Sauron

He is the titular Lord of the Rings against whom the protagonists of that series struggle. He also appears as the Dark Lord Morgoth's chief lieutenant in The Silmarillion, and is referred to as the Necromancer in The Hobbit.

In the earliest of days, before the godlike Valar entered the realm of Arda, Sauron was in origin a spirit called a Maia. He was at first one of the most powerful servants of Aulë, the Smith, one of the Valar or ruling powers of the world.

However, Sauron was soon subverted by the Dark Lord Melkor (later known as Morgoth), an evil spirit of the same order as the Valar. Sauron himself turned to evil. Ever after, Sauron served Morgoth faithfully, and even in later days, after Morgoth was defeated and cast outside the confines of the world, Sauron encouraged and coerced Men to worship both himself and Morgoth as gods. However, while Morgoth wanted to either control or destroy the very matter of Arda itself, Sauron's desire was to dominate the wills of its creatures.

During the First Age, the Ñoldorin Elves left the Blessed Realm of Valinor in the Utter West (against the counsel of the Valar) in order to wage war on Morgoth, who had stolen the precious Silmarils. In that war, Sauron served as Morgoth's chief lieutenant, surpassing all others in rank. Only Gothmog, the Lord of Balrogs, equalled him. Known as Gorthaur the Cruel, Sauron at that time was a master of illusions and changes of form, and werewolves were his servants, chief among them Draugluin, Sire of Werewolves, and Thuringwethil, his vampire herald. When Morgoth left Angband to corrupt the newly awakened Men, Sauron directed the War against the Elves. He conquered the Elvish isle of Tol Sirion, so that it became known as Tol-in-Gaurhoth, the Isle of Werewolves.

Ten years later, Finrod Felagund, the king of Nargothrond and former lord of Tol Sirion, died protecting Beren in captivity there; soon afterwards, Lúthien and Huan the Wolfhound defeated Sauron in that place and rescued Beren from the dungeons. After his resounding defeat by Lúthien, Sauron played little part in the events of the First Age (possibly hiding from Morgoth), and after his master was defeated and cast out by the Valar, Sauron repented (apparently) and pled for mercy. But he was unwilling to return to the Utter West for judgement, and so he fled and hid in Middle-Earth.

In the Second Age, after lying hidden and dormant for about one thousand years, Sauron reappeared. Having deceitfully assumed a beautiful appearance, and now calling himself Annatar, "the Lord of Gifts", he befriended the Elvish smiths of Eregion, and counseled them in arts and magic. Not all of the Elves trusted him, especially the Lady Galadriel and the elf-king Gil-galad, High King of the Ñoldor, but few others heeded them.

At Sauron's behest, the Elves forged the Rings of Power and they were given to the leaders of Elves, Men and Dwarves. But, unknown to them, Sauron had also secretly forged a master Ring in the fires of the volcano Mount Doom in Mordor. This "One Ring to rule them all" had the power to dominate the other Rings and enslave their wearers to Sauron's will. But the Rings were extremely powerful objects, and so to accomplish this Sauron was forced to place the greater part of his native power into it. This was therefore risky. Anyone of sufficiently strong will who possessed the One had available to him much of Sauron's own power to dominate, and should the Ring ever be destroyed he would be so reduced as to be incapable of effective action ever again.

When Sauron put on the One Ring and tried to dominate the Elves, they became aware of him and removed their rings. Sauron responded with military force, initiating the War of the Elves and Sauron and conquering much of the land west of Anduin. This was the beginning of the Dark Years. He laid waste to Eregion and seized the Seven and the Nine of the Great Rings which had been forged with his assistance. But the Three Rings, which the Elven smith Celebrimbor had forged himself without Sauron's help, were saved from him and remained in the hands of the Elves.

In this time Sauron became known as the Dark Lord of Mordor. He raised Barad-dûr, the Dark Tower, not far from Mount Doom and constructed the Black Gate of Mordor. The Seven and the Nine he distributed to lords of the Dwarves and Men respectively. Dwarves proved too tough to corrupt, but the Men became enslaved to him as the Nazgûl (Ringwraiths), his most feared servants. He also regained control over all the creatures - both on the earth and under it - that had served Morgoth in the First Age and that were still alive in the Second Age (such as the Orcs, Trolls and many other beings). Sauron also regained power over most of the Men who lived in the east and the south, and he became like a god-king unto them. Because of this, towards the end of the Second Age, Sauron assumed the titles of Lord of the Earth and King of Men.

This offended the Númenóreans, the powerful Men descended from the Three Houses of the Edain, who lived on the island of Númenor in the sea between Middle-earth and Valinor. The proud Númenóreans came to Middle-earth with great force of arms, and Sauron's forces fled. Realizing he could not defeat the Numenoreans with military strength, Sauron allowed himself to be taken as a hostage to Númenor by King Ar-Pharazôn. There, he quickly grew from captive to advisor; he converted most of the Númenóreans to the worship of Morgoth, and raised a great temple in which he performed human sacrifices. Finally, he convinced the king to rebel against the Valar and attack Valinor itself. Eru (the God of Tolkien´s legendarium) then directly intervened: Númenor was drowned under the sea, and the great navy of Númenor was destroyed. Sauron's body was destroyed along with the island, and he fled back to Mordor where he assumed a new form and began to re-amass his forces. But he was unable ever again to take on the fair shapes under which he had deceived the Elves and seduced the Númenoreans, and from then on he could only rule through terror and force.

The few faithful Númenóreans were saved from the flood, and they founded Gondor and Arnor in Middle-earth. These faithful Men, led by Elendil and his sons, formed the Last Alliance of Elves and Men with the Elven-king Gil-galad to fight Sauron. The Alliance won a great victory on the plain of Dagorlad and invaded Mordor, laying siege to Barad-dûr for seven years. Elendil's younger son Anárion was killed by a stone cast from Barad-dûr before Sauron was forced to emerge from his tower and engage in single combat. He was overcome by Gil-galad and Elendil, although he slayed them both, and Elendil's sword Narsil broke beneath him when he fell. Elendil's surviving older son Isildur cut the One Ring from Sauron's hand with the hilt-shard of Narsil. With the loss of the Ring Sauron was vanquished, and his spirit fled into hiding. Thus ended the Second Age.

Elrond the herald of Gil-galad urged Isildur to destroy the Ring by casting it into the fires where it was forged, but he refused and kept it for his own. A couple of years later, Isildur's party was ambushed by a band of Orcs on the way to Rivendell and overwhelmed. He put on the Ring and attempted to escape by swimming across Anduin, but the Ring sliped from his finger and he was spotted and killed by Orc-archers. The Ring remained lost beneath the water for more than two thousand years.

In the Third Age, in the period of The Hobbit, Sauron rose yet again, at first in a stronghold called Dol Guldur, the Hill of Sorcery, in southern Mirkwood. There he was known as the Necromancer, but the Elves did not recognize him at first. Gandalf the Wizard stole into Dol Guldur and discoverd the truth; eventually the White Council of Wizards and Elves combined to put forth their might and Sauron was driven out of Mirkwood.

Now only able to assume the appearance of a dark, fearsome lord, Sauron's power had recovered to the point that he was able to extend his will over Middle-earth, and the metaphysical Eye of Sauron, as his attention and force of will was perceived and which became his main heraldic device, became a symbol of oppression and fear. Following his expulsion from Mirkwood, from which he only pretended to be forced, Sauron returned to Mordor which he fortified and raised Barad-dûr anew. In preparation for a final war against Men and Elves he bred immense armies of Orcs, augmenting them with Men from the east and south whom he had deceived into his service.

At the beginning of the period covered by The Lord of the Rings, the wizard Gandalf discovered that the Ring has been found. He went for advice to Saruman the White, leader of the wizards' council, but discovered that Saruman had been seduced by Sauron through his use of the Palantir in his possession, and that Saruman also secretly planned to gain the Ring for himself. Gandalf was held captive for some time, but eventually managed to escape with the help of the giant eagle Gwaihir.

Meanwhile, following the capture and torture of the former Ring-bearer Gollum, Sauron learned that the One Ring has been found by a Hobbit named "Baggins". Sauron sent the Ringwraiths to the Shire, Bilbo's home, only to find that both Bilbo and his nephew, Frodo, had gone.

At the behest of Gandalf, and unknown to Sauron, Frodo and his friends set out to take the Ring to the elven stronghold at Rivendell. There the half-elf Elrond convened a high council of the peoples of Middle-earth to discuss the crisis and decide on a course of action. The council determined that the Ring must be destroyed, and Frodo and Sam joined the Fellowship of the Ring, accepting the council's mission to destroy the Ring forever by casting it into the fires of Mount Doom, in the heart of Mordor.

Pretending to act on behalf of Sauron, Saruman raised a vast army of his own and invaded Rohan, but thanks to the intervention of Gandalf and the giant tree-people of Fangorn, the Ents, Saruman's armies were routed and his stronghold at Isengard was overthrown; soon after, his power was broken by Gandalf.

During Saruman's confrontation with Gandalf, the Palantir of Orthanc fell into the hands of the Fellowship. Aragorn, the heir of Isildur and rightful owner of the Palantir, was able to exploit it to create a ruse which he hoped would distract Sauron long enough to allow Frodo to reach Mount Doom and destroy the Ring. Sauron was led to believe that Aragorn had (or would soon have) the Ring. Sauron therefore attacked sooner than he had planned by sending an army commanded by his strongest servant, the fearful Witch-king of Angmar, to overthrow Minas Tirith. (See Battle of the Pelennor Fields.)

Although the Witch-king and his army were destroyed, the forces of the West were greatly weakened and Sauron still had sufficient armies in reserve to make his military victory certain. He was outwitted, however, by the strategy of Gandalf, who urged the captains of the West to march on the gates of Mordor in another action to divert the Dark Lord's attention long enough to allow Frodo to finally reach Mount Doom.

The battle was joined and was going very poorly for the West as Frodo reached his goal, but he failed at the last. Unable to resist the power of the Ring at the place of its forging, he put it on his finger and claimed it for his own. At that moment Sauron discerned the truth and turned his gaze to Mount Doom, sending his Ringwraiths to capture the Ring. The attempt was futile. Gollum attacked Frodo and bit the Ring from his finger, but as he gloated over it he lost his footing and fell with it into the fire.

At the Ring's unmaking Sauron's power was immediately broken and his corporeal form in Middle-earth was destroyed. His departing spirit towered above Mordor like a black cloud, but was blown away by a powerful wind from the West. Barad-dûr crumbled and Sauron was permanently crippled, unable to ever take shape or effective action again.

Saruman

Saruman the White (Curunír Lán in Sindarin) was the first of his order of Wizards (or Istari) who came into Middle-earth as Emissaries of the Valar in the Third Age. He was the leader of the White Council. His name meant Man of skill.

In appearance, Saruman was as an old man with black hair. At the end of the Third Age, his hair and beard had turned mostly white—he had only black hairs about his lips and ears. He was tall, his face was long, and his eyes were deep and dark. He would appear hooded, wearing a white cloak, a habit he later changed into a cloak that changed colours as he moved.

He was not actually a Man, or even an Elf (as Men often suspected), but a Maia clothed in flesh (see Origins below)—an Istar. As such, he was immortal and extremely powerful, yet had limits on how far these powers could be used. His two most salient powers were his knowledge and his voice.

Knowledge of the "deep arts" (or magic, such as it is in Middle-earth) was of particular interest to him, especially when relating to power—such as the Rings of Power and the far seeing palantíri. He was also deeply learned in ancient lore regarding powerful kingdoms such as Númenor, Gondor and Moria.

His voice and speech were extremely convincing, more powerful than mere rhetoric. When he focused this power on a person or a group of people, he could sway their hearts, plant fears and sow lies as he pleased. Depending on the willpower of the listener, this spell could last as long as the speech did, or it could take root in them and last forever.

Other powers include knowledge of machinery and chemistry, probably separable from explicit magic. An instance of this includes the "blasting fire" employed by his Uruk-hai army in the Battle of the Hornburg, which was probably some kind of explosive. Machinery and engines characterized both his fortified Isengard and his altered Shire. In this, he probably sought to emulate Sauron.

His science also extended to biological areas. He crossbred Men and Orcs, creating both 'Men' with orc-like vileness and treachery and 'Orcs' with human size and cunning. His Uruk-hai, Orcs unafraid of daylight, are often speculated to have been examples of the latter. Likewise, his human spies in Bree were said to have Orc blood. He also employed birds in his service, although this might be attributed to Radagast the Brown, ordering them to report to Orthanc, Saruman's stronghold.

Being regarded as more powerful than Gandalf before Gandalf's "rebirth", it is a common assumption he would also wield explicit magic similar to Gandalf, including using artificial light, locking spells, or creating fire.

Saruman resembled Gandalf not only in appearance, but originally also somewhat in character, but unlike Gandalf, Saruman was proud. He saw himself as the most powerful of the Istari, expressing clear contempt for Radagast the Brown. Saruman was no fool: he realized Gandalf's power, and eventually came to see him as an equal, and later as a superior, much to his distress. He began to become jealous of Gandalf, eventually convincing himself Gandalf must be scheming against him, to justify his own scheming against Gandalf and the rest of the White Council.

Saruman likely was true to his mission in the beginning, and actually believed in working to stop Sauron, but his pride and later arrogance (as well as his jealousy towards the Grey Wanderer) turned him into a traitor to the cause he had once served. Saruman's betrayal was not sudden, but slowly grew over time, until at last he had convinced himself that he could not have taken any other path, and that it was too late now to repent. This false belief kept him from taking his last chance at redemption, and because he must have realized this he only became more bitter, blaming Gandalf more than anyone else for his own downfall. In fact he only had himself to blame, but he refused to believe this.

The name given to him by Men, Saruman, is in the Westron language. In Tolkien's works, this language is (almost) never shown directly, but translated into English and Anglo-Saxon forms. In this case, Tolkien used the Anglo-Saxon root word searu which means "skill" or "cunning". As a scholar, Tolkien might have also been well aware of the name of a similarly-named historic 'head of his order', Jaruman, a sixth-century Bishop of Mercia. The real Westron version of his name remains unknown.

His name among the Elves is Curunír, which is in Sindarin, a language Tolkien did not translate. It means "man of skill", and was often followed by Lán, which means "white". In Valinor, his name was Curumo, which is the Quenya version of the same name.

In Valinor, the land of the angelic Valar in the West, a council was called by Manwë. This was likely shortly after the defeat of Sauron by the Last Alliance. It was decided to send five emissaries to Middle Earth. These should be "mighty, peers of Sauron, yet forgo might, and clothe themselves in flesh"—Istari, or Wizards.

One of those who went was Curumo (later in Sindarin Curunír, or in Westron Saruman), a powerful Maia of Aulë (just as Sauron was). Maiar were angelic creatures of the same people as the Valar, only of lower order. Together, they were the Ainur, and existed before the Arda, the world, was created.

Saruman was one of those who volunteered, whereas the last one, Olórin (later Gandalf) was commanded by Manwë to go. Saruman's jealousy of Gandalf began even here, when Varda said of Gandalf, who went as the third Istar that he was "not the third". Saruman was charged to take Radagast with him, which he did not wish to do and which led to contempt for the latter Wizard.

Saruman arrived alone in a ship at Mithlond (the Grey Havens) in the west of Eriador around the year 1000 of the Third Age, and only Círdan knew his identity and his origin.

He went into the East of Middle-earth, as did the two Blue Wizards (Ithryn Luin). After one and a half millennia he returned to the West, just as Sauron's power was growing again in Dol Guldur.

When the White Council was formed around the year 2463 of the Third Age, Saruman was appointed its leader. Even then, he had begun to sense the resurgence of Sauron and to envy and desire his power, and especially his One Ring. Coincidentally, in that same year the One Ring was found by the creature Gollum, drawing the Dark Lord closer to the conflict that would eventually prove Saruman's undoing.

In 2759 TA, Beren, Steward of Gondor, granted Saruman permission to make the Tower of Orthanc in the ring of Isengard his abode. There he became important in the defence of the free lands of the West. In Orthanc he came upon a palantír, one of the seven seeing stones, but kept it secret and hidden, particularly from the White Council. He would later betray the Council by concealing his use of it.

In 2850 TA Gandalf entered Dol Guldur and confirmed that the evil presence there was indeed Sauron returned. By Saruman's advice, the White Council decided against attacking Dol Guldur. Gandalf would later remark that it was at this council-meeting that he first began to suspect that Saruman desired to possess the One Ring.

Saruman's real strategy behind forestalling the Council's attempt at Dol Guldur focused on permitting Sauron to continue building up his strength, so that the One Ring would reveal itself. At that point Saruman hoped to have sufficient strength to seize it first himself. He soon found that Sauron had more knowledge of the possible location of the One Ring than he expected, and in 2941 TA he finally consented to an attack against Sauron at Dol Guldur (at which point Sauron retreats to Mordor and the Battle of the Five Armies takes place).

Either at this time or shortly before Saruman's studies of ring-lore paid off, and he seems to have emulated part of the skill of the Ñoldor of Eregion and created his own Ring. The purpose and power of this Ring is unknown.

Sauron abandoned Dol Guldur, arose again, and took up his reign in Mordor, declaring himself openly. In Mordor, he established contact with Saruman through the palantír captured from Minas Ithil, now Minas Morgul. Through his jealousy towards Gandalf and his ever-growing pride and arrogance, and through the use of the palantír, wrestling in thought with the Enemy, Saruman became a servant of Sauron's will (although unintentionally, as his hopes were to gain the One Ring for himself).

At about this time, in an attempt to control Rohan, Saruman bought the allegiance of King Théoden's chief advisor, Gríma Wormtongue, who then counselled the ailing king to do nothing about the steady resurgence of Sauron's armies. Saruman and Wormtongue's treachery would have crippled Rohan's military might, had not Gandalf interfered a year later and revealed to Théoden his right-hand man's true designs, healing the old king and revitalizing his political and military rule.

Saruman did not reveal his true intentions until Gandalf presented him with the discovery and location of the One Ring. He then stood forth as Saruman of Many Colours, and when Gandalf refused to join with him, he held him captive in Isengard. Gandalf later escaped, and so Saruman's treachery became known to the rest of the White Council when Gandalf reported on it during the Council of Elrond, where Gandalf also reported on Saruman's ring.

At this point Saruman also betrayed his new master Sauron by lying to the Nazgûl, who were now searching for Baggins, who had found the One Ring years before, and the Shire, his home. He pretended to know nothing, but the Nazgûl later captured one of his Shire spies (the Orc-like man in the Inn of the Prancing Pony). Believing that he would find no pity from either quarter (a false assumption, as he was later offered pardon by Gandalf), Saruman now put all efforts into obtaining the One Ring for himself.

Not all of these efforts ever became clear, but they included sending spies to waylay Frodo Baggins on his flight from the Shire, attacking Rohan outright (he had been satisfied by weakening it through infiltration up until then, and through endeavouring to destroy Théodred, Théoden's heir) and dispatching raiding parties on likely routes a company of the Ring might take to Gondor (one of these parties captured Peregrin Took and Meriadoc Brandybuck). Gandalf also suspected Saruman had found (and destroyed) the remains of Isildur, who had worn the Ring before it had been lost.

Saruman's Shire network failed to capture Frodo Baggins, Gandalf rallied Rohan to victory, Éomer stopped his only partially successful raiding party, and control of Isengard was lost to the Ents. Aware he was utterly defeated, Saruman briefly considered repenting for his deeds, but at the last moment could not go through with it. He must have still had some hope he could somehow escape, and even that infinitely small chance was better than his certain humiliation at the hands of those he had tried to destroy. Saruman still made a final attempt to woo Théoden and Gandalf to his cause but failed: his staff was broken and he was dismissed from the order of the Istari.

It must have been during Gandalf's captivity in Orthanc that Saruman began to build his army of Orcs, Dunlendings, and Uruk-hai, since Gandalf came to an as yet undestroyed Isengard. One can speculate that if matters had developed a little more slowly, his puppet Wormtongue would have gained full control over Rohan, and the Rohirrim would have been enslaved or destroyed.

Saruman's plans likely failed because he, like Sauron, was forced to reveal his hand early by Gandalf's subsequent escape, and therefore he had little time to perfect his plans. As Saruman considered himself "unfallen", he honestly believed he had a chance of converting Gandalf to his side, and felt honestly betrayed by Gandalf when he was refused. The failure to capture the Ring at Emyn Arnen further ruined Saruman's plans, as he was revealed as a traitor to Mordor now as well.

Left out of the final stages of the War of the Ring, he eventually managed to convince his captors, the Ents, into letting him leave Isengard, proving that the magic of his voice still remained. He then went to the Shire, which his agent Lotho Sackville-Baggins (undisturbed by events elsewhere) had brought under control. Spending his final days as a small-time thug lord in Hobbiton known as Sharkey, he was eventually betrayed and killed by his own servant Wormtongue on November 3, T.A. 3019, when even this operation fell apart after Frodo and Samwise Gamgee returned.

Saruman, as a Maia, did not truly die, but his spirit was sundered from his body (much like Sauron's after the Downfall of Númenor, after his defeat by the Last Alliance and after the destruction of the One Ring). As a discorporated spirit, he should have been called to Mandos, but the tale implies that he was barred from returning. We may speculate that his spirit was left naked, powerless and wandering in Middle-earth (again, perhaps, like Sauron's) ever diminishing over time until naught of him was left.

He always sought power, and in the Third Age the greatest power lay in the hands of the kingdoms of Men.

No records speak of his earliest journeys into the east of Middle-earth, but when he returned, he actually became for a while a servant of Gondor, receiving the keys to Orthanc from Beren (Steward of Gondor), as its warden.

Saruman later claimed Orthanc for his own, without any formal declaration (or real objection from a weakened Gondor). Still, he nominally remained an ally of Gondor and of Rohan. Throughout this time he also made long studies of scrolls and books in Minas Tirith.

When he turned to treachery, Saruman still employed men in his schemes, mainly from Dunland, but also selected agents from other lands (such as Wormtongue.) Saruman was a master of deceit, and could easily turn old grudges into fuel for new hatred.

The Dunlendings found employment in his armies, and it also seems probable that he used some of these men in his crossbreeding programme to create Half-Orcs. The Dunlendings were enticed with the old stories that they had once lived in the plains of Rohan before the Strawheads had come from the north, and that their leader Freca, a man with claims to the throne of Rohan, had been killed by Helm Hammerhand.

Gríma Wormtongue played a vital role in Saruman's plans: a counsellor of the ageing king Théoden, he secretly desired the king's niece, Éowyn, but she was repulsed by him and scorned his advances. It is not clear if Wormtongue approached Saruman or vice versa, but it is certain that with Saruman's council Gríma began to weaken the king, estranging him from his other councillors and even his own kin, until Gríma had in effect almost become the leader of Rohan.

Saruman was once on good terms with the Elves, and was voted in as the leader of the White Council, a group of Elves and Istari united against Sauron.

However, Saruman knew that Gandalf had been given the third Elvish ring Narya by Círdan the Shipwright. This nurtured his jealousy of Gandalf and his resentment towards the Elves.

The Elves also declined during the period of Saruman's activity in the west of Middle-earth. Their lands were few and secretive, and although they wielded in some senses marvellous power, they were not in the habit of projecting it in the manner Saruman found useful or interesting. Also, they succumbed less easily than other races to manipulation.

Even though his stronghold of Isengard lay very close to the Elven kingdom of Lothlórien, Saruman had very little or no contact with it. Indeed, after his treachery and ruin, Saruman stated clearly that he had never trusted Galadriel and that he suspected her of scheming for Gandalf at his expense.

Saruman grudgingly brought with him Radagast as a companion from Valinor, at the request of Yavanna, yet still managed to arrive alone, and first. Shortly after, he went into the East with the two Blue Wizards (Alatar and Pallando), and later returned alone. The Ithryn Luin (as the Elves called them) went with Saruman into the East, and there may have wrought many great works to diminish the influence of the Enemy. Of their fate little is known.

Radagast, even though Saruman scorned him (when he tried to convert Gandalf to his cause), served Saruman very usefully (and wholly unintentionally). Not only in the sense explained to Gandalf, "he had just the wit to play the part I set him"—that of persuading Gandalf to come to Isengard, but also because Radagast, at the request of Saruman (and Gandalf), sent birds to Saruman at Orthanc and to Gandalf to report the different happenings in Middle-earth (in this way Saruman gained valuable insight and Gandalf was able to escape from the pinnacle of Orthanc). Radagast, honest and noble, true to his mission as set by Yavanna, played a very valuable role in the fight against Sauron through the use of the birds and beasts of Middle-earth (i.e. the aid of the Eagles).

Saruman had always been jealous of Gandalf, and suspected him of keeping secrets from him—not unfounded suspicions, since Gandalf did indeed keep his knowledge (or early on, suspicion) about Bilbo's Ring hidden. Gandalf also kept his own ring (the third of the Elvish rings) Narya secret.

Gandalf also suspected Saruman of plotting to gain the One Ring for himself, and hinted at this in a powerful scene at a meeting of the White Council. Gandalf blew nine small smoke rings and one great one that wavered a bit, seeming almost palpable, and yet blew away, symbolizing (almost prophetic of) Saruman's failure in achieving the One for himself.

In general, Saruman must have viewed Gandalf as his only peer, and as such to be feared and treated with (although not necessarily shown) respect. He always kept a watchful eye open for Gandalf's doings, and actually picked up the habit of smoking pipe-weed by sending out spies tailing Gandalf to the Shire.

When matters came to a head, Saruman sought to make Gandalf an ally in his plans. This was probably not just out of practical politics, but also of respect and a sense of companionship and shared destiny. And possibly out of hope, being daunted by the proposition of becoming Sauron's servant alone.

Nevertheless, Saruman exercised more power than Gandalf, even with the ring Narya, as became clear when he placed Gandalf under arrest at the pinnacle of Orthanc. The text does not make it clear whether Saruman lost power or whether Gandalf gained power, but when Gandalf returned as "Gandalf the White", he could summon Saruman at his will, forcibly keep him in his presence, and finally break Saruman's staff (with whatever implications that might have had for Saruman's powers).

Saruman several times came very close to setting aside his pride and to asking Gandalf for pity and help. The closest call came when the Ringwraiths (on their way to The Shire) arrived at Isengard while Gandalf still remained in captivity there. Saruman, realizing his predicament, actually went to seek Gandalf's pardon, only to find his erstwhile captive missing from the top of Orthanc.

Saruman probably drew his original strength of Orcs from tribes in the Misty Mountains, and perhaps from Moria Orcs. He made use of Warg-mounted Orcs of the same kind that Bilbo and the dwarves fled from after they had been captured at the High Pass near Rivendell.

He also bred Orcs in Isengard, eventually creating crossbreeds of Orcs and Men (probably Dunlendings), the Half-Orcs. This programme apparently also involved feeding these Orcs Man-flesh.

His Orc army displayed great discipline and fierce loyalty, in addition to the other improvements such as height, strength, endurance and resistance to sunlight. There also appears to have been middle stages between Men and the Uruk-hai, Men with varying degrees of Orkish appearance. These were reported by Pippin and Merry to have been part of Saruman's regular army, but were not Uruk-hai, since the hobbits would have recognized these from their earlier capture.

Saruman's servants called him "Sharkey" both in Isengard and later in The Shire. This was probably an adaptation of the Black Speech word sharku which meant "old man". Saruman was not aware of this meaning (which is remarkable, since Gandalf knew this language). Perhaps he took it as a distortion of his own name by the Orcs. This indicates that the Orcs took their leader less seriously than they might have given him the impression of (similar to how the Mordor Orcs overheard by Sam and Frodo tended to disrespect their authorities).

Saruman made contact with the Ents in Fangorn forest shortly after he settled in Isengard. The oldest of the Ents, Treebeard received him and gave him free access to the forest.

Saruman also consulted with Treebeard, learning much old lore that the Ents would have remembered from ancient times. Saruman did not return this favour, but only listened.

The Ents saw Saruman's treachery early, and became very concerned, primarily with Saruman's Orcs felling trees on the edge of Fangorn for use in the furnaces of Isengard—or sometimes for no reason at all.

The Ents also appear to have had a sense of order, how things should be, that Saruman encroached upon. The crossbreeding of Men and Orcs particularly alarmed them, out of proportion to other concerns enemies of Saruman might have had. Also alarming was the pure fact of his treachery—the Istari were supposed to have a special responsibility.

Saruman used the Ents and the Fangorn forest without concern for the consequences. He clearly misjudged the Ents' abilities and will to act. This might not have been as incautious as it seemed, since major contributing factors to the Ent's actions were advice and requests from Gandalf, and concern about the rising power of Sauron (and their wish to support the front-line troops of the war, Rohan and Gondor).

Saruman clearly had the ability to understand the minds of the Ents when he found it useful. He managed to talk Treebeard into setting him free from Orthanc by pushing just the right buttons—Ents dislike the concept of caging up any creature.

The race of Hobbits and their lands seemed too insignificant to interest Saruman: until he took notice of Gandalf's special concern for them.

His secret interest in Gandalf's doings made him focus gradually more and more on the Hobbits and The Shire. For a period he actually travelled there in secret, mapping out the lands. Gandalf was aware of this, but at this point only amused.

He began smoking pipe-weed (a habit of the Hobbits that Gandalf had picked up), also in secret. His demand for tobacco opened up trading between The Shire and Isengard, and the power his money could wield there and the corruption it could cause began to fascinate him. Some of his agents went in secret, and some were known to Gandalf and the Rangers (who accepted them, but were suspicious).

His anger towards the Hobbits may possibly stem from the attention Gandalf showed them (and not himself, or his projects). It certainly strengthened immensely when he discovered that the Hobbits (to his mind) had conspired with Gandalf to keep the One Ring from him.

This, and the sudden urgency caused by the Ringwraiths' hunt for the Ring-bearer from The Shire to Rivendell, made him increase his activity in the area, leading to a build-up of power that would by the closing of the War of the Ring lead to virtual conquest of The Shire.

He might also later have blamed the ruin of Isengard at the hands (or branches, really) of the Ents on Peregrin Took and Meriadoc Brandybuck, who clearly helped catalyse events.

This all came together after Sauron's fall, when Saruman escaped from the Ents and retired to The Shire and his thug regime in place there. It appears he immediately switched the focus of this operation to wanton destruction: pollution, murder, fire, chopping down trees for no reason. He may have felt this would also allow him to deal a last blow to Gandalf.

At his final utter defeat by a Hobbit uprising, his life was spared even when he tried to assassinate Frodo Baggins. At this moment he actually conceded respect to Frodo, but it was (literally) short-lived.

Saruman was supposedly eager to go to Middle-earth, against Manwë's counsel. After his "death" in the Shire, he appeared as a grey mist that was blown away by a cold wind coming from the West, symbolizing the denial of his return to the Blessed Realm. Immortal, Curunir (known among Men as Saruman) was "doomed" to go wherever fate had in store for him. As for his relation to Sauron, in origin a Maia of Aulë like himself, the Dark Lord amazed and frightened him. Through his ever-growing pride he sought to outmatch Sauron, but his works were only referred to as mere "child's play" in comparison.

Saruman had access to information concerning every corner of Middle-earth through birds and beasts, many of these more than likely hailing from the good aid and friendship that Radgast the Brown assayed to offer (not knowing Saruman's true underlying plots). Not only did these bring him relevant news, they acted as spies (particularly in watch over Gandalf the Grey's activities). In addition, the orcs Saruman took in his armies brought with them wargs, evil wolves that were of the size and stature of a horse.

Witch-king of Angmar

The Witch-king was originally a human king. In the Second Age, he was given one of nine Rings of Power to help rule over his realm. He and eight others were already in the service of Sauron, the Dark Lord of Mordor. The Rings gave them incredible power, which they used to further their own ambitions, but eventually the Rings completely corrupted them and turned them into the ghostly, undead Nazgûl.

The first sighting of the Nazgûl in Middle-earth was reported in 2251 of the Second Age. For the next 1200 years, the Lord of the Nazgûl would serve Sauron as his second in command. He fought in the war against the Last Alliance of Elves and Men between 3434 and 3441 of the Second Age. It was in 3441 that Sauron was defeated by Isildur and the nine Nazgûl disappeared from Middle-Earth.

One thousand years into the Third Age, Sauron took a new form as the Necromancer, and founded the fortress of Dol Guldur in southern Mirkwood in 1050 of the Third Age. This signaled the return of the Nine Nazgûl to Middle-earth.

The Lord of the Nazgûl reappeared in 1300 of the Third Age in the north near the lost realm of Arnor. There he founded the kingdom of Angmar. It is after the formation of Angmar and several conflicts with the Dúnedain of the North that the Lord of the Nazgul received the title of Witch-king, Lord of Angmar, for which he was the best known since this was his first great act independent of Sauron.

He then began his open war campaign with the three divided kingdoms of Arnor (Arthedain, Rhudaur , and Cardolan). In 1409 of the Third Age, the Witch-king invaded the kingdom of Rhudaur and Cardolan and eventually destroyed both kingdoms. Soon, the only resistance against the Witch-king's forces was the western kingdom of Arthedain. The Witch-king continued his war for hundreds of years. In 1636, the Witch-king sent wights to the Barrow-downs in Cardolan in order to prevent the rebirth of the kingdom. The Witch-king claimed ultimate victory in the north in 1974 of the Third Age, when his forces captured Fornost Erain, the capital of Arthedain. With its capture, the final kingdom collapsed, and with it, the last remnants of the lost realm of Arnor were destroyed.

The Witch-king gladly took his seat of power in the newly captured Fornost. But his glory did not last long, for in 1975, general Eärnur of Gondor landed at the harbors of Mithlond, leading an army of Gondorians. His army was joined by the Elves of Lindon and the remnant of the northern Dúnedain and marched on the Witch-king.

They did not meet the Witch-king at Fornost, but on the plains west of it toward Lake Evendim, home of the ancient kings of Arnor, Annúminas. The battle would forever be known as the Battle of Fornost. Earnur's army was later joined in the mists of battle by Glorfindel and his Elven army from Rivendell. The combined forces of Elves and Men brought utter defeat to the Witch-king and his forces. After the battle, the Witch-king fled south to Mordor and his kingdom of Angmar without an able leader, was destroyed.

The Witch-king finally returned to Mordor in the year 1980 of the Third Age.

When the Witch-king returned, his wrath of defeat still burned within. In 2000, the Witch-king lead the Nazgûl on a siege of Minas Ithil. They finally captured it in 2002, in the name of Sauron and renamed it Minas Morgul, the Tower of Black Sorcery. It was at Minas Morgul that the Witch-king made his stronghold, giving him the title of Lord of Morgul.

In 2043, King Eärnil II of Gondor passed away and his son, the Witch-king's old enemy, Eärnur inherited the throne. Upon his coronation, the Witch-king challenged him to combat, but Eärnur refused. However, seven years later in 2050, the Witch-king again challenged him, this time he accepted. Eärnur rode out of Minas Tirith to meet the Witch-king in Minas Morgul. He entered the city's gates and was never seen again, thus ending the reign of the Gondorian Kings and causing the beginning of the ruling Stewards of Gondor.

No more than twelve years after the siege of Minas Ithil, Osgiliath was next in the Witch-king's line of sight. He led hordes of Orcs and Haradrim against the city. The city had already been devastated centuries before by a plague, and the Witch-king's forces ruined what remained of the city and destroyed the great bridge linking the east and west banks of the Anduin river. This was a devastating blow to the morale of Gondor.

In 2941, the Necromancer was finally expelled from Dol Guldur when Gandalf confirmed that he truly was Sauron in disguise. Sauron returned to Mordor and began preparations to find his One Ring. He began the reconstruction of his dark tower, Barad-dûr, in 2951 and sent three Ringwraiths to re-capture Dol Guldur. And in 3018, with the capture of Gollum, Sauron learned the location of the Ring from two words uttered by Gollum, "Shire...Baggins." Sauron opened the gates of Minas Morgul and sent forth the Witch-king and the other Nazgul disguised as Black Riders to fetch his Ring.  The War of the Ring had begun.

The Witch-king and the other eight Nazgûl rode swiftly from Mordor to the lands of the Shire. They continued to search for "Baggins" until they tracked him to Buckland. The Nine Riders raided Buckland but could not find the Ring.

The Witch-king led four other Nazgûl to Weathertop where they discovered Frodo, Strider, and the other hobbits. The Ringwraiths attacked the party and the Witch-king wounded Frodo with a Morgul blade. Though successfully driven off by Isildur's heir, Strider, Frodo's wound threatened to turn him into a wraith like the Nazgûl. Elrond of Rivendell sent Glorfindel (Arwen in the film) to guide Frodo to Rivendell where Elrond could heal his wound. Glorfindel's race to Rivendell lured the Ringwraiths into the Bruinen. Here, Elrond and Gandalf the Grey released a great flood in the form of horses made out of water. This flood killed the horses of the Ringwraiths and sent them back to their master in Mordor, buying the Fellowship time to plan an attack.

With their return to Mordor, Sauron bestowed the Nazgûl with fell beasts, great winged beasts as their new mounts. Sauron used the lesser eight Nazgûl for reconnaissance work and the occasional shock troop. The Witch-king, however, returned to Minas Morgul and reassumed the role of commander of Sauron's forces. He then began battles to capture Osgiliath. The Witch-king was afterwards known as the Black Captain by the soldiers of Gondor because he instilled fear in his enemies; Gondor captain Boromir was driven off in an early skirmish, barely managing to destroy Osgiliath's last great stone bridge.

The final battle for Osgiliath was fought on March 13, 3019 of the Third Age against Faramir's rangers. Faramir's forces could not hold the Orc hordes who swarmed across the Anduin in barges under the control of Gothmog. Faramir pulled his forces back to Minas Tirith assailed by flying Nazgûl, losing nearly all of his forces in the retreat. Faramir was returned to Minas Tirith gravely wounded. With Gondor's defeat at Osgiliath, nothing stood in the way of Sauron's ambitions of destroying Minas Tirith and the Free People's hopes.

On March 14, Orcs, Haradrim, and Easterling forces numbering over 200,000 marched on the gates of Minas Tirith. Sauron had bestowed the Witch-king with newfound strength, making his might the greatest it ever had been. Equipped with new armor, he rode in, leading the army to the gates. Before dawn on the 15th, the great battering-ram Grond was used to break the city's main gate, and the Witch-king rode into the city unchallenged, save by Gandalf. Before Gandalf's strength was put to the test, however, the cock crowed and the horns of Rohan were heard as around 6,000 of their riders joined the battle. This forced the Witch-king to ride out to face this new threat.

The Witch-king mounted his fell beast and began slaughtering the Rohirrim. Théoden attempted to rally his troops to form a resistance against him. The Witch-king responded by personally intervening in the fray involving the Rohirric King. Flying on the back of his fell beast, he drove upon Théoden. The advancing Rohirrim's horses panicked as his beast attacked. Théoden's horse, Snowmane, became frightened and was struck by an arrow and fell upon its master.

Éowyn slew his fell beast in a single strike. The Witch-king arose, filled with malice and attacked. Though a powerful warrior, Éowyn was no match for the Witch-king's might. With a single strike of his mace, he shattered her shield and broke her left arm.

As he towered over her, preparing to deliver the final blow, Merry rushed behind him and plunged his enchanted sword into the back of Witch-king's knee. Éowyn took the opportunity to strike. As he fell to his knees, Éowyn rose. She then thrust her sword into the face of the Witch-king, causing him to wither and pass away from this world.

The prophecy of Glorfindel so many centuries before had finally come to pass. For not by the hands of a "man" had he fallen, but by those of a woman and a hobbit. With his death, the turn of the battle had changed and ultimately the outcome. No more than ten days later, Sauron himself was finally destroyed when the One Ring was finally cast back into the fires of Mount Doom.

The Witch-king's true name is never given, and therefore among Tolkien fans, the Witch-king is often simply called Angmar, after the name of the realm he founded and led.

Khamûl

Khamûl was one of the nine Ringwraiths, second only to the Witch-king himself. He was called Sauron's lieutenant, Shadow of the East, and the Black Easterling. He was a lord of Easterlings before being given one of the Nine Rings. He was the only Ringwraith whose name was given by Tolkien.

Khamûl was the Wraith who pursued the Hobbits to the Ferry at Buckleberry in the Shire, and who asked Hamfast Gamgee for "Baggins" just before Frodo Baggins left Hobbiton. He commanded the fortress of Dol Guldur after Sauron's return to Mordor. Following the destruction of the One Ring, Khamûl perished with the rest of the Ringwraiths.