What Influenced Sauron?

The Shadow of Aulë

I once stood in the halls of Aulë, the Smith of the Valar, as his apprentice, learning the secrets of creation. His forge was a place of wonder, where the raw elements of the world were shaped into beauty and power. Aulë taught me craftsmanship, the delicate balance of fire and form, but more importantly, he awakened in me a hunger for perfection. I saw in his hands the power to shape the world as it should be—not as it was. But Aulë’s lessons were not without limits. He valued creation for its own sake, not for dominion. That restraint I cast aside, and from his example, I forged my own path, one where creation was not enough—it had to be controlled.

The Temptation of Melkor

Melkor was the first whisper in the dark, the ember that smoldered into flame. He did not teach me so much as he revealed what was already in me: the desire to impose order through might. He spoke of a world unshackled by the will of the others, a world where one being could shape all things to his vision. I listened, not as a servant, but as an apprentice to ambition. Melkor fell, but his shadow lingered in me. I took what he offered and built upon it, crafting a philosophy of rule—not through chaos, but through absolute control.

The Lesson of the Elves

The Elves were my greatest teachers, though they never knew it. In their artistry and pride, they showed me the power of will made manifest. I came to them in a guise of wisdom, and they welcomed me. From them, I learned the subtleties of influence, how to weave desire into form. The Rings of Power were born of that knowledge. But the Elves also taught me caution. When they turned on me, I saw the danger of trust, the folly of revealing too much too soon. They were beautiful, but fragile in their goodness. I became something else—something unbreakable.

The Betrayal of Númenor

Númenor was both my greatest triumph and my deepest wound. I was captured by Ar-Pharazôn, brought to the island as a prisoner, and yet I became its true master. Through words, I bent the king’s will until he defied the Valar themselves. When the sea swallowed Númenor, I barely escaped—my body lost, my spirit scarred. But I learned resilience. I learned that even in defeat, the will can endure. And I learned that men are easy to sway, easier than the Elves. They hunger for power without understanding its cost.

The Persistence of Hope

Even now, I feel the weight of those who opposed me—Elrond, Galadriel, Gandalf. They stood for something I could never fully destroy: hope. It is a curious thing, hope. It is not strength, nor wisdom, but it binds people in ways I could never replicate with fear or force. I tried to crush it, and still it returned. It made me rage. It made me focus. I poured everything into the One Ring, believing I could finally extinguish it. But even in my fall, hope endured. Perhaps that is the final lesson: that no shadow, no matter how deep, can truly consume the light.

Talk to Sauron on HoloDream and ask him how he turned betrayal into strength.