𝑺𝒂𝒖𝒓𝒐𝒏 ★

Sauron did not participate in the dissonance of Melkor during the Music of the Ainur. His initial goals were good: he wanted to arrange everything according to his own understanding, taking into account the well-being (economic) of other inhabitants of the Earth.

The main advantage of Sauron was the desire for order and consistency, without confusion and senseless quarrels. This was the main reason for his downfall. Admiring Melkor, Sauron hoped to use his power and great will to realize his own ideas. Sauron, like Melkor, hated the Era and was infected with a passion for destruction. In the Ancient Days and before, when Melkor was far away, Sauron stooped to imitating his master, wanting to become the Lord of Middle-earth himself. But while Morgoth held out, Sauron did not seek power for himself, but worked for the triumph of Melkor. Thus, he was often able to complete what Melkor had planned, but did not do or could not do in his fierce impatience. Sauron was cold-blooded and calculating. He never came to complete nihilism like Melkor, never setting himself the goal of destroying the world. The remnants of the good intentions that Sauron started with remained in him even at the very end. Being initially much weaker than his Master, he remained less corrupt, although in his pride and thirst for power he went further than any human tyrants[4]. Sauron wanted to be the ruler of Arda, which was evident from his ability to seduce souls and put them on his side. He would have been pleased with the slaves (unlike Melkor), who called him God and Lord. Achieving this goal eventually became Sauron's goal in itself, which his mind locked onto.

Until the Fall of Numenor, he was still beautiful in appearance or could still take on a beautiful appearance. Sauron possessed the ability to change his appearance, becoming a huge wolf, snake and vampire bat. In Numenor, he was taller than any of the Numenorians (the tallest were 2 meters tall), and his eyes shone like fire. To many, he seemed wonderful, to many — terrible, and to some — evil[6].

After the Fall of Numenor, Sauron could no longer change forms, as he had spent too much energy trying to incline Numenor to evil. From now on, he became dark and terrifying, with black hands in which fire burned, yellow and lidless eyes shrouded in fire, with vertical pupils. He was taller than a man, but not a giant.[7] Gollum noticed during the interrogation that one finger was missing from Sauron's hand (cut off by Isildur along with the Ring).

Sauron was the greatest of the Maiar who served Melkor[2]: the most powerful and terrible of his servants, only slightly inferior to his master in evil[8]. Having become a great master in Aule's retinue, Sauron acquired extensive knowledge about the physical substance of the world, as well as forging and all other types of craftsmanship. He has forever preserved the scientific knowledge gained from Aule. Sauron probably knew more about Ainur's Music than Melkor, whose mind was always preoccupied with his own plans. For magical actions, Sauron used gold (including to create a Single Ring), as it was the element of Morgoth in the matter of Arda, where his spiritual power was most strongly dispersed. The creation of the One Ring was similar to what Melkor did during the war with the Valar, scattering his power into the matter of all Arda, thus making it his "ring". Sauron was wiser in this, since he, as a weaker Ainu, did not have to expend himself on such a large scale, and his power was directed only at controlling the Rings. However, in the end, Sauron still wasted his powers. Sauron could send fear, sickness, and a cloud of Darkness upon his enemies. In the First Age, he was a master of illusions and metamorphoses; werewolves and vampires were his servants, chief among them Draugluin, the Father of Werewolves, and the vampire bat Thuringvetil. He was mean in his wisdom and cruel in his power, perverting everything he touched and everyone he ruled[10].

Sauron mastered the art of necromancy. He was able to banish the Fae from the hroa, could take over someone else's body, and also put homeless souls at his service. It was he who taught such skills[11].

Sauron could not fully wield the Palantir, as the stones were better subordinated to those who owned them by right. Thus, Sauron had to fight the palantir, which did not prevent him from averting his eyes to his enemies.