# Battle of Dol Guldur



## Odin (Jan 31, 2013)

How exactly did the White Council drive the Necromancer aka Sauron from Dol Guldur?

None of the wizards seem to have the power to face the Dark Lord. Did the Elves and Men gather for a prolonged seige?

They must have had quite an army to force Sauron to flee.


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## HLGStrider (Jan 31, 2013)

The entire event is given one or two sentences at most in the text of the Hobbit. There is a council of wizards and the Necromancer is "driven out." 

I think it is important to note that at this point Sauron is not yet at full power. I doubt he has the armies he will have at a later date, and while at his full strength none of the wizards individually would be a threat to him, we have to imagine that the combined power of at least three wizards and probably Elven lords would be a threat to him when he is in the process of rebuilding. I am sure there was some sort of a battle but knowing his weakened state Sauron probably chose to flee early on rather than fight (he was driven out, not captured, not truly defeated). After all, his endgame always involved regaining the ring and without knowing where it was he was working with his hands bound and his eyes blinded.


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## Bucky (Jan 31, 2013)

In rereading TLOR, I've noted a number of things, like who Bombadil really is & 'problems in Moria'...

Also: in 'The Council of Elrond', Gandalf says, "It was with the devices of Saruman we were able to drive the enemy from his stronghold in Mirkwood."

(paraphrase, but 'devices of Saruman' is EXACT)

..What were these devices? No clue.

As for Sauron's power, it wasn't as great as 80 years later in Mordor either.


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## Mike (Feb 1, 2013)

> Also: in 'The Council of Elrond', Gandalf says, "It was with the devices of Saruman we were able to drive the enemy from his stronghold in Mirkwood."
> 
> (paraphrase, but 'devices of Saruman' is EXACT)
> 
> ..What were these devices? No clue.



Gotta be cannons. Fire of Isengard and all that.

Not everything needs to be explained. Otherwise, we wouldn't have all the fun of speculating over loose threads!


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## Odin (Feb 8, 2013)

Mike said:


> Gotta be cannons. Fire of Isengard and all that.
> 
> Not everything needs to be explained. Otherwise, we wouldn't have all the fun of speculating over loose threads!



I'm pretty sure Sauron could withstand a few cannon blasts. It would take more than crude weapons to drive the Dark Lord from his fortress.

I think the Council had to join their powers and blasts the actual fortress to dust for Sauron to flee.


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## Eledhwen (Feb 9, 2013)

Tolkien was a bit coy about how much power the Elven Rings possessed. We saw some of Narya's power when Gandalf faced the Balrog. Nenya could well have concealed any attack and maybe driven out the powers of darkness with its star-like radiance which may well have been of a brilliance they could not endure (the phial of Galadriel seems to be of a similar essence, and was used successfully by Samwise and Frodo to drive Shelob back in Torech Ungol and to defeat the Watchers at the Tower). The might of Vilya is not revealed, but it is said to be the greatest. Saruman might well have joined his blasting power to the fight; but as it was rather a surprise element of the battle of Helm's Deep, he may have still been keeping it hidden at the time of Dol Guldur. He was, as Elrond admitted, "deep into our councils", so was almost certainly aware of the power of the Elven Rings. If he saw them displayed at the purge of Dol Guldur it may have whetted his appetite for dominance even more; enamoured of ring lore as he was.


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