He had poured so much of his being into the shiny trinket that when it is destroyed, the Dark Lord is no longer able to maintain a corporeal presence — attractive, ugly, or otherwise. This obsession is likely what first attracts him to Morgoth, the first and greatest Dark Lord. Where did he come from in the first place? The ability to dominate another's will is dependant upon: The will (and native power) of the one trying to dominate, the will (and native power) of the one being dominated. He in fact repudiated his father's deeds, and did not follow his father and uncle when they were expelled from Nargothrond. I’m of course refering to the Sauron fight. The humans fell first because he focused on Numenor, since the human cities aren't typically as well hidden as the other Children's strongholds. Did Saruman know and admire Sauron back in the good old days? After being defeated and losing his ring, the weakened spirit of Sauron goes into hiding yet again, this time for a very, very long time. however, if this is true, then why did he need Celebrimbor to teach him how to make rings? Once the One Ring was made using the Black Speech, the Elves immediately became aware of … The plan failed when Celebrimbor became aware of it and hid the Three away so that Sauron never touched them and the influence of the One over them was limited. Mordor. Problem: Sauron is still exactly the same person who did, canonically, join up with Melkor and end up becoming, you know, Sauron? They were, after all, his former maiar brothers come straight from the Undying Lands. Bythedar: I'm sure that Saruman knew Sauron back in the day, and in some way was jealous of his ability. Sauron did think about the Line of Isildur in the last century of the Third Age. Furious at his failed attempt to manipulate the elves, Sauron decides to opt for plan B: gathering an army and crushing the elves without pity. He no more had the power to command every living creature than did the former dark lord. New comments cannot be posted and votes cannot be cast, More posts from the tolkienfans community. He becomes known as Gorthaur the Cruel and serves as Morgoth's second in command. He was low on Mana, but the Istari are servants of the eternal fire. It isn't until roughly a millennium into the Third Age, which begins right after the war of the Last Alliance, that rumors of the Dark Lord begin to swirl once again. After all of the early creation and world-building stuff wraps up, the First Age kicks off, and it includes a series of epic wars between the elves and Morgoth. The great rings were cursed so as to lead the dwarves, elves and humans into darkness by converting the kings to evil. Celebrimbor is an incredible craftsman, and with Sauron — er, Annatar — by his side, he begins forging rings of power. Melkor is supposed to be at least as strong as, if not stronger than, Manwë. I believe that the reason Eltariel and Celebrimbor lost the battle was because Sauron understood them. Celebrimbor was a Ñoldorin prince, last of the House of Fëanor left in Middle-earth, ruler of the Second Age realm of Eregion, and the forger of the Rings of Power. He had to basically seduce them. He gets caught up in a prideful duel with Huan, the companion of the lovers and the greatest hound to ever live, and loses. Before the world is created, the supreme being of Tolkien's mythology, Ilúvatar, creates a group of angelic creatures known as the Ainur. Sauron planned for the domination of all of Middle-earth and he needed/wanted to control the Elves to complete this plan. It might be that Sauron and later Celebrimbor though him were able to generate new biological bodies much like Aule was able to create the Dwarves (but he could not give them souls, that was Eru (god) later after a Binding of Isaac analogy). Living in comfortable safety out on their island, when the Númenóreans hear the self-aggrandizing title, it doesn't sit well with them, and they decide to put this upstart on the mainland in his place. The Ringwraiths were created because the rings were incompatible with humans. He made sure no one would be able to do to him what Tar-Ciryatur or Ar-Pharazon or Elendil did to him again. Fourteen of these Ainur become the Valar, the godlike leaders of the universe. Sauron needed to foil every elven family simultaneously. Eventually Celebrimbor realized that Sauron wasn’t what he seemed, around the same time that Sauron demanded that he get all the Rings of Power. The armies of the Alliance are led by several imposing warriors, including Elrond and Isildur, who ultimately cuts the One Ring from Sauron's hand and takes it for himself. Cookies help us deliver our Services. In fact, these Númenóreans are descended from the same Beren and Lúthien that Sauron tangled with during the First Age. The ring couldn’t travel literally, so it used people. The moniker makes sense on the surface. While many people think it's one of the Black Riders, it slowly becomes clear that a greater power is at work. Why did Celebrimbor win with Talion but lose with Eltariel? I think Sauron saw that Morgoth failed because he wasted much of his might reshaping Arda in his war against the Valar, rather than focusing on corrupting the good races from within. Talion and Celebrimbor need to work out things; they need friends; ... With Celebrimbor trapped with Sauron, Eltariel gone, and Mordor once again thrown back into total darkness, Talion sits at the helm of Minas Morgul, at war with himself, determined to finish what he started. The thought of possibly being punished for his heinous acts spooks him, and he flees further into Middle-earth, where he hides for the next five centuries. Most of The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit take place at the end of the Third Age of Middle-earth history. So we know that Sauron had the Elves create the Great Rings but tricked them into putting in a security flaw so he could control the minds of the owners with the One Ring. There are even instances when Melkor's plots were foiled by the resiliency of other "lesser" minds. By now, Sauron absolutely hates these guys, so he begins harassing them as soon as possible. Sauron even at that time had used up some of his power acting as the werewolf lord, amid other tasks his master set him to. Elder elves had been alive for thousands of years and their spawn looked to them for guidance. Eventually, though, Aragorn pops up on the scene, to Sauron's dismay — after all, he's a powerful Númenórean monarch in exile and a direct descendant of Beren and Lúthien. Gandalf is a Maiar, as is Saruman, Radagast, and Sauron. His armies have conquered practically everything in sight, he has nearly all of the rings (including the One Ring), and his home base of Mordor is secure. But he was still more magically powerful than any Wizard or Hero or Elf Lord in Middle Earth, or any group of them. ANSWER: A reader from Finland wrote to ask this rather complicated question in late 2016.I apologize for delaying so long in answering the question. At around S.A. 1200 Sauron, calling himself Annatar (the "Lord of Gifts") and claiming to be an emissary of the Valar, arrived in Ost-in-Edhil, and offered his knowledge to the Gwaith-i-Mírdain. In The Silmarillion, Tolkien describes the Sauron of the First Age as "a sorcerer of dreadful power, master of shadows and of phantoms," he goes on to say that he was the "lord of werewolves" and his "dominion was torment." The rest of the Ainur become known as the Maiar, lesser, yet still very powerful spirits. He pours a ton of his power into this One Ring in an attempt to use it to control those who wear the others. With the Ring in his possession, Sauron was enhanced in his effort to dominate, subjugate, or even influence the wills of others. The Númenórean exiles respond by forming the Last Alliance of Elves and Men. Talion saw that Celebrimbor did not want to tear down the Dark Lord but to supplant him. It doesn't take long before the conniving Maiar weasels his way up from prisoner to a bona fide counselor of the king himself. He distributes the rings of power, creating the Nazgûl (the Black Riders from The Lord of the Rings) in the process, and continues to conquer the kingdoms of men that lie off to the east and south of the Middle-earth map we're all used to. So your notion yeah the rings were ‘cursed’ so as to lead dwarves and humans to ...[whatever]... is bunk. With all that strength that he poured into the One Ring in order to wield it, he still failed to defeat Numenor as a military power. Humans don’t live in the spirit world, so this incongruity with the rings is what caused men to slowly fade until they become Ringwraiths. The … However, as soon as he puts it on, those who are wearing the elven rings — which Sauron never touched — are immediately alerted to the danger and hide their powerful jewelry. "The Bright Lord" mission allows players to control Celebrimbor as he wields the One Ring of Power in battle against Sauron. Previously disjointed or scattered opponents suddenly unify and make concerted attacks against the kingdoms of the Númenórean exiles in particular, wearing Gondor down and leaving Arnor in ruins. Eru sent a number of the Ainur to Arda (the world in which Middle-earth exists). He puts on an attractive physical appearance again and calls himself Annatar, the Lord of Gifts. The nearby elves and men in Middle-earth, though, are getting powerful, so he sets up shop in Mordor, which becomes one of his main strongholds for the rest of his career. But not infinite power. This epic confederation, which gets some screen time in the opening sequence of The Fellowship of the Ring, attacks Mordor and eventually defeats Sauron. By using our Services or clicking I agree, you agree to our use of cookies. Nov 5, 2017 @ 2:51am Shelob alludes to it as well, by saying Sauron and Celembrimbor are "one and the same" fairly early in SOW. Sauron wanted the ring because it contained a great deal of his magical essence, and he was weaker without it. Melkor is supposed to be at least as strong as, if not stronger than, Manwë. But he couldn't have taken over all of the wizards, or he would have done so. However, just when it seems that he's about to completely destroy his enemies, an army of men arrives on the scene. Why did Sauron create the One Ring and What Were Its Powers? The sense that we get from LotR of the One Ring's (and Sauron's) power to dominate may be a little exaggerated by Second Age standards. So what's the difference between mind controlling an owner of a Great Ring vs mind controlling a non-Ringbearer? He was playing a long game. The First Age ends in the catastrophic War of Wrath in which Morgoth is utterly defeated and banished into the Timeless Void. Please correct me if I'm wrong. Back in Middle-earth, Sauron, weakened by his activities and the forging of the One Ring, is finally forced to put on a less attractive form, donning an imposing, brutish physique. I was wondering when exactly did Celebrimbor give a ring of power to Galadriel and by what means was this accomplished, considering that there was a mountains range between … “And I am only your master because you will it.” Alas, that ingenious theory foundered upon the reefs of praxis, when the elves, perceiving him, performed the unforeseen contingency of simply taking them off... One way of looking at this is to compare it with Sauron's defeat and capture by the forces of Numenor --when he had the One Ring in his possession. Eventually, the White Council (including Gandalf, Elrond, Galadriel, and Saruman) gets wise to his identity and attacks Dol Guldur, driving him out of Mirkwood. Sauron might just not have had any need or desire to reincarnate his Nazgul with human forms. Sauron's power was not exaggerated. While Celebrimbor created a set of Three alone, Sauron left for Mordor in the year 1500 and forged the One Ring, a master ring to control all the others, in the fires of Mount Doom. [Spoilers]Why did Celebrimbor need Talion? At this point, Sauron becomes known as the Necromancer — the same ghostly presence that fans met in the Hobbit trilogy. Eregion (S.A. 1500) Celebrimbor and Sauron talk. After all she had that Galadriel stuff and was an elf, who are supposedly better than humans in almost any way. Fortunately for the people of Middle-Earth, a few of the elvish elders were wise enough to hide their rings away when the plot was uncovered. Left alone, the Dark Lord decides to make a bold move. Under the guise of Annatar (the bearer of gifts), Sauron worked with Celebrimbor to forge the rings. His problem was that most of the ancient families (especially the heads of the families) were wise to his ways at that point. During the First Age, he lived with his father in Nargothrond, but took no part in the deeds of Curufin and Celegorm regarding Lúthien, Beren, and Finrod. The spirit that everyone comes to know and loathe as Sauron the Dark Lord actually came into being before the beginning of time itself. Not long afterward, a hobbit-like creature named Smeagol kills his friend and steals a magic ring he found before he vanishes into the Misty Mountains, unbeknownst to its master. Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts, 'As a mountain wading in the sea with its head above the clouds'. Sauron needed to foil every elven family simultaneously. His idea was that the Elves would themselves create the means by which he would enslave them. It let him convince people to do something in their benefit, so that when he did unveil the One Ring it would theoretically be too late for them to do anything about it. By using our Services, you agree to our use of cookies. However, Sauron is quite busy during the two ages that precede it. And the Last Alliance defeated him again, while he had the Ring, and took it from him. He helps to plan out the establishing world with the greatest efficiency and does everything he can to eliminate confusion as he goes along. The other rings did not do that. However, Eönwë is simply a messenger and lacks the power to pardon, so he orders the humbled traitor to come back with him to the Blessed Realm far away in the western parts of the world, where he will be judged by the Valar themselves. In these early days, Sauron is called Mairon. To properly answer those questions, we'll need to back up to the very beginning of Sauron's ages-long story. How did he end up looking like a fiery optical organ perched atop a tower in Mordor? Cookies help us deliver our Services. If his plan had worked, it would have been dastardly and engenious. In the following war, he kills Celebrimbor, destroys his kingdom, and captures most of the rings of power. Critically, though, Celebrimbor forges the three great elven rings after Sauron leaves to secretly head back to Mordor for a little side project... Back in Mordor, Sauron begins forging a single great ring. He carries on with this play acting for the next few centuries, during which time he becomes befriends an elven lord named Celebrimbor. But one of the powers of the One Ring, apparently, lets the wielder (provided their will is strong enough) dominate/influence the mind of just about anyone, regardless of whether they have a Great Ring or not. Throughout these wars, Sauron has his hands full as the chief lieutenant of his dark master. What powers did the Ring give him? Rather than flee into hiding once again, he surrenders to his enemies, who take him back to their island nation. He begins to gather his servants back to his command. However, an important distinction should be made: While Morgoth wishes to literally corrupt and undo the world, Sauron's ambitions are more focused on controlling and ruling it. Sauron could not just "control the minds of anyone". They join forces with the elves and bring his invasion to a grinding halt. However, Sauron left before the Elven rings were forged and Celebrimbor realized Sauron’s deception and ‘changed the recipe’ of the Elven Rings to prevent Sauron from controlling them. Not long after this, a group of Númenóreans that survived the Atlantis-like destruction of their home arrives on the shores of Middle-earth and begins setting up two joint kingdoms: Gondor and Arnor. For Sauron, the destruction of the One Ring represents the final undoing of his material power. Sauron is caught in the catastrophe and loses his physical body, fleeing back to Middle-earth as an incorporeal spirit. He was among the most powerful Maiar.During this time, Mairon was as Eru had created him: good and incorrupt. He spends the next four centuries in the East before he finally returns to Dol Guldur even stronger. He is a good, powerful spirit that follows the master craftsman of the Valar, Aulë, and he establishes a reputation as a lover of order. This subreddit is a space for the Tolkien nerds of reddit to debate and discuss the whole Tolkien mythos. However, this time Sauron, having clearly learned his lesson about using brute force against the Númenóreans, doesn't reappear in the open, choosing instead to pull strings from behind the scenes. Along with the returned king, Gandalf the wizard steps into a major leadership role and begins managing the collaborative efforts of the Free Peoples of Middle-earth. They weren’t made for humans or dwarves, but for elves. Elves live in both the spirit world and the physical world, as evident by Frodo seeing Glorfindel’s radiate aura within the ‘spirit world.’. Over the centuries that follow, the Free Peoples of the world begin to notice that a single mind and purpose seems to be orchestrating the various activities of their enemies. It only made them want it so they could use it’s power, but really outside of Sauron, it was just a way to get back to him. From: Erik Tracy It was part of Sauron's scheme to ensnare and enslave the users of all the rings of power and so control the Noldor of Middle-earth. Why did Sauron create the One Ring? He learned much from Aulë in the ways of smithing and handiwork, becoming a great craftsman, and \"mighty in the lore of\" Aulë's people. Talion managed to avoid death because he bound with the spirit of Celebrimbor who was keeping him alive. In such need a man that has no horse will go on foot, and he will not ask for leave to follow the trail. Once turned, it doesn't take long before Sauron rises up the demonic ranks. A half a century after Sauron returns to Mordor, Bilbo Baggins has his 111th birthday party and bequeaths the Ring to his nephew Frodo. As soon as Sauron put on the One Ring, the Elves knew what had happened. Not long after Sauron calls himself the King of Men, a massive army of Númenóreans shows up on the shores of Middle-earth, led by their proud king Ar-Pharazôn. As for Celebrimbor, he sent the Elf Rings into hiding before being captured by Sauron. Welcome to r/tolkienfans! As men and elves begin to settle down and the Second Age begins in earnest, Sauron stays on the sidelines, waiting for his chance. Did you really just say he was “low on mana?” You don’t even claim this is an analogy and just straight up say that nonsense as if it is fact, or close to it. Individually, he can dominate all but the greatest of the Wise. Eventually, he convinces the king that if he attacks the Valar in the forbidden Blessed Realm to the west, they can somehow gain immortality. #2. mark.v.sullivan. Celebrimbor traces his fingers over his cheeks. It's also around this time that, due to his inability to take an attractive form anymore, he begins styling himself as an evil, lidless eye of fire. Am I missing some nuance here? A l… He wanted to be like Melkor, his mentor. The servants of Sauron construct Barad-Dur and the Black Gate.