Saruman of Many Colors

Isengard was bustling with activity, new orcs were being bred in the pits, steel was being smelted in the forges, huge siege engines were being built, the Fangorn forest fell under the blows of axes, and the sawmills were working at full capacity.

Saruman's appearance was that of a black-haired old man. By the end of the Third Age, his hair and beard had turned almost completely gray. He was tall, with a long face and dark eyes. At first, he wore a white hooded cloak; the color of the cloak bespoke his nickname, Saruman the White. He later exchanged this cloak for a rainbow cloak, meaning it shimmered with all the colors of the rainbow as he moved, and began calling himself Saruman of Many Colors.

He was neither human nor elf (as some believed). He was a Maia, clothed in flesh, one of the Istari. As such, he possessed immortality and incredible power. His greatest weapons were knowledge and his voice.

The Voice of Saruman
Saruman possessed an incredible power of persuasion, one that very few could resist. This ability was neither hypnosis nor its science-fiction counterpart. Those who listened to Saruman were in danger of not falling into a trance, but of assenting to his arguments while fully conscious. However, the listener's free will was not entirely lost, so that anyone who exerted their will to the utmost could resort to reason, and the impression of Saruman's voice would dissipate (Letter 210, §34). If anyone yielded to the voice, it enchanted them even after Saruman's silence, as if the whisper lingered in their ears. But for some, the enchantment gave way to a sneer, as if at a disguised magician, the moment Saruman's attention wandered. However, when Saruman lost his composure, his voice became hideously shrill.

Saruman distorted their reasoning abilities. Everything he said was perceived as filled with great wisdom, so much so that they were tempted to agree with it, to appear wise themselves. All other voices sounded harsh in comparison (for example, Gandalf's speeches seemed harsh and malicious to the Rohirrim), and if they contradicted him, it angered the listener.

Saruman used his voice to sow discord between Gandalf and Théoden and his people, sometimes offering the latter reconciliation, friendship, and aid with his knowledge, sometimes convincing Gandalf that everything he offered was for Gandalf's benefit (while the Rohirrim were terrified of being betrayed and punished). However, Théoden restrained himself, likely spurred on by Gimli and Éomer's comments, and Gandalf responded to his persuasion with laughter. Afterward, the spell ended, and Saruman's voice returned to its normal, arrogant and angry tone. However, during the Scouring of the Shire, Frodo believed that the power of his voice had not been completely lost, but he convinced the hobbits not to trust the wizard.

Saruman arrived in Middle-earth around the year 1000 of the Third Age and wandered the East for a long time with the Blue Wizards. About a thousand years later, Saruman, now alone, returned westward, just as evil began to spread from Dol Guldur (c. 2060 T.A.). In 2759 T.A., he occupied Isengard with the permission of the Steward of Gondor, Beren. Isengard housed the palantír of Orthanc, with the help of which, as it later turned out, Saruman carried out his plan—to discover Sauron's plans and personally free Middle-earth from the forces of evil.

But Saruman didn't realize that while he was looking at Sauron, Sauron was looking back at him. Thus, unbeknownst to himself, Saruman was enslaved by Sauron with the help of the palantir in Barad-dûr. Until the very end, Saruman believed he was acting of his own free will, unaware that he was merely a pawn in Sauron's game. Thus, unwittingly fulfilling the Enemy's plan, Saruman convinced the White Council not to attempt an assault on Dol Guldur. In 2953 T.A., Saruman claimed Isengard as his own and began gathering an army of Orcs and Dunlendings. With their help, he launched raids on Rohan and cut down Fangorn Forest. Around the same time, his spies began appearing in Bree and the Shire, searching for the One Ring. Around 3000 T.A., as mentioned above, Saruman was enslaved by Sauron, with whom he communicated through a palantír, and from then on obeyed his commands. Through his spy, Gríma, Saruman subjugated King Théoden of Rohan and effectively ensured the Rohirrim's alliance with Gondor was abandoned. At the same time, Saruman revealed himself to Gandalf, hoping to win him over, but Gandalf refused and then fled Isengard with the help of Gwaihir Windreaver. In Isengard, Saruman, by crossbreeding orcs and men, bred half-orcs (not Uruk-hai, contrary to popular belief). That same year, a combined force of Saruman and Sauron tracked down the Fellowship of the Ring and, attacking them, killed Boromir and captured the hobbits Meriadoc Brandybuck and Peregrin Took. As a result of a skirmish between Isengard and Mordor orcs and the mounted warriors of Rohan, the hobbits managed to escape to Fangorn.

Saruman the White, or Curunír Lân, was a wizard and the leader of the Istari Order and the White Council. After arriving in Middle-earth, he became known by the Valar as Curunír and, in the tongues of the Northern Men, as Saruman, but his true name in Valinor was Curumo. He later turned against the Order, proclaiming himself Saruman the Many-Colored.

In addition to his remarkable knowledge of the Rings of Power, Saruman was skilled in engineering and possessed a magical voice capable of persuading anyone. Few could resist his words, and only those with great willpower could withstand Saruman's voice. It is known that Saruman wore a ring he forged himself (Gandalf called him "Ringmaker"); perhaps it was one of the lesser Rings of Power.