| NOTE: This article is about the version of Saruman from the original books by J.R.R. Tolkien. You may be looking for information on his Peter Jackson film counterpart or his Ralph Bakshi counterpart. |
| “ | 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 |
Saruman of Many Colors is the secondary antagonist of the 1954 epic high fantasy novel The Lord of the Rings by the late J.R.R. Tolkien.
He is an extremely powerful Wizard and the chief of their order sent to Middle-earth to help counter the returned Dark Lord. 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 he was plotting against his former allies and against Sauron, his new master. Saruman hoped to seize the One Ring and claim it for himself, thus taking Sauron's crown for himself. If that failed, he believed 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. Saruman is Gandalf's superior-turned-archenemy.
Biography[]
Saruman is the head of the White Council, a group of Elves and Wizards formed to contest the return of Sauron. Like his fellow Wizard Gandalf, he is a Maia, an angelic being sent to Middle-earth by Eru, Tolkien's analog for God. He grows to covet the secrets of the Enemy's power, and 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 corrupted Wizard also seeks to get his hands on the One Ring and supplant his master as the new Lord of the Ring if possible.
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.
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 Wizard curses his minion and throws him down. Enraged, Wormtongue cuts Saruman's throat, killing him; moments later, Hobbit archers shoot and kill Wormtongue.
| “ | 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.
Personality[]
| “ | 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. |
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.
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, 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.
Ultimately, Saruman the White could best be described as manipulative, greedy, 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 & Abilities[]
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. 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.
Orthanc[]
| “ | 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.
Servants of Saruman[]
- Gríma Wormtongue
- Uglúk
- Uruk-hai
- Lotho Sackville-Baggins
- Orcs
- Snaga
- Bill Ferny
- Dunlendings
- Isengarders
- Wargs
- Ruffian Leader
- Ruffians
- Half-orcs
- Goblin-men
- Wolf-riders
- Saruman's Army
- Wulf II
- Isengard Gate Guards
- Mauhúr
- Lugdush
- Broncho Stonecrow
- Harry Goatleaf
- Thrugg
- Grimbosh
- Bugrakh
- Bugrug
- Radlúk
- Flizpot
- Crebain
- Hawks
- Robin Smallburrow
- Squint-eyed Southerner
- Gazmog
Trivia[]
- Saruman is portrayed slightly differently in the cinematic version and the book version.
- In the books, he is one of his master's greatest minions in the war, but proves to be a duplicitous one: the corrupted Wizard wishes to become a tyrant over Middle-earth, regardless if as the Dark Lord's right-hand, or (more preferrably) a ruler on his own. Thus, although Saruman does the bidding of Sauron, seeking to bring down Rohan on its knees before him, he also plots for his own ends, proven by his self-interested hunt for the Ring-bearer. In the film adaptations, the Wizard is portrayed as being a more committed servant of the Dark Lord, but it is also implied that he entertains the idea of taking the One Ring for himself if possible.
- His death is portrayed differently in the films than in the original book: in Peter Jackson's movies, Saruman dies during his conversation with Gandalf and Théoden in the Orthanc tower, but in Tolkien's book, he dies in the Shire where he set himself up with the confirmation he was damned. In both versions, however, he is killed by Gríma Wormtongue.
- In the animated film, Saruman wears a red robe rather than a white one despite his namesake.
- In the animated film, his name was changed to Aruman, because the writers believed that his name sounded so similar to Sauron, so they changed his name to avoid confusion.
External links[]
- Saruman on Wikipedia
- Saruman on the Lord of the Rings Wiki
- Saruman on the Tolkien Gateway
