Sauron: The Dark Lord of Middle Earth (Part III)

by SuicidalScotsman

Sauron had nearly been destroyed when the Ring was cut from his finger. Fortunately, for him, Isildur did not destroy the Ring, but kept it. Isildur was then killed in the disastrous battle of Gladden Fields in the year 2 of the Third Age. The Ring fell into the Anduin River, and was lost for 2,500 years. Sauron fled to the forest of Greenwood the Great. He then built a stronghold called Dol Guldur around the year 1000 T.A. Darkness crept into Greenwood, and it became known as Mirkwood. It was not known at the time that the darkness was caused by Sauron. Therefore, the local folk called the mysterious presence “The Necromancer”.

Sauron’s fortress of Barad-Dûr had been destroyed. He needed time and power to rebuild it. He spent a long time rebuilding a body of great stature, although he was incapable of inhabiting it without the One Ring. In the year 1300, he sent the Witch King to form the kingdom of Angmar. For 600 years, Angmar waged war with the fragmented kingdom of Arnor. Therefore, it was that in 1975 of the Third Age, the Witch King was driven out, but the campaign had been a success, and Arnor was annihilated along with the majority of the Dúnedain, reducing them to a scattered people.

The Great Plague hit Middle-Earth in 1636. It was most likely caused by Sauron for the very purpose that it accomplished. It weakened Gondor, and allowed the Witch King take Minas Ithil in 1980. It was renamed Minas Morgul, and the Ithil Stone was taken to Mordor for later use.

In 1851, T.A. Sauron’s emissaries provoked men of the east known as Wainriders to attack Gondor. They were defeated, but king Narmacil II was slain. In 1899, the Wainriders went south, allied with the warriors of Khand and Harad, and attacked Gondor again. They attacked in 1944, and king Ondoher was slain, and Gondor was on the brink of destruction. However, the captain of Gondor Eärnil saved the kingdom by driving the men of darkness at the Battle of the Camp.

In 2050, King Eärnur of Gondor went to Minas Morgul to challenge the Witch King to a duel. Ignoring the protests of his advisors, he fought the witch king, and was subsequently killed, breaking the line of kings. Thus began the caretaking of the Stewards.

Sauron continued to dwell in Dol Guldur. In 2063, Gandalf the Grey went to Mirkwood, suspicious of Sauron’s presence in Mirkwood. Sauron fled to avoid Gandalf, and returned with a massive force in 2460.

Sauron still needed the One Ring to restore his body and his power. However, the Ring had been lost when Isildur died. In 2463, a small hobbit-like character named Deagol found the Ring in the bottom of the Anduin River. Deagol was murdered by his friend Sméagol, who then took the Ring into the Misty Mountains and became the creature Gollum.

Sauron then invaded Calenardhon in 2510. However, Eorl the Young and his band of riders saved Gondor. In gratitude, Gondor gave Eorl Calenardhon, which was renamed Rohan. Sauron then captured Thrain II in 2845. He took the last of the seven Dwarven Rings, and locked Thrain in the dungeons of Dol Guldur. It was here that Gandalf learned that the Necromancer was indeed Sauron. Gandalf went to the White Council, and pleaded with them to invade Mirkwood. To his surprise, Saruman agreed. Previously, Saruman had overruled Gandalf because he was searching for the Ring. Now that Sauron was searching for the Ring in Gladden fields, Saruman searched in Mirkwood.

Unknown to everyone else, in 2941, a hobbit named Bilbo Baggins found the One Ring while wandering lost in the caverns in the Misty Mountains. For another 60 years, the One remained unknown in the Shire. Gandalf had been aware that Bilbo had a magic ring, but did not know it was the One Ring. The ring passed to Frodo in 3001.

Sauron had returned to Mordor in 2951, and amassed large amounts of Orcs, Trolls, Corrupted men, and Nazgul. He used the Palantir to contact Lord Denethor of Gondor. Sauron could not break Denethor’s will, but he filled Denethor with despair as he showed him the might of Mordor.

Sauron learned of the heir of Elendil in 3018 during the War of the Ring. He panicked, and attacked Minas Tirith sooner than he wanted, for he feared what the King of Gondor could do if he reunited the race of Men.

The battle of the Pelennor Fields was devastating to Sauron. He lost a huge amount of his army, but retained enough so he could attack Minas Tirith soon enough. However, Aragorn and the Men of the West rode out to the Black Gate. He sent his messenger, the Mouth of Sauron, to attempt to corrupt the will of Aragorn and his companions. The Mouth was slain, and the Men were undeterred. Sauron threw everything at them, and watched in delight as he slowly anticipated their defeat. Suddenly, something caught his attention. He looked at Mount Doom to see the One Ring, just barely out of his reach. He sent the Nazgul after it, but only could watch in horror as it fell into the fires of Mount Doom

Thus was the end of Sauron, the second greatest enemy of Middle-earth. After the Ring was destroyed, Sauron forever wandered the earth as a formless shadow, incapable of manifesting in the world.

References
The Silmarillion. J.R.R. Tolkien.
The Thain’s Book
The Encyclopedia of Arda