Sauron

Sauron is a fictional character in J.R.R. Tolkien's Middle-earth legendarium. The name Sauron comes from the Black Speech and is often rendered as “the abhorred.” He is a Maia, a powerful spiritual being who becomes the chief antagonist in The Lord of the Rings and the Dark Lord who seeks to dominate Middle-earth.

In the Second Age, Sauron appears under the guise of Annatar, the Lord of Gifts, and helps the Elves to forge the Rings of Power while secretly planning to control their bearers. To ensure dominion, he forges the One Ring at Mount Doom, pouring much of his own power into it so that it might bind the other rings to his will.

During the War of the Last Alliance, Sauron’s physical form is destroyed when Isildur cuts the Ring from his finger. Although his body is slain, his spirit endures and he gradually regains strength in Mordor, establishing Barad-dûr as his fortress and sending forth the Nazgûl, his ringwraith servants, to recover the Ring.

In the Third Age, Sauron’s influence shapes much of Middle-earth’s political and military landscape as he seeks to regain the Ring and conquer the Free Peoples. The Ring is ultimately destroyed in the fires of Mount Doom, leading to the fall of Sauron’s power and the end of his dominion.

In adaptations, Sauron is commonly depicted as a fiery eye or a looming shadow, but his core role remains that of the overarching villain who seeks to subjugate all of Middle-earth.