go, and to Middle-earth, whether naked or embodied, came never back. | „ |
| ~ Tolkien discussing Saruman's final fate. |
As a Maia, Saruman's spirit tried to return to Valinor, the Heavenly afterlife for Maia, but because of his actions and rejection of redemption, the angelic Valar rejected him in turn. Saruman was subsequently condemned to wander Middle-earth as a bodiless spirit, unable to manifest himself or interact with the world in any way.
Appearance[]
| “ | Saruman: For I am Saruman the Wise, Saruman Ring-maker, Saruman of Many Colours! Gandalf: I liked white better. Saruman: White! It serves as a beginning. White cloth may be dyed. The white page can be overwritten; and the white light can be broken. Gandalf: In which case it is no longer white. And he that breaks a thing to find out what it is has left the path of wisdom. |
„ |
| ~ Saruman revealing to Gandalf that he has renamed himself into Saruman of Many Colors. |
Saruman existed even before the beginning of time itself as an Ainur spirit, created by Eru Ilúvatar. Like all of his kind, he had the ability to shapeshift and existed without any physical form for quite some time.
Initially when he first incarnated, Saruman had black hair and beard, until the end of the Third Age when they turned white save for the parts around his lips and ears. He is tall with a long face and eyes described as deep and dark. As the White Wizard, Saruman at first donned a white cloak before he dubbed himself Saruman of Many Colors and his cloak switched itself into still appearing as white on the surface but revealing different colors as he moved.
Personality[]
| “ | You have become a fool, Saruman, and yet pitiable. You might still have turned away from folly and evil, and have been of service. But you choose to stay and gnaw the ends of your own plots. | „ |
| ~ Gandalf to Saruman. |
Once a wise Maia with a hidden jealous streak, Saruman would unfortunately be corrupted after a conversing with Sauron through the Palantir and become cruel, uncaring, treacherous and power hungry. He would do anything to achieve greater power, even if it meant siding with Sauron, betraying his own allies and laying waste to the forests. Ultimately, however, his schemes and treachery lead him to his defeat and ill fate.
Initially, he plans to use the One Ring to overthrow Sauron, and rationalizes every evil thing he does as the means to a good end. This shows his treachery applies to all, including Sauron himself. By the time of Sauron's resurgence, however, Saruman has given in to his ambition and lust for power, and simply wants to rule Middle-earth with or without Sauron. Ironically, Sauron is aware of Saruman's desire to overthrow him, and plans to dispose of him once he had served his purpose.
Saruman is highly manipulative and deceptive, managing to win many to his side against Rohan and even manipulating Treebeard into releasing him merely with his voice. In conversation, Saruman initially comes off as charming and polite. Once angered however, the act immediately vanishes, and he becomes a much more unpleasant individual. He is cunning and intelligent, managing to poison the mind of King Theoden, force Gandalf through the Mines of Moria, and create weapons capable of breaching the wall of Helm's Deep. He hates the race of Men and wishes to wipe them out, starting with the kingdom of Rohan. He has no problem killing women and children.
By the time of his fall from grace and loss of power, Saruman became a thuggish, cruel and uncaring person, filled by a desire for vengeance, to the point of taking it on the innocent Hobbits of the Shire. He became needlessly cruel and abusive to Gríma Wormtongue, his most useful servant, beating him in public, often just to vent his anger, but his abuse ultimately caused Wormtongue to snap and murder him.
Ultimately, Saruman the White could best be described as manipulative, deceptive, greedy, traitorous, envious, power-hungry, selfish, foul-tempered, vain, and overall unpleasant and unlikable figure, yet nonetheless a tragic case of a once wise and benevolent individual who was fallen greatly and deeply from who the benevolent force he once was.
Powers and Abilities[]
| “ | Once he was as great as his fame made him. His knowledge was deep, his thought was subtle, and his hands marvelously skilled; and he had a power over the minds of others. The wise he could persuade, and the smaller folk he could daunt. That power he certainly still keeps. There are not many in Middle-earth that I should say were safe, if they were left alone to talk with him, even now when he has suffered a defeat. Gandalf, Elrond, and Galadriel, perhaps, now that his wickedness has been laid bare, but very few others. | „ |
| ~ Aragorn regarding Saruman. |
As a Maiar and the leader of the Wizards, Saruman was the most powerful of his order, and quite possibly the second most powerful Maiar in Middle-Earth after Sauron himself. However, due to his placing heavy amounts of magic into his war machine and the Valar's promotion of Gandalf to the White Wizard, Saruman's power diminished significantly, to the point he could barely use any magic at all.
Powers[]
- Magic: A wizard and a Maiar, Saruman was highly skilled in magic, one of the most powerful beings in all of Middle-Earth. He placed a spell on his Uruk-Hai soldiers to make them faster and stronger.
- Voice: Arguably Saruman's most famous ability, and the only form of magic he maintained after his defeat, was his voice. His voice was deep and powerful, yet also charming enough to bend and manipulate people. Few beings aside from similarly powerful figures, such as Gandalf, Elrond, Galadriel and Sauron were capable of resisting it. His magical voice was so deadly that Gandalf warned his companions beforehand of its danger right before they met him. Afterwards, Saruman was able to use his voice to convince Treebeard and the Ents to let him go free.
Skills[]
- Knowledge/Intelligence: Saruman was a highly intelligent and cunning individual, as noted by Gandalf himself.
- Craftmanship/Technology: Like Sauron, Saruman was a Maiar of Aulë, and was highly skilled in the art of craftsmanship and had great scientific skill. As shown during the War of the Ring, Saruman had a magnificent mind for technology, creating and inventing several weapons and war machines for his army in his war for conquest.
- Manipulation: Saruman was a master manipulator. Aided by his magical voice, he was capable of making almost anyone submit to his will. He manipulated the Rohirrim Grima Wormtongue into joining him, and manipulated King Theoden through Grima. He convinced several Dunlendings to join his side during his invasion of Rohan. When the White Council initally wanted to attack Saruron who was returning, he convinced them there was no need to, while deceptively hiding his true reason which was that he desired to possess the One Ring. After becoming in league with Saruon, he managed to successfully hide his betrayal from the White Council for quite some time. After the destruction of Isengard, he was able to manipulate Treebeard into allowing him to escape. Afterwards he became a petty crime boss, convincing several men to aide him in taking over the Shire.
- Combat: Although his magic was more based in knowledge than in combat, Saruman was nonetheless likely a very powerful combatant. His skills and power are so strong that Gandalf, perhaps the most experienced fighter of all the Istari, refused to fight him, knowing it would be a futile struggle and that he would lose.
Other Media[]
Animated Films[]
- Main article: Saruman (Ralph Bakshi)
Middle-earth Film Series[]
- Main article: Saruman (Peter Jackson)
Bases[]
| “ | A great ring-wall of stone, like towering cliffs, stood out from the shelter of the mountain-side, from which it ran and then returned again... one who passed in and came at length out of the echoing tunnel, beheld a plain, a great circle, somewhat hollowed like a vast shallow bowl: a mile it measured from rim to rim. Once it had been green and filled with avenues, and groves of fruitful trees, watered by streams that flowed from the mountains to a lake. But no green thing grew there in the latter days of Saruman. The roads were paved with stone-flags dark and hard; and beside their borders instead of trees there marched long lines of pillars, some of marble, some of copper and of iron, joined by heavy chains, to the centre all the roads ran between their chains. There stood a tower of marvelous shape. It was fashioned by the builders of old, who smoothed the Ring of Isengard, and yet it seemed a thing not made by the craft of Men, but riven from the bones of the earth in the ancient torment of the hills. A peak and isle of rock it was, black and gleaming hard: four mighty piers of many-sided stone were welded into one, but near the summit they opened into gaping horns, their pinnacles sharp as the points of spears, keen-edged as knives. Between them was a narrow space, and there upon a floor of polished stone, written with strange signs, a man might stand five hundred feet above the plain. | „ |
| ~ Tolkien's description of Orthanc. |
Saruman's dwelling was Orthanc. It was built in the Second Age by the Dúnedain.
Relationships[]
Family[]
- Eru Ilúvatar (creator)
- Ainur ("siblings")
Allies (All Formerly/Betrayed)[]
- Ainur
- Valar
- Aulë (former mentor)
- Istari
- Valar
- Sauron †
- Orcs
- Goblins
- Trolls
- Wargs
- Nazgûl †
- Gríma Wormtongue †
- Uruk-hai
- Uglúk †
- Mauhúr
- Lugdush †
- Broncho Stonecrow
- Harry Goatleaf
- Lotho Sackville-Baggins †
- Snaga
- Bill Ferny
- Dunlendings
- Isengarders
- Wargs
- Ruffians
- Half-orcs
- Goblin-men
- Wolf-riders
- Saruman's Army
- Wulf II
- Isengard Gate Guards
- Crebain
- Hawks
- Robin Smallburrow
- Squint-eyed Southerner
Enemies[]
- Fellowship of the Ring
- Frodo Baggins
- Samwise Gamgee
- Gandalf (arch-nemesis)
- Aragorn †
- Legolas
- Gimli
- Boromir †
- Peregrin Took
- Meriadoc Brandybuck
- Théoden †
- Éomer †
- Men
- Elves
- Dwarves
- Hobbits
- Ents
- Eagles
- Treebeard
- Elrond
- Galadriel
- Radagast
- Ainur
Victims[]
- Countless people in the Battle of Helm's Deep
- Lotho Sackville-Baggins
Trivia[]
- Saruman's name originated from Old English and means "man of skill".
- Saruman is an evil counterpart of the following characters:
- Gandalf: Both are wise Wizards who are among the most powerful of the Five and sent to Middle-earth to defeat Sauron. This is further reinforced when Saruman picks up Gandalf's habits such as smoking pipe-weed despite publicly denouncing them. Gandalf, after becoming the White Wizard, even says he is what Saruman should have been.
- Samwise Gamgee: Both started out as flawed but good people tasked to aid others to defeat Sauron. But while Sam remains loyal to Frodo until the end and even grows to be more brave, Saruman betrays the White Council and the free peoples for personal gain whilst devolving into a coward. While Sam has a humble beginning, Saruman was the leader of the White Council. While Sam has a humble goal and manages to resist the One Ring's temptation, Saruman desires grandiosity and gives in to Sauron's manipulation and his own delusion that he can usurp him.
- Saruman's relationship with Sauron mirrors Sauron's own with Morgoth, as Saruman is too a Maia of Aulë who is obsessed with order and eventually falls to the Dark Lord's influence, while still believing that he is doing what is best for Middle-earth. His role is even similar to Sauron's own in Beren and Lúthien, as a wizard living in a tower who leads orcs and serves as the main obstacle for the middle of the plot, and his defeat involves being forced to hand the tower's access to the Free Peoples and fleeing the scene out of fear of the punishment from the Dark Lord.
- Saruman, like Sauron, is a Maia of Aulë who ends up becoming corrupt, likely because Aulë is a Vala of craft, since Tolkien had a distrust in industrialism. This is even alluded to in how Saruman changed his title from White to Many Colors, as many colors create white, meaning he has symbolically broken the white color similar to how a craftsman tends to deconstruct things. Gandalf even points this out to him, stating "He that breaks a thing to find out what it is has left the path of wisdom".
External Links[]
- Saruman on the Lord of the Rings Wiki
- Saruman on the Tolkien Gateway
- Saruman on Wikipedia
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 Villains
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