| “ | Long ago, in the early years of the Second Age, the great Elven-smiths forged rings of power. Nine for mortal men, seven for the Dwarf lords, three for the tall Elf Kings. But then, the dark lord learned the craft of ring making and made the Master Ring, the one ring to rule them all. With the One Ring, Middle-Earth is his, and he cannot not be overcome. As the last alliance of men and Elves fell beneath his power, he did not notice the heroic shadow who slipped in. It was Prince Isildur, of the mighty Kings from across the sea, who took the ring. But because he did not destroy it, the spirit of the dark lord lived on, and began to take shape and grow again. But the ring had a will of its own, and a way of slipping from one hand to be found by another, so that it might at last get back to its master. And there, the ring lay at the bottom of the great river Anduin for thousands of years. During those years, the dark lord captured the nine rings that were made for men and turned their owners into the Ringwraiths. Terrible shadows, under his great Shadow, who roamed the world... searching for the One Ring. | „ |
| ~ The opening narration of Ralph Bakshi's 1978 version of The Lord of the Rings |
Sauron is the overarching antagonist of Ralph Bakshi's 1978 adaptation of The Lord of the Rings and the main antagonist of Rankin-Bass' 1980 adaptation of The Return of the King - J.R.R. Tolkien's third and final The Lord of the Rings volume of the same title.
Biography[]
Rankin-Bass[]
The Return of the King[]
The Eye of Sauron in The Return of the King (1980)
Gandalf is seen handing the ring to Frodo and they go on a journey to destroy the ring. Sauron's eye appears a few times in the film, Sauron himself sends the Nazgûl to lead an army to destroy the kingdom of Rohan. However, the invasion is thwarted and the people of Rohan, led by Aragorn and Gandalf, go to Mordor to distract Sauron from Frodo, who attempts to destroy the One Ring by throwing it into Mount Doom. Frodo falls under the Ring's power at the last moment, but its former owner, Gollum, bites off Frodo's finger that the One Ring was on and falls into Mount Doom, thus destroying Sauron once and for all.
Ralph Bakshi[]
In Ralph Bakshi's 1978 version of The Lord of the Rings, Sauron is said to have forged the "master ring" to gain control over the 19 others. He corrupts 9 men into Nazgûl. Wages war upon the Elves and Men, only for Prince Isildur to chop off his finger. Isildur is killed by Orcs a few years later, and the Ring falls into the River Anduin. Two thousand years later, the Hobbit Deagol finds the Ring while fishing, and his relative Sméagol murders him for it; the Ring's influence transforms Sméagol into the creature Gollum, and he takes the Ring with him to the Misty Mountains. Eventually, the Ring abandons Gollum, and another Hobbit, Bilbo Baggins, finds it and takes it back with him to the Shire.
Sauron's shadow in Ralph Bakshi's The Lord of the Rings (1977)
Decades later, Bilbo passes down the One Ring to his relative Frodo. Gandalf reveals to Frodo that Sauron is seeking the Ring so he can take over Middle-Earth, and sends him and his gardener Sam Gamgee on a journey to Mordor to destroy the ring while Gandalf himself goes to Saruman for council.
During his visit, Gandalf discovers Saruman is in league with Sauron. Saruman demands the ring from Gandalf, but when he refuses, he traps Gandalf atop Isengard. Gandalf escapes and regroups with Sam and Frodo in Rivendell where the Fellowship of the Ring is made. Sam, Frodo, their friends and fellow Hobbits Pippin Took and Merry Brandybuck, Gandalf, the ranger Aragorn, the Elf Legolas Greenleaf, Boromir the prince of Gondoe, and the Dwarf Gimli journey to Mordor to defeat Sauron by casting the One Ring into Mount Doom. Gandalf dies in battle with a Balrog, while Saruman reveals he intends to conquer all of Middle-earth, including Sauron himself. Saruman's forces attack Edoras's people at Helm's Deep, leading to a resurrected Gandalf rescuing them with help from the Riders of Rohan.
Trivia[]
- Since Bakshi's production ran out of money before he could finish an adaptation of Return of the King, Sauron's fate in this adaptation is left unresolved.
External Links[]
- Sauron on the Lord of the Rings Wiki
- Sauron on the Tolkien Gateway.
