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.
First, note that his indirect answers to questions are never arbitrary. They tend to have hidden meanings. For example, his intentions below involved more than allowing Galadriel to understand who he was.
Galadriel: “Tell me your name.”
Sauron: “I’ve been awake since before the breaking of the First Silence. In that time, I have had many names” (1×08).
Charlie Vickers emphasized I in “I’ve been” and that in “in that time,” showing that Sauron intentionally put one of Galadriel’s previous statements to shame—a belated response, as it were.
“I have pursued this foe since before the first sunrise bloodied the sky. It would take longer than your lifetime even to speak the names of those they’ve taken from me” (Galadriel, 1×02).
“I’ve been awake since before the breaking of the first silence. In that time, I have had many names” (Sauron, 1×08).
to hear his emphasis — Galadriel (1×02), Sauron (1×08)
Specifying that he had been awake instead of alive showed he was aware of and confirmed Galadriel’s belief that Evil does not sleep. But most importantly, he established superiority—I was awake eons before the first sunrise. In my lifetime, I’ve probably had more names than the number of people you’ve lost.
Sauron was directly asked for his name only twice: once by Galadriel, seen above, and earlier by Tamar in episode 3. To Tamar, he gave a universal rule:
Tamar: “What are you called, again?”
Sauron: “Depends.”
Tamar: “Depends on what?”
Sauron: “How close we are.”
This rule (that the relationship determines the name) was consistent through the whole first season, and it applied not only to how others referred to himself, but also how he addressed them.
What is He Called?
SAURON
Sauron, coined by the Noldor, means “abhorred,” and although it is his most popular name, he would never name himself “Sauron,” nor would he permit his servants to use it.
“‘Nay!’ said Legolas. ‘Sauron does not use the Elf runes.’ ‘Neither does he use his right name, nor permit it to be spelt or spoken,’ said Aragorn.”
The Lord of the Rings: The Departure of Boromir
Twice, Galadriel referred to him as “Sauron” in his presence: first in the forge, then in the vision. In both instances, Sauron was visibly disgusted and/or angry.
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!” (1×05).
Galadriel: “Your task was hunting Sauron.”
Sauron: “My task… was to ensure peace” (1×08).
He spoke the name twice himself, but the context keeps his character consistent. Immediately after composing himself in the second instance above, he said it because that is what Finrod would call him, and Finrod’s was the form he had taken. At the end of the vision, he spat out the name angrily and in the third person, merely quoting what Galadriel would tell her fellow-Elves.
What of his self-proclaimed servants?
The Mystics and Waldreg called him Sauron, but they had never met or associated with him directly. If Waldreg called the real Sauron by that name to his face, his punishment would be far worse than that which Adar gave him, almost by proxy.
“I pledge my loyalty to Sauron. […] You are Sauron, are you not?” (Waldreg, 1×05).
Imagine if the Mystics had been speaking to Sauron when they essentially said, “You are abhorred.”
“For you are Lord Sauron” (the Mystics, 1×08).
Sauron would never want to be called “Abhorred” by his closest associates, so he would never give the name.
SAURON — USED BY HIS ENEMIES AND THOSE WHO DO NOT KNOW WHAT THEY SAY.
ADAR
It is ironic (and speaks to the veracity of her account in the prologue) that Galadriel said, “They [the Orcs] called him Sauron.” Because it seems that they did not, even according to Adar:
“After Morgoth’s defeat, the one you call ‘Sauron’ devoted himself to healing Middle-earth” (Adar, 1×06).
Adar is a Morion, a Son of the Dark, as Galadriel said in the barn.
“You are one of them, are you not? The Moriondor. The Sons of the Dark. […] Even Moriondor take orders from a master” (Galadriel, 1×06).
According to Charlie Vickers, he was also once one of Sauron’s fiercest lieutenants, so they knew each other well. They once lived in a fortress called Dúrnost (dûr–Nost), which translates to “dark house/family” and could be termed “House of the Dark.” Sauron, as master of the Orcs, was the head or father of the House of the Sons of the Dark.
“I am not the hero you seek, for it was my family who lost the war” (Sauron, 1×03).
Galadriel was a “daughter of the Golden House of Finarfin.” Adar was a “son of the Dark House of Morgoth,” with Sauron as the successor. What would a Morion call his “father”?—Adar.
“Sauron was said to have many names in days of old. Perhaps [Adar] is one of them” (Revion, 1×03).
ADAR — USED BY HIS “SONS.”
HALBRAND
Despite appearances, the name “Halbrand” does not denote a humble man. It falls comfortably within the category of “names Sauron would give himself” for good reason.
After he gave Tamar the rule that his name depended on how close they were, he violently subdued the four Númenóreans, then said: “Call me Halbrand.” And yet, he readily introduced himself by the same name to Galadriel, with no need for a fight. He named himself in Míriel’s Court, “Halbrand of the Southlands,” without demonstrating his physical prowess. What made his confrontation with Tamar similar to those introductions?
Sauron hates the Elves and Númenóreans above all. “Call me Halbrand” was no formality or request, but a command; an assertion of dominance. It was a name he took for those whom he despised and considered beneath him (which can include everyone).
“Halbrand” essentially means “one who is superior.”
hall = exalted, high brand = towering; tall and massive
He fared better on the sea than one of the Noldor. To her, he was Halbrand.
Sauron: “What are you called?”
Galadriel: “Galadriel.”
Sauron: “I’m Halbrand” (1×02).
Translation: “I’m superior.”
In the Court, Míriel did not ask, “What is your name?” She ordered, “Name thyself.” Galadriel listed her titles, but Sauron, a Maia of few words, simply named himself “Halbrand” to establish the Númenóreans’ inferiority.
Míriel: “Speak, Elf. Name thyself.”
Galadriel: “Galadriel of the Noldor. Daughter of the Golden House of Finarfin. Commander of the Northern Armies of High King Gil-galad.”
Sauron: “Halbrand… of the Southlands” (1×03).
Translation: “Exalted One.”
Finally, he single-handedly defeated four Númenórean guildsmen in his near-lowest state. To them, he was Halbrand.
Sauron: “Please. Don’t do this.”
Tamar: “Why not, LOWMAN?”
[fight]
Sauron: “Call me Halbrand” (1×03).
Translation: “Because I, the opposite of a lowman, will always conquer.”
Sauron is also a narcissist, so to everyone, he is Halbrand.
HALBRAND — TAKEN WHEN ASSOCIATING WITH INFERIOR BEINGS, A.K.A. EVERYONE.
ANNATAR
“Annatar” (Lord of Gifts) is very similar to the name “Halbrand” (Superior/Exalted One). Though its direct translation differs, Sauron took the name when posing as someone divine or holy—almost the definition of “Halbrand.”
“In Eregion Sauron posed as an emissary of the Valar, sent by them to Middle-earth (‘thus anticipating the Istari’) or ordered by them to remain there to give aid to the Elves.”
Unfinished Tales: The History of Galadriel and Celeborn
He maintained the pattern of dominance. On the surface, “Annatar” is perhaps less subtle than “Halbrand”in establishing superiority, but it is ironically more friendly, whereas “Halbrand” is imposing.
“But elsewhere the Elves received him gladly, and few among them hearkened to the messengers from Lindon bidding them beware; for Sauron took to himself the name of Annatar, the Lord of Gifts, and they had at first much profit from his friendship.”
Of the Rings of Power and the Third Age
Friendship. His friends called him Annatar.
ANNATAR — USED BY FRIENDS IN EREGION.
Each time Sauron gives a name, he places himself above all beings: Father, Superior, Lord. Even when Galadriel demanded a name, a simple “I have had many names” evoked the same effect. Now, things from here become ominous because Sauron’s rule applies vice versa.
What Are They Called?
The names Sauron calls his associates depend on how close they are, were, or how close he wants to be with them. In fact, he hardly referred to anyone at all in the first season, let alone by their name.
The people in Míriel’s Court, he placated.
“My friends! It seems to me that our leaving presents… some complications” (1×03).
Míriel he hardly knew, so he only used her titles as a formality.
“Perhaps it’d be better if we stayed […] long enough… good queen… to give you and your advisors adequate time to weigh our request” (1×03).
“You called for me, your majesty” (1×06).
Elendil he addressed only once.
“Captain! My gratitude” (1×03).
Finrod he knew, being responsible for his death, but he had to speak as a Man who should not have known who Finrod was.
“I’m sorry for your brother. For all of it. I’m sorry” (1×05).
Continuing to speak as a Man who should not have apprenticed to Aulë, he concealed the identity of the Vala he betrayed in ages past.
“The master I apprenticed to used to speak of the wonders of your craft” (1×08).
This simple lack of name usage was not insignificant. In all of season 1, Sauron used the names of only four people; and not just any random selection of four people.
GALADRIEL
In response to Sauron giving the rule, Tamar’s question was:
“And how close are you and the she-Elf?” (1×03).
Let’s answer that. The first question Sauron asked Galadriel was, “What are you called?” Yet, he refused to use her name and called her “Elf” derogatorily, until episode 5.
“Look, Elf. You didn’t cause my suffering, and you can’t fix it. […] I’ve got my own plans, Elf” (1×02).
“What the Elf means—” (1×03).
“If there’s one of us that doesn’t belong here, Elf, it’s you. […] Be careful, Elf. […] All I see is an Elf who won’t put down her sword” (1×03).
The first time he said her name, he was just quoting Míriel (above image): “Galadriel informed us.” He did not call her by her name until he cornered and interrogated her in the workshop.
“Whose dagger was it, Galadriel? Who is it you lost?” (1×05).
The two quickly came to an understanding in that conversation. They antagonized each other, then suddenly formed an alliance. Even so, Sauron only used her name one more time in order to prevent her from killing Adar.
“Galadriel!” (1×06).
Although Galadriel had used the name “Halbrand” seven times, Sauron would not use her name again until after she said:
“Well, my friend, it seems fate has in store for us one more raft” (1×07).
Once she vocally deemed Sauron a friend, everything changed. Suddenly, after using her name only twice over the course of a whole season, he dropped it ten times in episode 8 alone.
“Is Galadrielhere?”
“Thank you, Galadriel.“
“Galadriel! We found it. […] Galadriel, I’m afraid I don’t—”
When he took the form of Finrod in the vision, he first called Galadriel “sister.” But he obtained her attention with her name (as he did in episode 6).
Sauron as Finrod: “Lost your footing again, sister? It was just a little tumble, is all. On your feet, now.”
Galadriel: “Get out of my mind.”
Sauron as Finrod: “Please, sister. Look at me. Galadriel” (1×08).
He then tried to maintain her attention with her name.
Galadriel: “No, you died. Along with countless others because of him.”
Sauron: “No, Galadriel. He was seeking a power.” […]
Galadriel: “My brother is dead because of you.”
Sauron: “Galadriel. Why would you say that? Why would you say such a thing? Galadriel, come back to me. Galadriel! LOOK AT ME!”
And the last time he said her name, he reminded her of what she deemed him in episode 7.
“Galadriel, look at me. You know who I am. I am your friend.“
MORGOTH
“You are a friend of Morgoth’s” (Galadriel, 1×08).
No one was closer to Morgoth than his most devoted servant, Sauron.Nevertheless, Sauron might have harbored some hatred, so he spat out the name as distastefully as his own.
“The heir to this mark is heir to more than just nobility. For it was his ancestor who swore a blood oath to Morgoth” (1×03).
“When Morgoth was defeated, it was as if a great, clenched fist had released its grasp from my neck” (1×08).
Halbrand was a Man speaking to an Elf, and no one who was against Morgoth had used the name “Melkor” for millennia; so he had little choice but to use the name “Morgoth,” no matter how he felt. However, while he was in Morgoth’s service, he likely would not have used that name, for it was given and used by the Elves.
“Then Fëanor rose, and lifting up his hand before Manwë he cursed Melkor, naming him Morgoth, the Black Foe of the World; and by that name only was he known to the Eldar ever after.”
Of the Flight of the Noldor
Sauron would have continued to call him “Melkor,” at least until the end of the War. And he might call him “Melkor” again.
In prison, he aimed to retain Galadriel’s trust by emphasizing “Morgoth” as the common enemy. But in the future, he will try to gain Pharazôn’s trust by building up “Melkor” as trustworthy. He may switch from saying that Morgoth held him captive to saying that Melkor is the Giver of Freedom.
“Then behind locked doors Sauron spoke to the King [Pharazôn], and he lied, saying: ‘It is he whose name is not now spoken; for the Valar have deceived you concerning him, putting forward the name of Eru […] But he that is their master shall yet prevail, and he will deliver you from this phantom; and his name is Melkor, Lord of All, Giver of Freedom, and he shall make you stronger than they.’”
Akallabêth
It is as Galadriel said. He is still a friend of Morgoth. Contrast this against his friendship with Adar, which was not dissimilar to that which he had with Morgoth.
Sauron knew Adar’s real name, but never used it. He barely even spoke to him one time.
“Do you remember me?” (Sauron, 1×06).
Their dynamic is unique, shown by Sauron’s reaction to Adar asking him who he was, allowing Sauron to give any name at all. If he wanted to uphold the idea that he was just a Man, he might have repeated the name Galadriel used in the forest (Halbrand). If he felt particularly bold, he could have subtly given the name Adar may have used in the past (Adar—if we are right about that). Instead, he remained silent, and walked away.
This was because after Adar betrayed him, he and Sauron were about as far from friendship as two people could possibly be, even more so than Sauron and Morgoth.
CELEBRIMBOR
We have seen what Sauron called (and will call) Morgoth, with whom he was once close, and still is, if you consider the Shadow. We have seen that he did not use Galadriel’s name normally until after she deemed him her friend. Now, we will see what he does when a future friendship is his goal.
It is not complicated. Sauron and Celebrimbor had never met. The name usage was no sign of a previous friendship, but of Sauron’s objective to quickly build trust. He wasted no time.
Celebrimbor: “This was the workshop of Celebrimbor.”
Sauron: “TheCelebrimbor? He’s not here, is he?”
Celebrimbor: “Well, as a matter of fact, he is.”
Sauron: “Celebrimbor!” (1×08).
Sauron achieved his goal, and even Galadriel remarked on the abnormal speed at which the friendship developed.
Sauron: “Don’t be afraid! Celebrimbor will find a way. I’m certain of it.”
Galadriel: “All of a sudden, the two of you seem quite familiar” (1×08).
Now, we must discuss the fourth name. First, if what Sauron calls a person depends on how familiar he is, was, or wants to be in order to further his designs, what could it mean for the only other name he used in season 1?
Míriel: “But if you would like some relief in carrying [your burden], I may be able to help.”
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
Just a quick warm-up before the beast that is Sauron: The Perfect Inverse of Beren. There is a lot to talk about here, so instead of analyzing everything on the topic of Sauron’s sincerity right now, we will cover the basics to establish our analytical point-of-view.
I think the deception is layered, and it all depends on how you view the season. He’s spending time with Galadriel, and he’s saying, “I want a fresh life. I can be good. I can start again.” So, if you view it under that guise, of repentance, then… you can interpret it that way, I guess. The other way, though, if he is manipulating her, you can view it from the point of view as to… maybe this is all something that he’s constructing. So, when she says to him, “Come with me to Middle-earth,” and she says, “You’ll not find your peace here,” I think that’s his way out.
The question of repentance is really important because it’s whether it’s genuine or not. And I had an answer to that, but I think it’s best left open for people to interpret because that completely colors whether or not he is deceiving her, or whether he’s telling the truth.
In Sauron’s case, sincerity does not mean “care or regard for others.” If he believed he was doing good, it only went so far as to say, “I will give people what I think they want, but my desires take precedence. “
“It darkens the heart to call dark deeds good. It gives place for evil to thrive inside us” (Galadriel, 1×07).
(edited for length)
It was like any pretense, any guardedness or shield that he had put up was gone. And below is someone with good intentions, but to the viewer, probably quite dark intentions to rule and to dominate. And for me, as an actor, it’s just an absolute thrill to play it, and I’m fully nerding out in being able to talk about it all for the first time.
For me, as I was performing it, it was about accentuating the subtle differences. Not being too obvious with either manipulation or overt conflict like, “I really want to be a good man.” I think I would try to walk the line.
Charlie Vickers’ performance made Sauron’s character (in my opinion) by far the most unsettling and terrifying villain in fiction. He did not have to play two people at once, even after he learned he was playing Sauron before filming episode 3. The sympathy and sorrow he conveyed on screen deceived even the audience because the actor (as Sauron) fully embodied the character he crafted, down to his emotional responses. So, why did he maintain his emotional response when Galadriel’s back was turned?
Here is Charlie’s answer:
I always like to think that in shape-shifting, the best way to deceive is to fully take on the form of what you’re trying to portray: thinking, feeling, living, breathing as a human man. Only through a wholehearted embodiment of his form could he deceive these massively influential figures. This is even when he’s by himself, because the gods are always watching. And we know that he fears the gods; we know that he’s scared. Because Tolkien says that explicitly.
(In the video below, pay attention to Sauron’s subtle shift in demeanor as Galadriel opens the door to leave—he drops his arm and relaxes his expression, and as Galadriel closes the door, he looks at the pouch. He is completely alone when he looks back up, and the scene transitions to Adar.)
He can use Galadriel as a tool. She knows the right people. She gets into the right rooms. […] So I made a decision as the best way for me to approach it, to make it real for me. And let people interpret it as they will.
As Galadriel listed the recent unfortunate events in her life, was Sauron taken aback because he had not realized how much pain he caused her for centuries? I highly doubt it. Not only did he have plenty of opportunities to realize that fact before this moment, but what of the countless others he tortured and murdered for millennia? Did he feel any shock or remorse for what he did to Gorlim in the First Age?
No.
“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.”
Of Beren and Lúthien
Sauron’s mockery of Gorlim was the same as his mockery of Galadriel as he revealed that she ran fast and blind into a trap. And like Gorlim, Galadriel was daunted by his eyes, and Sauron found her fear and anguish amusing.
He cornered her, infiltrated her mind, took the form of her brother whose death he is responsible for, and used her own words against her to manipulate her into joining him. But at least I would give you what you want by making you a Queen.
To top it all off, he tried to make her despair when she said no, and…
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.
In Tolkien’s world, when it comes to repentance, there are three traits that do not go well together: fear, envy, and hatred. Sauron fears the Valar, envies the Eldar and the Edain, and hates pretty much everyone except himself (most particularly those three groups).
“…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.”
Of the Rings of Power and the Third Age
Galadriel’s speech in the forge about peace had a double meaning.
She spoke about Middle-earth, but another term for Valinor is the land “across the sea.” It connected to what Elrond said:
“Only in the Blessed Realm can that which is broken in you be healed” (1×01).
Whether Sauron goes to Aman to receive judgment from Manwë, or he goes to Middle-earth to rule, he is taking a great risk. This is a manifestation of his fear of long servitude:
“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” (Galadriel, 1×05).
Adar nearly used air quotes when he recalled Sauron’s deeds and aspirations with horror.
“The one you call Sauron devoted himself to ‘healing’ Middle-earth” (1×06).
Later, Sauron told Galadriel the same thing. His words were disguised as good and sincere, but he could not care less about her.“I can use you to get what I want, and effect my designs faster,” said Charlie.
“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” (Sauron, 1×08).
Sauron believed he found a loophole in the system. “I knew,” he said in other words, “if ever I was to avoid prison, that I had to be sure the Valar couldn’t touch me.” He was present when Eru said:
“‘…no theme may be played that hath not its uttermost source in me, nor can any alter the music in my despite.’”
Ainulindalë
And yet, he tried to do that very thing. “Prison is not an option,” he would think. “If I can somehow bind myself to something good, then I will be safe and free from the wrath of the Valar. I never believed I could be free, until today. I will make this place a paradise, and everyone will be under my rule so nothing bad happens.”
He believed that if he was by Galadriel’s side, “it can only lead to good things, as long as he remains undiscovered” (Charlie Vickers).
I think he whole-heartedly believes that he’s doing good. He wants to rehabilitate and rid Middle-earth of all the wasteful friction because he’s obsessed with order. And I think he genuinely believes that if Galadriel joins him, that’ll help him affect his goals.
This did not come from his care for others. He simply did not want to face the wrath of the gods. He cared about no one but himself, and his fear, hatred, and envy drove him down the same ruinous path that led Morgoth to the Void. The following describes Morgoth, but it fits Sauron perfectly.
“And he feigned, even to himself at first, that he desired to go thither and order all things for the good of the Children of Ilúvatar, controlling the turmoils of the heat and the cold that had come to pass through him.
“But he desired rather to subdue to his will both Elves and Men, envying the gifts with which Ilúvatar promised to endow them; and he wished himself to have subjects and servants, and to be called Lord, and to be a master over other wills.”
Ainulindalë
Carefully compare that passage to how the Mystics describe Sauron:
“You fell from the stars, yet you are greater than they; for fire obeys your will. You fell below the dust, yet dust fears you; for it trembles when you are wroth. The winds and waters; the heat and cold. In Rhûn, you shall learn to command them all, and every being that walks or crawls shall be your slave. For you are Lord Sauron” (1×08).
Although he was afraid and humiliated when Morgoth fell, doing obeisance to Eönwë (who could not judge those of his own class) and renouncing all of his evil deeds was probably not the end of the world for Sauron. But when Eönwë commanded him to return to Manwë (who, being the chief Vala, could really do some damage), he was unwilling to return. He remembered what happened to Morgoth, long before the darkening of Valinor.
“…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. But when the Battle was ended and from the ruin of the North great clouds arose and hid the stars, the Valar drew Melkor back to Valinor, bound hand and foot, and blindfold; and he was brought to the Ring of Doom. There he lay upon his face before the feet of Manwë and sued for pardon; but his prayer was denied, and he was cast into prison in the fastness of Mandos, whence none can escape, neither Vala, nor Elf, nor mortal Man. […] There was Melkor doomed to abide for three ages long, before his cause should be tried anew, or he should plead again for pardon.”
Of the Coming of the Elves and the Captivity of Melkor
Comparing Galadriel and Sauron
Galadriel and Sauron are opposites. Compare Sauron’s attitude to hers at the end of episode 7.
This is what she would be thinking:
Courtesy of her obsession, she disobeyed the High King and ignored his orders for months, then leapt from a ship headed for Valinor. She survived, against all odds, alongside a reluctant heir in exile, used and dragged him to Middle-earth after he had “all but begged her” to let him be. At length, he agreed to go, and they became close friends. She felt free fighting at his side. He saved her life at sea, but now he is dead because of her. She brought an entire Númenórean army to their deaths, failed to prevent the enactment of a certain plan, and now an entire land is destroyed. Her only other friend, Elendil, hates her because he thinks his son is dead. The Queen of Númenor has been blinded on her account. Theo lost his home. Many Southlanders perished. Adar escaped, along with his children, and have a place wherein they can thrive.
After all of that, she said:
“And I will report to our High King… to face whatever awaits me” (1×07).
She was willing to return in humiliation. Sauron was unwilling. Galadriel was honest and sincere in her repentance. Sauron was not.
Compassion
Before the eruption, when a member of her company fell and was about to be left behind, Galadriel was momentarily blinded to her surroundings because of her obsession with finding Sauron.
But she snapped out of it when she realized what was actually going on, and gave her own cloak to the fallen.
After the eruption, her first action upon regaining consciousness was to search for Halbrand (in other words, she still sought out Sauron).
But she snapped out of it when she heard Theo, and abandoned her previous design just to help him.
Then, she found Sauron. This next example can be viewed as a combination of the first two.
Galadriel was disoriented from her dream, and fully snapped out of it when Elrond reminded her of what she did for him as a child.
Who evoked her obsession, in the first place? —Sauron.
“Every war is fought both without and within. Of that every soldier must be mindful. Even I” (Galadriel, 1×07).
Evil does not sleep. It waits. Sauron had been awake for a long time, and in the moment of Galadriel’s complacency, he blinded her. She said this for good reason:
“You would make me a tyrant” (1×08).
Sauron’s offer was not hypothetical, nor was the idea that he would make Galadriel a tyrant. She knew what he would turn her into, having witnessed the consequences of her obsession, firsthand.
Conclusion
Sauron’s character is so well-written and performed, the deception bleeds into the actual audience, and that is the most frightening thing of all.
What’s so unique and amazing about him as a villain is that he has to gain trust and he has to manipulate his way through. It’s different to other villains that have this slightly unhinged quality, whereas maybe there’s elements of that in Sauron, occasionally. But for all we know, in his interactions with people and in gaining their trust, he’s a really nice, sweet, kind guy. And that’s terrifying if you have that and you have him being genuinely open and nice and caring. […]
When you’re watching as an audience member and we’re seeing him being kind and nice, if you know his true intentions, it makes it really scary underneath. I think the key to that is not playing the overt evilness at this stage.
