"A look into Middle-earth" PART II: SERVANTS OF SAURON: The Mouth of Sauron
“The rider was robed all in black, and black was his lofty helm; yet this was no Ringwraith but a living Man.” - The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (novel)
“This unnamed servant of Sauron was said to have once been of the Dúnedain, a Man of the island of Númenor, but like many of his kin he desired power and immortality beyond his allotted span and so turned against the Valar, becoming one of the so-called Black Númenóreans. He came to Middle-earth and settled in Umbar, where, along with others of his kind, he ruled the Haradrim. Like most Black Númenóreans, he became corrupted by Sauron in the Second Age and came to hate all of the Free Peoples, especially the descendants of the Faithful and the line of Isildur. In Sauron’s service he became a powerful sorcerer, and through his magics greatly extended his life. Because of his evil and his cunning, he quickly rose in position, eventually becoming lieutenant of the Tower of Barad-dûr. His helm left only his mouth exposed and was etched with runes written in the Black Speech:
‘I am the Mouth of Sauron, hear him speak’.
Although he carried a sword, his deadliest weapon was made not of metal but of words, and he would use it to devastating effect, killing hope instead of flesh. He may have been directly involved in winning the allegiance of the peoples of the South, although with the once-conquered Haradrim fear may have played as great a part as bribe.” - The Lord of the Rings: Weapons and Warfare
History
The Second Age
“The great cape and land-locked firth of Umbar had been Númenórean land since days of old; but it was a stronghold of the King's Men, who were afterwards called the Black Númenóreans, corrupted by Sauron, and who hated above all the followers of Elendil.” - The Lord of the Rings: Appendices
Very little is known of this nameless servant of Sauron save that he was a renegade of the Dúnedain, that is one of the so-called Black Númenóreans (or King's Men). As the Kings of Númenor became proud and paid no longer heed to the bans and counsels of the Valar in the Second Age, he and the rest of his kind joined in this rebellion against the Valar, for they resented their mortality and yearned for greater wealth and power. When the Shadow of the Dark Lord finally fell over the island-kingdom, these Men hearkened to him, believing that his evil knowledge was the path to achieving their desires, and were compelled into his service. By the time of the Downfall of Númenor, these Black Númenóreans had sailed to Middle-earth and established strongholds and havens, the chief of which was Umbar, and began to behave as lords of the Men there, such as the Haradrim, and demand tribute or sacrifice them on their altars. They worshipped Sauron as a god and had an intense hatred of those Dúnedain who had followed Elendil and his sons (Isildur and Anárion) and had remained faithful to the Valar and the One (Eru).
As for that Black Númenórean who became known as the Mouth of Sauron, it is said that when Sauron took up his abode again in the Tower of Barad-dûr in Mordor he entered his service. He rose quickly at his side until he became his chief emissary and lieutenant of the Tower of Barad-dûr. He grew into a formidable sorcerer and it seems that by means of magics he managed to extend his life far beyond his allotted span. But this unnaturally-prolonged life and his subservience to the Dark Lord were not without price: his body beame shriveled and deformed, his mouth turned into an enlarged maw with bloodied lips blackened by the words Sauron, his new master, made him utter, and his former identity was subsumed until he had forgotten his own name; he became little more than the Dark Lord's puppet of flesh, tasked with carrying out his embassy.
Like other Black Númenóreans, namely Fuinur and Herumor, it is likely that he became a ruler of the Haradrim and might have helped rally them to the banner of Sauron against the Dúnedain and Ñoldorin Elves led by Elendil and Gil-galad during the War of the Last Alliance. Following the defeat of the Dark Lord, this unnamed servant retreated into the shadows, awaiting his master's return.
The Third Age
“'Then about a year ago a messenger came to Dáin, but not from Moria - from Mordor: a horseman in the night, who called Dáin to his gate. The Lord Sauron the Great, so he said, wished for our friendship. Rings he would give for it, such as he gave of old.'” - Glóin, The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (novel)
Following Sauron's eventual return to the Tower of Barad-dûr in Mordor late in the Third Age, his Mouth re-emerged at his side. Together with the Nazgûl and Saruman - Sauron's other chief agents - he was deep in the Enemy's council and knew much of his mind. It is very likely that it was this nameless vassal who was sent as an ambassador to try win the allegiance of the Free Peoples of the North before the War of the Ring erupted. The Messenger of Mordor came to the gates of Erebor to parley with Dáin in the name of Sauron. His master promised that, should the King under the Mountain submit to him and aid in the hunt for the One Ring, he would be granted a rich reward: three of the Seven Rings of Power given of old to the Dwarves and dominion over Moria (Khazad-dûm) as a lieutenant of Sauron; to these honeyed promises a threat was also added as to what would follow if the King under the Mountain refused to join with the Dark Lord. Neither bought nor daunted, Dáin sent the emissary of Sauron away, claiming he needed time to consider his answer. The Messenger of Mordor paid a similar visit to Brand in Dale with the same terms, but the king demanded that he leave.
“And thereupon the middle door of the Black Gate was thrown open with a great clang, and out of it there came an embassy from the Dark Tower.” - The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (novel)
At the end of the War of the Ring, Aragorn challenged Sauron and mustered the remainder of the armies of Gondor and Rohan to face the hordes of Mordor at the Black Gate. Before the battle ensued, the Dark Lord sent his chief emissary to parley with the Captains of the West in a final attempt to intimidate his adversaries or humiliate them before they were crushed by his immeasurable host. Mounted upon his black horse, the Mouth of Sauron carried with him the mithril shirt that had been worn by Frodo Baggins and lost by him in the Tower of Cirith Ungol; as the Captains of the West were unaware of the haflling's fate, the sight of his possessions in the hands of the Enemy would make them lose their morale. In addition, Sauron himself was unaware of Frodo's true mission (which was the destruction of the Ring in Mount Doom) and hoped to glean the Hobbit's importance from his adversaries' reaction.
The Mouth of Sauron addressed the Captains of the West with clear insolence from the beginning: in a mockful tone he asked almost immediately whether any in the 'rout' before him had authority to treat with him.
In the films
“'Old Greybeard. I have a token I was bidden to show thee.'” - the Mouth of Sauron, to Gandalf, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (film)
“'The halfling [Frodo Baggins] was dear to thee, I see. Know that he suffered greatly at the hands of his host. Who would've thought one so small could endure so much pain? And he did, Gandalf. He did.'” - the Mouth of Sauron, to Gandalf, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (film)
His question was answered by Gandalf. The White Wizard made it clear that they had not come to treat with the Dark Lord, but to demand that his armies be disbanded and that he depart Middle-earth, never to return. Taking Gandalf to be the Free Peoples' spokesman, the Mouth of Sauron revealed Frodo's mithril shirt as his dark master had bidden him and implied that the poor Hobbit had been caught, tortured and slain; he took great delight in the sorrow that entered the Captains' hearts. But then Aragorn rode forward to confront him. The Mouth of Sauron scornfully dismissed the claim of Isildur's heir to the throne of Gondor based solely on the reforged sword Andúril. With a swift strike of that same blade, however, Aragorn cut off the head of Sauron's snake, concluding 'negotiations' in a decisive fashion and prompting Sauron himself to unleash his forces.
In the novels
“'It needs more to make a king than a piece of elvish glass, or a rabble such as this. Why, any brigand of the hills can show as good a following!'” - the Mouth of Sauron, to Aragorn, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (novel)
“'Dwarf-coat, Elf-cloak, blade of the downfallen West, and spy from the little rat-land of the Shire - nay; do not start! We know it well - here are the marks of a conspiracy. Now, maybe he that bore these things was a creature that you would not grieve to lose, and maybe otherwise: one dear to you, perhaps? If so, take swift counsel with what little wit is left to you. For Sauron does not love spies, and what his fate shall be depends now on your choice.'” - the Mouth of Sauron, to Gandalf, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (novel)
The Mouth of Sauron easily dismissed Aragorn as a worthy delegate, remarking that the reforged sword Andúril did not make Isildur's heir rightful King of Gondor. Feeling threatened, however, by Aragorn, the Mouth of Sauron reminded the Captains of the West that he was an ambassador and invoked diplomatic immunity. Gandalf answered, reminding that the custom also demanded that messengers not be insolent and assuring him that he had nothing to fear until his embassy was at an end. Taking Gandalf to be the Free Peoples' spokesman, the Mouth of Sauron revealed Frodo's mithril shirt as his dark master had bidden him and implied that the poor Hobbit had been caught and was now Sauron's prisoner; he took great delight in the sorrow that entered the Captains' hearts. He then claimed that the halfling would be released if the Free Peoples accepted his master's terms: 
- the remainder of Rohan and Gondor's armies would lay down their arms and swore fealty and an oath that never again would they rise against the host of Mordor
- all lands east of the Anduin would be Sauron's alone to rule
- the lands between Anduin and the Misty Mountains would be tributary to Mordor; the people there would be left to govern their affairs as vassals of Sauron
- Isengard would be rebuilt and there the lieutenant of Sauron in the West would dwell (Having plotted against Sauron, his new master, by trying to claim the Ring for himself and then having failed to deliver the Rohirrim to him, Saruman had lost the chance to have Sauron's favor in victory; the Mouth of Sauron believed he himself would replace Saruman as Sauron's lieutenant in the West.)
Gandalf replied that he doubted the word of Sauron, the Base Master of Treachery, and asked to see Frodo as proof that the professedly captive Hobbit was alive. Unwilling to let the bluff be discovered, the ambassador answered that they would receive no guarantee and that to obtain his master's favor they must first do his bidding. Instead, Gandalf took the tokens in memory of Frodo and utterly rejected the terms, making it clear that they had not come to treat with Sauron. Understanding his peril now that his embassy was at an end, the Dark Lord's ambassador fled before the Captains of the West could capture or slay him. The flight of the Mouth of Sauron was the signal for Sauron to unleash his hordes. His final fate remains unknown: he may have been caught in the destruction caused by the final overthrow of Sauron, or else he escaped with the remained of his armies at the Black Gate.
INDEX OF POSSIBLY UNFAMILIAR NAMES
Note: names not listed here have already been mentioned in the indexes of previous blog parts.
Characters
- Fuinur & Herumor – two Black Númenórean lords who ruled the Haradrim in the years up to the War of the Last Alliance.
- Anárion - the brother of Isildur with whom he co-ruled Gondor in the South, while Elendil ruled Arnor in the North. He fought in the War of the Last Alliance against the Dark Lord and was slain. His descendants continued to rule as Kings of Gondor until the line was broken by Sauron's servant the Witch-king of Angmar.
- Gil-galad - the last High King of the Ñoldor as well as the original bearer of Vilya, one of the Three Rings of Power given to the Elves. He formed the Last Alliance of Elves and Men together with his friend and ally Elendil to resist Sauron. He fell in battle against the Dark Lord. His Ring, Vilya, was taken by his vice-regent Elrond.
- Brand - King of Dale at the time of the War of the Ring. He was the grandson of Bard, the bowman of Lake-town who slew Smaug and fought in the Battle of the Five Armies. He fought alongside Dáin against Sauron and fell in battle before the gates of Erebor.
Places
- Númenor - an island West of Middle-earth and East of the Far West (the Undying Lands of Valinor and the island of Eressëa). It was risen from the seas by the Valar as a reward for those Men who fought alongside the Elves against Morgoth, but was sunk beneath the waves when most of the Númenóreans turned against the Valar and allowed Sauron to become their lord and master. The realms of Arnor and Gondor in Middle-earth sprang from it.
- Umbar – a southern seaport and stronghold near Harad, home to Black Númenóreans and the eponymous Corsairs, both peoples of Men serving Sauron.
- Dale - the city of Men that lay before the gates of the Dwarves' kingdom of Erebor.
Groups
- Captains of the West - the valiant heroes of the Free Peoples of Middle-earth who rode to the Black Gate to challenge the Dark Lord and keep the gaze of his Eye away from the Ring-bearer. Aragorn was at their helm and by his side was Gandalf; the other members were: Éomer, Gimli, Legolas, Pippin, Merry (in the films), Imrahil of Dol Amroth (in the novels) and the sons of Elrond - Elladan and Elrohir (in the novels).
Artefacts
- Andúril - sword of Aragorn as righftul King of Gondor. It was reforged from the shards of Narsil, the sword of Elendil with which his son Isildur cut the One Ring from Sauron's hand in the War of the Last Alliance.
SOURCES
Books
- The Lord of the Rings
Adaptations
- The Lord of the Rings motion picture trilogy
- The Lord of the Rings: Weapons and Warfare
- WETA Workshop collectibles
ARTISTS
- anastasiyacemetery
- Mark Melnikov
- John Howe
- Mike Henderson
Note: if you find any artists not mentioned here, please write in the comments so I can add them as well
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