Lord of the Rings: Sauron Rings of Power
The next Lord of the Rings: Rings of Power The miniseries is based solely on Second Age. Just as Sauron was the main antagonist of all the significant Lord of the Rings films as well as The Hobbit, he would likely play a major role in the new miniseries as well. However, the inventor of the Ring was not always a villain.
If you look at Peter Jackson’s prequel series, The Dark Lord is a relatively simple and enigmatic figure. When first mentioned, he is nicknamed “The Dark Lord” or Sauron, as he put all his evil intentions and lust for power into the One Ring. Therefore, it seems that Sauron was always evil, even in his early days, which is not true.
Not a man, rather an idea
The early installments make the mistake of not providing enough backstory for Sauron, where the misconception comes from. Following the exposure of the Ring’s story, many of its “apparitions” are reduced to a shining eye above the Tower of Mordor: a floating, fearsome god-like apparition. Sauron does not appear to be a man but rather a concept, the very embodiment of evil.
However, JRR Tolkien’s work The Silmarillion provides more detail on the subject’s history, which is hinted at in the opening of the first book. As a soul from the dawn of civilization, Sauron was a Maiar. These Maiar descended on Arda, the planet that contains Middle-earth. Curumo and Olórin are two other Maiar who are well-known figures in the Middle-earth canon, while Saruman and Gandalf are two others.
Sauron, like Saruman, was trained by Aul the Blacksmith, one of the first creatures Eru created for Arda. Mairon means “the admirable” in ancient Greek, so that was his real nickname. Mairon was renowned for his meticulous tendencies stemming from his need for order. His job was to make Arda habitable for the animals that would live there, but his need for perfection eventually led to his demise. Thus, interest in the Dark Lord, Morgoth, grows.
Morgoth either wanted to rule all of Middle-earth or wipe it completely off the map. Mairon was given the name Sauron throughout his time of servitude to Morgoth. Sauron disappeared in Middle-earth when Morgoth was defeated, only to reappear in Mordor centuries later. Sauron, unlike the First Lord, never intended to obliterate Middle-earth. Rather, he sought an absolute authority that would allow him to establish and enforce control in any way he wished.
Why Sauron Forged the One Ring
Sauron planned to use this tactic to gain dominance over the Noldor of Middle-earth by capturing and enslaving people who wore the various rings of power. Sauron sought to rule all of Middle-earth, and he could not have done so without the cooperation of the Elves. It is precisely for this purpose that the One Ring was created. In Orodruin of Mount Doom, Sauron forged the Ring of Decision, investing much of his own incredible strength in it so he could use it to control anyone who wore one of the rings he produced.
“And much of Sauron’s strength and will passed into this One Ring; for the power of the elvish rings was very great, and that which was to govern them must be a thing of unparalleled power; and Sauron forged it in the Mountain of Fire in the Land of Shadow”.
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- Sauron bet much of his own strength on something that could be stolen from him. In the end, the Alliance of Men and Elves triumphed over Sauron, and Isildur cut the One Ring from its grasp, ending the war. Sauron was finally defeated when he was cut off from his source of strength and then disappeared from Middle-earth.
Sauron’s origins are in benevolence, so he didn’t start out being evil. His arrogance and fixation on ensuring dominance is what turns him into the evil we know now. Even if you recognize that he has bad intentions and is the main adversary in the epic, you can still pretend that he himself is not evil.
Although his goals are selfish and unethical, they are driven by his need for order, which is abstract and worthless. However, his fixation causes him to behave in a decidedly bad way.
