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The Eye of Sauron is one of the most iconic images in movie history, and serves as the physical representation of the far more ethereal villain that is Sauron in Peter Jackson’sThe Lord of the Ringstrilogy. This giant fiery eyeball is only one of the many forms taken by Sauron in these films, making his actual physical form quite difficult to deduce. What does Sauron actually look like, and how accurate are the movies' depictions in comparison to the original books?
While Sauron’s evil presence is felt throughout the entirety ofThe Lord of the Ringsstory, his actual appearances are quite infrequent. His villainous role is far more distant and looming than some other famous bad-guys, but there’s no denying the threat he poses to the denizens of Middle-Earth. The descriptions of Sauron may be few and far between, but by paying close attention to the novels as well as cross-referencing the many different interpretations of the Dark Lord in other media, a very compelling portrait of fantasy’s biggest bad-guy can be painted.
What is Sauron?
Before discussing how Sauron canonically looks, it’s important to first understand where exactly he comes from. Sauron’s origins date back to the very beginning of Middle-Earth’s fictional history, with the creation of the world itself. Sauron is one of the Maiar, angelic beings sent to aid in the creation and protection of Middle-Earth. At least, this was their intended role, but many Maiar were unfortunately corrupted bythe evil being Morgoth(AKA Melkor), a vastly powerful Vala who forsook his responsibilities in favor of conquest and domination. Morgoth recruited many disgraced Maiar to his side, but none of them were more feared than his most loyal lieutenant: Sauron, the Great Deceiver.
For thousands of years, Morgoth brought death and destruction to Middle-Earth, but by the end of the First Age, his powers were largely depleted and he was finally cast down. With his master now gone, the role of Dark Lord fell to Sauron. Unlike Morgoth, Sauron’s strength lay in his powers of deceit and manipulation, and it was with these skills that he hatched a new plan for dominion: the creation of the Rings of Power, and the One Ring which was secretly crafted to rule all the others.
Over the many milennia he’s been alive, Sauron is said to have taken on a vast number of shapes. Aside from his intimidating form as “the Dark Lord,” Sauron is known to have shapeshiftedinto the likes of a werewolf, a serpent, and even a vampiric bat. His most famous form, however, was that ofAnnatar, a fair-seeming Elven disguisewhich he used to manipulate the Elves of Doriath and the Men of Numenor into trusting him. This alias of Sauron was best portrayed in Monolith’sShadow of Mordorgame series, and is also confirmed to be making an appearance in the upcoming second season of Amazon’sThe Rings of Power.
Sauron in the Movies
In Peter Jackson’s iconic film trilogy, Sauron’s presence is far more omnipotent than anything else. While his armies and servants roam Middle-Earth in search of the One Ring, the Dark Lord himself remains confined to Barad-dûr, his tower in Mordor. Here, he takes the form of a gigantic, fiery eye. While he poses no genuine physical threat in this state, Sauron’s powers of corruption and dark sorcerery remain just as potent as ever. In the prologue toThe Fellowship of the Ring, however, audiences are treated to a flashback which depicts Sauron as not only a physical threat, but a seriously dangerous one.
In the Battle for the Last Alliance,as kings Elendil and Gil-galadlead their followers to what seems like an easy victory, Sauron emerges onto the battlefield. His presence is massive, looming over the Elves and Men who stand to oppose him, and he is clad in a twisted set of spiked armor which covers every inch of his skin. Wielding a great mace, he deals devastating blows to the Last Alliance, even killing Elendil and shattering his sword, Narsil. The shards of the blade are recovered by Elendil’s son, Isildur, who, in a last-ditch attempt to defend himself, manages to sever the One Ring from Sauron’s finger. Sauron’s powers are drained, and his physical form collapses in on itself, defeated for the time being.
In the canon of theLOTRfilms, Sauron is again incapable of taking a physical form until he repossesses the One Ring. This is the reason he desires it so greatly, and this is the reason that his powers are confined to the shape of a giant eye rather than a 10-foot tall warrior. As the Eye of Sauron, the Dark Lord exerts his corruptive influence over the entirety of Middle-Earth, perching atop the tower of Barad-dûr and spreading his will through his servants. Although his tower is built behind the mountains of Mordor, Sauron’s sight extends far beyond the limitations of the physical world, and he is quickly able to spy anyone who might be so foolish as to put on the One Ring.
Sauron In the Books
While the movies do an exceptional job of translating J.R.R. Tolkien’s world to the big screen, there are several very major differences between the way that Sauron is portrayed in the original text ofThe Lord of the Rings. The first and most obvious distinction between the books and the movies is that at no point in the novels does Tolkien ever suggest that Sauron takes the form of a giant eye.
It’s true that, much like the films, Sauron abandons his body after the Battle of the Last Alliance (a fight in which he is stated to not use a mace, but instead his bare hands, which burn anyone he touches them with). A key difference between the books and the films, however, is that, in the novels, Sauron is fully capable of taking physical form without the One Ring. His power is still vastly diminished without his precious weapon, but Tolkien makes it quite clear that he is not confined to a non-corporeal form such as an eyeball. The proof of this can be found inGollum’s brief description of the Dark Lord, where he clearly states that not only does Sauron possess a physical body, but his hand is even missing a finger.
Unfortunately, beyond this very limited description from Gollum, not much else is known about Sauron’s appearance inThe Lord of the Ringsbooks. The most extensive depiction of the Dark Lord comes instead fromThe Silmarillion, in which Tolkien describes Sauron’s return to power after his defeat at the hands of Isildur and the Last Alliance:
But Sauron was not mortal flesh… he took up again his great Ring in Barad-dur, & dwelt there, dark & silent, until he wrought for himself a new guise, an image of malice & hatred made visible; and the Eye of Sauron the Terrible few could endure.
Now, eagle-eyed readers will undoubtedly be quick to note that Tolkien does in fact refer to Sauron’s power using the term “the Eye of Sauron.” However, by nearly every interpretation of his works, it is widely believed that the Eye of Sauron does not refer to a physical eye (although Frodo and Pippin both see one in visions throughout the series), but rather the wide-reaching gaze of the Dark Lord and his otherworldly powers. With such limited information, it is instead up to each and every reader ofThe Lord of the Ringsto come up with their own version of how Sauron might look within his dark fortress, and this imagination is probably more frightening than anything the books or films could have ever depicted.
The Lord of the Rings
The Lord of the Rings is one of the most iconic names in entertainment. The franchise started with novels from J. R. R. Tolkien before being adapted onto the big screen by Peter Jackson in one of the most critically-acclaimed film trilogies of all time. There have also been numerous The Lord of the Rings video games of varying quality.
