This article contains spoilers forThe Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power.As its titular character, Sauron is very important inThe Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, so we get to see his paranormal powers portrayed in detail. DespiteSauron exposing his Ainur identityto Celebrimbor, his duplicitous nature revealed itself as he offered Celebrimbor “Lord of the Rings” status. I know that Sauron intends to be the realLord of the Rings, with his technological talents building to his forging of the dominant One Ring.Jewelry-making is just one of Sauron’s canonical skills, and the show is also looking into some of his lesser-known abilities.
The technicalities of Sauron’s powers were left vagueinThe HobbitandThe Lord of the Rings,plus its appendices, all of which the show has the rights to adapt. Tolkien also described Sauron’s capacity inThe Silmarillionand other posthumous publications.Rings of Powerpulls Annatar’s name fromThe Silmarillion, so it can evidently secure one-off rights from across the legendarium. However, this doesn’t grant the show much more in terms of explicit detail about Sauron’s abilities. I see that this isn’t stoppingRings of Powerfrom deep-diving into a mysterious power central to Sauron’s character.
The Rings of Power’s Unseen Realm Explained
The Unseen realm and the powers drawn from it will play a huge part in Rings of Power Season 2 since the Stranger and Ringwraiths are tied to it.
The Rings Of Power Shows What Sauron Retaking Physical Form Really Looks Like
Sauron Forms A Body In Rings Of Power
The Rings of Powerseason 2opened with a flashback to Adar’s murder of Sauron about 1000 years before season 1, necessitating the immortal Sauron to utilize his innate ability to take a new physical form. I can point out a few allusions to Sauron’s ability to regenerate in Tolkien’s work, but none of them covered how the process appeared physically. As an Ainur,Sauron’s undying spirit could shapeshiftand form a new body from scratch after being destroyed. This was shown after the murder, Sauron’s black blood dripping from his corpse, eventually taking shape.
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Powerseason 1 can be streamed on Amazon.
Jack Lowden’s Sauronemitted a burst of bright light as his heart stopped, freezing the Forodwaith fortress, presumably reflecting the power contained in his body. After being stabbed by multiple Orcs and Adar, we saw Sauron’s blood filtering slowly to the rocky foundations of the fortress and eventually beginning to move of its own volition. The predatory black matter caught and ingested whatever prey it could with prehensile black tentacles, growing until it had enough strength to leave the fortress and catch a human.After ingesting a human, Sauron took his Halbrand form, which I imagine demanded human DNA.
What Tolkien Said About How Sauron Returns After Being Defeated
Tolkien Described Sauron’s Rebirth
Pioneering fantasy writer J.R.R. Tolkien wroteThe Lord of the Ringsbooks on whichThe Rings of Poweris based, but never describedthe logistics of Sauron’s shapeshiftingor regenerating in detail. This leavesThe Rings of Powerto creatively interpret the text, resulting in the opening scenes of season 2. However, Tolkien did say thatthe destruction of Sauron’s body at one point reduced him to “a spirit of hatred borne on a dark wind"before he “rebuilt a semblance of [his] former” habitation. I can line this darkness up with the show’s regeneration process.
The Silmarilliontells how Sauron’s spirit fled to Mordor after the destruction of his body and “dwelt there, dark and silent, until he wrought himself a new guise.” This was vague, but implied thatSauron didn’t have the power of vocalization at first, and had to construct his faculties gradually. Tolkien explained how “Sauron’s power [departed], and his spirit [fled] into the shadows” after Isildur cut the One Ring from his finger. I can see how this could link to the burst of light coming from Sauron’s body as it died inRings of Power.
Now I Get Why Tolkien Kept Sauron’s Regeneration Power Vague
It’s Hard to Visualize Shapeshifting
Imagining supernatural birth, outside of the conventions of human biology, is a mammoth task, so I can see why J.R.R. Tolkien left the details of it vague in his books. Tolkien paintedthe Second Age of Middle-earthin very broad strokes, and this served to create a story rich in significance, with one wise sentence able to have multiple meanings.Tolkien would have limited the meaning of some of his passages by adding more specific detailsto them. However,The Rings of Poweris not a book, it is a TV show, and it tells Tolkien’s story in an inherently different format, requiring creative license sometimes.
I respect that we get to see Sauron brought low before we get to see him rise - this is, after all, his journey inThe Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power.
The Rings of Powerseason 2 exemplified the difficulty of visualizing Sauron’s regeneration and shapeshifting in a few ways, raising perhaps more questions than it answered.I’m now desperate to know what happened in the carriagewhen Sauron ingested the unsuspecting woman before turning into Halbrand. It’s also arguably on the silly side to have this dark Maiar slithering along like Venom, although I appreciate the relevance. And I respect that we get to see Sauron brought low before we get to see him rise - this is, after all, his journey inThe Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power.
The Rings of Powerseason 2 is streaming on Amazon Prime, with the next episode out on June 25, 2025.
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power
Cast
Set in the Second Age of Middle-earth, The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power explores the forging of the iconic rings, the rise of the Dark Lord Sauron, and the epic events leading up to the stories in J.R.R. Tolkien’s classic novels. The series chronicles the creation of legendary characters and the historic alliances and rivalries that shape the fate of Middle-earth.
