Saruman
| House / Order | The Istari |
|---|---|
| Race / Culture | Maia |
| Status | Slain |
| Origin | Isengard (Angrenost); originally Valinor |
| Born | Before the shaping of the world (Maia) |
| Died | 3 November T.A. 3019, at Bag End in the Shire |
| Weapon | His Voice; the palantír of Orthanc; sorcery |
| Fate | Cast down by his treachery, his spirit dissolved; murdered by Gríma in the Shire |
| Portrayed by | Christopher Lee |
Saruman, called Saruman the White and Curunír among the Elves, was the chief of the Wizards sent to Middle-earth and the head of the White Council. Greatest in lore and craft of his order, he turned from his errand to the pursuit of power, and became one of the principal traitors of the War of the Ring.
His fall is the tale's chief study of corruption among the Wise. Sent like Gandalf to oppose Sauron, Saruman instead coveted the One Ring for himself, made his fortress of Isengard a lesser image of Mordor, and at the last was reduced to a petty, vengeful ruin in the Shire.
Origins
Saruman was a Maia, a spirit of the people of Aulë the Smith, named Curumo in the West. When the Valar resolved to send emissaries against Sauron near the year T.A. 1000, Curumo came first and was reckoned the chief of the five Istari — the White Wizard, foremost in knowledge and skill, especially in the works of hands and the lore of Rings of Power. He took for his domain the study of the Enemy's devices, a study that proved his undoing.
Biography
The White Council
Saruman became head of the White Council, the assembly of the Wise formed to contend with the growing shadow. His deep knowledge of ring-lore made him its natural leader, but it also bred secret ambition: he began to desire the One Ring for himself, and to that end he took Isengard and the tower of Orthanc from Gondor as his seat, and there found one of the lost palantíri.
The corruption
Searching for the Ring in the Gladden Fields and studying the Enemy too closely, Saruman was slowly ensnared. Through the palantír of Orthanc he came under the gaze of Sauron, who mastered him. Saruman bred a great army of Orcs and the half-orc Uruk-hai, felled the forests about Isengard to feed his furnaces, and proclaimed himself "Saruman of Many Colours," forsaking the white. When Gandalf came seeking counsel, Saruman tried to win him to a partnership with the Enemy, and on his refusal imprisoned him atop Orthanc.
War and downfall
- Main article: Battle of the Hornburg
Saruman sent his hosts against Rohan, but his army was broken at the Battle of Helm's Deep, and Isengard itself was overthrown by the Ents, roused at last under Treebeard, who flooded the ring of Isengard and besieged Saruman in his tower. Gandalf, now the White, cast Saruman from the order and broke his staff. Saruman, refusing all mercy, was left a prisoner of the Ents.
Sharkey and the Shire
He escaped as a beggar and made his way north, and in his final spite seized the leaderless Shire, ruling it through ruffians under the name "Sharkey" and despoiling the hobbits' land out of pure malice. When the four hobbits returned and roused the Scouring of the Shire, his men were driven off. Frodo forbade his slaying and offered him freedom, but Saruman, scorning the pity, was murdered on the doorstep of Bag End by his own cringing servant Gríma Wormtongue. His spirit rose like a grey mist, looked toward the West, and was blown away into nothing — denied return.
Character
Saruman is the corruption of wisdom by the love of power and order. Subtle, learned, and silver-tongued, his chief weapon is his Voice, which can sway and beguile all who listen unguarded. His tragedy is that he sought to defeat Sauron by becoming like him — believing that knowledge and dominion in the right hands could master evil — and so became merely a smaller copy of the thing he was sent to oppose. His pettiness at the end measures how far he fell.
Relationships
- Gandalf — his fellow Wizard and rival, who replaced him as head of the order.
- Sauron — whom he served in fear after being ensnared, and hoped to supplant.
- Gríma Wormtongue — his servant and tool, who at last murdered him.
- Treebeard — the Ent who broke his power and held him captive.
- Théoden — King of Rohan, whom he sought to poison and weaken through Gríma.
Appearances
- The Fellowship of the Ring (recounted by Gandalf)
- The Two Towers
- The Return of the King
- Unfinished Tales ("The Istari")
In Peter Jackson's film trilogy (2001–2003), Saruman was portrayed by Christopher Lee. The theatrical edition of The Return of the King omits the Scouring of the Shire and instead kills Saruman at Orthanc; his death and the fate of the Shire are restored in the extended edition, though still differing from the book.
Quotes
The Elder Days are gone. The Middle Days are passing. The Younger Days are beginning. The time of the Elves is over, but our time is at hand: the world of Men, which we must rule.
Do you not know my name? ... I am Saruman the Wise, Saruman Ring-maker, Saruman of Many Colours!