In J.R.R. Tolkien's book series The Lord of the Rings, as well as the subsequent film adaptations by Peter Jackson, Sauron is an ancient evil who forges the Ring of Power in an attempt to rule Middle-Earth once and for all. Determined to stop Sauron, Elrond, an Elf, forms a council to decide who will make the journey to destroy the Ring, assembling a fellowship of nine adventurers with varying skill sets.
From real-world references to the famous character to little-known facts from deeper in Tolkien's legendarium, here are 10 things you probably didn't know about the Dark Lord Sauron.
There's A Marvel Villain Named After Him
As one of the most recognizable characters from one of the best-selling books of all time, the Dark Lord Sauron has been referenced thousands of times in pop culture. In 1969, comic creator Roy Thomas and artist Neal Adams dreamed up a supervillain named "Sauron," a half-human, half-pteranodon creature who needs to feed off the energy of others to live.
Sauron made his first appearance in The X-Men #59; canonically, he named himself after the Tolkien character after deciding to become a force for evil.
He Has Both A Spider And A Dinosaur Named After Him
Sauron is a genus of Linyphiidae (also known as sheet weavers or money spiders) first discovered in 1995. Its discoverers, famed arachnologists Kirill Eskov and Yuri Marusik, chose to name it after the famous Lord of the Rings character.
Similarly, when a new genus of dinosaur was discovered by paleontologists Andrea Cau, Fabio Marco Della Vecchia, and Matteo Fabri in 2012, it was named Sauroniops, or literally "Eye of Sauron".
He Appears In The Hobbit Movies Despite Only Being Mentioned In The Books
Gandalf leaving to fight an unseen "Necromancer" is a minor plot detail in the book version of The Hobbit, which was written long before the conception of Sauron.
However, as revealed in The Lord of the Rings, this "Necromancer" was in fact an earlier form of Sauron, which makes his fight against Gandalf, Saruman, Galadriel, and Elrond in the Hobbit franchise an enjoyable and not entirely out-of-place sub-plot.
A Cat Was The Original Sauron
In Tolkien's early tales of Middle-Earth, Tevildo, a servant of Morgoth taking the form of a cat, was a primary antagonist whose mind-control collar forced his feline subjects to do his bidding. In later versions of the narrative, the "Prince of Cats" was replaced with Sauron, the "Lord of the Werewolves," which led many to believe that Tevildo was simply a non-canon precursor to Sauron.
However, Tevildo later made an official appearance in the Tolkien legendarium with 2017's Beren and Lúthien, proving he and Sauron were separate characters the whole time.
He Took On Many Forms, Including Werewolf
As previously mentioned, Sauron took on the role of "Lord of the Werewolves" in the story of Beren and Lúthien. After all, one of his most dangerous powers during his time in Middle-Earth was his ability to shape-shift, and throughout Tolkien lore he takes on many different forms.
These include a werewolf, a vampire bat, and, of course, a giant Eye (although it's possible Tolkien intended this form to not be taken literally, but instead as a metaphor for Sauron's ominous presence).
He Wasn't Always Evil
Sauron originated as an angelic creature known as an Ainur (technically, a "lesser Ainur" known as a Maiar).
He was one of the greatest forces for good in existence, only becoming evil after he followed the Dark Lord Morgoth in rebelling against Eru, the godlike creator of the universe.
His Entire Backstory Is Published In The Silmarillion
If you'd like to read up on Sauron's entire history, from his days as an Ainur to his creation of the rings, most of it can be found in Tolkien's novel The Silmarillion.
In addition to greatly expanding the world of Middle-Earth, the five-part novel gave Sauron a detailed backstory.
His Original Plan For The Rings Didn't Work As Well As He Had Hoped
Sauron's plan to take over Middle-Earth began with the creation of the Rings of Power. Posing as a fair, mystical being known as "Annatar, Lord of Gifts", he created magical rings for the Elves; in the meantime, he secretly forged the "Master Ring" capable of controlling the others.
However, the Elves saw through his deception and removed their rings before he could start controlling them; this led an enraged Sauron to distribute the remaining rings among Dwarves and Men (a much more successful venture that led to the creation of the Ring-wraiths) and begin a deadly war against the Elves.
There's A Middle-Earth Villain Who's More Evil Than Him
Sauron was merely a servant of the Dark Lord Morgoth, the true antagonist of Tolkien's legendarium who, like Sauron, began as an Ainur. Morgoth was, in fact, the greatest of all the Ainur, making his eventual betrayal of Eru that much more sinister.
In Middle-Earth legend, there is a prophecy that Morgoth is patiently waiting in the shadows, and will eventually appear once again to fight in a "Last Battle" between the forces of good and evil.
He Never Died
Sauron's "death" at the end of The Return of the King was one of the most satisfying moments in the entire trilogy, as his tower crumbles and the Great Eye vanishes.
But Sauron was never completely destroyed; he lived on, "becoming a mere spirit of malice that gnaws itself in the shadows, but cannot again grow or take shape."