The Lord of the Rings: Rings of Power the action takes place in the Second Age J. R. R. TolkienUniverse of Middle-earth. Although this is the era hinted at in the opening flashback sequence Lord of the rings, Brotherhood of the ring, the series will tell the full story of the first War of the Ring. The armies of humans, elves and dwarves unite to defeat the main enemy: Sauron. Before becoming a monolithic eye atop Mount Doom, Sauron assumed mortal form.
Sauron’s backstory is well documented in Tolkien’s novels. outside Lord of the Rings as well as hobbitTolkien explained how Sauron first came to power in Silmarillion. Silmarillion includes details of the entire history of Middle-earth, from its inception to its fall. Although Sauron becomes the “ultimate evil” that unites the heroes, he is actually linked to an even more ancient malevolent force.
Sauron has a history with another evil immortal being in Middle-earth
Middle-earth is a continent in a fictional world that Tolkien refers to as “Arda”. The god-like figure Eru creates this universe by creating immortal beings called “Ainur”. Sauron is among the Ainur who were the first to receive the word Eru. However, Sauron falls under the influence of another immortal being named Melkor. Melkor is the most powerful of the Ainur and the source of all evil in Middle-earth.
Sauron is attracted by the knowledge he receives from Melkor. While Eru wanted creatures like elves and humans to grow and develop, Melkor sought to create unity through a fully assimilated culture. Tolkien’s experiences during World War II served as a major source of inspiration for his stories. The desire of Melkor and Sauron to create “order” through unity can be compared to the global rise of fascism. The union of humans, elves and dwarves is considered a metaphor for allied forces.
Eventually Sauron leaves the lands of Valinor to serve Melkor in Middle-earth itself. Valinor is the “Blessed Realm” of Tolkien’s universe, where the elves go at the end The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King. Melkor (cursed and renamed Morgoth) helps Sauron become his chief lieutenant. Sauron begins experimenting with Eru’s creatures and creates orcs, trolls, and other villains in the franchise. During the “War of Wrath”, Sauron takes on many forms, including a vampire bat, a werewolf, and finally the “Dark Lord”.
Sauron secretly creates the One Ring
Although Morgoth is defeated and imprisoned in Valinor, Sauron manages to escape and names himself Morgoth’s successor. To prepare for his next conquest, Sauron convinces the elven smiths to forge the Rings of Power. Unbeknownst to the elves, he secretly creates the One Ring to control the other rings. This is one of the main themes. Lord of the Rings; although the ring-bearers are granted power, they are doomed to corruption.
The “War of the Last Alliance” serves as the main storyline in Rings of Power. While it’s not entirely clear where the story is headed, the series will show Sauron’s destruction of Numenor, the city of men. It is this event that forces humanity to make an alliance with the elves. Even if there are multiple seasons planned, we already know how the story will end; Sauron is defeated and presumed dead. However, the human prince Isildur refuses to destroy the One Ring in the fires of Mount Doom, allowing Sauron to live.
Sauron is only referred to as “The Necromancer” in hobbit, but the Peter Jackson film trilogy explains this discrepancy in more detail. The existence of Sauron cannot be revealed until Lord of the Rings. Gandalf (Ian McKellen) senses that a great evil is rising in the East and hunts down this mysterious “Necromancer”. He was almost killed, but Galadriel (Cate Blanchett), Elrond (Hugo Weaving), and the wizard Saruman (Christopher Lee) to help him. Ultimately, it is Saruman who allows Sauron’s existence to remain a secret; he secretly desires the One Ring and wishes to serve at Sauron’s side. In the years between hobbit as well as Lord of the Rings, Saruman helps Sauron raise a huge army and take control of the fortress of Isengard. Gandalf knows that BilboIan Holm) has a magic ring, but he does not realize that it is actually the Ring of Omnipotence until the beginning The Fellowship of the Ring.
Sauron’s power lies in his ability to corrupt others
The only way to strip Sauron of his power is to destroy the Ring of Power itself; Frodo is chosen by the Council of Elrond because he has the power to resist his forces. Dwarves, elves, and humans may be seduced by its power. Even Aragorn (Viggo Mortensen) and Galadriel fear that they will not be able to resist the influence of the One Ring. Unlike Isildur, Frodo ultimately decides to cast the Ring of Power into the fiery volcano of Mount Doom and destroy Sauron forever. With nothing to keep him alive, Sauron was destroyed and banished from Middle-earth forever.
The character of Sauron is highly metaphorical and has thus taken many forms in Tolkien’s novels. Jackson’s films have found different ways of portraying him. He appears as a mythical shadow in hobbit trilogy and tall warrior in flashback. Aragorn even fights the literal “Mouth of Sauron” before the Battle of Mount Doom. It will be interesting to see how Rings of Power succeeds in reinventing the legendary history of this character.