Tolkien Gallery #4: Sauron Quiz | J. R. R. Tolkien

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. We know that, before joining Morgoth's rebellion, Sauron was attached to another Vala. Which one, as told in "The Silmarillion"?

Answer: Aule

Sauron's real name was Mairon, which means "Admirable" in Quenya. The name Sauron was given to him by the Elves, and it means "The Abhorred". The Sindar Elves of Beleriand called him Gorthaur, aka "The Cruel".

It is interesting that the two Maiar we know that they were attached to Aule, Sauron and Curumo (Saruman), both turned to evil.

2. Although we know that Sauron was Morgoth's right hand before and during the First Age, we don't know very much about his specific deeds. However, in "The Silmarillion" we are told that, after the Battle of Sudden Flame, he captured the tower of Minas Tirith on the island of Tol Sirion and turned it into a watchtower for his master, thus causing the isle's name to change to what?

Answer: Tol-in-Gaurhoth

The name Tol-in-Gaurhoth means "Isle of Werewolves". The werewolves in Middle-Earth, however, were not shape-shifters. They were evil spirits (perhaps fallen Maiar) trapped in wolfish bodies. Sauron was the master of the Werewolves and the first of their kind, Draugluin, dwelled with him in Tol-in-Gaurhoth. During his occupation of that isle, Sauron had as his herald a female vampire, called Thuringwethil, whose origins are obscure.

3. Soon after his occupation of the island of Tol Sirion in "The Silmarillion", Sauron was ordered by Morgoth to find and capture an outlaw who proudly defied him. What was his name?

Answer: Barahir the Bold

Barahir and his small band resisted Sauron for a long time. However, Sauron's spies found out that one of the Outlaws, called Gorlim, left the others occasionally, in order to search for his wife, who had gone missing and was presumed dead. So, one night when Gorlim ventured to his old home, he saw the form of his wife wailing that she had been abandoned.

He was promptly captured, but refused to betray Barahir. He was brought before Sauron and Sauron promised Gorlim that he would reunite him with his wife, provided Gorlim gave away Barahir. Gorlim, unable to resist Sauron, betrayed his lord. Subsequently, Sauron told the poor man that his wife was already dead and had him killed cruelly by Orcs.

4. However, even evil moments have their end. Sauron's command of Tol Sirion ended eight years after he had captured it. Who were responsible for ousting him from the island, as "The Silmarillion" says?

Answer: Luthien Tinuviel and Huan, the Hound of Valinor

Despite the fact that Barahir was slain after Gorlim's betrayal, his son, Beren, had been sent away on an errand by his father, and thus escaped. For four years he wandered in the lands of Dorthonion, a lone outlaw. However, so tight was he pressed by the hosts Sauron and Morgoth sent against him, that he fled the land and crossed the Ered Gorgoroth, that no Man or Elf had dared to cross and ended up in the hidden realm of King Elu Thingol, Doriath. There, he saw and fell in love with the King's daughter, Luthien Tinuviel. The King demanded that Beren bring him a Silmaril from Morgoth's crown in order to take Luthien as his wife.

Beren enlisted the aid of Finrod Felagund, an Elven king who was indebted to his father and, with a small band, they began their Quest. However, Sauron saw them from his tower and captured them. Although Finrod fought him, he lost, and the lot was thrown into a pit in order to be devoured by a werewolf.

At the grim hour where only Beren remained alive, Luthien and Huan, the Hound of Valinor, stood upon the bridge of Tol-in-Gaurhoth. Sauron knew that she was the daughter of Thingol and wanted to turn her over to Morgoth, but neither he nor his lackeys could withstand the Hound of Valinor. Thus, Sauron was forced to flee his island and he went to the forest of Taur-nu-Fuin, filling it with horror.

5. After Sauron abandoned his island, we do not hear of him again until the end of the First Age and the defeat of Morgoth. He appeared before the Host of Valinor and asked for forgiveness, but he was unwilling to receive Manwe's judgment and he fled somewhere in Middle-Earth. After more than 1000 years, he put on a fair guise, trying to sway the Elves to his side. In which of the following realms was he welcome, according to "The Silmarillion"?

Answer: Eregion

Eregion was founded during the early Second Age and it was ultimately ruled by Celebrimbor, grandson of Feanor, the famed creator of the Silmarils. Celebrimbor was the head of the Gwaith-i-Mirdain, the most elite group of craftsmen in Middle-Earth. The smiths were willing to learn what Sauron had to teach them. Thus, the Elves were deceived into forging the Rings of Power.

Lindon was the realm of Gil-galad, the last High King of the Noldor Elves. Both Gil-galad and his herald, Elrond Half-Elven, distrusted Sauron and he was banned from Lindon. Nargothrond and Gondolin existed during the First Age and it is not told that Sauron entered either one of them.

6. Under Sauron's guidance, the Elven smiths forged the Rings of Power. Of the Great Rings, 16 were forged under Sauron's guidance, but the Three Elven Rings were created by his partner, Celebrimbor, alone. However, Sauron forged in secret the One Ring, in order to establish domination over all others. Where did he forge it, as told in "The Lord of the Rings"?

Answer: Mount Doom, in Mordor

As soon as Sauron put the Ring on, the Elves realized they had been betrayed, so they refused to use their Rings. Subsequently, Sauron demanded the Elves cede the Great Rings to him, since they were forged using his own knowledge and techniques. Predictably, his claim was denied and he started preparing for war, raising immense armies of Orcs, Trolls and Men of Darkness.

7. Almost one century after the forging of the One Ring, the War of the Elves and Sauron started. Sauron devastated the lands of Eriador, tortured and killed his former partner, Celebrimbor, and obtained the Great Rings, except for the Three Elven ones. What battle put an end to this bloody and calamitous war, as The Appendices of "The Lord of the Rings" state?

Answer: Battle of the Gwathlo

The Battle of the Gwathlo was fought in the year 1700 of the Second Age. Undeknownst to Sauron, Gil-galad, the High King of the Elves, had requested the aid of the King of Numenor when Sauron's hordes began the invasion of Eriador. However, the fleet was delayed for five years and arrived at a time when Sauron had conquered nearly all of Middle-Earth east of the Blue Mountains.

The arrival of the Numenoreans turned the tide and the Dark Lord's hosts were defeated and driven back to the Sarn Ford on the river Baranduin, where they were further mauled by their enemies.

They pulled back at Tharbad, but a second Numenorian fleet attacked them from the rear. Only Sauron and a small bodyguard managed to retreat into Mordor and the Dark Lord was determined to have his revenge on Numenor.

8. Despite the fact that he was driven from Eriador, Sauron continued to expand his empire into the East and South, turning the barbarian inhabitants of those regions to the worship of Morgoth. During this time, he redestributed the sixteen Rings of Power he had retrieved during his war with the Elves among the Dwarves and Men. How many did he give to each race, as told in the Ring-verse in "The Lord of the Rings"?

Answer: Seven to the Dwarves and nine to Men

The Dwarves were given Seven Rings (possibly Sauron gave the leader of each of the seven dwarvish clans of that time a Ring) and Nine he gave to Men. The Dwarves still managed not to be corrupted by the Rings, although their lust for gold increased, something that caused great grief and strife to them.

However, the Nine Lords of Men to whom Sauron gave Rings were completely corrupted and became his most deadly servants, the dreaded Ringwraiths.

9. It was not only Sauron who sought to rule the Men of Middle-Earth during the Second Age. There were also the proud Numenorians, who were more and more falling into the Shadow. The last King of Numenor, in his folly, sought to capture Sauron and bring him to Numenor as a prisoner. Though he phenomenally succeeded, Sauron soon became his most trusted advisor and led him to the calamitious decision to attack Valinor, a blunder which cost him both his life and his kingdom. What was the name of that arrogant King, as "The Silmarillion" tells us?

Answer: Ar-Pharazon

Ar-Pharazon was the last King of Numenor. He was the leader of the faction known as "King's Men", who spoke openly against the Valar and the Elves. Ar-Pharazon became King when he forced his fist cousin, Miriel, into marriage. Sauron corrupted him so deeply that the King built a temple where human sacrifices were offered to Morgoth.

Although Numenor was destroyed as a result of Ar-Pharazon's arrogance, a small remnant of its population, led by Elendil the Tall, escaped. Sauron's body was drowned in the cataclysmic Downfall of Numenor and he was unable to adopt fair visages from now on.

10. After the downfall of Numenor, Sauron returned to Middle-Earth as a spirit of hatred. There, he began to slowly regain his former strength. In the year 3429 of the Second Age, he felt confident enough to wage his war on the Elves and the remnant of the Numenoreans. How is this war named, as told in "The Silmarillion", "Unfinished Tales" and "The Lord of the Rings"?

Answer: The War of the Last Alliance

The name comes from the Last Alliance of Elves and Men, which was formed in order to eliminate Sauron's threat over the Free Peoples of Middle-Earth. The most decisive battle was the Battle of Dagorlad, in the year 3434 of the Second Age, where the Alliance befeated Sauron's armies and, despite the casualties, managed to lay siege on the Dark Tower of Barad-dur for seven years.

The war ended when Sauron himself came forth and battled the leaders of the Alliance at the slopesof Orodruin. Although he slew both Gil-galad, High King of the Elves and Elendil, King of Arnor and Gondor, Isildur, son of Elendil, cut the One Ring from his twisted hand.

His Ringwraiths passed into the shadows and Sauron himself was unable to take shape again for more than a thousand years.

Source: Author DeepHistory

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor looney_tunes before going online.
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Tolkien Gallery #4: Sauron Trivia Quiz

This quiz is about the Dark Lord Sauron, the eponymous Lord of the Rings whose actions shaped the history of Middle-Earth to a great extent. Enjoy!

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