Creation: Before the beginning of Arda
Death: March 25, 3019 of the Third Age Race: Maiar Culture: Maiar of Aule Parents: N/A Siblings: None Spouse: None Children: None Residences: Angband; Isle of Werewolves; Taur-nu-Fuin; Dol Guldur; Mordor |
Biography
Sauron disguised as Annatar - deleted scene from the New Line film
Sauron was the greatest of Maiar. During the Second and Third Ages, Sauron was greatest threat to the free peoples of Middle-Earth. During the First Age, Sauron served Morgoth, but after his former master's defeat, Sauron became a dark lord in his own right. Sauron's spirit endured through the ages until 3019 of the Third Age, when he was finally defeated.
Sauron came into being before the creation of the world. He was once was a good being in service of Aule, the craftsman of the Valar. It was from the workings of Aule that the world itself was created. Since Aule was the Vala of crafts, Sauron learned how to forge many things from him, including rings which would prove very significant in the ages to come. As the Maia (or high servant) of Aule, Sauron was not evil at all, and he was very helpful to Aule and the other Valar.
But Sauron had his eye on a new way of life. He was taken hold of by Melkor, the evil Ainur who had betray the others in order to become a dark lord. Melkor desired control and dominance over the entire world. At the time, Melkor was relatively alone in his evil doings, so he was willing to except Sauron as his minion.
Sauron was commanded to watch the tower of Angband, which was located near the Sea in Middle-Earth. Sauron was to defend Morgoth's realm against attack from the Valar who lived in the Undying Lands across the Sea. Melkor resided in a fortress known as Utumno in far northern Middle-Earth. After the awakening of the Elves, the Valar feared that Melkor and Sauron would kill the Elves so they attacked in a war known as the Battle of the Powers. Melkor was captured, but Sauron remained in Middle-Earth because he had hid deep beneath Angband.
Sauron soon became a servant of the evil being called Morgoth - Melkor's returning self. Sauron became his lieutenant who serviced him from his stronghold of Angband. Sauron could disguise himself to look beautiful in order to trick others. He also created a vampire named Thuringwethil around this time, probably using the crafts he had learned from Aule. He use this vampire as a messenger. Sauron also created Werewolves by imprisoning evil spirits inside dreadful beasts. Sauron and Morgoth were teamed in their war against the free peoples of Beleriand and Middle-Earth in the Years of the Trees and the First Age. Morgoth's main opponents at this time were Elves, of whom the Noldor were most powerful, but he also combatted the Sindar and Wood-elves. In the early First Age, the race of men was created in far eastern Middle-Earth and these men would eventually come to aid the Elves in their war against Morgoth.
Circa 457 of the First Age, Sauron was ordered to raise an army to attack Minas Tirith, a city of the Elves on the island of Tol Sirion. Sauron achieved victory and claimed their city as his own. Most of the Elves fled, greatly fearing Sauron's immense power, but others were slain. Sauron renamed Tol Sirion the Isle of Werewolves where he bred an evil army of these terrifying wolves. From the Isle of Werewolves, Sauron observed passage over the mountains on the mainland, and he allowed for Morgoth's forces to receive safe passage into Beleriand.
Sauron became quite useful to Morgoth, for Sauron was cruel, wise, cunning, and swift. After the Battle of Sudden Flame, a leader of the Edain named Barahir led a company of outlaws to flee to the shores of Tarn Aeluin. Sauron captured one of the outlaws, a man named Gorlim who had a missing wife. Sauron promised Gorlim that if he gave the whereabouts of the outlaw band to Sauron, Gorlim and his long lost wife would be reunited. Gorlim desperately told Sauron the whereabouts of the outlaw band, but then Sauron revealed that Gorlim's wife was dead, and he reunited the couple by killing Gorlim. Sauron's forces in turn killed Barahir and his followers. One of Sauron's Orc-captains cut off the hand of Barahir which bore the Ring of Barahir. Barahir's son Beren hunted down and killed the Orc-captain who bore the Ring of Barahir, and he took back the ring of his father.
Beren spent the next few years of his life hunting down and killing the servants of Morgoth. Sauron built up a large army of Werewolves to kill Beren, but Beren avoided them. Beren fled to the hidden realm of Doriath where he met Luthien and fell deeply in love with her, so in love that he accepted Luthien's father Thingol's challenge to cut a Silmaril from the Iron Crown of Morgoth in order to marry her.
Beren was accompanied by Finrod Felagund and ten companions. When passing Sauron's realm near the Isle of Werewolves, Finrod disguised he and his companions as Orcs. But Sauron did not trust this disguise and he descended from his stronghold to investigate. Finrod challenged Sauron to a duel, and they fought until Sauron was victorious and cast them into a pit where one by one they were consumed by Werewolves. Only Beren was able to survive.
But Luthien somehow realized that Beren was in need, and she came to the Isle of Werewolves with Huan the Hound. Sauron heard Luthien's beautiful singing and he sent wolves out to capture her, but Huan killed all of them, even their terrifying leader Draugluin, who was able to report back to Sauron what had happened before he met death. Sauron emerged from his tower in the form of a terrible Werewolf, and Huan was not able to withstand him. But Luthien cast an enchanted cloak over Sauron's eyes and then Huan was able to attack him. Sauron tried changing his form to a serpent and then back to his original form, but Huan kept attacking. Luthien cornered Sauron and demanded that he give up the Isle of Werewolves, and, if he agreed, she would spare him and send him back to his master Morgoth. Sauron agreed, and thus Luthien was able to rescue Beren and the two of them succeeded in the quest to retrieve one of Morgoth's Silmarils, but it nearly cost them their lives.
Sauron fled the Isle of Werewolves disguised as a vampire and settled in the forest of Taur-nu-Fuin, which he filled with terror. Sauron had been greatly wounded, and blood was dripping from his throat. Eventually, Sauron recovered while living in Taur-nu-Fuin.
In the final years of the First Age, Morgoth was challenged and defeated by the Host of the Valar that had been summoned by Earendil to end the suffering of the peoples of Middle-Earth. Morgoth was overthrown and was eventually defeated and the entire landmass of Beleriand was destroyed during the struggle. Morgoth was banished from the world and cast away into the Void where he lived thereafter.
Sauron was in some trouble after the War of Wrath. He appeared before Eonwe, herald of Manwe, and apologized for the evil he had done while serving Morgoth. But Eonwe told Sauron that he would have to go to the Undying Lands for Manwe to judge him if he wanted to be forgiven for such evil deeds. Sauron decided instead to flee to Middle-Earth and he hoped to one day become a dark lord himself. Thus it was that Sauron gave up the last chance he had to rid the world (and himself) of evil.
Sauron went into hiding for at least 500 years of the Second Age. During this time, his power began to grow. Sauron's goal as the "new dark lord" was not to utterly destroy the peoples of Middle-Earth. Instead, he wished to control them and have complete dominance over their lives. In this way, Sauron was more intelligent than his former master Morgoth, whose only desire was to kill.
Sauron began corrupting groups of men who lived in Middle-Earth. Many cultures of men began to worship Sauron, including the Easterlings of Rhun in the east and the Haradrim of Harad in the south. Sauron did not yet extend his influence to the coast because he was aware of Numeorean exploration there. At this time, Sauron did not dare combat the Numenoreans because their ancestors the Edain had been the most major group of men involved in the downfall of Morgoth at the end of the First Age.
Circa 1000 of the Second Age, Sauron settled Mordor and that became his realm. Sauron chose this realm because it was protected on three sides by tall mountain ranges and on the fourth side the land emptied into Rhun where his allies the Easterlings lived. Additionally, this land had a dangerous volcanic mountain called Mount Doom in the middle of it, and within this mountain Sauron could do great evil. Sauron built himself a fortress called Barad-dur in northeastern Mordor.
Sauron realized that the Elves were very powerful, and he wanted to force them into his service. Sauron reasoned that if he had the Elves on his side of things, others might join him as well because the Elves had such great influence in northwestern Middle-Earth. In circa 1200, Sauron arrived in Eriador and began traveling to realms of the Elves. Sauron was disguised in fair form. He tried to assure the Elves that he was an emissary of the Valar named Annatar. He told them he was a Lord of Gifts. Sauron was denied entry to Lindon because Gil-galad did not trust him, though he did not recognize him as Sauron. Sauron traveled onward to the realm of Eregion where Celebrimbor and his Elven-smiths happily admitted "Annatar" and allowed him to teach their smiths about the art of craftsmanship. The Elven-smiths learned a lot from Sauron, and in circa 1500 they began forging the Rings of Power.
Circa 1600, Sauron forged the One Ring to rule them all. This Ring was more powerful than the Rings of Power forged by the Elven-smiths. Into the One Ring, Sauron poured his entire soul, his will to dominate and his will to kill and torture. Thus, the Ring was evil, and Sauron gave the Ring a mind of its own. The bearer of the One Ring and the Ring itself could control the thoughts and actions of the bearers of the lesser Rings of Power. Unfortunately for Sauron, by giving the One Ring so much power, Sauron was also taking away much of his own power. This came with two consequences, or dangers for Sauron: (1) it meant that if someone else very powerful were to take the Ring for themselves, they could control and potentially defeat Sauron, and (2) Sauron's life now depended on the existence of the One Ring. If the One Ring were somehow destroyed (which would be very unlikely because the only way to destroy it was to cast it into the fires of Mount Doom), then Sauron and his realm would be utterly undone and Sauron would not have enough power to live and would turn into nothing but a shadow. However, Sauron knew that no one, not even himself, had a will strong enough to actually destroy the Ring because the Ring's luring power could deceive almost all beings.
When Sauron placed the One Ring upon his finger, he had immediate control over the other bearers of the other Rings of Power, and they knew it. The Elves, who had forged their own Rings by themselves, immediately realized the threat coming from Sauron and they knew they had been tricked by him. The bearers of the Three Rings of the Elves removed their Rings from their fingers and hid them. Sauron was infuriated that the Elves had made three other powerful rings and had hidden them, so he declared the War of the Elves and Sauron.
In 1695, Eriador was invaded by a great and terrible host from Mordor. Eregion was struck first. Elrond arrived at Eregion with a force from Lindon to aid the Elves of Eregion, but they were outnumbered by Sauron's army and Eregion fell. Sauron then took the Nine Rings of Men and tortured Celebrimbor for the location of the Seven Rings of the Dwarves and the Three Rings of the Elves, but Celebrimbor had sent the Three Rings far away and he refused to give Sauron their whereabouts. Celebrimbor was therefore killed and his body was speared and displayed in front of Sauron's army as if it were a flag. Elrond's forces fled north away from Sauron's vast and victorious army, and the Dwarves locked themselves inside their own realm of Khazad-dum. Sauron's forces occupied Eriador by 1699, but when they tried to invade Lindon Gil-galad held them off. A fleet of Numenor came in 1700 and the forces of Sauron were at last overrun. By 1701 only Sauron and his guard survived, and they retreated to Mordor.
Sauron was not without power, even after his major defeat. Sauron slowly but surely rebuilt his armies of Orcs and other creatures. Sauron then strengthened his hold over the men of Rhun and Harad and he summoned many of them to fight for him.
Sauron distributed the Nine Rings to men. He gave at least one of them to a Numenorean and at least one was given to an Easterling. In around 2251, Sauron turned the bearers of the Nine Rings into his deadliest servants. They became the Nazgul, or Ringwraiths. These servants could sense the Ring if it was near, and they were very deadly and powerful in the presence of enemies.
Sauron gained much power in the final years of the Second Age leading up to Numenorean settlement of Middle-Earth. Sauron began striking Numenorean colonies and settlements along the western coast of Middle-Earth. Sauron now thought himself a lord of men, and he shed his fear of the Numenoreans and replaced it with hatred and a desire for revenge because the Numenoreans had driven Sauron out of Eriador. Sauron did not believe that he could defeat the men of Numenor by physical means; their forces were too great. Even Sauron's Orcs feared the mighty men of Numenor, and every time Sauron attacked Numenorean settlements, Sauron's forces were defeated. Sauron came to greatly fear Ar-Pharazon, the King of Numenor.
In 3262, Ar-Pharazon led a fleet to Middle-Earth, and when he arrived he demanded that Sauron surrender. Sauron knew that he could not defeat Ar-Pharazon, so he descended from Barad-dur and allowed himself to be taken back to Numenor as a prisoner. Sauron reasoned that if he allowed himself to be taken, he would have access to the insider information of his enemies, and he would also be able to manipulate them if he were in their domain.
The Kings of Numenor were already betraying the Elves and the Valar. As it was, the men of Numenor greatly desired immortality, and they grew extremely jealous of the Elves. They did not understnad why they were banished from the Undying Lands, and they did not get why they had been cursed by Eru into mortality. The Numenoreans also grew to greatly fear death. As it was, Sauron had to do very little to drive a jealous and angry people to devastation.
Sauron encouraged the people of Numenor to neglect Eru, which many of them had already done. He assured them that Eru was not worth worshipping if he did not give them immortality. Sauron suggested that the people of Numenor begin worshipping Morgoth rather than Eru, and the people of Numenor began performing human sacrifices to try to attain immortality. A large group of Numenoreans resisted these efforts and continued worshipping Eru, and these Numenoreans became known as the Faithful.
In 3319, Sauron convinced Ar-Pharazon that the only way he could gain immortality was to assault the Undying Lands. Ar-Pharazon constructed a great fleet to attack the Undying Lands in 3319. He set out from Numenor prepared to take the Undying Lands forcefully, but the Ban of the Valar cannot be broken. Thus Eru destroyed the fleet when it arrived in the Undying Lands and Ar-Pharazon was buried underneath the earth. A great wave hit Numenor and the entire island sunk beneath the Sea. The Faithful were allowed to escape on several fleets of ships, and they landed in Middle-Earth where they began building permanent settlements. Sauron also somehow managed to return to Middle-Earth prior to Numenor's destruction. Eru bent the Sea so that men could never find the Undying Lands again.
The Faithful successfully escaped the downfall of Numenor and made permanent settlements in Middle-Earth. The leaders of the Faithful were Elendil and his sons Isildur and Anarion. In 3320, the Faithful established the realms of Gondor and Arnor in Middle-Earth.
But in Middle-Earth, Sauron became strong. He returned to Barad-dur and began to strengthen his realm of Mordor. Many men came into Sauron's service, including the Easterlings and the Haradrim, but also many men of Numenor who had been corrupted by Sauron prior to the downfall of Numenor. The men of Numenor who joined with Sauron became known as the Black Numenoreans.
Sauron continued his evil ways and he sent a force to take Minas Ithil, a city in Gondor on the borders of Mordor. Sauron successfully captured Minas Ithil, but as he made his way through Gondor his forces were unsuccessful at capturing Minas Anor and Osgiliath. Sauron's forces returned Mordor where they began regrouping.
An army of men from Gondor and Arnor led by Elendil joined forces with an army of Elves led by Gil-galad. The two forces challenged Sauron in 3434 in the War of the Last Alliance. At the Battle of Dagorlad, Sauron suffered a defeat and he retreated to Barad-dur. The forces of Elves and men put Barad-dur under siege, and the siege lasted seven years. In 3441, Sauron descended from his tower and combatted Gil-galad and Elendil on the slopes of Mount Doom. Sauron was wounded in the struggle but both Elendil and Gil-galad were killed. Elendil's son Isildur cut Sauron's hand and took the One Ring, and Sauron's spirit left his body and fled into the east. Sauron was temporarily defeated.
Isildur did not destroy the One Ring like he should have. The destruction of the One Ring would have reduced Sauron to nothing more than a shadow and thus destroyed him. But Isildur instead kept the Ring for himself. In year 2 of the Third Age, a force of Orcs who were drawn to the power of the One Ring attacked Isildur and his sons who were traveling through Gladden Fields. The Orcs killed Isildur and several sons, but the Ring was lost in the Anduin.
Because the Ring still existed, Sauron's spirit endured. Sauron continued to exist, and he began rebuilding his physical form. Sauron hid in the wastelands in the east for nearly 1,000 years, and gradually the peoples of Middle-Earth began to forget Sauron, and they were even led to believe that he was gone forever. But Sauron's evil spirit indeed endured, and he took the form of a tall man. Sauron knew that he could not return to Mordor because it was closely guarded and Barad-dur had been destroyed during the War of the Last Alliance. In 1050, Sauron built the fortress of Dol Guldur in Greenwood the Great. This large forest was inhabited by Green-elves and a variety of plants and animals. Sauron cast a dark shadow over the forest and it became known as Mirkwood. The peoples of Middle-Earth indeed noticed the shadow that had been cast upon Greenwood the Great, but they did not know what it was. The peoples of Middle-Earth began calling the evil presence in Mirkwood the Necromancer.
Devastating events began occurring in northwestern Middle-Earth in the mid-Third Age. Orcs began to multiply in the Misty Mountains and they wreaked havoc for the Dwarves living there. A Balrog awoke in the depths of the Misty Mountains and caused further devastation for the Dwarves. Diseases and warfare spread throughout Gondor and Arnor during the second millennia of the Third Age. In 1300, The Lord of the Nazgul, The Witch-King, established the evil realm of Angmar in Eriador. He began causing trouble for the people of Arnor, and he decimated the kingdoms of Rhudaur and Cardolan, leaving only Arthedain. The Witch-King filled the lands of Rhudaur and Cardolan with Orcs and wicked men who practiced sorcery. Several times, the Witch-King attempted to overthrow Arthedain but he was unsuccessful. The Witch-King was not driven out of Arnor until the Battle of Fornost in 1975, but by then the Dunedain had been greatly weakened and they became primarily Rangers. In Gondor, things were not looking up either. A Great Plague permeated throughout western Middle-Earth and it devastated the men of Gondor, Gondor's capital of Osgiliath being hit hardest by the plague. In 1636, the plague killed King Telemnar of Gondor and his entire immediate family. As the plague spread, the guard on Mordor weakened and Sauron was able re-enter his old realm. It is likely that the plague was sent for this very purpose. As the plague spread north, it weakened the Dunedain of Arnor even further, and the last remnants of the Dunedain of Cardolan were wiped out. As devastations continued to occur, the wisest began to suspect that Sauron had returned.
In 1851, Sauron sent emissaries to Rhun and they provoked a group of Easterlings called the Wainriders to attack Gondor. The Wainriders attacked and King Narmacil II of Gondor was killed. After the battle, the presence of Wainriders in Gondor's territory troubled the people of Gondor, and Gondor's borders were withdrawn to the River Anduin and the Emyn Muil. Lands east of the Anduin became inhabited by the Wainriders for a short period of time. In 1899, the Wainriders were defeated by Narmacil's son Calimehtar, but in 1944 the Wainriders regained their strength and formed alliances with men from Khand and Near Harad in order to attack Gondor on two fronts. The northern army of Gondor was defeated by the Wainriders and King Ondoher was killed, but the southern army successfully defeated the men of Near Harad who attacked Gondor from the south. Earnil, the leader of Gondor's southern army, defeated the Wainriders in the Battle of the Camp.
In 1980, the Witch-King returned to Mordor. In 2002, he and the other Nazgul captured the Gondorian city of Minas Ithil and renamed it Minas Morgul, and this became the Nazguls' lair. From the city, the Nazgul obtained a palantir called the Ithil-stone and Sauron was able to use this to his advantage.
In 2050, the Witch-King issued a challenge to King Earnur of Gondor, and he responded. King Earnur was never seen again and Gondor was left without a King, so the rule of Gondor was passed to Stewards.
In 2063, Gandalf the Grey went to Dol Guldur to investigate it because he began to suspect that the evil presence there was indeed Sauron. Sauron went into hiding when Gandalf arrived, and there was a Watchful Peace for nearly four hundred years. Sauron gathered his strength and returned to Dol Guldur in 2460. In 2463, a Hobbit named Deagol found the One Ring at the bottom of the Anduin, and another Hobbit named Smeagol killed Deagol for it.
Sauron realized that his strength was so great that he needed only the One Ring to cover the entirety of Middle-Earth in shadow. Sauron learned of Isildur's death in Gladden Fields, and his servants began vigorously searching for the Ring there, but they found nothing. Smeagol, who became the creature Gollum, had taken the One Ring deep into the Misty Mountains where it remained for five hundred years.
Sauron's strength continued to increase even without the Ring. His Orcs were rapidly multiplying, and they populated the Misty Mountains and were particularly concentrated around Moria where the Dwarves had once lived. A new race of terrifying Black Uruks appeared in Mordor, and in 2475, these Uruks attacked Ithilien and left the region unpopulated, though they themselves were driven out.
In 2510, Sauron provoked a group of Easterlings called the Balchoth to attack the region of Calenardhon in northwestern Gondor. The Balchoth marched to battle with an army of Mountain Orcs. The Battle of the Field of Celebrant broke out when they attacked, and Gondor was aided by Eotheod cavalry led by Eorl the Young. Eorl helped the people of Gondor defeat the Balchoth. The Steward Cirion of Gondor was very grateful for Eorl's help in defeating the Balchoth, so he granted Eorl and his people the land of Calenardhon. It was renamed Rohan, and it became the home of one of Gondor's key allies. In 2758, Sauron launched an attack upon both Gondor and Rohan, but his forces were both defeated.
In 2845, Thrain II, King of Durin's Folk, was captured by Sauron and imprisoned in Dol Guldur. From Thrain, Sauron took the last of the Seven Rings. Five years later, Gandalf came to Dol Guldur incognito and he found Thrain's map and his key. Thrain died then, and he had forgotten everything about his life, including his own name. From his visit to Dol Guldur, Gandalf learned that the Necromancer was indeed Sauron and that he intended to find the One Ring and Isildur's heir. Gandalf reported this news to the White Council, but the head of the council Sauruman assured the other members that Sauron could not hope to find the Ring. Saruman secretly wanted the One Ring for himself, and he himself began searching the Gladden Fields for it.
In 2885, the Haradrim were somehow persuaded by Sauron's emissaries to attack Gondor. They attacked Ithilien but were driven out. Orcs continued attacking Ithilien until no more inhabitants remained, and the survivors fled.
Gandalf again tried to persuade the White Council to attack Dol Guldur in 2941, and this time Saruman agreed. Saruman had just learned that Sauron was searching the Gladden Fields for the One Ring, and he became fearful that Sauron would find it. It was Saruman's devices that forced Sauron out of Dol Guldur.
The One Ring had been found in the Misty Mountains in 2941 by the Hobbit Bilbo Baggins. Bilbo took it back to the Shire with him when he returned home from his journey with Thorin and Company. Gandalf knew of Bilbo's magic ring, but he had not yet discovered that it was the One Ring. In 3001, Bilbo passed the Ring down to his cousin Frodo Baggins. Bilbo became the only bearer of the One Ring to ever willingly give it up.
In 2951, Sauron publicly announced his presence in Mordor. In 2954, Mount Doom erupted again. Sauron rebuilt Barad-dur to its former height, and he began grouping massive armies that included not only large amounts of Orcs and Uruks. Sauron also began breeding Trolls, and he created a special kind of Troll called Olog-Hai. Unlike the stupid Trolls that lived in Eriador, Sauron's Olog-Hai were cunning and could withstand sunlight. Men including Easterlings and Haradrim were summoned to Mordor to fight, and Sauron sent three Nazgul including Khamul to dwell in Dol Guldur for a time. Sauron was fully prepared to challenge the peoples of Middle-Earth and to get back the One Ring.
Sauron began using the Ithil-stone to communicate with two other palantiri in Middle-Earth. Sauron was able to contact the Orthanc-stone that was located in Isengard where Saruman lived. Sauron was thus able to bring Saruman into his service and use Saruman's plans to invade Rohan to his own advantage. With Saruman invading Rohan, Sauron could use him to destory Gondor's main allies. Meanwhile, Sauron also contacted the Anor-stone in Gondor. He sent dreadful images to Denethor, Steward of Gondor. These images showed invasion and death in Gondor's future, and they showed victory for Sauron. Denethor greatly feared Gondor's doom, but he came to falsely believe that this doom was inevitable.
In 3017, Sauron captured Gollum outside Mordor and brought the creature to Barad-dur. From Gollum, Sauron learned the words Shire and Baggins, and he learned that these names would lead him to the Ring. Sauron released Gollum from Mordor, hoping that the creature would find the Ring again. And thus began Sauron's relentless search for the One Ring in the north.
Sauron sent the Nazgul out of Minas Morgul in 3018. On June 20, the Nazgul led an attack upon Osgiliath, but this attack was only to disguise the true purpose of the Nazguls' departure from Mordor. The Nazgul secretly crossed the Anduin and at Sarn Gebir where they were given black cloaks. The Nazgul did not find the Shire until September of 3018, when Frodo began his quest to take the Ring as far away from the Shire as possible. The Nazgul pursued Frodo until they were swept away by Elrond at the Ford of Bruinen. The Nazgul survived and they returned to Mordor sometime in late November or early December.
At the Council of Elrond in October, Frodo volunteered to take on the quest in which he would have to destroy the One Ring in the fires of Mount Doom from where it had come. This would bring about the utter destruction of Sauron and his realm. Frodo was accompanied by eight companions including Gandalf. The Fellowship set out from Rivendell on December 25.
Sauron gave the Nazgul new mounts known as Fell Beasts, winged creatures that could fly the Nazgul where they were needed. The Fell Beasts had sharp claws and each had a hideous head with sharp teeth. Sauron did not allow the Nazgul to venture across the River Anduin for the time being because he feared that his enemies may spot them.
On February 26, 3019, Frodo sat upon the Seat of Seeing at Amon Hen and he felt the need to put the Ring on his finger. Sauron's eye immediately spotted Frodo and made him feel like he had to reveal himself to Sauron. Gandalf's strong will from far away made Frodo come to his senses and remove the Ring from his finger, and Sauron could thus no longer see him. Sauron's eye continued to search for Frodo but he could not find him.
Sauron sent many Orcs to find the Ring-bearer. One company was led by Grishnakh and this company followed a group of Uruk-Hai from Isengard who had captured Frodo's companions Merry Brandybuck and Pippin Took and taken them captive. However, all of the Orcs and Uruks were killed by Riders of Rohan and Merry and Pippin fled into Fangorn Forest.
Sauron had been informed by messages he had gotten from Grishnakh that two Hobbits had been taken captive by Saruman's Uruk-Hai, but he did not know what had happened to them. On March 5, Pippin Took looked into the Orthanc-stone and saw Sauron. Sauron believed that Saruman had taken the Hobbits captive and was making them look into the palantir. In truth, Saruman had been defeated and the palantir had been taken from Isengard, and Pippin was looking into it from Rohan. Sauron assumed that Pippin was the Ring-bearer, and that he had had the Ring. He thus presumed that Saruman now had the Ring, and he began preparing to retrieve it from him. But the next day, Aragorn looked into the palantir and revealed himself to be Isildur's heir. He displayed Anduril, the sword that had originally been called Narsil and had cut the One Ring from Sauron's hand. Sauron began to greatly fear Aragorn, and he began to fear that Aragorn would use the Ring against him. Sauron did not imagine that his opponents would try to destroy the Ring. Sauron thus prepared to launch a supermassive attack upon Gondor because this was where he believed Aragorn, and potentially the Ring, were.
On March 10, the Dawnless Day, Sauron prepared to release his extremely massive force from Minas Morgul. Sauron first sent a darkness to cover the sky to ease his Orcs' passage to war. Sauron released his first army from the Black Gate to sieze the island of Cair Andros in Gondor. This army proceeded into Anorien in northern Gondor. That night, Sauron sent a red light to signal the Nazgul to release the largest of Sauron's armies. Sauron's massive force consisted of hundreds of thousands of Orcs, many Trolls, and other evil creatures led by the Nazgul, most significantly the Witch-King. This massive force was joined by regiments of Haradrim from the south.
On March 12, Sauron's forces attacked Osgiliath and the Gondorian defenders were driven back to the Rammas Echor. Sauron's forces advance to the Rammas Echor and they broke through and they overran Pelennor Fields. They then put Minas Tirith under siege, and by March 13 little hope remained for the people of Gondor.
On the night of March 13, Denethor looked into the anor-stone and Sauron showed him a fleet of Corsair ships sailing up the Anduin to help attack Gondor. This image was intended to drive Denethor to madness, and it was successful. In truth, Aragorn and an army of the Dead seized the Corsair ships, and Aragorn was sailing north to Gondor to help defend it.
Rohan came to aid of Gondor on March 15. As the Rohirrim rode onto the battlefield, the broke the lines of Mordor. As this happened, the darkness that covered the sky began to break as well. With the arrival of Aragorn on the Corsairs' ships, Sauron's forces were defeated and all of them were either slain or driven into the Anduin. Only eight Nazgul survived; the Witch-King himself was slain by Eowyn and Merry during the Battle of the Pelennor Fields.
Sauron had only lost a small fraction of the entirety of his forces, and behind the wall of Mordor he still had millions of Orcs. But the leaders of the forces of the West believed that they could defeat Sauron by marching to the Black Gate to challenge him. That way, they would give Frodo time to destroy the One Ring and utterly defeat Sauron.
As it happened, Frodo was imprisoned by Orcs on March 13 but the Orcs had a fight and Frodo's companion Sam Gamgee rescued him. One Orc named Shagrat was able to take Frodo's Mithril Mail to Sauron. Sauron killed Shagrat and gave the Mithril Mail to the Mouth of Sauron to show to the leaders of the West. Sauron hoped to decieve them into thinking that Frodo had been captured and his mission had failed. But in truth, the mission had not failed at all. Frodo and Sam had survived and they were making their way across the plains of Gorgoroth and onto Mount Doom. Sauron, meanwhile, was emptying his lands of Orcs in order to fight off an invasion from the Host of the West.
On March 25, the Mouth of Sauron came forward to negotiate with the leaders of the West. The Mouth of Sauron showed several of Frodo's tokens including the Mithril Mail, and he told Gandalf that Frodo would be tortured in Barad-dur unless the Host of the West surrendered. The Mouth of Sauron stated Sauron's terms which were that Sauron would now own the lands east of the Anduin including Gondor and Rohan, and both of these nations would have to obey Sauron and would have to embrace Mordor's rule. It is likely that Sauron intended to slaughter the peoples of Gondor and Rohan once he owned their land. But Gandalf rejected Sauron's terms and the Battle of the Morannon began. Sauron's forces outnumbered the Host of the West ten to one, and Sauron was guaranteed victory.
But then something happened to Frodo in Mount Doom. Frodo was about to destroy the One Ring when he claimed it for himself due to the Ring's luring power. Sauron immediately realized what was going on and he quickly sent the Nazgul to Mount Doom to stop this at once. But Gollum bit the Ring off of Frodo's hand and he fell into the Cracks of Doom where the Ring was unmade. Mount Doom erupted and Barad-dur collapsed as the Ring's power expanded. The Nazgul were consumed by the flames of Mount Doom, and Frodo and Sam were rescued by Eagles led by Gwaihir. Sauron's Orcs and Trolls were mindless without the will of Sauron controlling them, and they began to kill themselves and one another. The Black Gate and the Towers of Teeth collapsed around the Host of the West. The men who had joined with Sauron began to surrender. Sauron was reduced to nothing more than a small shadow that faded.
Sauron came into being before the creation of the world. He was once was a good being in service of Aule, the craftsman of the Valar. It was from the workings of Aule that the world itself was created. Since Aule was the Vala of crafts, Sauron learned how to forge many things from him, including rings which would prove very significant in the ages to come. As the Maia (or high servant) of Aule, Sauron was not evil at all, and he was very helpful to Aule and the other Valar.
But Sauron had his eye on a new way of life. He was taken hold of by Melkor, the evil Ainur who had betray the others in order to become a dark lord. Melkor desired control and dominance over the entire world. At the time, Melkor was relatively alone in his evil doings, so he was willing to except Sauron as his minion.
Sauron was commanded to watch the tower of Angband, which was located near the Sea in Middle-Earth. Sauron was to defend Morgoth's realm against attack from the Valar who lived in the Undying Lands across the Sea. Melkor resided in a fortress known as Utumno in far northern Middle-Earth. After the awakening of the Elves, the Valar feared that Melkor and Sauron would kill the Elves so they attacked in a war known as the Battle of the Powers. Melkor was captured, but Sauron remained in Middle-Earth because he had hid deep beneath Angband.
Sauron soon became a servant of the evil being called Morgoth - Melkor's returning self. Sauron became his lieutenant who serviced him from his stronghold of Angband. Sauron could disguise himself to look beautiful in order to trick others. He also created a vampire named Thuringwethil around this time, probably using the crafts he had learned from Aule. He use this vampire as a messenger. Sauron also created Werewolves by imprisoning evil spirits inside dreadful beasts. Sauron and Morgoth were teamed in their war against the free peoples of Beleriand and Middle-Earth in the Years of the Trees and the First Age. Morgoth's main opponents at this time were Elves, of whom the Noldor were most powerful, but he also combatted the Sindar and Wood-elves. In the early First Age, the race of men was created in far eastern Middle-Earth and these men would eventually come to aid the Elves in their war against Morgoth.
Circa 457 of the First Age, Sauron was ordered to raise an army to attack Minas Tirith, a city of the Elves on the island of Tol Sirion. Sauron achieved victory and claimed their city as his own. Most of the Elves fled, greatly fearing Sauron's immense power, but others were slain. Sauron renamed Tol Sirion the Isle of Werewolves where he bred an evil army of these terrifying wolves. From the Isle of Werewolves, Sauron observed passage over the mountains on the mainland, and he allowed for Morgoth's forces to receive safe passage into Beleriand.
Sauron became quite useful to Morgoth, for Sauron was cruel, wise, cunning, and swift. After the Battle of Sudden Flame, a leader of the Edain named Barahir led a company of outlaws to flee to the shores of Tarn Aeluin. Sauron captured one of the outlaws, a man named Gorlim who had a missing wife. Sauron promised Gorlim that if he gave the whereabouts of the outlaw band to Sauron, Gorlim and his long lost wife would be reunited. Gorlim desperately told Sauron the whereabouts of the outlaw band, but then Sauron revealed that Gorlim's wife was dead, and he reunited the couple by killing Gorlim. Sauron's forces in turn killed Barahir and his followers. One of Sauron's Orc-captains cut off the hand of Barahir which bore the Ring of Barahir. Barahir's son Beren hunted down and killed the Orc-captain who bore the Ring of Barahir, and he took back the ring of his father.
Beren spent the next few years of his life hunting down and killing the servants of Morgoth. Sauron built up a large army of Werewolves to kill Beren, but Beren avoided them. Beren fled to the hidden realm of Doriath where he met Luthien and fell deeply in love with her, so in love that he accepted Luthien's father Thingol's challenge to cut a Silmaril from the Iron Crown of Morgoth in order to marry her.
Beren was accompanied by Finrod Felagund and ten companions. When passing Sauron's realm near the Isle of Werewolves, Finrod disguised he and his companions as Orcs. But Sauron did not trust this disguise and he descended from his stronghold to investigate. Finrod challenged Sauron to a duel, and they fought until Sauron was victorious and cast them into a pit where one by one they were consumed by Werewolves. Only Beren was able to survive.
But Luthien somehow realized that Beren was in need, and she came to the Isle of Werewolves with Huan the Hound. Sauron heard Luthien's beautiful singing and he sent wolves out to capture her, but Huan killed all of them, even their terrifying leader Draugluin, who was able to report back to Sauron what had happened before he met death. Sauron emerged from his tower in the form of a terrible Werewolf, and Huan was not able to withstand him. But Luthien cast an enchanted cloak over Sauron's eyes and then Huan was able to attack him. Sauron tried changing his form to a serpent and then back to his original form, but Huan kept attacking. Luthien cornered Sauron and demanded that he give up the Isle of Werewolves, and, if he agreed, she would spare him and send him back to his master Morgoth. Sauron agreed, and thus Luthien was able to rescue Beren and the two of them succeeded in the quest to retrieve one of Morgoth's Silmarils, but it nearly cost them their lives.
Sauron fled the Isle of Werewolves disguised as a vampire and settled in the forest of Taur-nu-Fuin, which he filled with terror. Sauron had been greatly wounded, and blood was dripping from his throat. Eventually, Sauron recovered while living in Taur-nu-Fuin.
In the final years of the First Age, Morgoth was challenged and defeated by the Host of the Valar that had been summoned by Earendil to end the suffering of the peoples of Middle-Earth. Morgoth was overthrown and was eventually defeated and the entire landmass of Beleriand was destroyed during the struggle. Morgoth was banished from the world and cast away into the Void where he lived thereafter.
Sauron was in some trouble after the War of Wrath. He appeared before Eonwe, herald of Manwe, and apologized for the evil he had done while serving Morgoth. But Eonwe told Sauron that he would have to go to the Undying Lands for Manwe to judge him if he wanted to be forgiven for such evil deeds. Sauron decided instead to flee to Middle-Earth and he hoped to one day become a dark lord himself. Thus it was that Sauron gave up the last chance he had to rid the world (and himself) of evil.
Sauron went into hiding for at least 500 years of the Second Age. During this time, his power began to grow. Sauron's goal as the "new dark lord" was not to utterly destroy the peoples of Middle-Earth. Instead, he wished to control them and have complete dominance over their lives. In this way, Sauron was more intelligent than his former master Morgoth, whose only desire was to kill.
Sauron began corrupting groups of men who lived in Middle-Earth. Many cultures of men began to worship Sauron, including the Easterlings of Rhun in the east and the Haradrim of Harad in the south. Sauron did not yet extend his influence to the coast because he was aware of Numeorean exploration there. At this time, Sauron did not dare combat the Numenoreans because their ancestors the Edain had been the most major group of men involved in the downfall of Morgoth at the end of the First Age.
Circa 1000 of the Second Age, Sauron settled Mordor and that became his realm. Sauron chose this realm because it was protected on three sides by tall mountain ranges and on the fourth side the land emptied into Rhun where his allies the Easterlings lived. Additionally, this land had a dangerous volcanic mountain called Mount Doom in the middle of it, and within this mountain Sauron could do great evil. Sauron built himself a fortress called Barad-dur in northeastern Mordor.
Sauron realized that the Elves were very powerful, and he wanted to force them into his service. Sauron reasoned that if he had the Elves on his side of things, others might join him as well because the Elves had such great influence in northwestern Middle-Earth. In circa 1200, Sauron arrived in Eriador and began traveling to realms of the Elves. Sauron was disguised in fair form. He tried to assure the Elves that he was an emissary of the Valar named Annatar. He told them he was a Lord of Gifts. Sauron was denied entry to Lindon because Gil-galad did not trust him, though he did not recognize him as Sauron. Sauron traveled onward to the realm of Eregion where Celebrimbor and his Elven-smiths happily admitted "Annatar" and allowed him to teach their smiths about the art of craftsmanship. The Elven-smiths learned a lot from Sauron, and in circa 1500 they began forging the Rings of Power.
Circa 1600, Sauron forged the One Ring to rule them all. This Ring was more powerful than the Rings of Power forged by the Elven-smiths. Into the One Ring, Sauron poured his entire soul, his will to dominate and his will to kill and torture. Thus, the Ring was evil, and Sauron gave the Ring a mind of its own. The bearer of the One Ring and the Ring itself could control the thoughts and actions of the bearers of the lesser Rings of Power. Unfortunately for Sauron, by giving the One Ring so much power, Sauron was also taking away much of his own power. This came with two consequences, or dangers for Sauron: (1) it meant that if someone else very powerful were to take the Ring for themselves, they could control and potentially defeat Sauron, and (2) Sauron's life now depended on the existence of the One Ring. If the One Ring were somehow destroyed (which would be very unlikely because the only way to destroy it was to cast it into the fires of Mount Doom), then Sauron and his realm would be utterly undone and Sauron would not have enough power to live and would turn into nothing but a shadow. However, Sauron knew that no one, not even himself, had a will strong enough to actually destroy the Ring because the Ring's luring power could deceive almost all beings.
When Sauron placed the One Ring upon his finger, he had immediate control over the other bearers of the other Rings of Power, and they knew it. The Elves, who had forged their own Rings by themselves, immediately realized the threat coming from Sauron and they knew they had been tricked by him. The bearers of the Three Rings of the Elves removed their Rings from their fingers and hid them. Sauron was infuriated that the Elves had made three other powerful rings and had hidden them, so he declared the War of the Elves and Sauron.
In 1695, Eriador was invaded by a great and terrible host from Mordor. Eregion was struck first. Elrond arrived at Eregion with a force from Lindon to aid the Elves of Eregion, but they were outnumbered by Sauron's army and Eregion fell. Sauron then took the Nine Rings of Men and tortured Celebrimbor for the location of the Seven Rings of the Dwarves and the Three Rings of the Elves, but Celebrimbor had sent the Three Rings far away and he refused to give Sauron their whereabouts. Celebrimbor was therefore killed and his body was speared and displayed in front of Sauron's army as if it were a flag. Elrond's forces fled north away from Sauron's vast and victorious army, and the Dwarves locked themselves inside their own realm of Khazad-dum. Sauron's forces occupied Eriador by 1699, but when they tried to invade Lindon Gil-galad held them off. A fleet of Numenor came in 1700 and the forces of Sauron were at last overrun. By 1701 only Sauron and his guard survived, and they retreated to Mordor.
Sauron was not without power, even after his major defeat. Sauron slowly but surely rebuilt his armies of Orcs and other creatures. Sauron then strengthened his hold over the men of Rhun and Harad and he summoned many of them to fight for him.
Sauron distributed the Nine Rings to men. He gave at least one of them to a Numenorean and at least one was given to an Easterling. In around 2251, Sauron turned the bearers of the Nine Rings into his deadliest servants. They became the Nazgul, or Ringwraiths. These servants could sense the Ring if it was near, and they were very deadly and powerful in the presence of enemies.
Sauron gained much power in the final years of the Second Age leading up to Numenorean settlement of Middle-Earth. Sauron began striking Numenorean colonies and settlements along the western coast of Middle-Earth. Sauron now thought himself a lord of men, and he shed his fear of the Numenoreans and replaced it with hatred and a desire for revenge because the Numenoreans had driven Sauron out of Eriador. Sauron did not believe that he could defeat the men of Numenor by physical means; their forces were too great. Even Sauron's Orcs feared the mighty men of Numenor, and every time Sauron attacked Numenorean settlements, Sauron's forces were defeated. Sauron came to greatly fear Ar-Pharazon, the King of Numenor.
In 3262, Ar-Pharazon led a fleet to Middle-Earth, and when he arrived he demanded that Sauron surrender. Sauron knew that he could not defeat Ar-Pharazon, so he descended from Barad-dur and allowed himself to be taken back to Numenor as a prisoner. Sauron reasoned that if he allowed himself to be taken, he would have access to the insider information of his enemies, and he would also be able to manipulate them if he were in their domain.
The Kings of Numenor were already betraying the Elves and the Valar. As it was, the men of Numenor greatly desired immortality, and they grew extremely jealous of the Elves. They did not understnad why they were banished from the Undying Lands, and they did not get why they had been cursed by Eru into mortality. The Numenoreans also grew to greatly fear death. As it was, Sauron had to do very little to drive a jealous and angry people to devastation.
Sauron encouraged the people of Numenor to neglect Eru, which many of them had already done. He assured them that Eru was not worth worshipping if he did not give them immortality. Sauron suggested that the people of Numenor begin worshipping Morgoth rather than Eru, and the people of Numenor began performing human sacrifices to try to attain immortality. A large group of Numenoreans resisted these efforts and continued worshipping Eru, and these Numenoreans became known as the Faithful.
In 3319, Sauron convinced Ar-Pharazon that the only way he could gain immortality was to assault the Undying Lands. Ar-Pharazon constructed a great fleet to attack the Undying Lands in 3319. He set out from Numenor prepared to take the Undying Lands forcefully, but the Ban of the Valar cannot be broken. Thus Eru destroyed the fleet when it arrived in the Undying Lands and Ar-Pharazon was buried underneath the earth. A great wave hit Numenor and the entire island sunk beneath the Sea. The Faithful were allowed to escape on several fleets of ships, and they landed in Middle-Earth where they began building permanent settlements. Sauron also somehow managed to return to Middle-Earth prior to Numenor's destruction. Eru bent the Sea so that men could never find the Undying Lands again.
The Faithful successfully escaped the downfall of Numenor and made permanent settlements in Middle-Earth. The leaders of the Faithful were Elendil and his sons Isildur and Anarion. In 3320, the Faithful established the realms of Gondor and Arnor in Middle-Earth.
But in Middle-Earth, Sauron became strong. He returned to Barad-dur and began to strengthen his realm of Mordor. Many men came into Sauron's service, including the Easterlings and the Haradrim, but also many men of Numenor who had been corrupted by Sauron prior to the downfall of Numenor. The men of Numenor who joined with Sauron became known as the Black Numenoreans.
Sauron continued his evil ways and he sent a force to take Minas Ithil, a city in Gondor on the borders of Mordor. Sauron successfully captured Minas Ithil, but as he made his way through Gondor his forces were unsuccessful at capturing Minas Anor and Osgiliath. Sauron's forces returned Mordor where they began regrouping.
An army of men from Gondor and Arnor led by Elendil joined forces with an army of Elves led by Gil-galad. The two forces challenged Sauron in 3434 in the War of the Last Alliance. At the Battle of Dagorlad, Sauron suffered a defeat and he retreated to Barad-dur. The forces of Elves and men put Barad-dur under siege, and the siege lasted seven years. In 3441, Sauron descended from his tower and combatted Gil-galad and Elendil on the slopes of Mount Doom. Sauron was wounded in the struggle but both Elendil and Gil-galad were killed. Elendil's son Isildur cut Sauron's hand and took the One Ring, and Sauron's spirit left his body and fled into the east. Sauron was temporarily defeated.
Isildur did not destroy the One Ring like he should have. The destruction of the One Ring would have reduced Sauron to nothing more than a shadow and thus destroyed him. But Isildur instead kept the Ring for himself. In year 2 of the Third Age, a force of Orcs who were drawn to the power of the One Ring attacked Isildur and his sons who were traveling through Gladden Fields. The Orcs killed Isildur and several sons, but the Ring was lost in the Anduin.
Because the Ring still existed, Sauron's spirit endured. Sauron continued to exist, and he began rebuilding his physical form. Sauron hid in the wastelands in the east for nearly 1,000 years, and gradually the peoples of Middle-Earth began to forget Sauron, and they were even led to believe that he was gone forever. But Sauron's evil spirit indeed endured, and he took the form of a tall man. Sauron knew that he could not return to Mordor because it was closely guarded and Barad-dur had been destroyed during the War of the Last Alliance. In 1050, Sauron built the fortress of Dol Guldur in Greenwood the Great. This large forest was inhabited by Green-elves and a variety of plants and animals. Sauron cast a dark shadow over the forest and it became known as Mirkwood. The peoples of Middle-Earth indeed noticed the shadow that had been cast upon Greenwood the Great, but they did not know what it was. The peoples of Middle-Earth began calling the evil presence in Mirkwood the Necromancer.
Devastating events began occurring in northwestern Middle-Earth in the mid-Third Age. Orcs began to multiply in the Misty Mountains and they wreaked havoc for the Dwarves living there. A Balrog awoke in the depths of the Misty Mountains and caused further devastation for the Dwarves. Diseases and warfare spread throughout Gondor and Arnor during the second millennia of the Third Age. In 1300, The Lord of the Nazgul, The Witch-King, established the evil realm of Angmar in Eriador. He began causing trouble for the people of Arnor, and he decimated the kingdoms of Rhudaur and Cardolan, leaving only Arthedain. The Witch-King filled the lands of Rhudaur and Cardolan with Orcs and wicked men who practiced sorcery. Several times, the Witch-King attempted to overthrow Arthedain but he was unsuccessful. The Witch-King was not driven out of Arnor until the Battle of Fornost in 1975, but by then the Dunedain had been greatly weakened and they became primarily Rangers. In Gondor, things were not looking up either. A Great Plague permeated throughout western Middle-Earth and it devastated the men of Gondor, Gondor's capital of Osgiliath being hit hardest by the plague. In 1636, the plague killed King Telemnar of Gondor and his entire immediate family. As the plague spread, the guard on Mordor weakened and Sauron was able re-enter his old realm. It is likely that the plague was sent for this very purpose. As the plague spread north, it weakened the Dunedain of Arnor even further, and the last remnants of the Dunedain of Cardolan were wiped out. As devastations continued to occur, the wisest began to suspect that Sauron had returned.
In 1851, Sauron sent emissaries to Rhun and they provoked a group of Easterlings called the Wainriders to attack Gondor. The Wainriders attacked and King Narmacil II of Gondor was killed. After the battle, the presence of Wainriders in Gondor's territory troubled the people of Gondor, and Gondor's borders were withdrawn to the River Anduin and the Emyn Muil. Lands east of the Anduin became inhabited by the Wainriders for a short period of time. In 1899, the Wainriders were defeated by Narmacil's son Calimehtar, but in 1944 the Wainriders regained their strength and formed alliances with men from Khand and Near Harad in order to attack Gondor on two fronts. The northern army of Gondor was defeated by the Wainriders and King Ondoher was killed, but the southern army successfully defeated the men of Near Harad who attacked Gondor from the south. Earnil, the leader of Gondor's southern army, defeated the Wainriders in the Battle of the Camp.
In 1980, the Witch-King returned to Mordor. In 2002, he and the other Nazgul captured the Gondorian city of Minas Ithil and renamed it Minas Morgul, and this became the Nazguls' lair. From the city, the Nazgul obtained a palantir called the Ithil-stone and Sauron was able to use this to his advantage.
In 2050, the Witch-King issued a challenge to King Earnur of Gondor, and he responded. King Earnur was never seen again and Gondor was left without a King, so the rule of Gondor was passed to Stewards.
In 2063, Gandalf the Grey went to Dol Guldur to investigate it because he began to suspect that the evil presence there was indeed Sauron. Sauron went into hiding when Gandalf arrived, and there was a Watchful Peace for nearly four hundred years. Sauron gathered his strength and returned to Dol Guldur in 2460. In 2463, a Hobbit named Deagol found the One Ring at the bottom of the Anduin, and another Hobbit named Smeagol killed Deagol for it.
Sauron realized that his strength was so great that he needed only the One Ring to cover the entirety of Middle-Earth in shadow. Sauron learned of Isildur's death in Gladden Fields, and his servants began vigorously searching for the Ring there, but they found nothing. Smeagol, who became the creature Gollum, had taken the One Ring deep into the Misty Mountains where it remained for five hundred years.
Sauron's strength continued to increase even without the Ring. His Orcs were rapidly multiplying, and they populated the Misty Mountains and were particularly concentrated around Moria where the Dwarves had once lived. A new race of terrifying Black Uruks appeared in Mordor, and in 2475, these Uruks attacked Ithilien and left the region unpopulated, though they themselves were driven out.
In 2510, Sauron provoked a group of Easterlings called the Balchoth to attack the region of Calenardhon in northwestern Gondor. The Balchoth marched to battle with an army of Mountain Orcs. The Battle of the Field of Celebrant broke out when they attacked, and Gondor was aided by Eotheod cavalry led by Eorl the Young. Eorl helped the people of Gondor defeat the Balchoth. The Steward Cirion of Gondor was very grateful for Eorl's help in defeating the Balchoth, so he granted Eorl and his people the land of Calenardhon. It was renamed Rohan, and it became the home of one of Gondor's key allies. In 2758, Sauron launched an attack upon both Gondor and Rohan, but his forces were both defeated.
In 2845, Thrain II, King of Durin's Folk, was captured by Sauron and imprisoned in Dol Guldur. From Thrain, Sauron took the last of the Seven Rings. Five years later, Gandalf came to Dol Guldur incognito and he found Thrain's map and his key. Thrain died then, and he had forgotten everything about his life, including his own name. From his visit to Dol Guldur, Gandalf learned that the Necromancer was indeed Sauron and that he intended to find the One Ring and Isildur's heir. Gandalf reported this news to the White Council, but the head of the council Sauruman assured the other members that Sauron could not hope to find the Ring. Saruman secretly wanted the One Ring for himself, and he himself began searching the Gladden Fields for it.
In 2885, the Haradrim were somehow persuaded by Sauron's emissaries to attack Gondor. They attacked Ithilien but were driven out. Orcs continued attacking Ithilien until no more inhabitants remained, and the survivors fled.
Gandalf again tried to persuade the White Council to attack Dol Guldur in 2941, and this time Saruman agreed. Saruman had just learned that Sauron was searching the Gladden Fields for the One Ring, and he became fearful that Sauron would find it. It was Saruman's devices that forced Sauron out of Dol Guldur.
The One Ring had been found in the Misty Mountains in 2941 by the Hobbit Bilbo Baggins. Bilbo took it back to the Shire with him when he returned home from his journey with Thorin and Company. Gandalf knew of Bilbo's magic ring, but he had not yet discovered that it was the One Ring. In 3001, Bilbo passed the Ring down to his cousin Frodo Baggins. Bilbo became the only bearer of the One Ring to ever willingly give it up.
In 2951, Sauron publicly announced his presence in Mordor. In 2954, Mount Doom erupted again. Sauron rebuilt Barad-dur to its former height, and he began grouping massive armies that included not only large amounts of Orcs and Uruks. Sauron also began breeding Trolls, and he created a special kind of Troll called Olog-Hai. Unlike the stupid Trolls that lived in Eriador, Sauron's Olog-Hai were cunning and could withstand sunlight. Men including Easterlings and Haradrim were summoned to Mordor to fight, and Sauron sent three Nazgul including Khamul to dwell in Dol Guldur for a time. Sauron was fully prepared to challenge the peoples of Middle-Earth and to get back the One Ring.
Sauron began using the Ithil-stone to communicate with two other palantiri in Middle-Earth. Sauron was able to contact the Orthanc-stone that was located in Isengard where Saruman lived. Sauron was thus able to bring Saruman into his service and use Saruman's plans to invade Rohan to his own advantage. With Saruman invading Rohan, Sauron could use him to destory Gondor's main allies. Meanwhile, Sauron also contacted the Anor-stone in Gondor. He sent dreadful images to Denethor, Steward of Gondor. These images showed invasion and death in Gondor's future, and they showed victory for Sauron. Denethor greatly feared Gondor's doom, but he came to falsely believe that this doom was inevitable.
In 3017, Sauron captured Gollum outside Mordor and brought the creature to Barad-dur. From Gollum, Sauron learned the words Shire and Baggins, and he learned that these names would lead him to the Ring. Sauron released Gollum from Mordor, hoping that the creature would find the Ring again. And thus began Sauron's relentless search for the One Ring in the north.
Sauron sent the Nazgul out of Minas Morgul in 3018. On June 20, the Nazgul led an attack upon Osgiliath, but this attack was only to disguise the true purpose of the Nazguls' departure from Mordor. The Nazgul secretly crossed the Anduin and at Sarn Gebir where they were given black cloaks. The Nazgul did not find the Shire until September of 3018, when Frodo began his quest to take the Ring as far away from the Shire as possible. The Nazgul pursued Frodo until they were swept away by Elrond at the Ford of Bruinen. The Nazgul survived and they returned to Mordor sometime in late November or early December.
At the Council of Elrond in October, Frodo volunteered to take on the quest in which he would have to destroy the One Ring in the fires of Mount Doom from where it had come. This would bring about the utter destruction of Sauron and his realm. Frodo was accompanied by eight companions including Gandalf. The Fellowship set out from Rivendell on December 25.
Sauron gave the Nazgul new mounts known as Fell Beasts, winged creatures that could fly the Nazgul where they were needed. The Fell Beasts had sharp claws and each had a hideous head with sharp teeth. Sauron did not allow the Nazgul to venture across the River Anduin for the time being because he feared that his enemies may spot them.
On February 26, 3019, Frodo sat upon the Seat of Seeing at Amon Hen and he felt the need to put the Ring on his finger. Sauron's eye immediately spotted Frodo and made him feel like he had to reveal himself to Sauron. Gandalf's strong will from far away made Frodo come to his senses and remove the Ring from his finger, and Sauron could thus no longer see him. Sauron's eye continued to search for Frodo but he could not find him.
Sauron sent many Orcs to find the Ring-bearer. One company was led by Grishnakh and this company followed a group of Uruk-Hai from Isengard who had captured Frodo's companions Merry Brandybuck and Pippin Took and taken them captive. However, all of the Orcs and Uruks were killed by Riders of Rohan and Merry and Pippin fled into Fangorn Forest.
Sauron had been informed by messages he had gotten from Grishnakh that two Hobbits had been taken captive by Saruman's Uruk-Hai, but he did not know what had happened to them. On March 5, Pippin Took looked into the Orthanc-stone and saw Sauron. Sauron believed that Saruman had taken the Hobbits captive and was making them look into the palantir. In truth, Saruman had been defeated and the palantir had been taken from Isengard, and Pippin was looking into it from Rohan. Sauron assumed that Pippin was the Ring-bearer, and that he had had the Ring. He thus presumed that Saruman now had the Ring, and he began preparing to retrieve it from him. But the next day, Aragorn looked into the palantir and revealed himself to be Isildur's heir. He displayed Anduril, the sword that had originally been called Narsil and had cut the One Ring from Sauron's hand. Sauron began to greatly fear Aragorn, and he began to fear that Aragorn would use the Ring against him. Sauron did not imagine that his opponents would try to destroy the Ring. Sauron thus prepared to launch a supermassive attack upon Gondor because this was where he believed Aragorn, and potentially the Ring, were.
On March 10, the Dawnless Day, Sauron prepared to release his extremely massive force from Minas Morgul. Sauron first sent a darkness to cover the sky to ease his Orcs' passage to war. Sauron released his first army from the Black Gate to sieze the island of Cair Andros in Gondor. This army proceeded into Anorien in northern Gondor. That night, Sauron sent a red light to signal the Nazgul to release the largest of Sauron's armies. Sauron's massive force consisted of hundreds of thousands of Orcs, many Trolls, and other evil creatures led by the Nazgul, most significantly the Witch-King. This massive force was joined by regiments of Haradrim from the south.
On March 12, Sauron's forces attacked Osgiliath and the Gondorian defenders were driven back to the Rammas Echor. Sauron's forces advance to the Rammas Echor and they broke through and they overran Pelennor Fields. They then put Minas Tirith under siege, and by March 13 little hope remained for the people of Gondor.
On the night of March 13, Denethor looked into the anor-stone and Sauron showed him a fleet of Corsair ships sailing up the Anduin to help attack Gondor. This image was intended to drive Denethor to madness, and it was successful. In truth, Aragorn and an army of the Dead seized the Corsair ships, and Aragorn was sailing north to Gondor to help defend it.
Rohan came to aid of Gondor on March 15. As the Rohirrim rode onto the battlefield, the broke the lines of Mordor. As this happened, the darkness that covered the sky began to break as well. With the arrival of Aragorn on the Corsairs' ships, Sauron's forces were defeated and all of them were either slain or driven into the Anduin. Only eight Nazgul survived; the Witch-King himself was slain by Eowyn and Merry during the Battle of the Pelennor Fields.
Sauron had only lost a small fraction of the entirety of his forces, and behind the wall of Mordor he still had millions of Orcs. But the leaders of the forces of the West believed that they could defeat Sauron by marching to the Black Gate to challenge him. That way, they would give Frodo time to destroy the One Ring and utterly defeat Sauron.
As it happened, Frodo was imprisoned by Orcs on March 13 but the Orcs had a fight and Frodo's companion Sam Gamgee rescued him. One Orc named Shagrat was able to take Frodo's Mithril Mail to Sauron. Sauron killed Shagrat and gave the Mithril Mail to the Mouth of Sauron to show to the leaders of the West. Sauron hoped to decieve them into thinking that Frodo had been captured and his mission had failed. But in truth, the mission had not failed at all. Frodo and Sam had survived and they were making their way across the plains of Gorgoroth and onto Mount Doom. Sauron, meanwhile, was emptying his lands of Orcs in order to fight off an invasion from the Host of the West.
On March 25, the Mouth of Sauron came forward to negotiate with the leaders of the West. The Mouth of Sauron showed several of Frodo's tokens including the Mithril Mail, and he told Gandalf that Frodo would be tortured in Barad-dur unless the Host of the West surrendered. The Mouth of Sauron stated Sauron's terms which were that Sauron would now own the lands east of the Anduin including Gondor and Rohan, and both of these nations would have to obey Sauron and would have to embrace Mordor's rule. It is likely that Sauron intended to slaughter the peoples of Gondor and Rohan once he owned their land. But Gandalf rejected Sauron's terms and the Battle of the Morannon began. Sauron's forces outnumbered the Host of the West ten to one, and Sauron was guaranteed victory.
But then something happened to Frodo in Mount Doom. Frodo was about to destroy the One Ring when he claimed it for himself due to the Ring's luring power. Sauron immediately realized what was going on and he quickly sent the Nazgul to Mount Doom to stop this at once. But Gollum bit the Ring off of Frodo's hand and he fell into the Cracks of Doom where the Ring was unmade. Mount Doom erupted and Barad-dur collapsed as the Ring's power expanded. The Nazgul were consumed by the flames of Mount Doom, and Frodo and Sam were rescued by Eagles led by Gwaihir. Sauron's Orcs and Trolls were mindless without the will of Sauron controlling them, and they began to kill themselves and one another. The Black Gate and the Towers of Teeth collapsed around the Host of the West. The men who had joined with Sauron began to surrender. Sauron was reduced to nothing more than a small shadow that faded.
References
The Lord of the Rings: passim
The Silmarillion: passim
The Lord of the Rings, Appendix A: passim
The Unfinished Tales: "The History of Galadriel and Celeborn," passim; "The Hunt for the Ring," passim
The History of Middle-earth, Volume X, Morgoth's Ring: "Myths Transformed," passim
The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien: #131; #153; #183; #200; #246
The Silmarillion: passim
The Lord of the Rings, Appendix A: passim
The Unfinished Tales: "The History of Galadriel and Celeborn," passim; "The Hunt for the Ring," passim
The History of Middle-earth, Volume X, Morgoth's Ring: "Myths Transformed," passim
The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien: #131; #153; #183; #200; #246
Timeline
Circa 1090-1099 of the Years of the Trees:
Melkor and Sauron combatted the Valar in the Battle of the Powers. Melkor was taken prisoner by the Valar but Sauron evaded capture.
Circa 1400:
Melkor escaped captivity and became known as Morgoth.
Circa 1495:
Morgoth stole the Silmarils from Feanor. When Morgoth returned to Middle-Earth, Sauron continued acting as his lieutenant.
Year 457 of the First Age:
After having created Werewolves, Sauron attacked the isle of Tol Sirion and renamed it the Isle of Werewolves.
460:
Sauron captured Gorlim and tricked him into telling the location of Barahir's outlaw band. Sauron sent servants to massacre the outlaw band and take any of their prized possessions. Sauron's servants to the Ring of Barahir. Beren, the son of Barahir who was not present at the massacre, realized what had happened and chased down the Orc-captain who had taken his father's Ring.
465:
Sauron captured Beren and his companions and imprisoned them on the Isle of Werewolves. All of Beren's companians were eaten by Werewolves, but Beren survived. Luthien came to the aid of Beren, and she and Huan the Hound defeated Sauron in a combat. Sauron was forced to abandon the Isle of Werewolves, and he was greatly wounded, so he went to live in the forest of Taur-nu-Fuin where he caused terror.
545-587:
The War of Wrath ended in a victory for the Valar and a devastating loss for the forces of Morgoth.
590:
Morgoth was banished from the world and trapped in the Void outside the earth. At the end of the First Age, Sauron apologized for his service to Morgoth, but Eonwe, herald of Manwe, said that Sauron would need to go to the Undying Lands to be judged by Manwe. Sauron refused and returned to Middle-Earth where he continued being evil.
Circa 1000 of the Second Age:
After going into hiding for the first millennia of the Second Age, Sauron secretly founded his own realm of Mordor in Middle-Earth.
1200:
Sauron thought it wise to deceive the Elves and make them work for him. He traveled to northwestern Middle-Earth in fair form where he was denied admittance to Lindon by Gil-galad (who did not recognize him, but did not trust him), but was welcomed in Eregion by the Elven-smiths.
Circa 1500:
Sauron commanded the Elven-smiths to forge the rings of Power. They began forging Rings of Power for Dwarves and men.
Circa 1590:
The Elves forged the Three Rings without Sauron's consent.
Circa 1600:
Sauron forged the One Ring, the most powerful of the Rings of Power. As Sauron created this Ring, the bearers of the lesser Rings of Power immediately realized that they had been malevolently tricked.
1693:
Sauron discovered the existence of the Three Rings of the Elves, and he declared the War of the Elves and Sauron. The Elves hid the Three Rings.
1695:
Sauron's forces attacked and invaded Eregion. Elrond led a force from Lindon to try to defend Eregion, but he was unsuccessful.
1697:
Sauron's forces wreaked havoc in Eregion and caused its destruction. Sauron's forces took many of the Nine Rings of Men and the Seven Rings of the Dwarves. Sauron himself asked Celebrimbor the location of the Three Rings, and when he refused to reveal this, Sauron killed him.
1699:
Sauron's forces completely thrashed Eriador by this time.
1700:
Sauron's forces attempted to invade Lindon but were driven back by a fleet that had arrived from Numenor.
1701:
In a conflict known as the Battle of the Gwathlo, Sauron's forces were defeated by Numenorean colonists. Sauron was enraged at his defeated, but was forced to return to Mordor with only one surviving guard.
2251:
Sauron somehow converted the bearers of the Nine Rings into Nazgul, and these Nazgul became Sauron's deadliest servants.
3261:
King Ar-Pharazon of Numenor landed a fleet in Middle-Earth. Sauron began to fear Ar-Pharazon and the growing number of Numenorean colonies in western Middle-Earth.
3262:
Ar-Pharazon led a great army of Numenoreans to Mordor where they insisted that he surrender to their rule. Sauron allowed himself to be taken as a prisoner by the people of Numenor because he knew that he could not defeat them by physical means, but he anticipated that he could drive their people to devastation by allowing himself to be brought to their homeland. Gradually, Sauron became an important advisor to King Ar-Pharazon.
3310:
Sauron convinced Ar-Pharazon was that the only way to achieve immortality was to strike the Undying Lands. Ar-Pharazon began preparing a fleet to attack in 3310.
3319:
Ar-Pharazon landed in the Undying Lands but was buried beneath the earth by Eru. His fleet was also destroyed by Eru. Eru then sent a great wave to sink Numenor beneath the Sea. Elendil, Isildur, Anarion, and the Faithful escaped on a fleet of ships that landed in Middle-Earth.
3320:
Sauron also escaped the downfall of Numenor, and he returned to Mordor. The Faithful who escaped the downfall of Numenor established the realms of Gondor and Arnor in Middle-Earth.
3429:
Sauron invaded Gondor and captured Minas Ithil, but Anarion prevented Sauron's forces from taking Osgiliath or Minas Anor.
3430:
An Alliance of Elves and men was formed to stand against Sauron.
3434:
Sauron's forces were defeated by the Last Alliance during the Battle of Dagorlad at the Black Gate. The Last Alliance advanced in Mordor and the Siege of Barad-dur began.
3441:
Sauron descended from Barad-dur and slew both Elendil and Gil-galad. Sauron was defeated by Isildur and the Ring was cut from his hand. Sauron's spirit left his body and fled into the east.
Year 2 of the Third Age:
Isildur and all but one of his sons were killed by Orcs in the Gladden Fields, and the One Ring was lost in the Anduin.
Circa 1000:
Five wizards were sent to Middle-Earth from across the Sea to help free the peoples of Middle-Earth from the influence of Sauron.
1050:
Sauron founded the fortress of Dol Guldur in Greenwood the Great, and a shadow was cast upon the woods. They became known as Mirkwood. The inhabitants of northwestern Middle-Earth did not know that Sauron had returned. Sauron did not dare venture into his old realm of Mordor because it was closely guarded by the people of Gondor.
1100:
The wizards and wisest of the Elves took a keen interest in the shadow over Mirkwood, but they did not yet know that it was Sauron.
Circa 1300:
The Lord of the Nazgul, who became known as the Witch-King, founded his own realm of Angmar in northern Middle-Earth. The purpose of the Witch-King's establishment in the north was to weaken to North-kingdom of Arnor. The Witch-King conquered and seized both Cardolan and Rhudaur and evil creatures came to infest these lands.
1409:
The Dunedain and the Elves prevented the Witch-King from completely destroying all of Arnor.
1636:
The Great Plague came from the east, and it was likely the work of Sauron. Gondor was devastated by the Plague, but Osgiliath was hit hardest. King Telemnar of Gondor and his entire family died. The Plague spread north to Eriador where the Dunedain suffered greatly, and the last remnants of the Dunedain of Cardolan were wiped out.
1640:
Mordor's guard was greatly lightened during the plague, and Sauron began to prepare to return to his former realm.
1851:
Sauron's emissaries provoked Easterlings known as Wainriders to attack Gondor.
1856:
Gondor was forced to withdraw its eastern borders because of Wainrider attacks. King Narmacil II of Gondor was killed in a battle against the Wainriders.
1899:
King Calimehtar led Gondor to a victory over the Wainriders on the plains of Dagorlad.
1944:
King Ondoher of Gondor was killed in battle against the Wainriders, but Earnil II was able to defeat them in the Battle of the Camp.
1974:
The North-kingdom came to an end when the Witch-King attacked Fornost.
1975:
Elves and Gondorians led a large force to the aid of the North-kingdom, and the Witch-King was driven out of Eriador. However, the Witch-King had caused so much devastation for the Dunedain that they became a wandering people, and the descendants of Isildur who remained became the Chieftains of the Dunedain.
1980:
The Witch-King returns to Mordor where he and the other eight Nazgul readied themselves for Sauron's return. Meanwhile, the Balrog awoke in Moria and began causing devastation for the Dwarves living there.
2000:
The Nazgul put Minas Ithil under siege.
2002:
The Nazgul captured Minas Ithil and likely slaughtered its inhabitants (if they had not died already). The Nazgul took the Ithil-stone and this became a useful token that Sauron would use to his advantage. The city was renamed Minas Morgul and became the city of the Nazgul.
2050:
King Earnur of Gondor went to Minas Morgul to respond to a challenge that had been issued by the Witch-King. Earnur was never seen again and the line of Kings in Gondor ended.
2060:
By this time, the wisest of Elves and wizards began to suspect that the evil presence in Dol Guldur was indeed Sauron.
2063:
Gandalf went to Dol Guldur to investigate the vil presence there and Sauron fled into the east. The Nazgul remained in Minas Morgul but did not strike Gondor during this time period.
2460:
Sauron returned to Dol Guldur and a time known as the Watchful Peace came to a close.
2463:
The One Ring was found by Deagol in the waters of Gladden Fields. Deagol was killed for the Ring by Smeagol.
2470:
Smeagol took the Ring under the Misty Mountains for about five hundred years. The Ring prolonged Smeagol's life, and Smeagol became known as Gollum.
2475:
The Witch-King led a force of terrifying black Orcs called Uruk-Hai to attack Osgiliath in Gondor. They were driven back by Boromir, the son of the Steward Denethor I.
2758:
Gondor and Rohan were both attacked by Orcs and Balchoth but the attack was driven out.
2845:
Sauron's scouts kidnapped Thrain II and brought him to Dol Guldur where Sauron took the last of the Seven Rings from him and imprisoned him.
2850:
Gandalf went to Dol Guldur incognito and found out that the Necromancer was Sauron. He was given a key and a map by Thrain, but Thrain did not remember what these were for and he died in Gandalf's presence.
2851:
Gandalf pressured the White Council to attack Dol Guldur, but Saruman said that there was no point in attacking Dol Guldur because he claimed that the Ring was long lost, and Sauron would be powerless without it.
2885:
Sauron convinced the Haradrim to attack Ithilien but they were driven out.
2901:
Mordor Uruks began raiding and invading Ithilien to the point where the land became virtually deserted.
2939:
Saruman found out that Sauron's servants were desperately searching the waters of Gladden Fields for the One Ring.
2941:
Bilbo found the One Ring in Gollum's cave under the Misty Mountains. Saruman agreed to Gandalf's request to attack Dol Guldur, and when the White Council Sauron fled from Dol Guldur.
2942:
Sauron secretly arrived in his own realm of Mordor.
2951:
Sauron openly announced his presence in Mordor. He sent three Nazgul including Khamul to occupy Dol Guldur.
2954:
Mount Doom erupted.
2984:
Denethor II became Steward of Gondor. During his reign as Steward, he began using the Anor-stone located in Minas Tirith. At some point, the Anor-stone came into contact with the Ithil-stone that was possessed by Sauron.
Circa 3000:
Saruman began using the Orthanc-stone and came into contact with the Ithil-stone of Sauron. Sauron began to learn of Saurman's plans to invade Rohan, and Sauron reasoned that he could use these plans to his own advantage.
3001:
Gandalf convinced Bilbo to give up the Ring to his heir Frodo Baggins. Bilbo left the Shire and settled in Rivendell.
3017:
Gollum was captured by Sauron in the outskirts of Mordor. Sauron took the creature to Barad-dur for questioning, and from Gollum Sauron learned that the Ring was in a place called the Shire in the hands of a Hobbit named Baggins.
3018:
April: Sauron learned that Gollum had been captured by Aragorn and imprisoned in Mirkwood.
June 20: The Nazgul attacked Osgiliath while at the same time the Elves of Mirkwood were attacked and Gollum escaped.
July 1: The Nazgul crossed the Anduin in secret and went to Sarn Gebir where they were cloaked. They began the hunt for the Ring.
September 23: The Nine Nazgul finally found the Shire and began to pursue Frodo Baggins, the Ring-bearer.
October 6: Frodo was stabbed by the Witch-King at Weathertop, but Aragorn drove the Nazgul away.
October 20: The Nazgul were swept away by the waters of the Ford of Bruinen. They eventually returned to Mordor.
October 25: At the Council of Elrond held in Rivendell, Frodo and eight companions were selected to take the ring to Mordor where it would be destroyed.
December 25: The Fellowship set out from Rivendell and headed south.
3019:
February 26: At Amon Hen, Frodo sat upon the Seat of Seeing and placed the Ring on his finger, and he was immediately spotted by Sauron. Gandalf's power convinced Frodo to take off the Ring, and the Eye of Sauron could thus no longer see him.
February 27: Grishnakh sent a message to Sauron informing him that two Hobbits had been taken captive by Saruman's Uruk-Hai.
March 5: Pippin Took looked into the palantir and saw Sauron. Sauron mistakenly thought that Pippin was the Ring-bearer.
March 6: Aragorn showed himself to Sauron via the palantir, and he revealed that he was Isildur's heir and he wielded the sword Anduril, which had been forged from the shards of Narsil, the blade that had cut the One Ring from Sauron's hand. Sauron became fearful of Aragorn and he prepared to launch a large-scale attack on Gondor.
March 9: Sauron sent a terrifying darkness from Mordor. The purpose of this darkness was the block the sun so that Sauron's Orcs could easily march to war without having to worry about daylight. Sauron also wanted to inspire fear in the hearts of his enemies.
March 10: Dawnless Day. An army from the Black Gate captured Cair Andros and advanced into Anorien, and later Sauron sent a red signal light for the Witch-King to release Mordor's forces from Minas Morgul.
March 11: Rohan was invaded from the north while Lothlorien was attacked.
March 12: Gondor's defenses were driven back to the Rammas Echor.
March 13: The Rammas Echor was overrun and Sauron's forces flooded the Pelennor Fields. Aragorn meanwhile captured the Corsair ships and began sailing them to Minas Tirith where he would later assist in the defense of Gondor. In Mordor, Frodo was captured and imprisoned in the Tower of Cirith Ungol.
March 14: In Gondor, Sauron's forces put Minas Tirith under siege. In Mordor, Sam found Frodo in the Tower of Cirith Ungol.
March 15: In Mordor, Frodo and Sam escaped from the Tower of Cirith Ungol after a fight between two groups of Orcs. In Gondor, Sauron's forces were defeated after the Battle of the Pelennor Fields and the Witch-King was killed. In Mirkwood, a battle took place between the Elves and the forces of Dol Guldur and the Elven leader Thanduil was victorious. Dol Guldur meanwhile attacked Lothlorien but was driven out.
March 17: Shagrat brought Frodo's mithril mail and other belongings to Barad-dur. Sauron killed Shagrat and gave Frodo's belongings to the Muoth of Sauron, who was instructed to show them to the Host of the West when given the chance.
March 18: The Host of the West departed Minas Tirith in an attempt to assault Mordor.
March 22: Dol Guldur attacked Lothlorien for a third and final time.
March 25: The Host of the West fought valiantly against the forces of Mordor at the Battle of Morannon, but thwey were outnumbered ten to one. When Frodo reached Mount Doom, he was unable to destroy the Ring and he claimed it for himself. But Gollum bit the Ring off of Frodo's hand and Frodo pushed him into the Cracks of Doom and the Ring was unmade. Mount Doom erupted and Sauron's realm came crashing down. Frodo and Sam survived because they were rescued by Eagles.
Names & Meanings
Sauron had many names and was references a great deal of times throughout his long existence. Below is an account for all of his names.
Sauron:
Sauron is Primitive Elvish for "the Abhorred" from thaura meaning "detest."
The Lord of the Rings:
Sauron was the Lord of the Rings because he created the One Ring to rule them all.
The Necromancer:
Sauron's evil presence in Dol Guldur was known to the peoples of the region as the Necromancer. In the early years of Sauron's occupancy of Dol Guldur, the peoples of Middle-Earth did not know that the evil presence was Sauron. A necromancer is a sorcerer, and the word comes from the Greek words nekros, which means "dead body," and manteia, which means "divination."
Dark Lord:
Sauron was known as the Dark Lord because he was the lord of all evil. He was also called the Lord of Mordor, the Lord of the Black Land, the Lord of Barad-dur, and the Lord of the Dark Tower.
Nameless:
Enemies of Sauron who did not dare say his name called him "nameless."
The Power of the Black Land:
Though Sauron was obviously a living being, some called him the Power of the Black Land because of his intense power. The Black Land is Mordor.
Black Master/the Black One/Black Hand:
"Black" is often used as a color that depicts evil (this does not references persons of dark skin, it references individuals who have dark souls).
Annatar, Lord of Gifts:
When Sauron arrived in Eregion circa 1200 of the Second Age, he promised the Elven smiths that he was a emissary of the Valar called Annatar, Lord of Gifts.
Artano:
Artano means "high smith," and Sauron called himself this when he was working with the Elven smiths of Eregion.
Aulendil:
Aulendil means "devoted to the Vala Aule." Since Aule was the Vala of crafts, Sauron called himself this (among other names) when he was working with the Elven smiths of Eregion.
Sauron the Deceiver:
Amandil of Numenor called Sauron this after he deceived the people of Numenor by provoking them to attack the Undying Lands, an action that ultimately brought about the utter destruction of Numenor.
Gorthaur the Cruel:
Gorthaur is the Sindarin word for Sauron, and he was known by the Sindar as "the cruel."
Lieutenant of Melkor:
During the First Age, Sauron was the lieutenant of Melkor and he acted as his lieutenant from the tower of Angband.
Wolf-Sauron:
Sauron was called himself this in a battle with Huan the Hound when he took on the form of a Werewolf.
King of Men and Lord of Earth:
Sauron called himself this after creating the One Ring, fancying himself to rule over all of Middle-Earth.
Sauron the Base Master of Treachery:
After hearing Sauron's new terms from the Mouth of Sauron, Gandalf called Sauron this prior the the Battle of Morannon.
Eye:
Sauron's emblem was the Lidless Eye of Sauron. The Eye of Sauron consisted of red fire that had a dark black pupil. The Eye could see very far, beyond the realm of Mordor. Sauron's physical form during the Third Age was not an eye, it was actually a that of a tall man. The Eye was simply a representation of Sauron's power. Outsiders called Sauron's Eye the Lidless Eye, the Great Eye, the Red Eye, the Eye of Barad-dur, the Eye of Mordor, the Evil Eye, the Eye of Sauron, and the Eye.
The Enemy:
To the free peoples of Middle-Earth, Sauron was the Enemy.
The Shadow:
Sauron's evil influence that was spread far and wide across Middle-Earth was called the Shadow.
Sauron:
Sauron is Primitive Elvish for "the Abhorred" from thaura meaning "detest."
The Lord of the Rings:
Sauron was the Lord of the Rings because he created the One Ring to rule them all.
The Necromancer:
Sauron's evil presence in Dol Guldur was known to the peoples of the region as the Necromancer. In the early years of Sauron's occupancy of Dol Guldur, the peoples of Middle-Earth did not know that the evil presence was Sauron. A necromancer is a sorcerer, and the word comes from the Greek words nekros, which means "dead body," and manteia, which means "divination."
Dark Lord:
Sauron was known as the Dark Lord because he was the lord of all evil. He was also called the Lord of Mordor, the Lord of the Black Land, the Lord of Barad-dur, and the Lord of the Dark Tower.
Nameless:
Enemies of Sauron who did not dare say his name called him "nameless."
The Power of the Black Land:
Though Sauron was obviously a living being, some called him the Power of the Black Land because of his intense power. The Black Land is Mordor.
Black Master/the Black One/Black Hand:
"Black" is often used as a color that depicts evil (this does not references persons of dark skin, it references individuals who have dark souls).
Annatar, Lord of Gifts:
When Sauron arrived in Eregion circa 1200 of the Second Age, he promised the Elven smiths that he was a emissary of the Valar called Annatar, Lord of Gifts.
Artano:
Artano means "high smith," and Sauron called himself this when he was working with the Elven smiths of Eregion.
Aulendil:
Aulendil means "devoted to the Vala Aule." Since Aule was the Vala of crafts, Sauron called himself this (among other names) when he was working with the Elven smiths of Eregion.
Sauron the Deceiver:
Amandil of Numenor called Sauron this after he deceived the people of Numenor by provoking them to attack the Undying Lands, an action that ultimately brought about the utter destruction of Numenor.
Gorthaur the Cruel:
Gorthaur is the Sindarin word for Sauron, and he was known by the Sindar as "the cruel."
Lieutenant of Melkor:
During the First Age, Sauron was the lieutenant of Melkor and he acted as his lieutenant from the tower of Angband.
Wolf-Sauron:
Sauron was called himself this in a battle with Huan the Hound when he took on the form of a Werewolf.
King of Men and Lord of Earth:
Sauron called himself this after creating the One Ring, fancying himself to rule over all of Middle-Earth.
Sauron the Base Master of Treachery:
After hearing Sauron's new terms from the Mouth of Sauron, Gandalf called Sauron this prior the the Battle of Morannon.
Eye:
Sauron's emblem was the Lidless Eye of Sauron. The Eye of Sauron consisted of red fire that had a dark black pupil. The Eye could see very far, beyond the realm of Mordor. Sauron's physical form during the Third Age was not an eye, it was actually a that of a tall man. The Eye was simply a representation of Sauron's power. Outsiders called Sauron's Eye the Lidless Eye, the Great Eye, the Red Eye, the Eye of Barad-dur, the Eye of Mordor, the Evil Eye, the Eye of Sauron, and the Eye.
The Enemy:
To the free peoples of Middle-Earth, Sauron was the Enemy.
The Shadow:
Sauron's evil influence that was spread far and wide across Middle-Earth was called the Shadow.
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