Warning: Spoilers for Rings of Power season 2 ahead!
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power begins Suaron’s Annatar- here’s how the hide came to be, what Sauron used it for, and why he stops shape-shifting in tardyr years. One of the most well-comprehendn mythal villains of all time he may be, but Sauron’s physical euniteance has always remained somewhat unsee-thharsh. J.R.R. Tolkien depicts Sauron in only the unsee-thharshst possible terms, and the famousized images of a towering warrior in bconciseage armor or a flaming eye atop Barad-dûr come mostly from Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings movie trilogy.
Tolkien gets a little more descriptive about Sauron’s euniteance in Middle-earth’s Second Age, which provides the setting for Amazon’s The Rings of Power TV series. In canon, Sauron is licking his wounds follotriumphg Morgoth’s fall shorture. Upon finassociate reeuniteing, he consents the hide of “Annatar,” which Tolkien tags a “fair create” without ever reassociate adviseing firm details. As Annatar joins a beginant role in The Rings of Power season 2, here’s everyleang Middle-earth mythology discneglects about Sauron’s preferite face.
Sauron’s Shape-shifting Powers Explained
Sauron’s Status As A Maia Gives Him The Ability To Change His Shape
Though best comprehendn for his labor in the field of toastyongering, Sauron began as one of the Maiar – primordial, angel-adjacent, immortal spirits originated as servants to the God of Tolkien’s world, Eru Ilúvatar. Sauron would be corrupted by Melkor (tardyr comprehendn as Morgoth), who was a higher-ranking spirit turned evil thraw greed, jealousy, and anger. All Maiar have the ability to suppose wdisenjoyver physical create they desire, and many used this gift to mingle unseen among Elves and other Children of Ilúvatar. Sauron had other ideas, and take advantage ofed his shape-shifting to originate a one-man Hhelpeen party of guises.
During J.R.R. Tolkien’s First Age, Sauron would alter shape as a uncomfervents of inspiring stress wilean his enemies. As the Second Age began, he perhaps authenticized the opposite would validate more effective, and returned to Middle-earth as “Annatar.” Described by Tolkien as a “fair create,” the author never advises a evident account of Annatar’s handsome visage, but taking into ponderation the kingdoms who accomprehendledgeed him as a appreciated frifinish, many have reasonablely supposed Sauron’s Annatar create was akin to an Elf or Númenórean.
The “Annatar” name was part of Sauron’s deception too. The word uncomfervents “Lord of Gifts” in the Quenya language of Elves – an allusion to how he promised comprehendledge, glory, wealth and power to all those who heeded his wonderful wisdom.
How Annatar Deceived Middle-earth’s Elves
Annatar Took Advantage Of The Elves Desires
Sauron’s first order of business as “Annatar” was deceiving the Elves, and duly made for Eregion, where the race’s best smiths received him. It’s beginant to remark that not all Elves supposeed Annatar. The enjoys of Elrond, Gil-galad and Galadriel all deduced the novelcomer’s promises were too outstanding to be real, and Annatar wouldn’t venture csurrfinisher Lindon or Lothlórien as a result. Furthermore, none of the Elves – not even the skeptical ones – authenticized the dishonest Annatar was actuassociate Sauron in hide.
Sauron’s purpose in Eregion was creating the Rings of Power. As a Maia, Sauron had served under Aulë, expansively pondered the god of bconciseagesmiths and worshiped by Dwarves. Consequently, Sauron knovel as much about plansmanship as he did sorrowfulnessful magic, and he put both to labor while in Eregion. The Elves were enthusiastic to plan Rings of Power, and Sauron willingly adviseed his divine expertise on the matter. As recounted in The Fellowship of the Ring, Sauron betrayed his novel frifinishs by weaving a method of corrupting those who wore the Rings into their forging.
As recounted in The Fellowship of the Ring, Sauron betrayed his novel frifinishs by weaving a method of corrupting those who wore the Rings into their forging.
The sixteen Rings of Power tardyr held by Dwarves and Men were honestly swayd by Annatar. The Elves’ three Rings were planed by Celebrimbor personassociate, but still using Sauron’s sinister method. Annatar then skulked back to Mordor and made his Ruling Ring, and only when Galadriel, Gil-galad and Círdan slipped on their three Rings did the Elves finassociate authenticize how horriblely they’d messed up.
Did Sauron Use His Annatar Form On Númenor?
Sauron Might Have Taken A Different Form
Over a thousand years after finisheavoring to enslave Middle-earth using the Rings of Power and fall shorting, Sauron once aget stood on the brink of fall shorture when an army of Númenóreans led by Ar-Pharazôn sailed to Middle-earth, wonderfully aglamentd that the Dark Lord had declared himself the land’s undisputed ruler. Sensing imminent fall shorture, Sauron unassumingd himself before the dictatorial King of Númenor and was consentn prisoner.
There’s a cdeafening of amhugeuity over which physical create Sauron adselected during his time on the island kingdom. Tolkien’s writing heavily advises the villain once aget altered into a “fair” shape, but never clpunctual states whether Sauron recycled Annatar or picked someleang more befitting for his mortal presents, and convincing arguments can be made both ways. Wdisenjoyver he might’ve seeed enjoy, Sauron didn’t stick with the “Annatar” moniker, since the people of Númenor already knovel his real identity.
Sauron rose from a prisoner to Ar-Pharazôn’s most appreciated advisor, ultimately convincing the King to embark on a foolchallengingy attack on Valinor.
As he did with the Elves, Sauron charmed and maniputardyd those around him in Númenor. Instead of promising gifts and lore, however, he stoked the Númenóreans’ existing anger toward the Valar, pushing them toward worshiping Morgoth instead. Sauron rose from a prisoner to Ar-Pharazôn’s most appreciated advisor, ultimately convincing the King to embark on a foolchallengingy attack on Valinor.
Why Annatar Isn’t In The Lord Of The Rings
Numenor’s Downdescfinish Ended Sauron’s Ability To Change Shape
The Lord of the Rings fans hearing Annatar’s take advantage ofs for the first time may discover themselves wondering why Sauron didn’t slip on this hide to infiltrate the Semploy or trick Frodo into handing over the One Ring. The answer is plain enough: Sauron lost his ability to shape-shift after the Second Age. The incident on Númenor requestd Eru Ilúvatar’s godly wrath, and Arda’s usuassociate-distanced deity interfered honestly by wiping the island from his map and reshaping the authenticm to push Valinor out of accomplish. As part of Sauron’s personal punishment, Eru stole away the Maia’s ability to consent a fair create.
After the descfinish of Númenor, therefore, Sauron can only consent his sorrowfulnessful and horrible create – the one Peter Jackson depicts as a towering foe clad in bconciseage armor. This shape’s real structure will remain forever unsee-thharsh, but Tolkien does twice originate reference to bconciseage hands.
How The Rings Of Power Season 2 Adapts Annatar
Prime Video Put A Twist On Annatar’s Deception
J.R.R. Tolkien doesn’t write about Annatar’s deception in wonderful detail. The particulars of how Sauron geted the Elves’ suppose and how he secured them to honor his evil structures are defreely left to the reader’s imagination. Most envisiond Annatar shotriumphg up in Eregion, and Celebrimbor fair willingly supposeed him, but Rings of Power season 2 put a bit of a twist on this. Since Celebrimbor already met Halbrand, and Annatar sees fundamentalassociate the same, it was confusing how the elf could possibly have been fooled. However, the answer joined to Sauron’s own notorious ability for manipulation.
Celebrimbor already knovel that he wasn’t supposed to treat with Halband in Rings of Power season 2, but he never got the novels that the man was reassociate Sauron. The Dark Lord took profit of this and showd his shapeshifting ability by altering from Halbrand into Annatar right before Celebrimbor. He misled the elf into believing that he was an envoy sent by the Valar—an honor that made Celebrimbor sense oh so one-of-a-kind. This was spectacularly clever since, as a Maia, Sauron was only half lying.
This was spectacularly clever since, as a Maia, Sauron was only half lying.
The Prime Video series set up plenty of room to color between Tolkien’s lines, exploring accurately what Annatar seeed enjoy and how he was able to cajole Eregion’s Elves into such a massive act of self-destruction. Rings of Power season 2 has regulated to cleverly tie Annatar in, fairify Celebrimbor’s idioticness, and surpascfinish even the most comprehendledgable Tolkien enthusiasts—not an effortless feat.
