Someone asked a question in response to Sauron Unchained, which I would like to thoroughly investigate:

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:

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:

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.

THE END

---