# The Intelligence of Sauron



## Kavrangoz (Aug 27, 2002)

*The Intellýgence of Sauron*

I want to ask a question.Is Sauron very clever?Or did he lose his mind with the ring?If you were Sauron.What would you be afraid of?How can you be totally defeated??I see you konow the answer:By destroying the ring.So why didn't he guard the mount doom?
Don't tell me that it was guarded well.Because it wasn't.First of all Shelob was not his guardian.She worked to herself.So is Sauron very clever??I think not.But inthe Silmarillion he was very clever.I,as a Sauron fan don't like this stupidness.For me there was not a chance for Sauron to lose.What do you think of this subject???I wish that elves came to help from valinor.



> Do not try to explain yourself,nor try to understand them.


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## Anamatar IV (Aug 27, 2002)

he did not know that the people who had it wanted to detroy it. His thoughts were 'he is the isildurs heir. He has the ring. He will use it to destroy ME!"


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## Beorn (Aug 27, 2002)

Sauron knew the ring was in someone's possession, and they knew how to use it. He was planning on them trying to use it for good (like Boromir suggested), but he knew that no one else could wield the power it gave, so they would become evil, and he would eventually get the ring...


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## Gothmog (Aug 27, 2002)

Anamatar IV has given the basic answer. The point is that Nobody who has possession of the ring can willingly destroy it, not even Sauron himself.

This being the case why would he expect an attempt to travel through all the dangers of the different lands of middle-earth and then through Mordor where Sauron had all his orcs and the Nazgul to try to get to the Cracks of Doom in Orodruin with the intention of throwing the rings into the fire? This was the thought of the Council of Elrond, it was the one path that would not be expected. The ones who talked of this path did not possess the ring themselves and therefore could think clearly about it. Boromir, although he did not have the Ring nonetheless desired it and he talked against destroying it.

So it was not 'Stupididty' but simply the inability of one who knew the power of the ring to think that anyone would try to destroy it.


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## Ravenna (Aug 27, 2002)

To add to the previous answers, on the topic of guarding Mount Doom, instead of thinking about Sauron's intelligence, think about his Arrogance. He believed he was secure unless somebody actually used the Ring against him.


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## elf boy (Aug 28, 2002)

Sauron could not understand (ok, until Frodo put on the ring at the end) that anyone would want to destroy the ring, because it had so much power it only passed into his mind that someone would use it against him. Part of it was probably because of the power that the ring had over people that weilded it and another part was probably because everyone in middle earth was terrified of Mordor except for Sauron and his "minions". It was thought an impossible feat to take it to the fire


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## Bombadillo (Aug 28, 2002)

sorry, but it WAS impossible as ring-bearer to trow the ring in the fire...
frodo couldn't do it, and it was just luck that gollum tried to get the ring, and slip and fall in mount doom, that ANYONE could destroy the ring, without this tiny change, the whole quest would have failed.


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## Éomond (Aug 28, 2002)

I belive Sauron was celever, anyone who could make that ring is celever. And Boromir said "The Great Eye is ever watchful" (|)  so I bet he knew a thing or two


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## Ynhockey (Aug 29, 2002)

> Sauron knew the ring was in someone's possession, and they knew how to use it. He was planning on them trying to use it for good (like Boromir suggested), but he knew that no one else could wield the power it gave, so they would become evil, and he would eventually get the ring...



What he said.

I have to add another thing: the destruction of the Ring was organized by Gandalf, not Frodo or Aragorn or anyone else. The only bad guy who knew they were trying to destroy the ring and who thought it possible was Saruman. Saruman was manipulated by Sauron and the Nazgul, so in turn, Sauron didn't beleive Saruman could tell not all he knew. But since it said that Saruman wanted the ring for himself, he did not tell Sauron about it. True, he couldn't resist answering truthfully if Sauron asked him something, however, Sauron didn't ask a direct question about the fate of the ring (most likely he didn't. He didn't beleive anyone would want to destroy it), so Saruman didn't feel compelled to tell on his own.

Does that answer your question ?


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## Elu Thingol (Aug 30, 2002)

> _Posted by Beorn_
> but he knew that no one else could wield the power it gave, so they would become evil, and he would eventually get the ring...



I'm sorry Beorn others could wield the ring, and once they tore his power from him, Sauron would become nothing but memory and could never get the ring back.


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## Silnarrin (Aug 30, 2002)

I believe (in my humble opinion) that Sauron was not stupid; he was blinded. It never occured to him that anyone would NOT seize the ring for himself/herself, and try to rule the world. The old saying "No one fears theft more than a thief" seems to apply. Sauron, who desired dominition over others, began to expect from his opponents only what he would do. In his mind, how could anyone ever pass up the "free power" of the ring?

I believe this is a sign of his self-centered quest for power. Tolkien seemed to be a great believer in this "blindness" created by placing one's self above all else.

BTW: Great forum!


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## Gothmog (Dec 4, 2002)

> _Originally posted by Nóm _
> *Well he should have been open to the idea that someone might try to destroy it.
> Sauron should have had the wisdom to know that the wise would have no way of knowing for a fact that the Ring can not be destroyed by someone's will. *


 Had Sauron been so *Wise* he would not have been Sauron.


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## Gothmog (Dec 4, 2002)

His main idiocy lay in making the One Ring in the first place. had he not done so who could have defeated him in the third age???


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## G.T.Grey (Dec 4, 2002)

Sauron was really "stupid." The nature of the Ring was such that it was literally inconceivable to him that anyone would attempt to destroy it.

But he has so many pointers: He knows that a Halfling is carrying the Ring (first from Gollum and then certainly from the Nazgûl after they attack the Hobbits at Weathertop), he knows that the Halflings live really far away from Mordor, and he must know, that at least one of them has entered his Realm. After all, the Mouth of Sauron even presents Frodo's mithril-coat and sword to Gandalf and describes the Hobbit’s stature. Sauron must be really stupid to not even consider the possibility that this Halfling could be the one carrying the Ring and that he intends to destroy it.

A discussion of "motives in The Silmarillion" (from "Morgoth's Ring," History of Middle-earth Vol. X) has an interesting sentence that may shed some light on this subject. Discussing Sauron's perception of Saruman and Gandalf, he says that Sauron supposed that Manwë's motives in sending the Istari were similar to his own, i.e., a power play. "His cynicism.... seemed fully justified in Saruman. Gandalf he did not understand. But certainly he had already become evil, and therefore stupid, enough to imagine that his different behaviour was due simply to weaker intelligence and lack of a firm masterful purpose." The phrase "evil, and therefore stupid" speaks volumes for Tolkien's characterization of Sauron. Sauron had become literally unable to understand Good.


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