Sauron isn’t the only character of his species in The Lord of the Rings, but his powers seem fairly unique. This is because Ainur rarely revealed themselves in Middle-earth by the Third Age, which is when LotR is set. The Silmarillion revealed diverse members of Sauron’s race in all their glory and at full power, confirming Sauron’s potential. Lord of the Rings’ 15 Valar were the most powerful of the Ainur, and they were truly demigods. But of the Maiar – the order below them, in power – many were “well nigh as great as themselves.” Sauron clearly falls into this category.
The other well-known Maiar in Middle-earth were Lord of the Rings’ Istari – Gandalf, Saruman, and Radagast. While they may also fall into that category, none of them quite exhibited the breadth of powers that Sauron did. Only Gandalf could hope to rival him in this regard, but that was mostly because he wore a Ring of Power, which was Sauron’s invention. The LotR movies and Amazon’s Rings of Power each highlight different powers that Sauron had, but J.R.R. Tolkien’s legendarium gives the villain even more surprising abilities, making Frodo’s victory all the more impressive.
Immortality
Invisibility, Regeneration & Biological Self-Design
Sauron was an immortal spirit being who didn’t need a body, but he could invent one of his choosing within certain parameters. Evil deeds bound Ainur into their incarnations and reduced their creative ability when it came to designing their bodies (Morgoth’s Ring). Sauron was less able to hide his evil nature with each subsequent incarnation. At last, Sauron was so bound to his form, that he was resigned to the Unseen world forever after the destruction of the body that he inhabited while wearing the One Ring.
Middle-earth is a continent in Arda, which is a world in Eä, the universe, which lies outside the Void and the Timeless Halls, where Middle-earth’s God, Eru Ilúvatar, lives with many of the Ainur.
The Rings of Power season 2 showed Sauron regenerating after being stabbed to death – a long and trying process. Sauron was incredibly intelligent, while immortality afforded him ancient wisdom and biological self-design gave him the option of invulnerability. In his heyday, Sauron could have taken the form of a wave, if he so chose. Even in his final form, he was huge and imposing with a scalding touch. Of course, when unembodied, Sauron could travel invisibly.
Shapeshifting
Superstrength, Endurance, & Flying
As well as being able to invent a new body after being killed, Sauron could change the body he inhabited at will. Being able to shapeshift, theoretically, also resulted in additional abilities like flying and breathing underwater. Superstrength and endurance also came, optionally, with this ability. Although Sauron never took an underwater form in lore, he was seen to change into a winged vampire in The Silmarillion. The Rings of Power showed him looking perfectly at home underwater and barely clothed in a frozen wilderness.
Evil was a standard set in Middle-earth by its God, Eru Ilúvatar, who created the únati – unbreakable laws of Eä, akin to laws of physics (Morgoth’s Ring).
Evil deeds limited the creative scope of new forms, be they the first taken after a death or subsequent ones. The more evil an Ainu became, the less it was able to hide its true nature. That is why Sauron could never take a “fair form” again after the death of the form he took to wreak havoc on the unsuspecting island of Númenor, which bit off way more than it could chew when it took him prisoner.
Ósanwe-Kenta
Telepathy & Precognition
Morgoth’s Ring described ósanwe, the telepathy that was native to all beings in Middle-earth, but that was more native, the less incarnate the being. As spirit beings, Maiar like Sauron were adept in ósanwe. Sauron, along with the other Ainur, actually planned Arda and much of its history before time began, and is, therefore, party to a certain level of foresight in this regard.
Sauron could and did control entire legions with his mind.
Sauron “[groped] ever” to see Galadriel’s mind in the Third Age, but she didn’t let him in – it was únat that a closed mind couldn’t be penetrated. However, Sauron could and did control entire legions with his mind. Sauron’s armed might was a combination of military strategy and wizardry. After Frodo defeated Sauron, many Orcs in his army scattered, terrified, and suddenly freed from his mind control. But at varying points, Sauron’s forces were seen to act independently of him, with varying degrees of loyalty, proving that he wasn’t controlling them all at all times.
Ainu Song
Subcreative Energy Generation
Ainur like Sauron could generate and manipulate energy through song. However, Eru Ilúvatar was the One true creator in Lord of the Rings and the creation of any other being was subcreation. All the Ainur sang the Ainulindalë – the Music of the Ainur – before time began. Once finished, Eru revealed the vision that their song had created, and it showed the world and much of its future. The metaphysics of this isn’t certain, but the building of the world was a separate process from its visualization.
Sauron demonstrated the power of Ainu song at another point in The Silmarillion as well. Sauron serenaded Galadriel’s brother, Finrod. But far from a romantic gesture, this was a violent attack that left him incapacitated and thrown into Sauron’s dungeon. Finrod had fought song with song, proving that Elves could also harness energy through music. The Hobbits noted the power of Elf song in Lord of the Rings, highlighting it as a recurrent force in Middle-earth.
Atmokinesis & Pyromancy
Subcreative Energy Manipulation
Although it wasn’t entirely clear in The Lord of the Rings, it appeared that Sauron could control the elements and weather. Atmokinesis is a term used to describe weather manipulation, which is what Sauron seemed to be doing while the Fellowship of the Ring was trying to cross Caradhras (changed to Saruman in the movie). Gimli speculated that “his arm [had] grown long indeed,” and Gandalf concurred. Meanwhile, Boromir commented “They say in my land that he can govern the storms in the Mountains of Shadow… He has strange powers…” In The Silmarillion, Sauron surrounded his residence with fire, which wasn’t necessarily pyromancy.
“Magic” in LotR was a term used for the artificial – it was synonymous with “the machine.”
However, pyrotechnics were hardly commonplace in the Middle Ages, which Lord of the Rings was partly modeled on. Although it is likely fair to say that Sauron utilized pyromancy, some of what appeared as Sauron’s “magic” could have been advanced technology. Likewise, the Elves’ advanced technology appeared magic to Hobbits. Tolkien was clear that “magic” in LotR was a term used for the artificial – it was synonymous with “the machine,” and it was not a good thing, in Tolkien’s eyes. Despite this, Tolkien admitted to a slightly inconsistent use of the term throughout his works.
Sorcery & Necromancy
Soul Magic, Genetic Manipulation, Perception Manipulation, & Talisman Forgery
Sauron cast non-canonical illusions in Rings of Power, but his ability to cast illusions is canon. In The Silmarillion, he showed Gorlim his wife, presumed dead, promising her in exchange for information, but she was “a phantom devised by wizardry.” Sauron can manipulate sensory perception from the visual to the auditory and possibly the tactile. If countenance can be called a power, Sauron has it. His mere presence can cause fear and pain. Although it is pure speculation, Sauron’s ability to manipulate perception could involve advanced chemosignaling and pheromone generation. Science proves both natural and chemical means of manipulating emotion.
Before joining Morgoth, Sauron studied and worked under Aulë, one of the 15 Valar and the greatest smith in Arda. Even after his fall from grace, he was widely regarded as mighty among Aulë’s folk.
Sauron could manipulate fanar (Ainur bodies), hröar (incarnate bodies), ëalar (Ainur souls), and fëar (incarnate souls). Sauron had a part in all of Morgoth’s worst crimes, including breeding Orcs and dragons. He may have also bred werewolves (The Lays of Beleriand). Morgoth split his soul, pouring it into the matter of Arda to control it. Master smith Sauron copied this process to make the One Ring, adding sorcery all his own, including elements of remote control, mobile communication, and mind control. Also, Sauron deserved his Necromancer moniker, having enslaved the Unbodied (Morgoth’s Ring).
Telekinesis
Psychic Engineering & Construction
Sauron built and maintained buildings with his mind. Sauron’s most embarrassing loss was his First Age defeat at the hands of Lúthien and her (divine) dog, Huan. Huan defeated Wolf-Sauron in single combat and Lúthien offered terms of surrender – die or relinquish control of his fortress. Proving that Morgoth’s leadership was no walk in the park, Sauron feared Morgoth’s wrath on his naked soul more than he wanted to win, so he granted full access to the fortress and flew away in vampire form.
Tolkienian Age
Event Marking The Start
Years
Total Length In Solar Years
Before time
Indeterminate
Indeterminate
Indeterminate
Days before Days
Ainur entered Eä
1 – 3,500 Valian Years
33,537
Pre-First Age Years of the Trees (Y.T.)
Y.T. 1 – 1050
10,061
First Age (F.A.)
Elves awoke in Cuiviénen
Y.T. 1050 – Y.T. 1500, F.A. 1 – 590
4,902
Second Age (S.A.)
War of Wrath ended
S.A. 1 – 3441
3,441
Third Age (T.A.)
Last Alliance defeated Sauron
T.A. 1 – 3021
3,021
Fourth Age (Fo.A)
Elven-rings left Middle-earth
Fo.A 1 – unknown
Unknown
Immediately, the fortress started unlocking and crumbling, with hordes of slaves running free. Likewise, Barad-dûr was built and maintained magically. After a Second Age defeat, Sauron’s enemies succeeded in demolishing all of Barad-dûr except its foundations, as they had been built with the One Ring. When Sauron’s One Ring was finally destroyed, the whole tower fell apart, burying the palantír and the Rings of Power in Sauron’s possession, useless after the One’s destruction.
Smooth-Talking
54,960+ Years Worth Of Psychology
Out of all of Sauron’s superpowers, funnily enough, the one that got him the furthest was his gift of the gab. It is true that he would have been left dead a few times over had he not been immortal, but he can credit much of his power to traditional persuasion. And, a touch of mind control, of course. Sauron talked his way into Eregion in disguise, befriending Celebrimbor and climbing the social ladder for about 300 years before he started making the Rings of Power. Born before time began, Sauron was agelessly manipulative, but one miscalculation in Eregion blew his cover.
He didn’t account for quite how powerfully telepathic the Rings of Power were, and they alerted their wearers to his true nature once he put on the One Ring. Sauron’s next psychological masterclass was his rise to power in Númenor. Setting a new standard for playing the long game, Sauron infiltrated Númenor as a prisoner of war, talking his way into the king’s good graces until he was pulling all the strings. Sauron’s smooth-talking in The Lord of the Rings proved that there was no challenge that couldn’t be overcome with a can-do attitude, a total lack of scruples, and 55,000 years of assimilation with lesser species.
