Eye of Sauron
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The Eye of Sauron is part of the fictional Middle-earth, a literary universe by J. R. R. Tolkien.
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[edit] The Eye of Sauron in Tolkien's writings
In The Lord of the Rings, the primary antagonist Sauron controls his minions from within the Dark Tower, Barad-dûr, and thus he is never physically seen by the main characters. However, he does sometimes confront them from a distance, and in those cases he is often perceived as an "Eye". The most notable example is Frodo's vision in the Mirror of Galadriel:
- "The Eye was rimmed with fire, but was itself glazed, yellow as a cat's, watchful and intent, and the black slit of its pupil opened on a pit, a window into nothing." (The Fellowship of the Ring, "The Mirror of Galadriel")
Because there is evidence that Sauron does have a humanoid physical form at the time of The Lord of the Rings (see the FAQ link below), it seems most likely that the "Eye" is a reflection of his piercing mind or will. (It certainly does not describe his physical form, as the Akallabêth says that "the Eye of Sauron the Terrible few could endure" even before his body was destroyed in the War of the Last Alliance.) This concept of the Eye is supported by a similar comment about Morgoth in Morgoth's Ring, part of The History of Middle-earth:
- "...Morgoth held the Orcs in dire thraldom; for in their corruption they had lost almost all possibility of resisting the domination of his will. So great indeed did its pressure upon them become ere Angband fell that, if he turned his thought towards them, they were conscious of his 'eye' wherever they might be." (Morgoth's Ring, "Myths Transformed", Text X)
We know that Morgoth had a huge but humanoid form during the First Age, so "eye" here clearly refers to his will. The similarity between this description and the many references to Sauron's "Eye" is striking, which makes the true meaning of the term clear.
To add to that, Tolkien clearly states in one of his letters that "The form that he took was that of a man of more than human stature, but not gigantic." (Letter 246.) In The Two Towers, Gollum states that Sauron has hands:
- "...said Frodo. 'It was Isildur who cut the finger off the enemy.
- Yes, he has only four on the Black Hand, but they are enough,' said Gollum shuddering." (The Two Towers, "The Black Gate is Closed".)
Despite the non-physical but metaphysical nature of the Eye, it was Sauron's primary representation in the outside world. Sauron's Orcs use the sign of the Eye when they roam the Earth, because he does not "permit [his name] to be spelt or spoken" (according to Aragorn; a notable exception was the Mouth of Sauron). Also, the Lord of the Nazgûl threatens Éowyn with torture before the Lidless Eye at the Battle of the Pelennor Fields.
[edit] The Eye of Sauron in Peter Jackson's movies
In Peter Jackson's movies, The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, and The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, Jackson envisions Sauron as being a spirit-like being who cannot yet take bodily form. Sauron's only physical presence is as a giant disembodied red flaming eye, seen in all three movies as floating on top of Barad-dûr, suspended by its twin parapets (both the tower and the Eye are vaguely seen together in a vision of Frodo's in the first film). This differs substantially from the situation in the books as described above, and interviews with Jackson imply that the difference is based on an honest misreading of Tolkien's intent, as Jackson repeatedly refers to Sauron as "just a giant floating eyeball".
The Eye is "constantly moving", seeking out all that moves in Sauron's domain of Mordor. The effect of the Eye in Mordor is seen as a red beam that moves across the land, forever probing. It also seems to be visible to Frodo (and to see him in turn) any time that he is wearing the Ring. The Eye is referred to as having the capability to "see all", although that must be meant as a term of fear and not literally; Sauron is not aware of all events that occur in Middle-earth, because he can only observe a single location at a time, rather like a lighthouse scanning the seas. Some Tolkien fans dislike this "lighthouse of Mordor" interpretation (with the Eye shining a ray of light while searching for the One Ring), which showed itself in full in the third movie.
Pippin had a brief and frightening encounter with the Eye, after gazing into the palantír of Orthanc.
One of scenes considered, but later changed, for The Return of the King, was one where Sauron would appear at the battle before the Black Gate, and fight Aragorn. In this cut scene, Sauron assumed the form of the giant humanoid seen in the first film. This would contradict Saruman's earlier line in the first film, in which it is said that Sauron cannot yet take physical form. Subsequently, Sauron was replaced by a computer-generated troll to fight Aragorn.
[edit] Trivia
Fomalhaut, the "Lonely Star of Autumn" and the brightest star of the Piscis Austrinus star constellation, features a disk of dust that gives it an almost uncanny resemblance to the Eye of Sauron as depicted by Jackson.
[edit] External links
- "Did Sauron have a physical form during The Lord of the Rings?" (Tolkien Newsgroups FAQ).pl:Oko Saurona
