Gifts
It would be impossible for me to go into as much detail here as I would like without making this post unnecessarily long, but we shall try to cover the bases for now.
Tamar: “Hey, lowman! Really thought I wouldn’t notice?”
Sauron: “Well, I thought it was worth a try” (1×03).
Tamar had a point. Sauron was rebuilding his power, but if he did not want someone to notice something as simple as pick-pocketing, they would not have noticed (such as when he took the dagger from Elendil). He is the Great Deceiver for a reason.
Does this look like the face and clutch of a man who seriously tried to conceal his schemes (not to mention that twice, he carelessly flicked the crest in the air while glancing behind him)?
He was rebuilding his power, but one may safely assume that slight-of-hand does not require sorcery, though it may be useful in certain circumstances. So, what abilities was he trying to rebuild? In the First Age, he was described as:
“…a sorcerer of dreadful power, master of shadows and of phantoms […] misshaping what he touched, twisting what he ruled […] his dominion was torment.”
Of the Ruin of Beleriand and the Fall of Fingolfin
Rule #1: Do not take something Sauron has touched.
The brick wall that is Tamar inadvertently obeyed this rule, and things quickly went sideways for Sauron.
I think in letting [Galadriel] go speak to the king it’s his way out of that predicament [prison]. That’s an interesting thing about Sauron’s journey in season one, if he is scheming and manipulating his way through Númenor.
And things don’t go to plan. You see moments like when he gets into that fight because he’s pushed too far. You see an element of him where he’s been brought low, and he’s rebuilding his power, but he still loses control.
The next two scenes are replicas of each other, but they are also strikingly similar to the alleyway. The difference is that Sauron was successful with Galadriel and Celebrimbor, but he failed with Tamar.
Rule #2: Do not trust Halbrand’s innocent expressions.
The dialogue is important to note. Keep in mind what Sauron had been seeking since before Morgoth’s defeat.
“I have been searching for my peace for longer than you know” (Sauron to Galadriel, 1×03).
“Where I came up, precious metals were scarce as hens’ teeth” (Sauron to Celebrimbor, 1×08).
He told the truth in both cases, but a manipulator knows where to strike.
Rule #3a: Prepare for the consequences of following Rules #1 and #2:
Rule #3b: Prepare for the consequences of failing Rules #1 and #2:
The alleyway was a reversed version of Míriel’s Court and Celebrimbor’s workshop. Just as the intent behind the question, “What is this place?” was the same, the intent was the same behind all three of these gifts: the dagger, the mithril, and the crest. What intent would that be?
Sauron is notorious for misshaping or corrupting what he touches, which is why it was so important that he never touched the Three Rings.
“The powers we forge today must be for the Elves alone, untouched by other hands” (Galadriel, 1×08).
(Also notice that the coloring in these two scenes match the objects in question, down to the surrounding structures and even their clothing.)
“…the Three remained unsullied, for they were forged by Celebrimbor alone, and the hand of Sauron had never touched them; yet they also were subject to the One.“
Of the Rings of Power and the Third Age
We see what happened when the gifts of the Lord of Gifts were accepted, and when they were denied. We will go into much more detail later, but here is some food for thought until we can cover this subject in a separate post:
Sauron never touched the Elven Rings, but he conspicuously touched the two things that made them. This explains how they are still subject to the One Ring. But did Sauron have the specific idea to make a Ruling Ring before he had access to Celebrimbor’s workshop, and found a piece of dark knowledge he spent millennia seeking? It would seem not (at least for a ring), which begs the question: What did he do to the dagger and the mithril, and why? And if those two situations mirrored the scene in the alley—if he knew Tamar would catch him pick-pocketing—the guild crest would be a gift. So, what did he do to it, and why?
Again, we just need to look at the results of him touching those objects.
Celebrimbor and Galadriel | Both pitched an idea; Galadriel to Míriel (1×04), and Celebrimbor to Gil-galad (1×08). When eyebrows were raised concerning the Southlander, they offered a defense. They used words and phrases which, alarmingly, Sauron would use, will use, has used before, or he was directly associated with them. It seemed they were under an influence.
Tamar | Sauron truly did not want any trouble with Tamar. However, his offer was denied, and he was punched in the face and belittled too many times. He lost control and was imprisoned; nevertheless, Tamar retrieved the guild crest which Sauron had touched, and began to worsen the divide in Númenor. He mentioned the attack and offered no defense for Halbrand, yet all of his focus was on the Elf; he placed all blame on Galadriel, even calling Halbrand “Elf’s mate.” He used the same descriptions for Elves that Galadriel used to describe—you guessed it—Sauron.
Here is something else to ponder: Many things in the first season are a type of things to come.
“And while he wore the One Ring he could perceive all the things that were done by means of the lesser rings, and he could see and govern the very thoughts of those that wore them.”
Of the Rings of Power and the Third Age
Sauron was rebuilding his power, and did not have the One Ring yet. How could he govern the thoughts of those who… did not yet have Rings? Well, there are the three objects we just discussed (the dagger, mithril, and crest), which were given to Elves and Men. What object does Sauron have?
