Biography
Saruman was the White Wizard and the chief of the Order. He was very wise and powerful. He originally
used his power for good, but in the Third Age at the time of the War of the Ring he was corrupted by the will of Sauron and turned evil. His greed for the One Ring increased. Saruman's strength grew before it demised, but when it demised he was killed by his own slave because of his cruelty. Saruman the White, first known as Curumo, began as a great power and force for good from the far west. He was a Maia - or high servant - of the Vala called Aule, who was a great smith who had originally created the world itself. Curumo learned much of his knowledge from Aule.
Sauron had also originally been a Maia of Aule. Sauron, however, had traveled to Middle-Earth to take rule, set up an evil kingdom, and slaughter its inhabitants. Sauron had dominion over much of Middle-Earth, and the Valar needed to send emissaries to oppose him. Curumo was among these emissaries.
Curumo sailed over the Great Sea to Middle-Earth to encourage its people to oppose Sauron in circa year 1000 of the Third Age. There were four other wizards: Alatar and Pallando, Radagast the Brown, and Gandalf the Grey. Curumo spent much time with men, who called him Saruman. Elves called him Curunir.
Saruman travelled across the vast land of Middle-Earth, spreading his belief in opposing Sauron. Early in his history, Saruman journeyed to Rhun far east of the Anduin with Alatar and Pallando. Their mission was again to oppose Sauron, for he had a strong power over the Easterlings. However, curiously, Saruman eventually returned to the west of Middle-Earth while Alatar and Pallando never did.
In year 2463, the White Council - a Council of the wisest beings - was formed. It consisted of the leaders of Elves and Wizards. The members of the council were the Elves Galadriel, Cirdan, and Elrond, and the wizards Gandalf and Saruman. When it was time to choose a leader of the council, Galadriel nominated Gandalf, but he refused and the leadership was given to Saruman. The Council was greatly concerned about the evil force in the fortress of Dol Guldur in Mirkwood, which they feared and suspected to be Sauron.
Saruman grew increasingly jealous of Gandalf. He knew Gandalf to be wiser than himself, and he also knew that he had greater influence over Elves and Men. What Saruman resented the most was that Cirdan had given Gandalf the Ring Narya, which was a Ring of Power given to the Elves. Saruman considered himself to have a better knowledge of the Rings of Power than Gandalf, as he professed himself to be an expert. Saruman began taking to Ring-making and forging.
The One Ring of Sauron began greatly interesting Saruman. He was unsure of its whereabouts, so he investigated this in the archives of Minas Tirith. He learned of Isildur and the disaster at Gladden Fields, where Isildur had been slain and the ring had been lost. Saruman was able to discover the engravings upon the One Ring.
Saruman also learned of the palantiri in the archives. The palanitri were devices used as seeing stones to communicate over great distances. He read of a palantir in the tower of Orthanc in Isengard, which was a fortress located in the Gap of Rohan at the southernmost tip of the Misty Mountains. This area was owned by Gondor but was geographically located in Rohan. The tower guard of Orthanc had been laxed, so in 2759 Saruman volunteered to live in Orthanc and maintain it. The Steward of Gondor, Beren, gladly accepted Saruman's offer and gave him the keys of Orthanc.
Later that year, Saruman attended the crowning of King Frealaf of Rohan to maintain a good relationship with the Rohirrim. The Rohirrim allowed Saruman to live in Isengard forever, in hope that he would protect them from their enemies.
Saruman often took hikes in Fangorn Forest and spoke with the eldest Ent Treebeard who was one of many Ents living there. Through their conversations, Saruman learned a great deal from Treebeard.
In 2851, the White Council met for a second time in Rivendell. Gandalf reported to them that he had investigated the evil presence in Dol Guldur in Mirkwood and had come to the conclusion that it was indeed Sauron. Gandalf urged the council to take action, but Saruman assured them that the One Ring had washed into the Sea, and Sauron was powerless without it.
Saruman had truthfully been searching the Gladden Fields for the Ring for many years. He had greatly hoped to claim it, as it was his main desire. Saruman hoped to replace Sauron as the lord of Middle-Earth and a lord of men. Saruman came to see Sauron as rival rather than an enemy.
In 2939, Saruman learned that Sauron too had begun searching the Gladden Fields for the Ring. He began to fear that Sauron would find it, so when the Council met in 2941 he agreed to attack Dol Guldur. The weaponry of Saruman was strong enough to force Sauron to flee Dol Guldur. However, as it turned out, Sauron had anticipated this attack and began to rebuild his strength in his own realm of Mordor. Sauron openly revealed himself to be in Mordor in 2951 and in 2953 the White Council held a final meeting. Saruman claimed that the Ring had flowed to the bottom of the Sea, where Sauron could not possibly hope to find it.
Saruman never did find the Ring, nor did Sauron. In Gladden Fields, Saruman managed to find the chain that had once held the Ring when it belonged to Isildur as well as many other riches which he hid in Orthanc. The Ring had been found by the creature Gollum who had taken it deep into the Misty Mountains more than 500 years before, and had been found by the Hobbit called Bilbo Baggins.
Saruman grew suspicious of Gandalf. He grew suspicious of Gandalf's friendly relationship with Hobbits. Saruman hired agents to spy on Gandalf's activities in Bree and the Southfarthing of the Shire.
Saruman began visiting the Shire in secret. He even began smoking pipe-weed, though publicly he laughed at Gandalf's use of it. Saruman managed to provoke the Bracegirdles and Sackville-Bagginses, from whom he had purhased the pipe-weed, to spy on the other Hobbits.
When he returned to Isengard, Saruman isolated himself. He burned Isengard's gardens and replaced them with fiery pits of machinery. He chopped down trees in Fangorn Forest to fuel the fires.
Once his land was ruined in the fires of industry, Saruman began gathering his own army. The hostile men of Dunland - the wildmen who hated the Rohirrim - were recruited to Isengard along with wolves and Wargs and Orcs from the Misty Mountains. With his Orcs and evil men, Saruman conducted cross-breading experiments which resulted in men with orc-blood who acted as spies in the north. Somehow, Saruman created the Uruk-Hai, who were taller and stronger than regular Orcs and could withstand sunlight. These Orcs were fed man flesh.
Saruman began the usage of the palantir in year 3000. The Orthanc-Stone showed images of various places throughout Middle-Earth where other stones were located. Before long, Saruman's stone came into contact with the Ithil-Stone located in the Tower of Barad-dur with Sauron. Through the Ithil-Stone, Sauron could read the thoughts of Saruman and manipulate them.
Saruman expanded his power to Rohan. He launched minor attacks on the Rohirrim and burned some of their lands. He wanted to weaken Rohan because they were one of the key allies of Gondor, which was Sauron's greatest enemy. Saruman attacked Rohan from the west, and Sauron launched minor attacks from the east.
Saruman came into contact with a man of Rohan named Grima, who became his most trusted agent in 3014. It is unknown how exactly this occurred, but it is said that Saruman promised Grima riches and the marriage of his desired Eowyn. Grima was the counsellor of King Theoden of Rohan, and Saruman used him to drive Theoden to insanity. Grima weakened Theoden to the point where he could no longer walk.
Though Saruman had a great power of Rohan that was expanding, he desired the One Ring above anything else. He suspected that Gandalf knew of its location and he also thought that the Hobbits of the Shire were somehow part of it. He asked his spies to report to him on the Shire, but they said that they could not enter because it was closely guarded by Rangers of the North, and this guard doubled in 3001.
Saruman heard word from his agents that Sauron had released the nine Nazgul to search for the ring in the Shire. It was said to be in the possession of a Hobbit named Baggins. Saruman wanted to know more about the Ring, so he told Radagast to tell Gandalf to report to Orthanc immediately to discuss the matter of the Ring.
When Gandalf arrived at Orthanc on July 10, 3018, Saruman revealed himself now to be "Saruman of many colors" rather than Saruman the White. Saruman then proposed to Gandalf that they should ally themselves with Sauron in order to become lords of Men. He explained that they were among the wisest beings, and the allies of Sauron benefitted from him. But Gandalf rejected this offer strongly. Saruman, not wishing to make enemies with Gandalf, offered an alternative idea. He suggested that they replace Sauron as a lord of Middle-Earth and seek the Ring for themselves. He then asked Gandalf to reveal any information he knew about the Ring and its whereabouts. When Gandalf again refused, Saruman imprisoned him in the pinnacle of Orthanc.
Saruman thought now that Gandalf was gone, he could easily find the Ring. He stationed his agents between the Shire and Isengard and told them to report any news of Hobbits to him. The squint-eyed southerner, Saruman's most trusted servant, saw four Hobbits in Bree which were indeed the Ring-bearer and his companions. However, Gandalf escaped on September 18 via Gwaihir the Windlord, who had learned from Radagast of Gandalf's whereabouts.
Sometime soon after Gandalf's escape, the Witch-King, Lord of the Nazgul, was sent by Sauron to Isengard. There are differing versions of what happened when he arrived. According to one source, Saruman managed to persuade the Witch-King that he did not know of the Ring's whereabouts but Gandalf did, and he had just recently escaped and they should seek him. On the road, the Witch-King encountered Grima, who revealed everything he knew about Saruman and how he had told far less than he knew about the Ring. Another source says that Saruman found Gandalf missing when he checked the day the Nazgul came, but pretended he was still there and lied to the Nazgul, telling him that Gandalf would only tell the location of the Shire. The Witch-King later found these tales to be lies, making Saruman a known traitor to Sauron.
At this point, Saruman was a traitor to both sides. However, Sauron left him alive for a time because he knew that Saruman could do great evil before he would be defeated. As time went on, Saruman found himself in an increasingly difficult situation. His most dedicated servant, the squint-eyed southerner, had been captured on the way back to Isengard and was forced into the Nazguls' service. The squint-eyed southerner was forced to tell all that he knew, including the fact that the One Ring belonged to Frodo Baggins of Hobbiton. This is what began the Nazguls' relentless search for Frodo and the Ring in the Shire.
Saruman continued to expand and strengthen his armies, which were multiplied by thousands in preparation for an invasion of Rohan. When Gandalf attempted to warn King Theoden of Saruman's attack, Grima advised the King to dismiss the wizard. Saruman began claiming lordship over Rohan. He closed the Gap of Rohan and sent Orcs bearing the White Hand of Saruman to slaughter many of the Rohirrim living in villages close to Isengard.
Saruman had kept all kinds of spies. A large crebain flock flew over the Fellowship of the Ring in Hollin on January 8, 3019. Ten days later on January 18, messengers from the mines of Moria informed Saruman that the Fellowship had made progress in a southward direction through the mines. Saruman sent Ugluk and his company of Uruks to find the fellowship and kill all but the Ring-bearer, whom Saruman told them to bring back alive and unspoiled.
Some of the invading Uruks in Rohan were being troubled by strong Rohirrim led by the King's son Theodred and the King's nephew Eomer. Saruman wished to do away with them, but he did not find this to be easy. He sent a large force to slay them and on February 25 they met Theodred in the First Battle of the Fords of Isen. Though he put up strong resistance, Theodred was killed by Saruman's forces. Saruman made a mistake by not attacking the Westfold, but he decided not to because it was closely guarded by a force led by Elfhelm and Grimbold.
On February 26, Ugluk's company of Uruks reached Amon Hen. This was the same day that the Fellowship arrived, and upon the arrival as skirmish occurred. Ugluk and company were victorious, and they kidnapped Merry Brandybuck and Pippin Took, mistakenly thinking that they had the Ring. The Uruks also slew Boromir from Gondor, who had tried to defend Merry and Pippin.
Ugluk took Merry and Pippin to the borders of Fangorn Forest on February 28. There, they were attacked by Eomer and his company of riders and all of the Uruks were slain. Merry and Pippin escaped into Fangorn, and they woke Treebeard who had long been burdened with the filth of Saruman and the cutting of Fangorn's trees.
Saruman waited long days for the arrival of Ugluk's company, but they never arrived. He was so anxious to get his hands upon the One Ring that he went to search the borders of Fangorn himself, wondering if the Uruks who had been slain were bringing him the Ring, and if so where it had gone. Saruman was spotted on the night of February 30 by Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli.
Saruman now feared that the ring fell into the hands of the Rohirrim. He decided to return to Isengard to gather his forces in order to launch full assault on Rohan. He sent out a small part of his armies by noon on March 2 to fight the Rohirrim in the Second Battle of the Fords of Isen. The rest he sent out later that day to both kill the Rohirrim who remained at the fords of Isen and attack the stronghold of Helm's Deep, which was where King Theoden and his people had gone for protection. Saruman's armies consisted of ten thousand Uruk-Hai, Orcs, Half-Orcs, and men from Dunland. Saruman's forces reached Helm's Deep on March 3 and the Battle of Helm's Deep began.
Saruman watched proudly as his deadly armies marched to war. He had gone to the gates of Isengard to bid them farewell. When the last of his troops had disappeared on the horizon, the gates of Isengard were suddenly barged down by angry Ents from Fangorn who had decided to attack Isengard rather than put up with Saruman burning their forest.
Saruman was unaware of the Ents' strength and had not anticipated that they would rise against him. He hadn't a clue how to deal with them - some of his forces tried burning, which killed Beechbone, but no other Ents were killed. Saruman watched in horror as the Ents tore down the gates and stepped on his Orcs. He fled to Orthanc after being pursued by Quickbeam.
Saruman was safely locked in his tower when he went downstairs to heat up his furnace in an attempt to burn more of the Ents. This enraged them, causing them to fight harder. Saruman could be heard laughing from inside his tower, which enraged the Ents even more. They decided to put out his fires and clean his filth by breaking the dam of the River Isen, which flooded Saruman's lands.
Saruman's armies were defeated on March 4 by the combined forces of Rohan, Gandalf, and a forest of Huorns. Some of the men of Dunland surrendered and were spared, but the Orcs and Uruk-Hai were driven into the Huorn forest and were never seen again. At this point, Saruman had no armies and very few true supporters.
On March 5, King Theoden came to Isengard with Gandalf, Aragorn, Legolas, Gimli, and Eomer to confront Saruman. He attempted to use his voice to make peace with Theoden. Theoden was not fooled and said that Saruman would have to hang from a gibbet before they made peace. Saruman then tried to deceive Gandalf, who chuckled and gave Saruman the chance to come down, but Saruman refused. Gandalf then broke Saruman's staff and removed him from the Order of Wizards and the White Council. Saruman returned to Orthanc with Grima.
Grima had thrown down the palantir and Pippin had caught it. Later that day, Pippin looked into the palantir and saw Sauron. Sauron mistakenly thought that Saruman was holding the Ring-bearer captive, so he sent a Nazgul to Isengard to investigate. When Aragorn looked into the palantir later that day, the Nazgul abandoned Saruman and investigated Aragorn, for Sauron began fearing Isildur's heir.
On March 25, the Ring was successfully destroyed and Sauron was defeated, his realm of Mordor crashing down with him. Treebeard told Saruman of this, describing it in great detail. Saruman grew board living in Orthanc with the Ents and he became weary. He used the power of his voice to convince Treebeard to release him, remembering that Treebeard could not bare to watch living things suffer.
On the road, Saruman and Grima met Gandalf, Galadriel, Celeborn, and the Hobbits. They offered Saruman help, but he refused to accept. Grima revealed to them that he hated Saruman and wished to abandon him, but when Gandalf suggested that he do this, he only hurried along with his master.
Saruman raised an army of Ruffian men to conquer the Shire. He and Grima arrived on September 22. They received admittance from Lotho Sackville-Baggins, who agreed to serve Saruman. Lotho became the chief, and Saruman took the name "Sharkey."
Saruman wanted to get revenge for the destruction of Isengard. He tried to ruin the Shire. He tore down the Old Mill and replaced it with a New Mill to use for industry. He polluted the Water with waste. He ended the messenger service, the Shire's postal system. Many of the Shire's Smials were replaced with dirty garbage sheds. Saruman's rules became stricter by the day and he often had Hobbits imprisoned in the Lockholes. Saruman took up residenace in Bag End.
On October 30, Frodo, Sam, Merry, and Pippin arrived in the Shire. Saruman sent out a messenge to the Shirriff at Frogmorton saying to arrest these Hobbits and bring them straight to him, but the Hobbits were too quick to be captured. Frodo, Sam, Merry, and Pippin gathered an army of Hobbits and rebelled against the Chief's Men on November 3. The Battle of Bywater resulted in the removal of the Chief's Men from the Shire.
Saruman readied himself for a departure from the Shire. He ordered Grima to come with him, but Grima had been permitted to stay by Frodo. Saruman told Frodo that Grima had killed Lotho, but Grima assured Frodo that this had only been at Saruman's command. Saruman then laughed and kicked Grima in the face, which triggered great anger. Grima jumped on Saruman and slit his throat, and his spirit could be seen leaving his body, never to return.
used his power for good, but in the Third Age at the time of the War of the Ring he was corrupted by the will of Sauron and turned evil. His greed for the One Ring increased. Saruman's strength grew before it demised, but when it demised he was killed by his own slave because of his cruelty. Saruman the White, first known as Curumo, began as a great power and force for good from the far west. He was a Maia - or high servant - of the Vala called Aule, who was a great smith who had originally created the world itself. Curumo learned much of his knowledge from Aule.
Sauron had also originally been a Maia of Aule. Sauron, however, had traveled to Middle-Earth to take rule, set up an evil kingdom, and slaughter its inhabitants. Sauron had dominion over much of Middle-Earth, and the Valar needed to send emissaries to oppose him. Curumo was among these emissaries.
Curumo sailed over the Great Sea to Middle-Earth to encourage its people to oppose Sauron in circa year 1000 of the Third Age. There were four other wizards: Alatar and Pallando, Radagast the Brown, and Gandalf the Grey. Curumo spent much time with men, who called him Saruman. Elves called him Curunir.
Saruman travelled across the vast land of Middle-Earth, spreading his belief in opposing Sauron. Early in his history, Saruman journeyed to Rhun far east of the Anduin with Alatar and Pallando. Their mission was again to oppose Sauron, for he had a strong power over the Easterlings. However, curiously, Saruman eventually returned to the west of Middle-Earth while Alatar and Pallando never did.
In year 2463, the White Council - a Council of the wisest beings - was formed. It consisted of the leaders of Elves and Wizards. The members of the council were the Elves Galadriel, Cirdan, and Elrond, and the wizards Gandalf and Saruman. When it was time to choose a leader of the council, Galadriel nominated Gandalf, but he refused and the leadership was given to Saruman. The Council was greatly concerned about the evil force in the fortress of Dol Guldur in Mirkwood, which they feared and suspected to be Sauron.
Saruman grew increasingly jealous of Gandalf. He knew Gandalf to be wiser than himself, and he also knew that he had greater influence over Elves and Men. What Saruman resented the most was that Cirdan had given Gandalf the Ring Narya, which was a Ring of Power given to the Elves. Saruman considered himself to have a better knowledge of the Rings of Power than Gandalf, as he professed himself to be an expert. Saruman began taking to Ring-making and forging.
The One Ring of Sauron began greatly interesting Saruman. He was unsure of its whereabouts, so he investigated this in the archives of Minas Tirith. He learned of Isildur and the disaster at Gladden Fields, where Isildur had been slain and the ring had been lost. Saruman was able to discover the engravings upon the One Ring.
Saruman also learned of the palantiri in the archives. The palanitri were devices used as seeing stones to communicate over great distances. He read of a palantir in the tower of Orthanc in Isengard, which was a fortress located in the Gap of Rohan at the southernmost tip of the Misty Mountains. This area was owned by Gondor but was geographically located in Rohan. The tower guard of Orthanc had been laxed, so in 2759 Saruman volunteered to live in Orthanc and maintain it. The Steward of Gondor, Beren, gladly accepted Saruman's offer and gave him the keys of Orthanc.
Later that year, Saruman attended the crowning of King Frealaf of Rohan to maintain a good relationship with the Rohirrim. The Rohirrim allowed Saruman to live in Isengard forever, in hope that he would protect them from their enemies.
Saruman often took hikes in Fangorn Forest and spoke with the eldest Ent Treebeard who was one of many Ents living there. Through their conversations, Saruman learned a great deal from Treebeard.
In 2851, the White Council met for a second time in Rivendell. Gandalf reported to them that he had investigated the evil presence in Dol Guldur in Mirkwood and had come to the conclusion that it was indeed Sauron. Gandalf urged the council to take action, but Saruman assured them that the One Ring had washed into the Sea, and Sauron was powerless without it.
Saruman had truthfully been searching the Gladden Fields for the Ring for many years. He had greatly hoped to claim it, as it was his main desire. Saruman hoped to replace Sauron as the lord of Middle-Earth and a lord of men. Saruman came to see Sauron as rival rather than an enemy.
In 2939, Saruman learned that Sauron too had begun searching the Gladden Fields for the Ring. He began to fear that Sauron would find it, so when the Council met in 2941 he agreed to attack Dol Guldur. The weaponry of Saruman was strong enough to force Sauron to flee Dol Guldur. However, as it turned out, Sauron had anticipated this attack and began to rebuild his strength in his own realm of Mordor. Sauron openly revealed himself to be in Mordor in 2951 and in 2953 the White Council held a final meeting. Saruman claimed that the Ring had flowed to the bottom of the Sea, where Sauron could not possibly hope to find it.
Saruman never did find the Ring, nor did Sauron. In Gladden Fields, Saruman managed to find the chain that had once held the Ring when it belonged to Isildur as well as many other riches which he hid in Orthanc. The Ring had been found by the creature Gollum who had taken it deep into the Misty Mountains more than 500 years before, and had been found by the Hobbit called Bilbo Baggins.
Saruman grew suspicious of Gandalf. He grew suspicious of Gandalf's friendly relationship with Hobbits. Saruman hired agents to spy on Gandalf's activities in Bree and the Southfarthing of the Shire.
Saruman began visiting the Shire in secret. He even began smoking pipe-weed, though publicly he laughed at Gandalf's use of it. Saruman managed to provoke the Bracegirdles and Sackville-Bagginses, from whom he had purhased the pipe-weed, to spy on the other Hobbits.
When he returned to Isengard, Saruman isolated himself. He burned Isengard's gardens and replaced them with fiery pits of machinery. He chopped down trees in Fangorn Forest to fuel the fires.
Once his land was ruined in the fires of industry, Saruman began gathering his own army. The hostile men of Dunland - the wildmen who hated the Rohirrim - were recruited to Isengard along with wolves and Wargs and Orcs from the Misty Mountains. With his Orcs and evil men, Saruman conducted cross-breading experiments which resulted in men with orc-blood who acted as spies in the north. Somehow, Saruman created the Uruk-Hai, who were taller and stronger than regular Orcs and could withstand sunlight. These Orcs were fed man flesh.
Saruman began the usage of the palantir in year 3000. The Orthanc-Stone showed images of various places throughout Middle-Earth where other stones were located. Before long, Saruman's stone came into contact with the Ithil-Stone located in the Tower of Barad-dur with Sauron. Through the Ithil-Stone, Sauron could read the thoughts of Saruman and manipulate them.
Saruman expanded his power to Rohan. He launched minor attacks on the Rohirrim and burned some of their lands. He wanted to weaken Rohan because they were one of the key allies of Gondor, which was Sauron's greatest enemy. Saruman attacked Rohan from the west, and Sauron launched minor attacks from the east.
Saruman came into contact with a man of Rohan named Grima, who became his most trusted agent in 3014. It is unknown how exactly this occurred, but it is said that Saruman promised Grima riches and the marriage of his desired Eowyn. Grima was the counsellor of King Theoden of Rohan, and Saruman used him to drive Theoden to insanity. Grima weakened Theoden to the point where he could no longer walk.
Though Saruman had a great power of Rohan that was expanding, he desired the One Ring above anything else. He suspected that Gandalf knew of its location and he also thought that the Hobbits of the Shire were somehow part of it. He asked his spies to report to him on the Shire, but they said that they could not enter because it was closely guarded by Rangers of the North, and this guard doubled in 3001.
Saruman heard word from his agents that Sauron had released the nine Nazgul to search for the ring in the Shire. It was said to be in the possession of a Hobbit named Baggins. Saruman wanted to know more about the Ring, so he told Radagast to tell Gandalf to report to Orthanc immediately to discuss the matter of the Ring.
When Gandalf arrived at Orthanc on July 10, 3018, Saruman revealed himself now to be "Saruman of many colors" rather than Saruman the White. Saruman then proposed to Gandalf that they should ally themselves with Sauron in order to become lords of Men. He explained that they were among the wisest beings, and the allies of Sauron benefitted from him. But Gandalf rejected this offer strongly. Saruman, not wishing to make enemies with Gandalf, offered an alternative idea. He suggested that they replace Sauron as a lord of Middle-Earth and seek the Ring for themselves. He then asked Gandalf to reveal any information he knew about the Ring and its whereabouts. When Gandalf again refused, Saruman imprisoned him in the pinnacle of Orthanc.
Saruman thought now that Gandalf was gone, he could easily find the Ring. He stationed his agents between the Shire and Isengard and told them to report any news of Hobbits to him. The squint-eyed southerner, Saruman's most trusted servant, saw four Hobbits in Bree which were indeed the Ring-bearer and his companions. However, Gandalf escaped on September 18 via Gwaihir the Windlord, who had learned from Radagast of Gandalf's whereabouts.
Sometime soon after Gandalf's escape, the Witch-King, Lord of the Nazgul, was sent by Sauron to Isengard. There are differing versions of what happened when he arrived. According to one source, Saruman managed to persuade the Witch-King that he did not know of the Ring's whereabouts but Gandalf did, and he had just recently escaped and they should seek him. On the road, the Witch-King encountered Grima, who revealed everything he knew about Saruman and how he had told far less than he knew about the Ring. Another source says that Saruman found Gandalf missing when he checked the day the Nazgul came, but pretended he was still there and lied to the Nazgul, telling him that Gandalf would only tell the location of the Shire. The Witch-King later found these tales to be lies, making Saruman a known traitor to Sauron.
At this point, Saruman was a traitor to both sides. However, Sauron left him alive for a time because he knew that Saruman could do great evil before he would be defeated. As time went on, Saruman found himself in an increasingly difficult situation. His most dedicated servant, the squint-eyed southerner, had been captured on the way back to Isengard and was forced into the Nazguls' service. The squint-eyed southerner was forced to tell all that he knew, including the fact that the One Ring belonged to Frodo Baggins of Hobbiton. This is what began the Nazguls' relentless search for Frodo and the Ring in the Shire.
Saruman continued to expand and strengthen his armies, which were multiplied by thousands in preparation for an invasion of Rohan. When Gandalf attempted to warn King Theoden of Saruman's attack, Grima advised the King to dismiss the wizard. Saruman began claiming lordship over Rohan. He closed the Gap of Rohan and sent Orcs bearing the White Hand of Saruman to slaughter many of the Rohirrim living in villages close to Isengard.
Saruman had kept all kinds of spies. A large crebain flock flew over the Fellowship of the Ring in Hollin on January 8, 3019. Ten days later on January 18, messengers from the mines of Moria informed Saruman that the Fellowship had made progress in a southward direction through the mines. Saruman sent Ugluk and his company of Uruks to find the fellowship and kill all but the Ring-bearer, whom Saruman told them to bring back alive and unspoiled.
Some of the invading Uruks in Rohan were being troubled by strong Rohirrim led by the King's son Theodred and the King's nephew Eomer. Saruman wished to do away with them, but he did not find this to be easy. He sent a large force to slay them and on February 25 they met Theodred in the First Battle of the Fords of Isen. Though he put up strong resistance, Theodred was killed by Saruman's forces. Saruman made a mistake by not attacking the Westfold, but he decided not to because it was closely guarded by a force led by Elfhelm and Grimbold.
On February 26, Ugluk's company of Uruks reached Amon Hen. This was the same day that the Fellowship arrived, and upon the arrival as skirmish occurred. Ugluk and company were victorious, and they kidnapped Merry Brandybuck and Pippin Took, mistakenly thinking that they had the Ring. The Uruks also slew Boromir from Gondor, who had tried to defend Merry and Pippin.
Ugluk took Merry and Pippin to the borders of Fangorn Forest on February 28. There, they were attacked by Eomer and his company of riders and all of the Uruks were slain. Merry and Pippin escaped into Fangorn, and they woke Treebeard who had long been burdened with the filth of Saruman and the cutting of Fangorn's trees.
Saruman waited long days for the arrival of Ugluk's company, but they never arrived. He was so anxious to get his hands upon the One Ring that he went to search the borders of Fangorn himself, wondering if the Uruks who had been slain were bringing him the Ring, and if so where it had gone. Saruman was spotted on the night of February 30 by Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli.
Saruman now feared that the ring fell into the hands of the Rohirrim. He decided to return to Isengard to gather his forces in order to launch full assault on Rohan. He sent out a small part of his armies by noon on March 2 to fight the Rohirrim in the Second Battle of the Fords of Isen. The rest he sent out later that day to both kill the Rohirrim who remained at the fords of Isen and attack the stronghold of Helm's Deep, which was where King Theoden and his people had gone for protection. Saruman's armies consisted of ten thousand Uruk-Hai, Orcs, Half-Orcs, and men from Dunland. Saruman's forces reached Helm's Deep on March 3 and the Battle of Helm's Deep began.
Saruman watched proudly as his deadly armies marched to war. He had gone to the gates of Isengard to bid them farewell. When the last of his troops had disappeared on the horizon, the gates of Isengard were suddenly barged down by angry Ents from Fangorn who had decided to attack Isengard rather than put up with Saruman burning their forest.
Saruman was unaware of the Ents' strength and had not anticipated that they would rise against him. He hadn't a clue how to deal with them - some of his forces tried burning, which killed Beechbone, but no other Ents were killed. Saruman watched in horror as the Ents tore down the gates and stepped on his Orcs. He fled to Orthanc after being pursued by Quickbeam.
Saruman was safely locked in his tower when he went downstairs to heat up his furnace in an attempt to burn more of the Ents. This enraged them, causing them to fight harder. Saruman could be heard laughing from inside his tower, which enraged the Ents even more. They decided to put out his fires and clean his filth by breaking the dam of the River Isen, which flooded Saruman's lands.
Saruman's armies were defeated on March 4 by the combined forces of Rohan, Gandalf, and a forest of Huorns. Some of the men of Dunland surrendered and were spared, but the Orcs and Uruk-Hai were driven into the Huorn forest and were never seen again. At this point, Saruman had no armies and very few true supporters.
On March 5, King Theoden came to Isengard with Gandalf, Aragorn, Legolas, Gimli, and Eomer to confront Saruman. He attempted to use his voice to make peace with Theoden. Theoden was not fooled and said that Saruman would have to hang from a gibbet before they made peace. Saruman then tried to deceive Gandalf, who chuckled and gave Saruman the chance to come down, but Saruman refused. Gandalf then broke Saruman's staff and removed him from the Order of Wizards and the White Council. Saruman returned to Orthanc with Grima.
Grima had thrown down the palantir and Pippin had caught it. Later that day, Pippin looked into the palantir and saw Sauron. Sauron mistakenly thought that Saruman was holding the Ring-bearer captive, so he sent a Nazgul to Isengard to investigate. When Aragorn looked into the palantir later that day, the Nazgul abandoned Saruman and investigated Aragorn, for Sauron began fearing Isildur's heir.
On March 25, the Ring was successfully destroyed and Sauron was defeated, his realm of Mordor crashing down with him. Treebeard told Saruman of this, describing it in great detail. Saruman grew board living in Orthanc with the Ents and he became weary. He used the power of his voice to convince Treebeard to release him, remembering that Treebeard could not bare to watch living things suffer.
On the road, Saruman and Grima met Gandalf, Galadriel, Celeborn, and the Hobbits. They offered Saruman help, but he refused to accept. Grima revealed to them that he hated Saruman and wished to abandon him, but when Gandalf suggested that he do this, he only hurried along with his master.
Saruman raised an army of Ruffian men to conquer the Shire. He and Grima arrived on September 22. They received admittance from Lotho Sackville-Baggins, who agreed to serve Saruman. Lotho became the chief, and Saruman took the name "Sharkey."
Saruman wanted to get revenge for the destruction of Isengard. He tried to ruin the Shire. He tore down the Old Mill and replaced it with a New Mill to use for industry. He polluted the Water with waste. He ended the messenger service, the Shire's postal system. Many of the Shire's Smials were replaced with dirty garbage sheds. Saruman's rules became stricter by the day and he often had Hobbits imprisoned in the Lockholes. Saruman took up residenace in Bag End.
On October 30, Frodo, Sam, Merry, and Pippin arrived in the Shire. Saruman sent out a messenge to the Shirriff at Frogmorton saying to arrest these Hobbits and bring them straight to him, but the Hobbits were too quick to be captured. Frodo, Sam, Merry, and Pippin gathered an army of Hobbits and rebelled against the Chief's Men on November 3. The Battle of Bywater resulted in the removal of the Chief's Men from the Shire.
Saruman readied himself for a departure from the Shire. He ordered Grima to come with him, but Grima had been permitted to stay by Frodo. Saruman told Frodo that Grima had killed Lotho, but Grima assured Frodo that this had only been at Saruman's command. Saruman then laughed and kicked Grima in the face, which triggered great anger. Grima jumped on Saruman and slit his throat, and his spirit could be seen leaving his body, never to return.
References
The Lord of the Rings:
The Fellowship of the Ring: "The Shadow of the Past," page 57; "The Council of Elrond," pages 264-272
The Two Towers: "Helm's Deep;" "The Voice of Saruman," pages 183 and passim
The Return of the King: "The Scouring of the Shire," pages 290-300 and passim
The Silmarillion: "Of the Rings of Power and the Third Age," passim
The Unfinished Tales: "The Disaster of the Gladden Fields," pages 276-277; "The Istari," pages 389 and passim
The History of Middle-earth, Volume X, Morgoth's Ring
The Lord of the Rings: A Reader's Companion by Wayne G. Hammond and Chrsitna Scull: "The Departure of Boromir; "The Uruk-hai,"passim
The Fellowship of the Ring: "The Shadow of the Past," page 57; "The Council of Elrond," pages 264-272
The Two Towers: "Helm's Deep;" "The Voice of Saruman," pages 183 and passim
The Return of the King: "The Scouring of the Shire," pages 290-300 and passim
The Silmarillion: "Of the Rings of Power and the Third Age," passim
The Unfinished Tales: "The Disaster of the Gladden Fields," pages 276-277; "The Istari," pages 389 and passim
The History of Middle-earth, Volume X, Morgoth's Ring
The Lord of the Rings: A Reader's Companion by Wayne G. Hammond and Chrsitna Scull: "The Departure of Boromir; "The Uruk-hai,"passim
Timeline
Year 1000 of the Third Age:
Saruman, then known as Curumo, arrived in Middle-Earth as an emissary of the valar to oppose Sauron.
1100
The wisest of Elves and Wizards realized that an evil entity has made a stronghold of Dol Guldur in Mirkwood.
2060
The wise came to suspect that the evil power may be Sauron.
2463
The wise formed the White Council. Saruman was named the Head of this Council despite Galariel's nominating of Gandalf.
2759
Saruman went to live in Isengard with the permission of Beren, Steward of Gondor.
2851
The White Council met for a second time. Gandalf had investigated Dol Guldur and he encouraged the White Council to attack, for he feared the entity to be Sauron. Saruman assured the Council that the One Ring was lost in the River Anduin, and Sauron would be powerless without it. It was therefore pointless to attack Dol Guldur. However, Saruman began taking an interest in the One Ring durting this year, and he searched Gladden Fields for it.
2939
Saruman learned from his spies that Sauron was searching the Gladden Fields for the Ring.
2941
The White Council met, and this time Saruman agreed to attack Dol Guldur in hopes to distract Sauron from the Ring. The Council drove Sauron out of Dol Guldur and he retreated to his stronghold in Mordor.
2953
The White Council met one last time. Saruman lied to them, saying that the Ring had washed down the Anduin into the Sea. He began to ruin Isengard's gardens and turn them to industry. He sent spies to observe the movements of Gandalf in Bree and the Shire.
2990
Saruman conducted experiments on Orcs and men to create Half-Orcs and Uruk-Hai.
3000
Saruman began using the palantir of Orthanc to communicate with other seeing stones throughout Middle-Earth. At some point, he came into contact with the Ithil-Stone of Sauron.
3014
Saruman's agent Grima Wormtongue began poisoning the mind of King Theoden of Rohan in order to weaken Rohan's defenses.
3018
July 10: Saruman called for Gandalf to pay him a visit. He offered Gandalf and opportunity to join with Sauron, but Gandalf refused. Saruman imprisoned Gandalf in the pinnacle of Orthanc.
September 18: Gandalf was rescues from Orthanc by Gwaihir. Saruman was confronted by the Witch-King.
3019
January 18: Moria scouts report to Saruman that the Fellowship of the Ring had left Moria and headed south. Saruman sent Ugluk and an army of Uruk-Hai to capture the Ring.
January 30: Saruman sent reinforcements to aid Ugluk's army with the message to bring him the Hobbits alive.
February 25: First Battle of the Fords of Isen. Saruman's forces achieved victory and slew King Theoden's son Theodred.
February 26: Ugluk's army reached Amon Hen and attacked the Fellowship, killing Boromir and taking Merry and Pippin captive, mistakenly thinking that they had the Ring.
February 29: Ugluk and his army were killed by Eomer and his host of riders. Merry and Pippin escaped into Fangorn.
February 30: Saruman, greedy for the Ring, investigated the site at the borders of Fangorn and found his army of Uruks defeated. He wondered what had become of the Ring, if indeed his servants had been bringing it. He was seen by Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli.
March 2: Saruman sent out his most massive force to destroy Rohan. Some of his forces fight and win the Second Battle of the Fords of Isen while the rest go to Helm's Deep to wage war with Theoden, who had been freed from Grima's influence by Gandalf. Today, the Ents decided to march to war against Saruman and they destroyed Isengard.
March 3: The Battle of Helm's Deep began.
March 4: The Battle of Helm's Deep ended with Saruman's forces utterly defeated.
March 5: Gandalf and Theoden rode to Isengard to confront Saruman. Gandalf broke Saruman's staff and removed him from the Order of Wizards. Saruman and Grima were imprisoned in Orthanc.
August 15: Treebeard released Saruman and Grima from their imprisonment in Orthanc and they went north to Eriador.
August 28: The Hobbits, Elves, and Gandalf encountered Saruman and Grima on the road. They offered them help, but he refused and continued on to the Shire.
September 22: Saruman reached the Shire and took over the land and ruined it to avenge the destruction of his own lands. He was allowed admittance by the Chief, Lotho Sackville-Baggins.
November 3: In the Battle of Bywater, the Hobbits were victorious. Saruman was killed by Grima for his cruel treatment to him.
Names & Meanings
Saruman:
Saruman means "man of skill" in Old English. The element saru comes from searu, which means both "clever" and "trick."
Saruman the White Wizard:
Saruman's original color was white and he wore white robes. This was before he changed to "Saruman of many colors." As an emissary of the valar, Saruman was clad in white and was known as the White Messenger.
Curunír:
Elvish name for Saruman. Curunír means "man of skill" in Sindarin. It comes from curu meaning "skill" or "craft" and nír from dír which is a masculine ending. Saruman was called Curunir by the Elves.
Curumo:
Curumo means Curunír in Quenya. Saruman was first known as Curumo as a Maia in the far west.
Curunír 'Lân:
Saruman was also called Curunír 'Lân by the Elves, 'Lân coming from glân, which is the Sindarin word for "white."
Chief of the Order of Wizards:
Saruman was originally the head, or chief, of the Order of Wizards.
Leader of the White Council:
Saruman was named leader of the White Council - a council formed from the wisest of Elves and Wizards.
Ring-maker:
Saruman forged several lesser rings and referred to himself as ring-maker.
Saruman of Many Colours:
Saruman dyed his robes to form many changing colors when he abandoned his role as "Saruman the White." Colour is the British spelling of colors.
Chief:
Saruman became Chief of the Shire when he invaded it on September 22, 3019.
Sharkey:
Saruman called himself Sharkey when entering the Shire. Saruman mistook this for an affectionate term when really it came from the Orcish word sharkû, meaning "old man."
Gallery:
Image Credits
Christopher Lee played Saruman in the New Line Cinema Film Trilogy of "The Lord of the Rings" directed by Peter Jackson.
The painting on the bottom right hand side of the gallery is of Saruman by artist John Howe.
The painting on the bottom right hand side of the gallery is of Saruman by artist John Howe.
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