166
votes
Accepted
How did Sauron feed the armies of Mordor?
You're not the first to have asked this question; in fact Sam pondered the very same thing on the way to Mount Doom (RotK Book VI Chapter 2: The Land of Shadow):
'I don't like the look of things at ...
110
votes
Accepted
Why did Sauron think that no one in possession of the One Ring would want to destroy it?
Sauron could not fathom anyone being able to withstand the power
It is stated in the Council of Elrond, as other methods of disposing of the ring are brought up, when Gandalf makes a point that Sauron ...
- 77.5k
109
votes
Does Sauron have any dialogue in any of the books?
Sauron speaks in The Silmarillion
Thus Gorlim was ensnared; and taking him to their camp they tormented, seeking to learn the hidings of Barahir and all his ways. But nothing would Gorlim tell. Then ...
- 702k
95
votes
Accepted
What does Sauron need with mithril?
Presumably for weapon-making
In an early draft of Fellowship, Tolkien wrote a margin note saying:
Mithril is now nearly all lost. Orcs plunder it and pay tribute to Sauron who is collecting it - we ...
- 164k
71
votes
Accepted
Could Sauron have read Tom Bombadil's mind if Tom had held the Palantir?
Sauron could not read Tom Bombadil’s mind without Tom’s permission, palantír or no palantír. In fact, he could not read anyone’s mind without their permission.
Tolkien explains what we would call ...
- 25k
71
votes
Why didn't Sauron realise Frodo was in Mordor despite finding his shirt?
Sauron could not fathom that a stronger person being in the company of the ring wouldn't wrest it from the halfling. So while he knew up until Amon-Hen it was on the finger of the halfling, Aragorn ...
- 77.5k
70
votes
Accepted
Why not march over Rivendell and take the ring?
I don't think we can give a definitive answer, because Tolkien never did, but a pretty clear answer can be worked out.
First, it's clear that Rivendell had substantial powers of resistance -- ...
- 42k
68
votes
Accepted
Why did Sauron die when the Ring was destroyed in Mount Doom?
Sauron passed a tremendous amount of his own native power as a Maia into the Ring he forged. Gandalf outlines the situation to Frodo in "The Shadow of the Past":
He only needs the One; for ...
- 98.6k
68
votes
Accepted
What did Sauron hope to become?
Sauron was actually about bringing order to the world, after a fashion, and that necessitated him being in absolute control, with an extra dash of hatred for those who had gotten in his way in the ...
- 25k
67
votes
Why not march over Rivendell and take the ring?
In addition to Mark Olson's great answers, there are two other factors.
Gondor is still a military threat to Mordor - a premature attack on Rivendell opens an opportunity for Gondor to attack Mordor. ...
- 52.1k
63
votes
Accepted
Did Sauron prefer his name not to be written or spoken?
Aragorn states this in The Two Towers after the death of Boromir.
'I have not seen these tokens before,' said Aragorn. 'What do they mean?'
'S is for Sauron,' said Gimli. 'That is easy to read.'
...
- 77.5k
60
votes
Why were Sauron and Saruman not considered Balrogs?
Balrogs were a specific type of Maia - spirits of fire - whereas both Sauron and Saruman were mentioned as being not of that type.
The only other Maia of this type mentioned in the texts is Arien, ...
59
votes
Accepted
Why didn't Sauron attack the Beacons of Gondor?
A clever leader might have tried to intercept the call for aid, yes. However, it is a common theme in the trilogy (and all of Tolkien's works to be honest) that the powers of evil are cunning, but ...
- 2,115
50
votes
Accepted
Why does Isildur claim to have defeated Sauron when Gil-galad and Elendil did it?
Isildur may not be the most reliable narrator over here.
Gollum acquired the ring by murdering his relative Déagol and taking it from him. He would later claim that it was a birthday present.
‘The ...
- 95.3k
46
votes
What does Sauron need with mithril?
One possible assumption could be the creation of Grond, the great ram that smashes the gates of Gondor, emphasis mine:
Great engines crawled across the field; and in the midst was a huge ram, great ...
- 1,591
46
votes
Accepted
Why didn't Sauron realise Frodo was in Mordor despite finding his shirt?
It's very likely that Sauron was actively searching for the Hobbits within Mordor, but the only perspective that we get is that of Frodo and Sam, so any search efforts would be happening off-screen or ...
- 7,916
40
votes
Accepted
What did Sauron think the free peoples did with his ring following the events on Amon Hen?
I think the movie interpreted this scene differently from how it was meant to be interpreted. Here's the passage from "The Breaking of the Fellowship", the final chapter of The Fellowship ...
- 3,834
39
votes
Is the Eye of Sauron an artifact: similar to the Ring or to a Palantir?
I think you've actually answered your own question.
In The Two Towers Sauron, Saruman and Denethor all possess Elven artifacts, the surviving palantíri, which confer upon their keeper a power to see ...
- 25k
39
votes
Why did Sauron think that no one in possession of the One Ring would want to destroy it?
Tolkien talks about this in Letter #131. It's a rather long letter but the part that is relevant is thus (I am typing this out and so any mistake is my fault).
[Aside: Tolkien explains first how ...
- 1,159
37
votes
Accepted
Why were Sauron and Saruman not considered Balrogs?
Balrogs were in the service of Morgoth before Time
Mairon was a servant of Aule, not Melkor
Although VoC claims Balrogs were a "spirit of fire" only two characters in Tolkien's writings are ever ...
- 77.5k
37
votes
Accepted
Why did Sauron's tower fall?
As with any accident investigation you need to identify the 'actual and proximate' causes of the incident.
The primary cause of the destruction of the Barad-dûr complex (and the ground surrounding ...
- 702k
35
votes
Accepted
What was Sauron reaching for?
In-universe, Sauron was most likely reaching for Isildur to choke him and burn him to a cinder, as seen in this official concept-art picture from the "Art of the Fellowship of the Ring" (...
- 702k
34
votes
Why did Sauron think that no one in possession of the One Ring would want to destroy it?
Because Sauron crafted the One Ring to exert power over the other rings ("One Ring to rule them all", etc.)
People have a tendency to view the world through their own filters. If someone finds a ...
- 6,578
33
votes
Accepted
How does Sauron rebuild his empire after losing the Ring?
Gondor did place a watch on Mordor in the Third Age; however, it began to wane during the disastrously self-indulgent reign of Atanatar, and failed entirely following the Great Plague (emphasis mine):
...
- 164k
33
votes
Who is Sauron's second-in-command?
It's not clear that Sauron has a single second-in-command. Like many medieval kings or emperors, he is used to (temporarily and conditionally) delegating power to his vassals, those who give him ...
- 20.4k
31
votes
Why did Saruman lose everything but Sauron kept doing what he wanted?
The Istari (the five wizards) were special cases. We don't know many details, but JRRT did say enough to make it clear that there were differences between them and the other Maiar who visited Middle-...
- 42k
30
votes
Accepted
Aside from the Rings of Power, what else did Sauron make in his forge at Mount Doom?
Nothing we know of
There are rather few mentions of Mount Doom. A few of those, to my knowledge, mention the forging of objects there, but always the Ruling Ring:
There above the valley of Gorgoroth ...
- 117k
30
votes
Accepted
Who gave Sauron his name?
The Eldar renamed him Sauron
Among those of his servants that have names the greatest was that spirit whom the Eldar called Sauron, or Gorthaur the Cruel.
The Silmarillion: Valaquenta
The Complete ...
- 77.5k
30
votes
Why did Sauron die when the Ring was destroyed in Mount Doom?
Sauron has actually physically "died" at least 3 times:
Lúthien "killed" him when she overthrew his fortress on the Isle of Werewolves in the First Age.
At the Downfall of Númenor....
Only top scored, non community-wiki answers of a minimum length are eligible