Before the world's creation The supreme being
Eru began the creation with good, starting evils that Sauron continued. he was "far higher" than the Maiar who later came to Middle-earth as
Wizards.
First Age Sauron served
Aulë, the smith of the Valar, acquiring knowledge; he was called
Mairon (
Quenya: "The Admirable") until he betrayed the Valar by joining Melkor. In
Beleriand, he was called
Gorthu (
Sindarin: "Mist of Fear") and
Gorthaur (
Sindarin: "The Cruel"). Sauron, hating disorder, He became a spy for Melkor on the isle of
Almaren, the Valar's home, Sauron followed Melkor to
Middle-earth, joining the Valar's enemy. He repaired Angband, and bred an army of
Orcs. Melkor, now called Morgoth, murdered Finwë, King of the Noldor, and escaped to Middle-earth with the
Silmarils, pursued by the Noldor.
Second Age 500 years into the
Second Age, Sauron reappeared, He captured the fortress of Minas Ithil, and Elendil's son
Isildur escaped down the Anduin River. Elendil's other son,
Anárion, defended
Osgiliath, the capital city of Gondor, and drove Sauron's forces back to the mountains. Sauron reembodied as the
Necromancer, hiding at
Dol Guldur ("Hill of Sorcery") in
Mirkwood. The chief of the Nazgûl, the
Witch-king of Angmar, destroyed the northern realm of Arnor. When attacked by Gondor, the Witch-king retreated to Mordor. The
White Council of Wizards discovered Sauron, and drove him from Mirkwood. He returned to Mordor, openly declared himself, rebuilt Barad-dûr, and bred armies of large orcs,
Uruks. The One Ring, lost in the Anduin, was found by the hobbit Sméagol. The Ring corrupted him. He shunned sunlight and took on the personality of
Gollum. He retreated into caves, obsessed with the Ring, his "Precious". It slipped from him and was picked up by
Bilbo Baggins. Gollum attempted to murder Bilbo and reclaim the Ring, but Bilbo escaped when the Ring slipped onto his finger. Many years later, Gandalf identified Bilbo's ring, now passed down to his cousin
Frodo, as Sauron's One Ring. He tasked Frodo with taking it to Rivendell. Sauron tortured Gollum and discovered where the Ring was. Sauron sent the Nazgûl to pursue Frodo, but he escaped to
Rivendell, where Elrond convened a council. It determined that the Ring should be destroyed in Mount Doom by the
Company of the Ring.
Saruman attempted to capture the Ring, but was defeated. The
palantír of
Orthanc fell into the hands of the Company;
Aragorn, Isildur's descendant and heir to the throne of Gondor, used it to show himself to Sauron as if he held the Ring. Sauron, troubled, attacked Minas Tirith prematurely. His army was destroyed at the
Battle of the Pelennor Fields. Frodo entered Mordor. Aragorn distracted Sauron with an attack on Mordor's
Black Gate. Frodo reached Mount Doom, but claimed the Ring for himself, revealing the Ring to Sauron. Gollum seized the Ring and fell into the Cracks of Doom, destroying it and himself. Sauron was utterly defeated, and vanished from Middle-earth. == Appearance ==