Saruman
Saruman was a male literary character who features in The Lord of the Rings.
Contents |
Biography
Curumo was originally one of the lesser angelic beings, the Maiar, and belonged to the household of the Vala Aulë the Smith. He was one of those spirits who entered the world and dwelled with his peers in the Undying Lands of Valinor, beyond the Great Sea. After the became aware of the awakening of the Elves, the Valar held council and decided to send Curumo and four other "great spirits of the Maiar" - Olórin, Aiwendil, Alatar and Pallando- to Middle-earth. Under the guise of Tarindor , Curumo and his companions stood watch over the Elves, protecting them from the evils of Melkor-Morgoth, the first Dark Lord.
Following the first downfall of Sauron, the heir of Morgoth, the Valar again held council. Though the second Dark Lord had been overthrown by the Last Alliance of Elves and Men, the Lords of the West feared that the threat he posed had not yet been ended. The Valar ultimately decided to the send the same five Maiar back to Middle-earth to guide the Free Peoples in resisting Sauron. Curumo was one of those who volunteered and was elected the head of the Order of Istari (wizards), holding the mantle of White Wizard, whereas Olórin was commanded to go. According to one account, Curumo begrudgingly took on Aiwendil as his companion to please the Valië Yavanna - the wife of his patron, Aulë. But other accounts seem to agree that Curumo, "the chief and already overmindful of this", sailed to the Grey Havens of Middle-earth alone. Only the keeper of the havens, Círdan the Shipwright, knew at that time Curumo's origin and identity as an emissary of the Valar. It was at this point that the White Wizard's disdain for the Grey Pilgrim took root: Curumo learned that Círdan had divined Olórin as the greatest and wisest of the Five Istari. Curumo was even more incensed when he discovered that Círdan had also entrusted Narya, the Elven-ring of Fire, into Olórin's keeping.
It was among Men that he acquired the name of Saruman the White, while to the Elves he was known as Curunír' Lân. For many years he travelled into the eastern lands of Middle-earth, before settling in the southern kingdom of Gondor for a time. Saruman also researched the lore of Middle-earth, especially the devices of the Enemy such as the Rings of Power, hoping that he might find therein a means to oust Sauron. As the Shadow of Sauron began to take shape once more, Saruman was called to join the White Council, a group of the Wise that opposed the steady resurgence of evil, and became their leader. Even so, Saruman did not ignore the fact that Lady Galadriel's first choice had been Gandalf (Olórin). During this period, the White Wizard's resentment towards the Grey Pilgrim "turned at last to a hatred". Though he still pretended to be a good friend of Gandalf, Saruman secretly came to view Gandalf as his rival and envied the fame and high-standing Gandalf enjoyed among Free Folk. Noting Gandalf's frequent visits to the land of the peaceful Hobbits and believing that it was related to some undisclosed scheme, the White Wizard set a watch on the Grey Pilgrim's movements in the Westlands.
In his studies in the library of Minas Tirith, the Gondorian capital, Saruman stumbled upon the Palantíri and concluded that one of these seven Seeing-Stones might rest in the Tower of Orthanc at Isengard. Following the War of the Rohirrim and the Long Winter, Saruman offered to assume guardianship of Isengard, recently liberated from the Hill Tribes of Dunland, and help in the defense of the West. In those days the White Wizard was still regarded as a friend and ally of Men, and so he received the approval of both the Ruling Steward of Gondor and the King of Rohan. Nonetheless, the wizard behaved more as a "lord of Men" rather than as a lieutenant of the Steward. By the end of his research, Saruman had become fascinated by Sauron's arts and had come to admire him. Like Sauron, Saruman came to believe that the Free Peoples were too weak and idle and that a strong will was needed to bring order to the world and keep chaos in check. The White Wizard fancied that, if he could perhaps wield the Ruling Ring of Power, then he could become the equal of the Dark Lord himself and succeed him as the self-styled ruler of Middle-earth. Unbeknownst to the rest of the Council, Saruman set a watch on the Anduin vales and searched for clues to the Ring's whereabouts, hoping to find it first and claim it for himself. Though he despised Radagast due to the latter's naive nature and his friendship with Gandalf, Saruman persuaded Radagast to teach him how to tame birds, only to use these skills to gather spies such as the Crebain (crows). When Gandalf revealed his fears that Sauron had returned and had taken up residence amidst the ruins of Dol Guldur, Saruman gainsaid Gandalf and insisted that Sauron was vanquished and that the Ring had been washed out by the Anduin river into the Great Sea. And even if the mysterious "Necromancer" in Dol Guldur was indeed none other than their ancient Enemy returned, Saruman thought that Sauron's presence might result in the re-emergence of the One Ring. The Quest of Erebor, however, forced Sauron to make his move, which in turn coerced Saruman into approving an attack against Dol Guldur. Together with the other members of the Council, the White Wizard fought off the Nine Ringwraiths, the most fell servants of the Enemy, and were able to expel the Dark Lord himself from the fortress.
In the years that followed, Saruman shut himself in Orthanc and cut off ties with Gondor, claiming Isengard as his own stronghold. The Wizard then began to gaze into the Seeing Stone, but concealed his use of it from the rest of the Council. Soon enough, Saruman communed with Sauron, who had acquired one of the Palantíri, and was ensnared. Lured with promises of power and daunted with threats, Saruman submitted and became "an ally or servant of Sauron". Instructed to deliver the lands of Rohan to his "dark master", the corrupted wizard began to build an army in the caverns beneath Orthanc. Aside from recruiting the Orcs of the Misty Mountains and the Wildmen of the Hill Tribes from Dunland, Saruman also crossbred Orcs with Men to make his own Half-orcs and the more refined Uruk-hai. Saruman transformed Isengard into a fiefdom in the image of Mordor: the caverns were filled with smithies, forges, furnaces and breeding pits; Saruman's Orcs despoiled the gardens around Orthanc and the nearby forest of Fangorn for timber, incurring the wrath of the tree-herders, the Ents. Saruman also bought the loyalty of Gríma Wormtongue, the steward of Rohan, and used him both as a mole and to poison the mind of the king, Théoden. Yet Saruman's efforts were actually split between the bidding of "Mordor and his private schemes": even as he served his new master by helping to conquer the world of Men, the corrupted wizard continued his search for the Ring, still coveting its power for himself. Saruman was certain that, one way or another, he would end up governing Middle-earth: either as the right-hand of Sauron, or by usurping Sauron's throne. Saruman also negotiated the purchase of pipeweed and other goods from the Shire with the Hobbit Lotho Sackville-Baggins. Through this arrangement, Saruman's spy-network in the Shire and Bree-land grew in the years before the War of the Ring: the hirelings he had already enlisted were joined by Half-orcs from Isengard and by Hobbits "in the pay of the Bracegirdles and Sackville-Bagginses".
At the onset of the War of the Ring, Gandalf journeyed to Isengard to seek Saruman's counsel, only to discover the terrible treachery. Saruman announced his intentions and proposed two choices to Gandalf: to offer themselves to Sauron as willing vassals and share in his power, or to obtain the Ring for themselves and try to supplant Sauron. When Gandalf refused to submit to Sauron or to disclose the location of the Ring to Saruman instead, Saruman imprisoned him atop Orthanc. Turning Isengard into a war camp, the corrupted wizard started mustering his minions and allies "for the service of his new master" and for his own hunt for the Ring. Gandalf was ultimately rescued from Saruman's grasp by Gwaihir, the Lord of Eagles. By one account, the Nine Ringwraiths, garbed as Black Riders, arrived soon after at the White Wizard's gate and demanded to know where the Shire was. Saruman boasted that had he known he would already have gained the Ring by now and the Nazgûl would have bowed before him. He then counselled the Nine to capture Gandalf who knew where the land of the Hobbits was. By another account the Ringwraiths arrived when the Grey Pilgrim was still the White Wizard's prisoner. In this version Saruman pretends to be a faithful servant of Sauron and humbly welcomes the Nazgûl, promising that he would coerce the Shire's location out of Gandalf or, if he failed, to hand him over to them. In truth, Saruman was daunted by "the full horror of service of Mordor" and was considering asking for Gandalf's help and pardon. But when he climbed up the tower, the White Wizard discovered that the Grey Pilgrim had just escaped on the back of the Lord of the Eagles. Thinking he could still feign allegiance to Sauron and search for the Ring, Saruman returned to the Nazgûl and, claiming that he had made Gandalf confess, revealed to them where the Shire was.
Now that his defection to Sauron's side and his plans for the Ring were known to the Free Peoples, Saruman sprang his campaign against Théoden: the Wildmen and Saruman's Orcs burned their way through the Rohirrim villages in the Westfold and Gríma Wormtongue prevented any military mobilization within the kingdom. Seeking to remove one of the final impediments to his conquest, the evil wizard gave special to his servants that the king's heir be slain at all costs. In the First Battle at the Fords of Isen, Saruman's warriors threw themselves in repeated attacks upon Théoden's son, Théodred, and mortally-wounded him. With Théodred dead, Théoden under his spell and Gríma as his pawn, Saruman had virtually claimed lordship over Rohan as a vassal of Mordor. But the time had now come for the corrupted wizard to betray his new master as well. Having learned of the Fellowship of the Ring's journey thanks to his flocks of Crebain, Saruman sent a large horde of Uruk-hai to ambush the Company at Amon Hen with explicit orders to bring the Hobbits - and thus the Ring - to Isengard. Saruman's Uruk-hai managed to capture two of the Hobbits, but were slowed on their way back by other Orcs, some hailing from the North and others sent by Sauron from Mordor. The entire warband was slain on the eaves of Fangorn forest by Rohirrim horsemen before Saruman could hope to retrieve the One Ring. To make matters worse for Saruman, his agent Gríma was ousted, Gandalf restored Théoden to his full strength and Aragorn, the last of Isildur's bloodline, was riding now beside Théoden. Having both made an enemy out of the Free Folk of Rohan and "cheated his new master" in a desperate gamble for possession of the Ring, Saruman saw only one way to escape this precarious position: to regain Sauron's favor by destroying the people of Rohan and Isildur's heir. Saruman then marshalled the full might of his forces and unleashed the hordes of Isengard in the Battle of Helm's Deep (Battle of the Hornburg). For much of the confrontation, Saruman's army held the upper hand, being aided by the war machines the fallen White Wizard had devised, and managed to drive Théoden's defenders into the keep. In the end, however, the host of Isengard was caught between the Théoden's forces and reinforcements brought by Gandalf and vanquished. With Saruman's stronghold unguarded by his Uruk-hai army, the Ents seized their chance and attacked Isengard, reducing the war camp to rubble and ruins and breaking the dam to flood it. What little remained of the evil wizard's Orcish servants were picked off by the Ents' wild charges, the Huorns. Saruman's reign of terror, as a vassal of Sauron, had come to an end.
In the face of this humiliating defeat, Saruman cowered back in Orthanc and was later confronted by Gandalf, Théoden and their entourage. Feigning generosity and care at first, the evil wizard tried to bend the king to his will. Théoden, fully aware that Saruman was nothing more than a puppet of Sauron, asked instead for retribution for the burning of the Westfold and the deaths of the Rohirrim children and warriors alike. Shedding the veil of humility, Saruman belittled Théoden and then, in a mocking tone, addressed Gandalf. In spite of his misdeeds, the corrupted wizard was offered a chance to repent, if he surrendered the tower and renounced both his service to the Dark Lord and his own plans. Arrogant as ever, Saruman refused and was banished from the Order of the Istari by Gandalf, for his treachery had already cost many lives. His staff broken, the traitor was stripped of much of his power and slithered back into his tower. Much to Saruman's frustration, Gríma threw the Palantír out a window - not sure whether he hated Saruman or Gandalf more; the Palantír was then claimed by Aragorn and would play a role in countering Sauron's next strike. Without the Palantír, Saruman could not answer Sauron's summons and report. Knowing that "he will appear a rebel", the corrupted wizard elected to lock himself in his tower, expecting no pity from his master nor from the Free Peoples for that matter.
After the final overthrow of Sauron, Saruman persuaded the Ents to set him free. The former White Wizard then journeyed to the Shire, dragging his servant Wormtongue (whose nickname he had scornfully shortned to 'Worm') along. By this point, the reins of the Shire rested with his ally Lotho, whose authority was backed by the brigands and Half-orcs in league with Saruman. It did not take long until the evil wizard discarded this gullible associate: Saruman had Gríma kill Lotho so he could assume total control over the Shire. His dictates enforced by the horde of wicked Men and Half-orcs, Saruman quickly became the local ruffian gang-leader and imposed a terror regime over the Hobbits; not only because he held the Hobbits partially responsible for his downfall, but also because he knew Gandalf was very fond of them and he wanted to hurt Gandalf in whatever way he could. To disguise his presence Saruman assumed the identity of Sharkey (meaning 'Old Man'), which was how his Orcish minions in Isengard had called him. His petty rule was cut short when the halflings were stirred into an uprising. Led by Frodo Baggins, Samwise Gamgee, Meriadoc Brandybuck and Peregrin Took, the Hobbits vanquished Saruman's thugs and drove him out. Saruman's final mistake would be lashing out at Gríma, who proceeded to stab him in the back for his mistreatment. The corrupted wizard's spirit rose from his body and looked westwards, but was denied entry and was scattered by the wind. Saruman's houseless ghost was left powerless and unable to return of Middle-earth, a fate not unlike that of his master, Sauron, whose impotent spirit was sucked into the Void.
Overview
Personality and attributes
Since his beginning, Saruman was filled with pride. The extensive knowledge he held served only to fuel his vanity and he allowed himself to be overcome by a greedy lust for more power, regardless of the terrible means needed to achieve it. He also proved himself to be paranoid or petty in his relationships with Gandalf and Radagast. The Grey Pilgrim he envied and considered an intolerable rival. In Saruman's flawed mindset, Gandalf's intentions were not so different from his own. Certain that the Grey Pilgrim was orchestrating his downfall, the corrupted Wizard undermined his efforts whenever possible out of sheer spite. Radagast he despised utterly, seeing him merely as a bird-taming fool or a tool of Gandalf. Saruman's amorality was obvious in his admiration of Sauron, whose works of deceit and wars had spread only death, enslavement and misery. The corrupted Wizard instead saw in his new Lord the personification of power and accomplishments and so sought to mimic him, both as flattery and for self-enhancement. Saruman was indeed only less evil than Sauron in that he mostly served him and not solely himself - even if he attempted a second betrayal on him. Much like his Lord, the corrupted Wizard saw the Free Peoples as a weak and chaotic rabble that need a strong ruler - his Lord, or himself - to govern them. Saruman had only contempt for the Rohirrim, branding them drunken brigands, and showed himself to be scornful of Théoden and his House. The treatment he awarded his servants and allies was apparently no better, as Saruman abused Gríma both physically and verbally, even going as far as to shorten his "Wormtongue" alias to "Worm". He also dismissed the Orcs as a truly effective fighting force, which was the grounds for his selection of the Uruk-hai as worthy soldiers.
Powers and abilities
Knowledge of the "deep arts" was of particular interest to him. Indeed, Saruman held extensive knowledge of Sauron and his devices - especially the field of the Rings of Power. He was also deeply learned in ancient lore regarding powerful realms such as Númenor, Gondor, and Moria. The Wizard's power was great and grew even more after his defection to the Dark Lord's service. His power was seen in both the skill of his hands and his voice, through which he could influence the minds of most save the very wisest or most powerful beings in Middle-earth. After his defeat, Saruman's staff was broken by Gandalf's magics and, following Sauron's downfall, he seemed to have lost even the power he held in his voice. Whereas Saruman the White had originally been mightier than Gandalf the Grey, Saruman "of Many Colors" - as he briefly called himself - proved to be visibly weaker than Gandalf the White.
Notes
- Saruman was created by J. R. R. Tolkien where he featured in the Middle-earth universe.
In other media
Films
In The Lord of the Rings motion picture trilogy, Saruman was portrayed by Sir Christopher Lee. Sir Christopher Lee was a devoted fan of the source material and the only member of the cast to ever meet the author, J.R.R. Tolkien.
Video games
Appearances
The Lord of the Rings The Silmarillion Unfinished Tales The History of Middle-earth
External Links
This article is a stub. You can help Multiversal Omnipedia by expanding it.
