Sauron is a character in J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth writings, and the eponymous main villain of the book The Lord of the Rings.
In the Second and Third Ages, Sauron ruled the land Mordor in the eastern regions of the known map of the continent Middle-earth. He kept armies of orcs and human slaves, and also had influence over various eastern and southern human peoples.
Biography
The Maia Sauron was originally a follower of the Vala Aulë. He then became a follower of the evil Morgoth, until the latter was banished at the end of the First Age.
Second Age
In the Second Age Sauron established himself in Mordor. He later went to the Elves of Eregion in the guise of Annatar and taught them how to create the Rings of Power. The twenty Rings of power were so created around the 16th century: the Elves made the Seven Rings and the Nine Rings with his influence, but also created the Three without his knowledge or influence. Sauron himself created the One Ring in Mount Doom in Mordor to control all the other rings; into this Ring he put part of his own lifeforce and power.
Sauron revealed himself and went to war against the Elves, capturing the Seven and the Nine, which he gave to seven Dwarven and nine human leaders respectively. While the Dwarves could not be controlled, he gained power over the human ring-bearers. They became his servants and became the Nazgûl.
Towards the end of the Second Age the Last Alliance of Elves and Men fought against him near and in Mordor. After a years-long siege of his fortress Barad-dur, Sauron himself went out. He killed King Elendil, but was killed himself and Elendil's son Isildur cut of the Ring from his hand with the remains of his father's sword Narsil. Isildur kept the Ring as a weregeld against, the counsel of the elves Elrond and Círdan who asked him to destroy it. Because the One Ring contained part of Sauron's power, Sauron himself did not die fully, but was able to reform again and retake his old position.
Third Age
His spirit went into hiding for an age. He soon captured Gollum and, after torturing him, discovered that Bilbo Baggins of the Shire had the Ring. So he sent the Nazgûl to find Frodo (who now had the ring), kill him, and take the ring back to Sauron so he could take physical form once again. Saruman also joined forces with Sauron, who commanded him to build him an army for Mordor. Saruman crossed orcs with goblin men to make an army of Uruk-hai, but all of them were killed, some of them by Aragorn and the Riders of Rohan, and the rest were killed in the Battle of Helm's Deep.
After his defeat at Helm's Deep, Sauron decided to attack Gondor, and sent an army of orcs over to Minas Tirith to destroy it. The soldiers of Gondor fought against the army, which also had several trolls and Oliphaunts in it. When the Riders of Rohan and the Dead arrived with Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli, though, Sauron's army was defeated.
Meanwhile, Frodo and Sam entered Mordor through the secret passage of Cirith Ungol, where an orc named Shagrat escaped with Frodo's mithril coat and took it to Sauron. It has been suggested by some that Sauron killed Shagrat. Sauron nearly discovered Frodo and Sam, but his attention was diverted away from them when Gandalf, Aragorn, Legolas, Gimli, Merry, Pippin, and the remaining fighters of Rohan and Gondor came to draw out his forces to give Frodo and Sam a chance to get to Mount Doom. Eventually they reached Mount Doom, but Frodo decided to take the ring for himself at the last second. Gollum attacked and bit Frodo's finger off, taking the ring back. Frodo and Gollum fought each other, resulting in both of them falling over the edge. Frodo survived, but Gollum and the ring fell into the lava, completely destroying Sauron as he exploded in a shockwave explosion that killed most of the orcs and collapsed the foundations of Mordor.
In adaptations
Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings films
Sauron in his physical body and the One Ring in Jackson's films.
Sauron as he later appeared as an eye in Jackson's films.
Sauron naturally appears in Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings films, although various changes were made.
Elendil's son, Isildur, grabbed his father's sword, but Sauron stepped on it, breaking it. Isildur cut off Sauron's fingers, including the one with the One Ring on it, destroying Sauron's body, but he survived as a spirit, unable to die unless the One Ring was destroyed, which could only be done if it was thrown into the fires of Mount Doom where it was forged. Here the Eye of Sauron is interpreted and shown as a real manifestation on top of Barad-dur.
Allusions in other works
- Sauron appeared in a Family Guy episode as the Eye of Sauron, having lost his contact lens.