This Wandering Day was written for the Harfoots, but it can technically apply to almost anyone in the show and books: Hobbits, Dwarves, the Stranger, Galadriel, Elendil after the fall of Númenor.
Even Beren’s story fits. His home was destroyed, he fled, he wandered, he knew not where to travel until he scried “lands far away,” as if they called to him. He found Lúthien and she began to sing, which gave him comfort. When he was in Tol-in-Gaurhoth, Lúthien sang to him and he responded.* The answer from Lúthien, when she found him, was that “not all who wonder or wander are lost.”
* Perhaps: “Oh, rise up and guide me.” “Please promise to find me.”
Ironically, the song also applies to Sauron a little too perfectly.
Timeline
Sauron’s timeline is worth noting, first, to determine how long it has been since he was in the North.
This is theoretical, of course. I explain much of my reasoning in Sauron Rebuilt and a Twitter/X thread, but I will summarize here.
Once upon a time, Morgoth was defeated. At the head of a large company of Orcs, Sauron experimented in the North with Adar as his lieutenant. After roughly four hundred years, Adar betrayed Sauron, and Sauron’s spirit fled and hid for over two thousand years. He then reformed and wandered for another one thousand years, until he met Galadriel on the raft.
“And that’s a long time to wander. Even for a fellow with big legs” (Sadoc, 1×07).
How would Sauron sing about his wandering day?
This Wandering Day
There can be at least two interpretations, depending on how one views his conversation with Galadriel in the vision: Was he sincere or manipulative? Likely both, in that any sincerity came from the desire to heal Middle-earth, and Galadriel would make things easier for him. It was for personal gain, but for her to be convinced to join him, he had to manipulate and mislead with the truth, though he ultimately failed to sway her. Viewing This Wandering Day as if sung from Sauron’s own mouth has the same effect as that conversation. He tells the truth, but the words are masked with innocence to conceal his dark intentions.
The sun is fast falling beneath trees of stone.
“Trees of stone” can represent tall stone buildings, but it can also be a fancy way of saying “mountains.” A good example of the sun quickly setting over mountains is the first view we had of Forodwaith, Sauron’s former home:
It was there that Thondir and Galadriel drew attention to the fast-falling sun.
Thondir: “Light is closing in. How long can living flesh endure where even sunlight fears to tread?” […]
Galadriel: “We are losing the light” (1×01).
The light in the tower, no longer my home.
It’s alluded to, I think in episode 6 of season 1 that something happened, and we’re going to see this at the very beginning of season 2. And this is thousands of years before.
Forodwaith was Sauron’s homeland, where Galadriel found the old tower in which he resided thousands of years in the past. (This could also be a “tree of stone.”)
The name of this tower is Dúrnost, which means “House of the Dark” in Sindarin.* It is evidently no longer Sauron’s home, as we heard in the second episode when he said he was chased from it.
“The way I see it, it wasn’t Elves that chased me from my homeland. It was Orcs.”
“Black sand” is another fancy term, referring to ashes, which was how Sauron described the state of his former home.
Galadriel: “Your home. Where was it?”
Sauron: “What’s it matter? It’s ashes now” (1×02).
“Eyes of pale fire” is tricky to decipher. It most likely refers to the strange constellation of stars in Rhûn, in relation to the Harfoots, but Sauron’s case is more literal.
Charlie Vickers has often said that the gods are always watching, and Sauron fears the gods. Even Míriel suggested that “their eyes and their judgment are ever upon us.” Sauron is aware of this. For the Harfoots, the phrase “past eyes of pale fire” might mean leaving behind the stars they once knew. But for Sauron, it would mean passing under the gaze of the Valar, whose eyes are said to be burning bright, just as stars.
“Your furnaces are said to be burning as bright as the eyes of Aulë himself” (Gil-galad, 1×05).
I trade all I’ve known for the unknown ahead.
This illustrates Sauron’s opportunism. He did not plan for Adar to kill him, but things went sideways and he had to adapt.
I always like a villain that has a plan, but a villain that can adapt and move on their feet. And I think that’s the case with Sauron.
Adar spoke of a hidden piece of dark knowledge (the “unknown ahead”) which Sauron set out to find after abandoning his home, or all that he knew. “He’s leaving his past behind,” as Charlie described Halbrand.
Now we must ask the question: To whom or what is Sauron singing? For the first verse, the answer is the same person he deceived in the first season: Galadriel. She is the one who discovered the information contained in the first verse. Sauron wanted her to find him, and the whole stanza seems like a guide. The first line is a push to beat the setting sun or to make haste; the second and third tell her that Dúrnost is no longer his home, and she must move along; for, as the fourth line suggests, he abandoned everything there for something unknown.
The sun is fast falling beneath trees of stone. The light in the tower, no longer my home. Past eyes of pale fire, black sand for my bed, I trade all I’ve known for the unknown ahead.
Call to me! Call to me, lands far away, For I must now wander this wandering day. Away I must wander this wandering day.
In the first chorus, the “lands far away” may not represent anything but literal far-away lands, all of which Sauron desired to heal. Disa can sing to the stones of Khazad-dûm, and Sauron has the mastery of songs of power, as we read in The Silmarillion.
“Thus befell the contest of Sauron and Felagund which is renowned. For Felagund strove with Sauron in songs of power, and the power of the King was very great; but Sauron had the mastery, as is told in the Lay of Leithian.”
Of Beren and Lúthien
He could probably use them to speak to the earth as Disa does, and thus it is possible that he literally sings, “Call to me!” to far-away lands. And in the one thousand years he wandered, Eriador, the Southlands, Rhûn, and even Númenor (or its colonies on Middle-earth) were places he could have visited.
Of drink I have little, and food I have less. My strength tells me, “No,” but the path demands, “Yes.”
In the second verse, Sauron returns to singing to Galadriel, again reading in the same tone as his pitch in the vision. (But as you will see in the second chorus, everything up to the last stanza is sung before they meet.)
The first line is fairly straight-forward, seeing that he had little to drink and very little to eat on the raft.
Concerning his strength, we have drawn parallels before between Sauron of the Second Age and Third Age. Gandalf said:
“‘The Enemy still lacks one thing to give him strength and knowledge to beat down all resistance.’”
The Lord of the Rings: The Shadow of the Past
In the Third Age, he needed the One Ring. In Sauron Rebuilt, we theorized what he needed in the Second Age, but the point here is that he lacked a certain amount of strength; his strength told him, “No,” in the beginning. The path, or what he perceived to be his destiny, demanded, “Yes.” Galadriel reenforced that pressure when she unknowingly pushed Sauron to fulfill that destiny, which is something he wanted her to do.
Sauron might say to Galadriel: “Look, I was ready to walk away. You pulled me into this.” But if you look at the chain of events, he’s been greasing the wheels. He’s been encouraging her. […] How many times does he say, “When are you going to get that army?”
…there’s also a good case to be made that every step of the way, he sees her as his ticket back to power, and he’s playing hard-to-get to get her to dig in; to get her to do what he needs her to do.
My legs are so short and the way is so long. I’ve no rest nor comfort, no comfort but song.
It is ironic for him to say that his legs are short, since he is “a fellow with big legs.” But all things considered, he used to be very tall. His Halbrand form is comparatively quite squatty.
In all seriousness, if we interpret it as metaphorical, short legs are a reference to having scanty means of accomplishing a purpose. Before he met Galadriel, Sauron was alone with no means of accomplishing anything, let alone his boundless aspirations.
His lack of rest may be connected to Galadriel saying that evil does not sleep. He would not have to sleep to rest; according to our theoretical timeline, he rested, or “waited,” for two thousand years.
“‘Always after a defeat and a respite, the Shadow takes another shape and grows again.”
Gandalf, The Lord of the Rings: The Shadow of the Past
Once he took another shape in the Second Age, he would allow himself no rest at all, nor would he ever have comfort; but why would he need comfort?
“Look, Elf. You didn’t cause my suffering and you can’t fix it, no matter how strong your will or your pride. So, let it lie” (Sauron, 1×02).
What or who caused his endless suffering? —First Morgoth, then Adar, and now he is ceaselessly tormented by the Valar. He fears them and is not yet deluding himself into thinking that he can single-handedly face them, for he has witnessed their wrath many times, such as in the Battle of the Powers…
“Melkor met the onset of the Valar in the North-west of Middle-earth, and all that region was much broken. […] In that time the shape of Middle-earth was changed, and the Great Sea that sundered it from Aman grew wide and deep; and it broke in upon the coasts and made a deep gulf to the southward. […] Nonetheless the Valar did not discover all the mighty vaults and caverns hidden with deceit far under the fortresses of Angband and Utumno. […] and Sauron they did not find.”
Of the Coming of the Elves and the Captivity of Melkor
…and in the War of Wrath.
“And some hold that this was not at first falsely done, but that Sauron in truth repented, if only out of fear, being dismayed by the fall of Morgoth and the great wrath of the Lords of the West.”
Of the Rings of Power and the Third Age
He knows that what he aspires to do* is grounds for the Valar to destroy him. And it’s scary. So, in his attempt to sway Galadriel, he said:
“And I knew, if ever I was to be forgiven, that I had to heal everything that I had helped ruin. […] You bind me to the light, and I bind you to power” (1×08).
* The most effective way to heal Middle-earth is to dominate, rule, control, enslave the minds and wills of all its creatures so they don’t mess things up.
His solution is a loophole. He is unwilling to face the judgment of the Valar for his evil deeds, so as far as he is concerned, he must become powerful enough to rival the gods and avoid destruction.
“I never believed I could be [free of it] until today. […] If I could just hold onto that feeling, keep it with me always, bind it to my very being, then I…” (1×06).
If he could only bind himself to the light, he could be free of whatever evil he had done. The gods could not destroy him. He would be safe.
Of course, he would never tell Galadriel as much. In the meantime, he had no comfort from his fear but “song.” We see that the whole stanza, again concealing his true dark intentions, is an attempt to garner sympathy. The first three lines explain that he has no means of accomplishing his goal to heal the world, but it must be done, as great a task as it may be. The path demands it. The last line suggests, “Only you can help me.”
Of drink I have little, and food I have less. My strength tells me, “No,” but the path demands, “Yes.” My legs are so short and the way is so long. I’ve no rest nor comfort, no comfort but song.
That is where the “lands far away” begin to represent Galadriel.
Sing to me! Sing to me, lands far away! Oh, rise up and guide me this wandering day. Please promise to find me this wandering day.
Those familiar with this blog are well-aware of my theory that Sauron called Galadriel to him, which is the entire purpose of the existence of Sauron: The Perfect Inverse of Beren, most specifically page 15. Essentially, their meeting parallels that of Beren and Lúthien when Lúthien began to sing and Beren called to her. Since Galadriel (or her song) in the end was essentially the “comfort” or “loophole” that Sauron found as an escape from his fear of the Valar, he would call, “Sing to me!” even from afar. And she did guide him in his wandering day.
He wanted her with him even before they met because, as Charlie Vickers said, “she can open doors” and “get him in the right rooms.”
“You believed in me. You saw strength* in me. You pushed me to heights that no one else could have. I will never forget that” (Sauron, 1×08).
* Connects to: “My strength tells me, ‘No,’ but the path demands, ‘Yes.’”
His superpower is: hesees you. So, he sees Galadriel and knows that what she needs more than anything else is to find the evil that has plagued her for so long and save Middle-earth. So, he self-styles himself as the person that she will trust, and part of him is doing that sincerely, but part of him is also knowing that by doing this, he’s pushing her closer to something that will get him whathe wants.
Galadriel only saw what Sauron wanted her to see, in the moment he wanted her to see it (hence his strangely open behavior in all of episode 8; he was ready for her to discover who he was). In the beginning, Galadriel was obsessed with finding Sauron because he wanted her to find him. She vowed to seek him out when she took Finrod’s dagger.
“Please, promise to find me,” he said. And she quite literally did.
At last comes their answer through cold and through frost,
Here, Sauron no longer sings to Galadriel, but to himself about Galadriel. The song ends not at the vision, nor in the moment they met, but at the conversation on the log. Her answer after traveling “through cold and through frost” (Forodwaith) was:
That not all who wonder or wander are lost, No matter the sorrow, no matter the cost.
“Whatever it was he did to you, and whatever it was you did, be free of it” (Galadriel, 1×06).
That not all who wonder or wander are lost.
Sauron later held Galadriel’s answer against her:
Galadriel: “No penance could ever erase the evil you have done.”
Sauron: “That is not what you believe. […] Because you knew that our past meant nothing, weighed against our future” (1×08).
“That not all who wonder or wander are lost,” was the answer Sauron wanted Galadriel to give, and he finally got it. The last verse is what he would say to himself right after their conversation on the log.
At last comes their answer through cold and through frost, That not all who wonder or wander are lost, No matter the sorrow, no matter the cost. That not all who wonder or wander are lost.
Waldreg described Sauron as “he who was lost, but shall return,” which sounds like a version of the Promised King prophecy, fulfilled when Halbrand was hailed the King of the Southlands.
Nevertheless! Sung from Sauron’s own mouth, This Wandering Day has the same effect as Galadriel’s vision in episode 8, because it is backed by just as much sincerity and just as much manipulation. This makes Gollum’s Song all the more painful—not just for him, but for Galadriel.
Gollum’s Song
Galadriel refused Sauron. He responded by giving her the impression that she had no choice but to join him, or else remain an outcast and alone. If This Wandering Day was designed to manipulate her into giving him the answer he wanted, Gollum’s Song is a guilt trip and torment.
Where once was light, now darkness falls.
First, the line says the same thing as the first two lines of This Wandering Day.
The sun is fast falling beneath trees of stone. The light in the tower, no longer my home.
But this time, rather than painting the situation in an innocent light, it is said with gloomy undertones. Sauron no longer has any need to hide.
It directly hearkens back to Galadriel’s answer in This Wandering Day (that not all who wonder or wander are lost). She told Sauron in her own words:
“Sometimes to find the light, we must first touch the darkness” (1×05).
Sauron would now respond: “Where once was light, now darkness falls.”
Where once was love, love is no more.
Nothing is evil in the beginning, as they both know, but it is too late for Sauron. He had love in the very beginning of existence, but his situation is as Morgoth’s after his release from the Halls of Mandos.
“…and [Manwë] saw not to the depths of Melkor’s heart, and did not perceive that all love had departed from him for ever.“
Of Fëanor and the Unchaining of Melkor
Don’t say goodbye. Don’t say I didn’t try.
Why would Sauron not wish to say goodbye? It could align with what Charlie says about him thinking Galadriel could be persuaded to join him in the future. Meanwhile, he had already long-succumbed to the darkness, yet he says, “Don’t say I didn’t try.”
“You’re asking me to go to the one place that I swore never to return” (Sauron, 1×05).
“And some say that this was not at first falsely done, but that Sauron in truth repented, if only out of fear.”
Of the Rings of Power and the Third Age
“I told you I would not be dark if you joined me,” he would say to Galadriel. “This is your fault.”
These tears we cry are falling rain For all the lies you told us, the hurt, the blame. And we will weep to be so alone.
The first time Sauron actually cried in season 1 was in episode 5, in the forge. Those tears he cried after she accused him of being responsible for Finrod’s death…
Galadriel: “[Finrod] was killed in a place of darkness and despair by servants of Sauron. Is that enough for you?”
Sauron: “Oh, so this is about vengeance!”
,,,and for her lies: That not all who wonder or wander are lost.
“Sometimes to find the light, we must first touch the darkness. […] There is no peace to be found for you here, and nor for me. No lasting peace in any path, but that which lies across the sea. I have fought for centuries, seeking to earn mine. This is how you earn yours” (1×05).
She blamed him again in the end, and he retaliated:
Galadriel: “My brother is dead because of you.”
Sauron: “Galadriel. Why would you say that? Why would you say such a thing? […] I told you that I had done evil, and you did not care!” (1×08).
Again, he guilt trips and tries to gain sympathy. The last line reveals the exception to the rule that not all who wonder or wander are lost.
We are lost. We can never go home.
Sauron is lost, and he can never go home. In the first season, he acted in a way that would lead Galadriel to tell him that he could be free of whatever he had done, but she refused him upon discovering his identity. Now, he says she lied to him, blamed him, left him alone, and because of that he is lost.
It is her fault.
Where once was light, now darkness falls. Where once was love, love is no more. Don’t say goodbye. Don’t say I didn’t try.
These tears we cry are falling rain For all the lies you told us, the hurt, the blame. And we will weep to be so alone. We are lost. We can never go home.
So in the end, I’ll be what I will be. No loyal friend was ever there for me. Now we say goodbye. We say you didn’t try.
Sauron assured Galadriel that he would not be dark if she was at his side, but since she refused, he says, “I’ll be what I will be.” She and Adar, Sauron’s supposed “friends,” were never there for him. From the time he sided with Morgoth, he never had a loyal friend. Now, he says goodbye.
“He is gone, and I doubt he will return” (Galadriel, 1×08).
Sure, Galadriel helped him along, but then she abandoned him when he needed her most. Now he says she didn’t try.
These tears you cry have come too late. Take back the lies, the hurt, the blame, And you will weep when you face the end alone.
“A sea that you were on because the Elves cast you out! They cast you out for deigning to beg them for a few petty soldiers. What will they do when you tell them that you were my ally?” (Sauron, 1×08).
This is the torment, where Sauron suggests that the Elves and her closest friends will abandon her when they find out he lives because of her. And even on the off chance that she returned to him—even if she “takes back the lies, the hurt, the blame”—he will do what she did to him; he will still leave her destitute of friendship. “And you will weep when you face the end alone.”
You are lost. You can never go home.
Galadriel herself said:
“And until we are certain every trace of our enemy is vanquished, I can never return [home]” (1×01).
Sauron knows that Galadriel believes this, but he does not believe that he can be defeated (especially after he forges the One Ring). As far as he is concerned, Galadriel is lost and can never go home. To add agony to agony, when she wears Nenya, the pain of her desire to return home will increase.
“…its power upon her was great also and unforeseen, for it increased her latent desire for the Sea and for return into the West, so that her joy in Middle-earth was diminished.”
Unfinished Tales: The History of Galadriel and Celeborn
Sauron sings the last verse to make her feel trapped and hopeless.
So in the end, I’ll be what I will be. No loyal friend was ever there for me. Now we say goodbye. We say you didn’t try.
These tears you cry have come too late. Take back the lies, the hurt, the blame, And you will weep when you face the end alone. You are lost. You can never go home.
Side-by-Side
Finally, if but one key line (“We are lost. We can never go home.”) is shifted to the end of the poem, we see that Gollum’s Song and This Wandering Day perfectly align. Now, you can analyze it for yourself and come to your own conclusions.
THIS WANDERING DAY
The sun is fast falling beneath trees of stone. The light in the tower, no longer my home. Past eyes of pale fire, black sand for my bed, I trade all I've known for the unknown ahead.
Call to me! Call to me, lands far away, For I must now wander this wandering day. Away I must wander this wandering day.
Of drink I have little, and food I have less. My strength tells me, "No," but the path demands, "Yes." My legs are so short and the way is so long. I've no rest nor comfort, no comfort but song.
Sing to me! Sing to me, lands far away! Oh, rise up and guide me this wandering day! Please promise to find me this wandering day!
At last comes their answer through cold and through frost, That not all who wonder or wander are lost, No matter the sorrow, no matter the cost. That not all who wonder or wander are lost.
GOLLUM'S SONG
Where once was light, now darkness falls. Where once was love, love is no more. Don't say goodbye. Don't say I didn't try.
These tears we cry are falling rain For all the lies you told us, the hurt the blame. And we will weep to be so alone.
So in the end, I'll be what I will be. No loyal friend was ever there for me. Now we say goodbye. We say you didn't try.
These tears you cry have come too late. Take back the lies, the hurt, the blame, And you will weep when you face the end alone.
We are lost. We can never go home. You are lost. You can never go home.
Sauron seemed to be rebuilt at the end of the first season.
“Always after a defeat and a respite, the Shadow takes another shape and grows again. […] His plans are far from ripe, I think, but they are ripening. […] The Enemy still lacks one thing to give him strength and knowledge to beat down all resistance, break the last defences, and cover all the lands in a second darkness. He lacks the One Ring.”
Gandalf, The Lord of the Rings: The Shadow of the Past
Gandalf gave a pattern by which we may discover how Sauron rebuilt himself in the Second Age. There was a defeat, there was a respite, he took another shape, and grew again. He had plans that were not yet ripe, but were ripening nonetheless.
“I’ve got my own plans, Elf” (Sauron, 1×02).
According to the pattern, he lacked something that would give him strength and knowledge to beat down all resistance. He made the One Ring with his own power, so what would have given him necessary strength and knowledge before the One Ring?
Someone asked a question in response to Sauron Unchained, which I would like to thoroughly investigate:
The Lúthien incident surely wouldn’t have gone unpunished! But could Morgoth afford to permanently ban him? Physically enslave him and risk turning Sauron against him?
The risk becomes greater when you consider Sauron’s subsequent aversion to Morgoth, implied by the enmity he exhibited each time Morgoth was mentioned in the first season. Of course, we know the end from the beginning, but Morgoth did not. Would he have taken the risk?
Would it have even mattered? Morgoth was defeated, but Sauron, in all his bitterness, did not sever his attachment even in later years. As he sought his own supremacy, he convinced Númenor to worship Morgoth instead of himself.
Let’s examine the nature of Sauron’s attachment to Morgoth.
“While Morgoth still stood, Sauron did not seek his own supremacy, but worked and schemed for another, desiring the triumph of Melkor, whom in the beginning he had adored.”
Morgoth’s Ring: Part Five: Myths Transformed
Sauron adored Morgoth in the beginning. However:
…Evil, defiantly chosen, can no longer imagine anything but itself.
W.H. Auden (the quote that Charlie Vickers has referenced a few times)
His devotion would have lost all good components associated with adoration. He first defiantly chose evil in the beginning of Arda when he allied himself with Morgoth. Some may say he was not entirely evil at the end of the First Age; but it was then that he immediately chose evil in defiance for the second time. “Nothing is evil in the beginning,” but that was not the beginning. How long had it been since the actual beginning, when he was Aulë’s apprentice?
Ages.
It is difficult to determine exactly how much time passed between the two instances of Sauron’s defiance. The first was before Time itself, before the creation of Arda, before the First war, and many ages before the Battle of the Powers.
The Battle of the Powers
Long before the Great War, before the darkening of the Two Trees, before the Elves ever came to Valinor, Morgoth and his servants lost in a war against the Valar. The events of the outcome were almost exactly like the War of Wrath.
“The lands of the far north were all made desolate in those days; for there Utumno was delved exceeding deep, and its pits were filled with fires and with great hosts of the servants of Melkor. But at the last the gates of Utumno were broken and the halls unroofed, and Melkor took refuge in the uttermost pit. Then Tulkas stood forth as champion of the Valar and wrestled with him, and cast him upon his face; and he was bound with the chain Angainor that Aulë had wrought, and led captive; and the world had peace for a long age.”
Of the Coming of the Elves and the Captivity of Melkor
In Sauron Unchained, we established a difference between slaves and servants—the slaves were Elves and Men who emerged from deep prisons after the War of Wrath. But in this war, the Battle of the Powers, notice that the pits were filled with “the servants of Melkor,” instead of slaves. The Elves knew nothing but rumors about the Battle of the Powers. Morgoth had taken many of them captive to be tortured and twisted into Orcs, but we do not read of any emerging; they remained wherever they were.
Sauron would once again be in the deep pits of his master’s stronghold, but not as a prisoner this time. He was working, free to engage in the fight, and free to escape the Valar if necessary.
“Nonetheless the Valar did not discover all the mighty vaults and caverns hidden with deceit far under the fortresses of Angband and Utumno. Many evil things still lingered there, and others were dispersed and fled into the dark and roamed in the waste places of the world, awaiting a more evil hour; and Sauron they did not find.”
Of the Coming of the Elves and the Captivity of Melkor
Morgoth was imprisoned in the Halls of Mandos for three ages before he was permitted to sue for pardon again. Sauron, who had a part “in all the deeds of Melkor the Morgoth upon Arda, in his vast works and in the deceits of his cunning,”* had ample time to reflect on the many evils he committed since the beginning, which were no insignificant acts. After all, it was he who accomplished the worst:
*The Silmarillion: Valaquenta
“This it may be was the vilest deed of Melkor, and the most hateful to Ilúvatar.”
Of the Coming of the Elves and the Captivity of Melkor
“We may assume, then, that the idea of breeding the Orcs came from Melkor […] The details of the accomplishment of this wickedness were, however, left mainly to the subtleties of Sauron. […]
“When Melkor was made captive, Sauron escaped and lay hid in Middle-earth; and it can in this way be understood how the breeding of the Orcs (no doubt already begun) went on with increasing speed during the age when the Noldor dwelt in Aman;”
Morgoth’s Ring: Part Five: Myths Transformed
Sauron hid for three ages after Utumno was overthrown. And instead of suing for pardon, what did he do?
“It was Sauron, also, who secretly repaired Angband for the help of his Master when he returned; and there the dark places underground were already manned with hosts of the Orcs before Melkor came back at last, as Morgoth the Black Enemy, and sent them forth to bring ruin upon all that was fair.”
Morgoth’s Ring: Part Five: Myths Transformed
The War of Wrath
The Battle of the Powers and the War of Wrath are so similar, and Sauron had so much time to think about repentance when Morgoth was chained, why did he continue Morgoth’s work?
In both cases, rather than honestly seeking to turn away from all his dark deeds, per se, perhaps Sauron noticed he would be screwed if the Valar caught him. He fled after the Battle of the Powers, but was unable to do so after the War of Wrath. Here is why:
Sauron was not a prisoner during the first war, so he was free to escape unseen. But if he was a prisoner during the second war, he could not escape. Why?
Because Eönwë was right there.
“…out of the deep prisons a multitude of slaves came forth beyond all hope into the light of day, and they looked upon a world that was changed. For so great was the fury of those adversaries that the northern regions of the western world were rent asunder, and the sea roared in through many chasms, and there was confusion and great noise; and rivers perished or found new paths, and the valleys were upheaved and the hills trod down; and Sirion was no more. Then Eönwë as herald of the Elder King summoned the Elves of Beleriand to depart from Middle-earth.“
Of the Voyage of Eärendil and the War of Wrath
Then…
“…Sauron put on his fair hue again and did obeisance to Eönwë, the herald of Manwë, and abjured all his evil deeds. And some hold that this was not at first falsely done, but that Sauron in truth repented, if only out of fear, being dismayed by the fall of Morgoth and the great wrath of the Lords of the West. But it was not within the power of Eönwë to pardon those of his own order, and he commanded Sauron to return to Aman and there receive the judgement of Manwë.”
Of the Rings of Power and the Third Age
Think of Eönwë’s perspective for a moment. Sauron, being captive among those enslaved Elves as punishment for his crimes, would be in a very pitiful state (one reason to use that tale to garner sympathy from Galadriel; and Eönwë would have witnessed Sauron coming out of those prisons). Unable to retreat, Sauron decided to kneel at the feet of Eönwë and ask for forgiveness.
We can pull direct parallels from Morgoth, such as the below excerpt of his plea before Manwë, after his release from a prison. Additionally, we see an exchange in episode 3 of season 1 that potentially echoes Sauron’s plea to Eönwë, after his release from a prison.
“Before the gates of Valmar Melkor abased himself at the feet of Manwë and sued for pardon, vowing that if he might be made only the least of the free people of Valinor he would aid the Valar in all their works, and most of all in the healing of the many hurts that he had done to the world.“
Of Fëanor and the Unchaining of Melkor
Sauron: “I will shovel coal if needs be. I’ll splinter wood. I will shape a sea anchor for you, free of charge. Sturdier than anything you have ever seen. How’s that? I’m here to start anew. Lend me that chance. Please” (1×03).
Sauron: “And I knew, if ever I was to be forgiven, that I had to heal everything that I had helped ruin” (1×08).
Perhaps Eönwë did pity Sauron, but there was nothing he could do.
“But it was not within the power of Eönwë to pardon those of his own order, and he commanded Sauron to return to Aman and there receive the judgement of Manwë.”
“You have a stout heart, lad. But until you’ve earned your guild crest, you can’t forge steel in Númenor” (Smithy, 1×03).
“Then Sauron was ashamed, and he was unwilling to return in humiliation and to receive from the Valar a sentence, it might be, of long servitude in proof of his good faith; for under Morgoth his power had been great.”
As previously stated in Sauron Unchained, Sauron had just escaped prison, and Manwë would be able to perceive what was in his heart. He knew he would not be pardoned, and he did not want to return to another (possibly more severe) form of captivity, for an even longer sentence.
“Therefore when Eönwë departed he hid himself in Middle-earth; and he fell back into evil, for the bonds that Morgoth had laid upon him were very strong.“
Of the Rings of Power and the Third Age
Circle back to our original point.
Sauron’s Attachment to Morgoth
An effective inverse comparison for Sauron and Morgoth is the relationship between Elrond and Galadriel. Sauron adored Morgoth on account of his ability to accomplish things quickly.
“Though of immensely smaller native power than his Master, [Sauron] remained less corrupt, cooler and more capable of calculation. […] He thus was often able to achieve things, first conceived by Melkor, which his master did not or could not complete in the furious haste of his malice.”
Morgoth’s Ring: Part Five: Myths Transformed
He said this about the same trait in Galadriel (Morgoth’s mirror image, in this comparison):
“As much as I admire your habit of charging at every obstacle in your path like a colt in full gallop…” (1×04).
The direction of his admiration is consistent. But like Morgoth, Galadriel’s haste was chaotic, rendering her unable to accomplish certain things, and she found herself in compromising situations. Sauron was a much more calculated being. He wanted Galadriel at his side because:
I can use you to get what I want and effect my designs faster.
Now that he would be in charge, he would more easily quell Galadriel’s storm, as he did with Morgoth, and demand patience. He did this a few times in the first season when she charged forward.
Elrond (Sauron’s mirror image) adored Galadriel, but his admiration was fueled by love and friendship. In the afore section, we saw that “evil, defiantly chosen, can no longer imagine anything but itself,” and the gap spanning several millennia would not have changed the fact that Sauron’s admiration for and attachment to Morgoth lost any wholesome element (if it ever existed).
It appears from The Silmarillion* that the attachment was a very strong bond that Morgoth (more or less) afflicted upon Sauron.
“Only blood can bind” (Adar, 1×05).
Sauron’s adoration led him to irreversibly bind himself.* Thus, he was the most loyal and devoted servant, and even after the relief of Morgoth’s defeat, he fell back into evil, “into the folly of imitating [Morgoth], endeavoring to become himself supreme Lord of Middle-earth.”*
“Be careful, Elf. The heir to this mark is heir to more than just nobility. For it was his ancestor who swore a blood oath to Morgoth” (Sauron, 1×03).
* “…[Sauron] fell back into evil, for the bonds that Morgoth laid upon him were very strong.” * Waldreg is similar. In the beginning, he truly adored Sauron and wanted to serve him. But he bound himself to Adar in desperation, believing him to be Sauron. Since his oath was by blood, where will his loyalties lie when he meets Sauron? *Morgoth’s Ring: Part Five: Myths Transformed
QUICK SIDENOTE: I believe that line has more meaning than it first appeared, because Sauron never lied. He has no ancestor. He would be the one to swear the oath.
He spoke of “the heir to this mark” in the third person—an early hint that the heir to whom he referred was not himself (Halbrand). Galadriel said: “The last Man to bear your crest died over a thousand years ago. He had no heir.” But Sauron, whose knowledge of the history of the Southlands would presumably surpass Galadriel’s, mentioned the heir in the present tense. This implies that there was a living heir; but it was not Halbrand. Look at the grammar.
It appeared that Sauron referred to himself as the heir, since we instinctively connect “The heir to this mark” to “I am not the hero you seek.” He is Morgoth’s Successor. However, the subject of the second clause in the first sentence is not “the heir,” but rather “his ancestor.”
“…it was his ancestor who swore a blood oath to Morgoth. I am not the hero you seek.”
Is he the ancestor…?
At length, we can infer that a blood oath was the reason Sauron had no hope of leaving, denouncing, or escaping Morgoth even if he wanted to; even if he was sometimes frustrated by Morgoth’s desire for utter destruction.
Conclusion
Would Morgoth risk imprisoning Sauron?
Thanks to the blood oath, he would not have been concerned. He did not know the end from the beginning, but he would have known that Sauron was ultimately unable to be free of him.
As far as being able to afford Sauron’s absence: imprisoning him would not be without its benefits. As we read in the case of Húrin, Morgoth had no pity towards anyone, but would feign pity to use a person to his advantage.
“When therefore [Morgoth] judged the time to be ripe, he released Húrin from his bondage, bidding him go whither he would; and he feigned that in this he was moved by pity as for an enemy utterly defeated. But he lied, for his purpose was that Húrin should still further his hatred for Elves and Men, ere he died. Then little though he trusted the words of Morgoth, knowing indeed that he was without pity, Húrin took his freedom.”
Of the Ruin of Doriath
Morgoth would not even pity his own Successor. The prisons were in the deep mines. Sauron, a smith, a former apprentice of Aulë, a sorcerer of dreadful power, would be very useful in them. Morgoth could certainly take advantage of Sauron’s abilities while making him suffer for his crimes.
Do you remember the sunrise that Sauron mentioned in his speech about forgiveness? It was not the same one that Galadriel referenced:
“I have pursued this foe since before the first sunrise bloodied the sky” (1×02).
She alluded to the time when the Noldor sailed from Valinor in pursuit of Morgoth, which was towards the beginning of the conflict between Morgoth and the Elves:
“But when at last the Valar learned that the Noldor had indeed passed out of Aman and were come back into Middle-earth, they arose and began to set forth in deeds those counsels which they had taken in thought for the redress of the evils of Melkor. […] Yet even as hope failed and [Yavanna’s] song faltered, Telperion bore at last upon a leafless bough one great flower of silver, and Laurelin a single fruit of gold. […] Isil the Sheen the Vanyar of old named the Moon, flower of Telperion in Valinor; and Anar the Fire-golden, fruit of Laurelin, they named the Sun.”
Of the Sun and Moon and the Hiding of Valinor
Sauron, on the other hand, spoke about the end of the War:
“When Morgoth was defeated, it was as if a great, clenched fist had released its grasp from my neck. And in the stillness of that first sunrise, at last! I felt the light of the One again” (1×08).
There is a crucial difference between the first sunrise and that first sunrise. It so happens that that sunrise (when Morgoth was defeated—the sunrise Sauron fondly remembered) was emphasized in The Silmarillion.
“Before the rising of the sun Eärendil slew Ancalagon the Black, the mightiest of the dragon-host, and cast him from the sky; and he fell upon the towers of Thangorodrim, and they were broken in his ruin. Then the sun rose, and the host of the Valar prevailed, and well-nigh all the dragons were destroyed; and all the pits of Morgoth were broken and unroofed, and the might of the Valar descended into the deeps of the earth.”
Morgoth was bound by the Valar, the two remaining Silmarils were taken from his crown, and Eönwë guarded them.
“Thus an end was made of the power of Angband in the North, and the evil realm was brought to naught; and out of the deep prisons a multitude of slaves came forth beyond all hope into the light of day, and they looked upon a world that was changed.”
Of the Voyage of Eärendil and the War of Wrath
Of course, those slaves were not Orcs, Balrogs, or any servant of Morgoth. They were those (Elves and Men) who were captured and imprisoned, and sent deep into the mines to dig. But Sauron described his experience of the end of the War from their perspective.
Why?
Sauron| “When Morgoth was defeated, it was as if a great, clenched fist had released its grasp from my neck. And in the stillness of that first sunrise, at last! I felt the light of the One again. And I knew, if ever I was to be forgiven, that I had to heal everything that I had helped ruin” (1×08).
The Silmarillion | “Before the rising of the sun Eärendil slew Ancalagon the Black […] Then the sun rose, and the host of the Valar prevailed […]. Thus an end was made of the power of Angband in the North, and the evil realm was brought to naught; and out of the deep prisons a multitude of slaves came forth beyond all hope into the light of day, and they looked upon a world that was changed.“
First, remember who Sauron was talking to, and that the whole scene was filled with manipulation. Second, nothing had to be changed from the text, nor was there any need to add anything for the sake of a TV show.
Sauron adored Morgoth in the beginning; he was not forced to his allegiance; he was not turned evil against his will. So, what exactly was this trauma he experienced? Sure, he was aware of the dire consequences of crossing Morgoth, but he was still Morgoth’s most powerful and trusted servant. He would not achieve such a status by disobedience, rebellion, or any hint of sedition. The implication of his story was not that the “great, clenched fist” was just a general fear that lifted when Morgoth fell. Something happened.
Sauron made one mistake.
In the first season, he always told Galadriel the truth, for it would be easier to manipulate her with the truth than a pure fabrication. In speaking of the implications of the “great, clenched fist,” Charlie Vickers referenced the fight between Sauron, Lúthien and Huan.
“You can go whimpering back to your master and tell him that you’ve let me in. You’ve failed. You haven’t defended your kingdom.”
I read from that this thing that Morgoth is so powerful and so scary, that it would’ve meant consequences for Sauron.
Patrick McKay said that they (the showrunners) are not in the business of pure Easter eggs. So, I am going to assume that they shows Lúthien and Huan for a reason.
Before the encounter with Lúthien and Huan, Sauron was in an extremely fortunate position.
“At length Morgoth set a price upon [Beren’s] head […]; but the Orcs fled rather at the rumour of his approach than sought him out. Therefore an army was sent against him under the command of Sauron;”
A while after Morgoth set this price upon Beren’s head, Beren set out with Finrod and a company of ten Elves to retrieve a Silmaril from Morgoth’s crown. They disguised themselves, but were captured and brought to Sauron—the same Sauron who was commanded to retrieve Beren’s head. It was here that Sauron defeated Finrod in their contest of songs of power.
“Then Sauron stripped from them their disguise […] But though their kinds were revealed, Sauron could not discover their names or their purposes.”
Sauron possessed great power. But more importantly, he inadvertently imprisoned the Man upon whose head Morgoth put a price. Sauron did not know it, but everything was within his grasp.
Until he lost everything. Pride, greed, and ambition spelled his doom. In the hour that Finrod died, Sauron heard Lúthien sing songs of power to Beren.
“The wolves howled, and the isle trembled. Sauron stood in the high tower, wrapped in his black thought; but he smiled hearing [Lúthien’s] voice, for he knew that it was the daughter of Melian. […] and he thought to make her captive and hand her over to the power of Morgoth, for his reward would be great.”
One by one, Sauron sent servants to capture Lúthien, but Huan killed them all. Finally, the last servant died at Sauron’s feet, and said:
“‘Huan is there!’ Now Sauron knew well, as did all in that land, the fate that was decreed for the hound of Valinor, and it came into his thought that he himself would accomplish it.”
This decision resulted in what is widely considered Sauron’s most humiliating moment, in the jaws of Huan. This is the passage Charlie Vickers paraphrased:
“Ere his foul spirit left its dark house, Lúthien came to him, and said that he should be stripped of his raiment of flesh, and his ghost be sent quaking back to Morgoth; and she said: ‘There everlastingly thy naked self shall endure the torment of his scorn, pierced by his eyes, unless thou yield to me the mastery of thy tower.’”
Of Beren and Lúthien
Sauron had no choice but to yield to Huan and Lúthien, or else he would face Morgoth’s wrath; so he let them go. Beren and Lúthien entered Angband, cut a Silmaril from Morgoth’s crown, and escaped. Eärendil was able to 1) sail to Valinor unscathed, and 2) convince the Valar to aid the Elves, all thanks to that particular Silmaril.
Sauron’s actions directly led to Morgoth’s demise.
After he fled into Taur-nu-Fuin, he was never mentioned again in The Silmarillion between the time of his failure and the end of the War. Where did he go? Would Morgoth’s greatest and most powerful servant not be actively involved in the fight against the host of the Valar? He fled and dwelt in Taur-nu-Fuin for an undetermined period, but a lot of time passed between then and the end of the War. How long would it have taken Morgoth to discover that Sauron was the one who let Lúthien go? How long would it have taken armies to hunt Sauron as he fled?
Not long.
And there must have been an element to their relationship where Morgoth was someone [Sauron] feared at times, or someone that would punish him when he failed. […] there must have been some truth in [the clenched fist] line.
Sauron did not just flee from Lúthien and Huan. He fled from Morgoth. This is the last we read of Sauron in the book.
“And immediately he took the form of a vampire, great as a dark cloud across the moon, and he fled, dripping blood from his throat upon the trees, and came to Taur-nu-Fuin, and dwelt there, filling it with horror.”
Of Beren and Lúthien
Then, the War ended, and we see what Eönwë did as the multitude of enslaved Elves and Men came forth.
“…out of the deep prisons a multitude of slaves came forth beyond all hope into the light of day, and they looked upon a world that was changed. […] Then Eönwë as herald of the Elder King summoned the Elves of Beleriand to depart from Middle-earth.”
Of the Voyage of Eärendil and the War of Wrath
Sauron would have approached Eönwë in the same scene, where he was also commanded to depart from Middle-earth.
“When Thangorodrim was broken and Morgoth overthrown, Sauron put on his fair hue again and did obeisance to Eönwë, the herald of Manwë, and abjured all his evil deeds. […] But it was not within the power of Eönwë to pardon those of his own order, and he commanded Sauron to return to Aman and there receive the judgement of Manwë.”
Of the Rings of Power and the Third Age
But Sauron knew that Manwë could perceive what was in his heart, and he was not about to go from one prison to another. So, he fled from yet another judgment, and fell back into evil.
It is no wonder Sauron described his experience from the perspective of those slaves who emerged “beyond all hope into the light of day;” reminiscing the stillness of the first sunrise after the overthrow of Thangorodrim, and the great, clenched fist that released its grasp from his neck as a result. In the Great War, Sauron did not sit in a tree or even a back-up tower to watch the literal world-changing battle of the gods, from the sidelines.
He failed Morgoth, miserably, and was punished for it.
“What do you know of darkness?” (Sauron, 1×05).
When Thangorodrim was broken and Morgoth overthrown—(When Morgoth was defeated)—Sauron emerged out of the deep prisons—(it was as if a great, clenched fist had released its grasp from my neck)—beyond all hope into the light of day—(And in the stillness of that first sunrise, at last! I felt the light of the One again). He looked upon a world that was changed, and everything that he had helped ruin.
“For so great was the fury of those adversaries that the northern regions of the western world were rent asunder, and the sea roared in through many chasms, and there was confusion and great noise; and rivers perished or found new paths, and the valleys were upheaved and the hills trod down; and Sirion was no more.”
Of the Voyage of Eärendil and the War of Wrath
He put on his fair hue again and did obeisance to Eönwë. And some hold that this was not at first falsely done, but that Sauron in truth repented, if only out of fear, being dismayed by the fall of Morgoth and the great wrath of the Lords of the West.
Then Sauron was ashamed, and he was unwilling to return in humiliation and to receive from the Valar a sentence.—(And I knew, if ever I was to be forgiven, that I had to heal everything that I had helped ruin.)—Therefore when Eönwë departed he hid himself in Middle-earth; and he fell back into evil, for the bonds that Morgoth had laid upon him were very strong.
Sauron is remarkably intelligent. The complexity of his plans match that of his character, so my effort to uncover the details of his designs required upwards of 30,000 words. Nevertheless, the very existence of this post proves that it was not in vain.
The following is an attempt to unravel the mysteries of Sauron’s past. His designs begin to branch in two paths around the time of Finrod’s death, so I have created two parts: Part 1 broadly covers his intentions regarding mithril and all peoples, while Part 2 specifically relates to the dagger and Galadriel. The clearest lens through which to study Sauron’s character is, unequivocally, the tale of Beren and Lúthien.
Table of Contents
Introduction
2
Part 1: The Dam
¶ 1: A Wandering, Solitary Outlaw
3
¶ 2: Chased from His Homeland
4
¶ 3: His Southward Journey Long Was He At Work The Burden of Those Who Lead Give Them a Means of Mastering It Regroup
We ended Part 2with the answer to Sauron’s question about Finrod: “What happened to him?” Galadriel gave a perfect summary.
“He was killed in a place of darkness and despair, by servants of Sauron” (1×05).
But there was missing information. Remember, Finrod told Beren:
“I fear that [the sons of Fëanor] will show neither love nor mercy to you, if your quest be told. Yet my own oath holds; and thus we are all ensnared.”
Of Beren and Lúthien
Galadriel may not have even been aware that Finrod set out to help Beren retrieve a Silmaril. It seems their quest was told to no one as Finrod spoke before his people. However, after songs were sung in Beleriand of Beren and Lúthien, Fëanor’s son, Maedhros, knew of their deeds.
“For Maedhros and his brothers, being constrained by their oath, had before sent to Thingol and reminded him with haughty words of their claim, summoning him to yield the Silmaril, or become their enemy. […] [Thingol] sent back the messengers with scornful words. Maedhros made no answer, for he had now begun to devise the league and union of the Elves; but Celegorm and Curufin vowed openly to slay Thingol and destroy his people, if they came victorious from war, and the jewel were not surrendered of free will.
Of the Fifth Battle: Nirnaeth Arnoediad
Even so, how much would Galadriel have known of Finrod’s part in all of this? His oath was not to seek Sauron out and destroy him, but rather to aid Barahir and his kin in every need. His specific task was to help Beren, but Galadriel viewed everything inside-out. Finrod’s oath was selfless, based in friendship, not vengeance, and was fulfilled when he gave his life for Beren.
“Galadriel was sister of Finrod Felagund, Friend-of-Men, once king of Nargothrond, who gave his life to save Beren son of Barahir.“
The Lord of the Rings: Appendix B (The Second Age)
Galadriel said:
“My brother gave his life hunting Sauron. His task is now mine” (1×01).
There must be a reason Galadriel viewed things so incredibly backwards. The answer is a long one, but it changes everything.
When Sauron saw a suspicious company of twelve in his dominion, what would be his natural assumption? Upon discovering the company to consist of one Man and eleven Elves—all unidentifiable enemies—and perceiving one to be a “Noldo of great might and wisdom,” what would he automatically conclude?
One of his hypotheses would be that they sought to destroy him.
Let us briefly cover more things in the first few pages of Of Beren and Lúthien, for background.
Barahir would not leave his homeland, Dorthonion. Morgoth pursued him there, until only Barahir and twelve companions remained. They withdrew to the waters of Tarn Aeluin, and made a lair which Morgoth could not discover. Note the interesting choice of words.
“But the rumour of the deeds of Barahir and his companions went far and wide; and Morgoth commanded Sauron to find them and destroy them.“
One might say Sauron was particularly familiar with the phraseology. According to Galadriel in the prologue, Finrod vowed to do the same thing Morgoth commanded Sauron: find and destroy.
“My brother vowed to seek him out and destroy him. But Sauron found him first” (Galadriel, 1×01).
(Considering how careful the showrunners have been with word usage, I suspect this was purposeful.)
One of the companions of Barahir was Gorlim, whose wife was Eilinel. Gorlim returned from war and found that his house had been plundered, “his wife gone; whether slain or taken he knew not.” He fled to Barahir, but held onto the hope that Eilinel was still alive, for he loved her dearly. Occasionally, he would visit his house in secret, which became known to Morgoth’s servants. One day, he thought he saw a light in the window of his house.
“…coming warily he looked within. There he saw Eilinel, and her face was worn with grief and hunger, and it seemed to him that he heard her voice lamenting that he had forsaken her. But even as he cried aloud the light was blown out in the wind; wolves howled, and on his shoulders he felt suddenly the heavy hands of Sauron’s hunters.”*
*Hunt is another word used by Galadriel in reference to her pursuit of Sauron.
Gorlim was taken captive and Sauron’s servants tortured him “to learn the hidings of Barahir and all his ways.” Gorlim remained silent, but they promised to released him and restore him to Eilinel if he would yield.
“…and being at last worn with pain, and yearning for his wife, he faltered. Then straightway they brought him into the dreadful presence of Sauron; and Sauron said: ‘I hear now that thou wouldst barter with me. What is thy price?’
“And Gorlim answered that he should find Eilinel again, and with her be set free; for he thought that Eilinel also had been made captive. Then Sauron smiled, saying: ‘That is a small price for so great a treachery. So shall it surely be. Say on!’
“Now Gorlim would have drawn back, but daunted by the eyes of Sauron he told at last all that he would know. Then Sauron laughed; and he mocked Gorlim, and revealed to him that he had seen only a phantom devised by wizardry to entrap him; for Eilinel was dead. ‘Nonetheless I will grant thy prayer,’ said Sauron; ‘and thou shalt go to Eilinel, and be set free of my service.’ Then he put him cruelly to death.*
* “I think he sends her into the water to drown her. I’m not necessarily thinking that he thinks she’s going to live, although he probably has a strong idea” (Charlie Vickers).
“In this way the hiding of Barahir was revealed, and Morgoth drew his net about it; and the Orcs coming in the still hours before dawn surprised the Men of Dorthonion and slew them all, save one.”
Barahir had sent his son, Beren, on a “perilous errand to spy upon the ways of the Enemy, and he was far afield when the lair was taken.” Gorlim’s ghost appeared to Beren in a dream to tell him all that he had done, urging him to warn his father. But Beren returned too late. Barahir and his company were slaughtered, and Beren was the sole survivor.
Finrod never swore an oath of vengeance, but guess who did.
“…Beren buried his father’s bones, and raised a cairn of boulders above him, and swore upon it an oath of vengeance. First therefore he pursued the Orcs that had slain his father and his kinsmen […] and because of his woodcraft he came near to their fire unseen. There their captain made boast of his deeds, and he held up the hand of Barahir that he had cut off as a token for Sauron that their mission was fulfilled; and the ring of Felagund was on that hand.”
Beren slew their captain, took the ring, and escaped.
Think about everything from Sauron’s perspective. When he had Finrod, Beren, and their company captive, would he have expected them to tell him everything, or would he have actively tried to uncover every detail himself by doing what he is famous for: seeing?
He could not discover their names or purposes, but he did perceive some things about Finrod, and “deemed that in him lay the secret of their errand.” Could he also have perceived that one of the company (Beren) had once been sent to spy on him and his ways?
What if he also perceived a vow of some sort? There were a few oaths at work, rumbling under the surface, which Sauron might have considered.
Finrod’s Oath of Friendship and Aid.
Beren’s Oath of Vengeance—made because of the death of his father. This was not the reason anyone was there, unbeknownst to Sauron.
Fëanor’s Oath of Hatred—repeated by his son Celegorm, after Finrod spoke before his people. Because of Thingol’s requirement, Finrod said to Beren: “…it seems that this doom goes beyond [Thingol’s] purpose, and that the Oath of Fëanor is again at work. For the Silmarils are cursed with an oath of hatred, and he that even names them in desire moves a great power from slumber.“
Sauron may have known the nature of each, instead of the details. So, putting some pieces together, he would think: There are oaths at work. One of friendship, one of vengeance, and one of hatred. Which one brought them here? It would mimic Galadriel’s pondering in episode 1:
“These Orcs were meddling with the powers of the unseen world. Some dark sorcery of old. But what was their purpose?” (1×01).
Thanks to Thingol naming the Silmarils in desire, there is a chance that Sauron noticed a great power being moved from slumber, yet he could not discover their secret “no matter how much blood he spilt in its pursuit.” Fëanor’s vow loomed over everything, and Beren’s oath was underneath; but Finrod’s was the reason they were there.
There was enough information and evidence for Sauron to pass on a story to someone who did not know the truth, even if he did not truly believe it himself: “The head of this company vowed to seek me out and destroy me. But I found him first.”
In Middle-earth, there is always someone watching. And the gods are watching, and [Sauron] fears the gods. […] He doesn’t know that they’re not going to send something to hurt him or defeat him.
I do not believe that in the end, Sauron thought the driving motive of that company was vengeance, but everything above certainly gave him room to corrupt the story. But why, and what for?
Again, what or who convinced Galadriel of such a twisted account? Why was it a major reason she became obsessed with finding Sauron? We saw who was able to plant certain ideas in her mind.
Galadriel: “Your task was hunting Sauron.”
Sauron as Finrod: “My task was to ensure peace. But I learned that was Sauron’s task, as well” (1×08).
The two things that fueled her obsession with finding Sauron were the mark and the vow (or its token: the dagger).
“My brother vowed to seek him out and destroy him. But Sauron found him first, and marked his flesh with a symbol. One whose meaning even our wisest could not discern. And there, in the darkness, his vow became mine” (Galadriel, 1×01).
We will expound on all of these things in due time (much is on page 12 in Sauron: The Perfect Inverse of Beren). We have more rhetorical questions to answer.
As we have said before, it seemed Sauron wanted Galadriel to figure something out in episode 5, so he tried to make her stop and think, as he did in prison. Charlie said Sauron wanted her to figure out who he was, at least in episode 8:
Do you think he wanted Galadriel to figure it out?
Yes. He’s ready for her to see him for who he is, and he thinks she’s ready to know it.
Someone might ask, “If he asked those questions in the forge to make Galadriel realize who he was, why would he express concern with that very thing, right before the interrogation?”
“You don’t know what I did before I ended up on that raft. You don’t know how I survived; how we all survived. And when these people discover it, they will cast me out. So will you” (Sauron, 1×05).
That was a warning; but Galadriel did not care. Sometimes to find the light, we must first touch the darkness. Sauron turned around, eyebrow raised, as if to say, “Interesting. Are you ready to know the truth? Let me test the waters.”
“What do you know of darkness?” Each subsequent question was an extension and answer to the first. “Whose dagger was it, Galadriel? Who is it you lost? What happened to him?”
“Oh, so this is about vengeance?”
“One cannot satisfy thirst by drinking seawater” (Galadriel, 1×05).
In other words: no. It was not about vengeance. Sauron, knowing as much, essentially asked: “Do you truly believe this obsession is because of vengeance?” He managed to make her verbalize that she was neither bound by a vow nor a task to avenge her brother, then he pushed her even more, as if to say: “Great! Now, think harder. What is it?” He even gave a hint.
Galadriel: “He was killed in a place of darkness and despair, by servants of Sauron. Is that enough for you?”
Sauron: “Oh, so this is about vengeance?”
Galadriel: “One cannot satisfy thirst by drinking seawater.”
Sauron: “Then, what is it? Why do you keep fighting?“
What is it?
“You told me once that we were brought together for a purpose. This is it” (Sauron, 1×08).
Galadriel’s arc in first season revolved around her task.
[Sauron] sees Galadriel, and knows that what she needs more than anything else is to find the evil that has plagued her for so long, and save Middle-earth.
According to Patrick McKay, “character after character in the show” told Galadriel that her obsession was not a good thing, and we know that vengeance could not satisfy it.
“One cannot satisfy thirst by drinking seawater” (Galadriel, 1×05).
Her task was directly associated with two things: the dagger and the mark that Sauron carved into Finrod’s flesh.
Everything already made sense on the surface, but when I looked deeper into the reason for Finrod’s death, I found there was much more than met the eye. From Galadriel’s perspective, the dagger was special because it was Finrod’s, and she viewed it as a symbol of his task—now hers. However, on the boat, we saw a peculiar attachment as she struggled to let it go.
The reason behind this is simple. “The most important truths often are,” said Finrod, but we must learn to discern them for ourselves; J.D. and Patrick will not always be there to speak them to us.
First, we must trace this back to the source.
“Sometimes to find the light, we must first touch the darkness” (Galadriel, 1×05).
Sauron responded to Galadriel here by posing excellent questions, with which we may begin our examination. He knew the answers to each one by this point, which means they were all rhetorical. It would not be the first time he interrogated in this manner.
What did he try to accomplish in the forge, specifically? —He tried to make Galadriel think, which is also what he did in prison.
Referring to the season finale, Charlie Vickers revealed that Sauron wanted Galadriel to discover who he was.
Do you think he wanted Galadriel to figure it out?
Yes. He’s ready for her to see him for who he is, and he thinks she’s ready to know it.
We will return to this idea later. Now that we have established all of Sauron’s questions as rhetorical, let us thoroughly answer each one:
“What do you know of darkness?”
Galadriel first touched the darkness as she mourned over her dead brother, but for her, “touching the darkness” was more than figurative.
“And there, in the darkness, his vow became mine” (Galadriel, 1×01).
Somehow, Sauron already knew about this moment. He prompted the memory for a purpose: to make her stop galloping, and give herself a moment to think. He tried to tell her something in a way that would allow her to discover it for herself.
“Whose dagger was it, Galadriel?”
Sauron knew who first possessed the dagger, but to mention it as a follow-up to, “What do you know of darkness?” is as if to say, “This is what you know of darkness.”
“Who is it you lost?”
Her brother, Finrod Felagund, who was the King of Nargothrond at the time of his death.
“What happened to him?”
“He was killed in a place of darkness and despair, by servants of Sauron. Is that enough for you?” (1×05).
What a wonderful summary, but even Galadriel asked if it was enough. She knew (as well as we), how long it would take to explain. But Sauron requested an explanation, so let us make an attempt.
This is one of the most crucial pieces of information. A gander in The Silmarillion answers Sauron’s question more fully (and oh boy, is it a long one). Let us begin a bit before Beren’s arrival in Nargothrond, for a little background, from Of Beren and Lúthien.
King Thingol loved and cherished his daughter, Lúthien, above all things. When she brought Beren before him, he said in scorn and anger:
“Who are you, that come hither as a thief, and unbidden dare to approach my throne?”
Insults were exchanged, lives were threatened, and at length, Thingol said to Beren:
“Bring to me in your hand a Silmaril from Morgoth’s crown; and then, if she will, Lúthien may set her hand in yours. Then you shall have my jewel; and though the fate of Arda lie within the Silmarils, yet you shall hold me generous.”
Beren laughed and responded:
“For little price do Elven-kings sell their daughters: for gems, and things made by craft. But if this be your will, Thingol, I will perform it. And when we meet again my hand shall hold a Silmaril from the Iron Crown; for you have not looked the last upon Beren son of Barahir.”
Thus, Beren undertook a daunting task, indeed. A while after his departure, he saw Nargothrond afar off, and “being destitute, without hope or counsel, he turned his feet thither.” The Elves of Nargothrond were aware of Beren as he traveled through.
“But knowing his danger he held ever aloft the ring of Felagund; and though he saw no living thing, because of the stealth of the hunters, he felt that he was watched, and cried often aloud: ‘I am Beren son of Barahir, friend of Felagund. Take me to the King!’”
The Elves surrounded him, but spared his life, and bowed to him upon seeing this ring. They led him by night “lest their paths should be revealed […] to the dark gates of their hidden halls.”
Now that the stage has been set, we will momentarily switch gears. In the prologue, Galadriel explained what she thought was Finrod’s vow.
“My brother vowed to seek [Sauron] out and destroy him” (1×01).
This was not Finrod’s true vow, but considering that Galadriel had a habit of assuming things and jumping to conclusions in the first half of season 1, and that she was stricken with intense grief,* it is understandable that her judgment was somewhat clouded at the time of the prologue.
* Sauron had a habit of using these things to his advantage, but we will discuss that later.
Finrod did make a vow, though, which came upon him for his death… just not for the reason that Galadriel thought. But her belief had to come from somewhere.
This part of the story was not changed for the show. It had a purpose. (I do not believe the Tolkien Estate would have allowed something like this for no reason.)
We must rewind to the events of Dagor Bragollach: The Battle of Sudden Flame.
“…King Finrod Felagund, hastening from the south, was cut off from his people and surrounded with small company in the Fen of Serech; and he would have been slain or taken […] but Barahir came up with the bravest of his men and rescued him, and made a wall of spears about him; and they cut their way out of the battle with great loss.
“Thus Felagund escaped, and returned to his deep fortress of Nargothrond; but he swore an oath of abiding friendship and aid in every need to Barahir and all his kin, and in token of his vow he gave to Barahir his ring.”
Of the Ruin of Beleriand and the Fall of Fingolfin
Finrod’s true oath was one of abiding friendship and aid in every need to Barahir and all his kin. The token of his oath was not the dagger, but the ring he gave to Barahir, which was eventually passed down to Aragorn.
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the RingThe Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers
Knowing Finrod’s true vow, let us return to Beren’s arrival in Nargothrond (again, taken from Of Beren and Lúthien).
“Thus Beren came before King Finrod Felagund; and Felagund knew him, needing no ring to remind him of the kin of Bëor and of Barahir. Behind closed doors they sat, and Beren told of the death of Barahir, and of all that had befallen him in Doriath; and he wept, recalling Lúthien and their joy together. But Felagund heard his tale in wonder and disquiet; and he knew that the oath he had sworn was come upon him for his death, as long before he had foretold to Galadriel.”
Finrod: “I won’t always be here to speak them to you.”
Galadriel: “You won’t?” (1×01).
“Behind closed doors they sat.” Finrod’s conversation with Beren was in secret.
Beren, being the son of Barahir, fell under the “kin” category of Finrod’s oath to provide aid in every time of need. Beren’s task was to retrieve a Silmaril from the Iron Crown of Morgoth, and bring it to Thingol, which Finrod knew would spell his (Finrod’s) own death.
“He spoke then to Beren in heaviness of heart. ‘It is plain that Thingol desires your death; but it seems that this doom goes beyond his purpose, and that the Oath of Fëanor is again at work. For the Silmarils are cursed with an oath of hatred, and he that even names them in desire moves a great power from slumber; and the sons of Fëanor would lay all the Elf-kingdoms in ruin rather than suffer any other than themselves to win or possess a Silmaril, for the Oath drives them. And now Celegorm and Curufin are dwelling in my halls; and though I, Finarfin’s son, am King, they have won a strong power in the realm, and lead many of their own people.’”
This next statement is the key.
“‘They have shown friendship to me in every need, but I fear that they will show neither love nor mercy to you, if your quest be told. Yet my own oath holds; and thus we are all ensnared.’”
Finrod essentially said, “If we tell anyone about your task, your life is in jeopardy. If your life is in jeopardy, I must protect you. Revealing the details of your quest would start a war.”
It is interesting that the scene cuts from Finrod’s statement straight to this:
“Then King Felagund spoke before his people, recalling the deeds of Barahir, and his vow; and he declared that it was laid upon him to aid the son of Barahir in his need, and he sought the help of his chieftains.”
Finrod did not say what Beren’s specific need was. Celegorm still repeated the oath of his father (perhaps because a great power was moved from slumber by Thingol mentioning the Silmarils in desire). The following statement shows that if the details of their mission were revealed, the outcome of Finrod’s announcement may have been far worse.
“Then Celegorm arose amid the throng, and drawing his sword he cried: ‘Be he friend or foe, whether demon of Morgoth, or Elf, or child of Men, or any other living thing in Arda, neither law, nor love, nor league of hell, nor might of the Valar, nor any power of wizardry, shall defend him from the pursuing hate of Fëanor’s sons, if he take or find a Silmaril and keep it. For the Silmarils we alone claim, until the world ends.’ And after Celegorm Curufin spoke, more softly but with no less power, conjuring in the minds of the Elves a vision of war and the ruin of Nargothrond.”
Their land was darkened, and the sons of Fëanor (having their hearts darkened) wanted to usurp the throne from Finrod. This may connect to the moment Finrod’s task was put into question for the first time, in the show:
Galadriel: “Your task was hunting Sauron.”
Sauron as Finrod: “My task was to ensure peace” (1×08).
All of this may entail that there was room for rumors to be spread and assumptions to be made as to why Finrod helped Beren. The oath was of abiding friendship; but Galadriel believed it was rooted in vengeance; and Sauron suggested it was to ensure peace when it actually had the potential to start a war.
Threat of treason did not sway Finrod from fulfilling his oath. “I must hold my bond,” he said. He and Beren, with ten very loyal companions set out to complete the task. They came upon a company of Orcs, slew them, and by the arts of Finrod, thoroughly disguised themselves as Orcs. They came “far upon their northward road, and ventured into the western pass, between Ered Wethrin and the highlands of Taur-nu-Fuin. But Sauron in his tower was ware of them, and doubt took him; for they went in haste, and stayed not to report their deeds, as was commanded to all the servants of Morgoth that passed that way. Therefore he sent to waylay them, and bring them before him.”
In other words, Sauron noticed some suspicious activity from these twelve supposed Orcs, and had them brought to him. The contest of the songs of power took place between Finrod and Sauron at this time, and “the King was very great; but Sauron had the mastery.” Finrod lost, Sauron stripped them of their disguises, and “they stood before him naked and afraid.”
What happened to Finrod will be revealed in a few moments. As you read the following, consider why he died.
“But though their kinds were revealed, Sauron could not discover their names or their purposes. He cast them therefore into a deep pit, dark and silent, and threatened to slay them cruelly, unless one would betray the truth to him. From time to time they saw two eyes kindled in the dark, and a werewolf devoured one of the companions; but none betrayed their lord.”
Sauron knew of the existence of Finrod, but he did not know that this particular Elf was the Finrod. One might say that Finrod’s task was one of the most important things in the show, considering Sauron tortured and killed to know it, as well as Finrod’s identity. Even though he never discovered those things, he did see/perceive something.
“In the pits of Sauron Beren and Felagund lay, and all their companions were now dead; but Sauron purposed to keep Felagund to the last, for he perceived that he was a Noldo of great might and wisdom, and he deemed that in him lay the secret of their errand.”
Unfortunately for Sauron, saving Finrod for last meant that Beren would have to go first. This brings us to Finrod’s end.
Finrod died because his identity and the secret of his task were concealed from Sauron. Then, he was bound by an oath.
Here is the long answer to Sauron’s question:
“But when the wolf came for Beren, Felagund put forth all his power, and burst his bonds; and he wrestled with the werewolf, and slew it with his hands and teeth; yet he himself was wounded to the death. Then he spoke to Beren, saying: ‘I go now to my long rest in the timeless halls beyond the seas and the Mountains of Aman. It will be long ere I am seen among the Noldor again; and it may be that we shall not meet a second time in death or life, for the fates of our kindreds are apart. Farewell!’ He died then in the dark, in Tol-in-Gaurhoth, whose great tower he himself had built. Thus King Finrod Felagund, fairest and most beloved of the house of Finwë, redeemed his oath; but Beren mourned beside him in despair.”
