J.R.R. Tolkien’s epic trilogy culminates with the final defeat of Sauron at the end ofLord of the Rings: The Return of the King, but his defeat didn’t technically result in his death. The trilogy follows Frodo and Sam as they journey to Mt. Doom in Mordor, as that is the only way that the One Ring can be destroyed, and by extension, Sauron’s life force. Over thousands of years,the wholly evil Sauronhas been defeated multiple times (like when his body was destroyed by Isildur at Mt. Doom), but has never been far beyond resurgence.
WhileThe Return of the Kingshowed very little of what happenedafter theLord of the Ringstrilogy, it’s made clear that Sauron’s defeat at the end of Frodo’s journey was different from his other defeats. In that final defeat, it became impossible for him to ever return, hence Gandalf leaving Middle Earth with his “task” done. However, Sauron did not technically die when the tower of Barad-dûr fell, even if he became unable to ever retake physical form or influence others.
How To Watch The Lord Of The Rings Movies In Order (Chronologically & By Release Date)
The Hobbit explores a time period before the Lord of the Rings, meaning Peter Jackson’s movies can be watched in more than one viewing order.
He Is Reduced To Almost Nothing
As depicted in Peter Jackson’s cinematic trilogy, when the One Ring was destroyed, the Eye of Sauron vanished in explosive fashion, destroying Barad-dûr and causing the ground to swallow his armies in the process. Sauron was indeed reduced to virtually nothing, butas an immortal being, his spirit can never truly die. He is no longer visible, can no longer awaken evil, or take physical form, but the being Sauron does still exist in some form after the events ofThe Return of the King.
The supreme deity of the universe
Maiar
Olórin (Gandalf), Aiwendil (Radagast), Durin’s Bane, Mairon (Sauron), Curumo (Saruman)
Sauron is one of the Maiar, a group of immortal spiritswho have existed since before the shaping of the world. Including Sauron, there are a number of other named Maiar in Tolkien’s works; the five Wizards, including Gandalf, are Maiar, as well as Durin’s Bane, the Balrog that Gandalf battles in Khazad-dûm. The Maiar were created to help the Valar, shape the Earth. Some of the Maiar, like Sauron, were corrupted by Melkor, a rebel Vala and the first Dark Lord. Given his divine origin, Sauron can never die, even if he is reduced to nothing.
The Rings Of Power Season 2 Showed How Sauron Returns To Physical Form
The Rings Of Power Depicted Sauron’s Rebirth
The Rings of Powerseason 2 went into the detail of Sauron’s regenerative abilities, depicting his death and rebirth. TheRings of Powerinvented a storyline whereby Morgoth’s forces were regrouping after the War of Wrath and one of the Orc commanders (Adar) and Orcs loyal to him turned on Sauron, having tired of being his canon fodder.Sauron was betrayedand stabbed to death. His power flew from his body in a burst of energy that froze the land for miles around him and his body evaporated, leaving just a pool of his black blood, animated by his lingering spirit.
Going dangerously unnoticed by the Orcs, Sauron’s blood dripped to the foundations of the fortress and there slowly bubbled and crept, weak but prehensile, grabbing small insects as prey. Ingesting protein, slowly, the black tentacle creature grew until it had the strength to follow, catch, and consume a human. Finally,Sauron was able to shift from his black ooze form into a Second Age fair form. This happened off-screen in a matter of seconds, but it seemed fairly physically strenuous for both Sauron and the human, judging from the noises being made.
Why Sauron Can’t Ever Return (Despite Not Dying)
His Fate Was Tied To The One Ring
Sauron’s spirit still endured in some form afterThe Return of the King, but he can never again take a physical form like the shadowy Necromancer, or even a non-physical form like the Eye of Sauron. Thousands of years before Bilbo happened upon it in Gollum’s cave,Sauron poured all of his strength and power into the One Ring, including most of his spirit with it. By doing so, he enhanced his own power, and therefore could corrupt and control those who bore the other Rings of Power, as happened with the Nazgûl.
When the One Ring was destroyed, there was so very little left of Sauron that it became impossible for him to ever take on a new form or use his spirit to stir evil in the world, as he had done so many times before.His life force was completely diminished, leaving virtually no trace of him in the world, save for the faintest existence, due to his immortality. However, in the far future of Middle-Earth, Sauron could potentially be reborn once more.
One Abandoned Tolkien Story Could Have Brought Back Sauron
The Epic Dagor Dagorath Provides A Possibility
At different points in his collected works, specifically inThe Silmarillion, Tolkien references the Dagor Dagorath, which is referred to as “The End.“The Dagor Dagorath is said to be a great battle between good and evilthat comes to pass at the end of the world. Drawn from the Norse Ragnarök and Biblical Armageddon, the Dagor Dagorath would see Melkor return from his eternal imprisonment and lead the forces of evil in an all-encompassing battle against the Valar, which would come “when the world is old.”
Tolkien’s son, Christopher Tolkien, originally chose not to include the full Dagor Dagorath prophecy inThe Silmarillion,which he edited and published after Tolkien’s death. However, he expressed its validity in later publications.
In this final battle, it’s possible thatSauron could return once more to fight alongside Melkoragainst the Valar. If the original Dark Lord himself could return and wield a power terrible enough to cause the breaking of the world, it stands to reason that he may be able to resurrect his most powerful allies, including Sauron. While the Dagor Dagorath was never comprehensively described or fleshed out into a full legend, it could be a vital way for Sauron to return after his final defeat inThe Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King.
The Lord of the Rings
The Lord of the Rings is a multimedia franchise consisting of several movies and a TV show released by Amazon titled The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power. The franchise is based on J.R.R. Tolkien’s book series that began in 1954 with The Fellowship of the Ring. The Lord of the Rings saw mainstream popularity with Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit trilogies.
