Saruman
Saruman was a male literary character who features in The Lord of the Rings.
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Biography
Curumo was originally one of the powerful Maiar of Aulë the Smith. In Valinor, the land of the Valar, a council was called by Manwë, leader of the Valar, shortly after Sauron's defeat by the Last Alliance of Elves and Men. Though Sauron was overthrown, he had not been effectively vanquished and his shadow began to fall upon Middle-earth a second time. It was decided to send five emissaries to Middle-earth. These should be "mighty, peers of Sauron, yet forgo might, and clothe themselves in flesh," as they were intended to help Men and Elves unite against Sauron, but the Wizards were forbidden from matching the Dark Lord in power and fear. Curumo was one of those who volunteered, whereas the last one, Olórin ommanded by Manwë to go too. It was from this point that Curumo began to be jealous of Olórin, due to Varda's decision to send Olórin not as the third Istari, but as the second. He also was charged to take Aiwendil (later called "Radagast") to please Yavanna, which Curumo did not wish to do, and this led to contempt for the latter Wizard. The others who were chosen were Alatar and Pallando (the Blue Wizards). Curumo then was appointed overall leader of the group. He came to be the first of the Istari (Wizards) sent by the Valar to guide the Free Peoples in the struggle against the Dark Lord Sauron.
Coming to Middle-Earth as an emissary of the rightful Powers near the beginning of the Third Age. The five wizards arrived separately at the Grey Havens in the west of Eriador around the year TA 1000. Only the keeper of the havens, Círdan the Shipwright, knew Saruman's identity and origin. Saruman would later discover that Círdan had given Narya, the Red Ring, to Gandalf upon their first landing in Middle-earth. Even though Saruman was immediately considered the head of the order while Gandalf was not, Círdan had divined Gandalf as the wisest and greatest of the wizards. Saruman's jealousy of Gandalf grew from these events, perhaps because he feared that he would eventually supplant him as chief of the wizards. Saruman and the two Blue Wizards went into the east of Middle-earth. After one and a half millennia, he returned to the west, just as Sauron's power was growing again in Dol Guldur. He made his home in the tower of Orthanc deep in the valley of Isengard with the blessing of the Steward of Condor and the King of Rohan. Among Men, Curumo became known as Saruman the White.
For many years, the White Wizard led the White Council, and he himself was their chief expert in Ringlore, having secretly grow enamoured of the Enemy's devices. Unlike the other four Istari, Saruman wanted power at any cost and so plotted to share in Sauron's power; he also envied Gandalf whom he viewed as a competitor for station and undermined whenever possible. The corrupted White Wizard's coercion was complete when the Dark Lord caught him peering into the Palantir and ensnared him, compelling him to his side. Abandoning the mission he had been entrusted with, Saruman sought by terrible means to get his hands on the One Ring, or at the very least reap the fruits of the victorious Sauron as his joint lieutenant.
Concealed in his ringed stronghold, Saruman established his own host both in service and in rivalry of his new master, Sauron, drawing his manpower from tribes of mountain Orcs, breeding more with degrees of Mannish blood in the muddy water caverns beneath Isengard. Saruman also sent his informants to spy on Gandalf's affairs in the Shire, and began sapping the strength of the neighboring realm of Rohan by throwing in his lot with the wildmen from Dunland. Buying royal advisor Grima Wormtongue to the Dark Lord Sauron's cause, the Wizard Saruman persuaded King Théoden to indirectly allow the resurgence of his master's armies for the coming war by not interferring.
Gandalf journeyed to Isengard seeking Saruman's counsel, only to discover the terrible treachery. The turncoat Wizard revealed his intentions and offered him a choice: submit to the Dark Power or get the One Ring for themselves to vie with him with absolute rulership over Arda. Gandalf refused, and was imprisoned by Saruman atop Orthanc.
Saruman then turned Isengard into a war camp, gathering his numberless Orcs and Wolves, cutting down wood, forging weapons and perfecting the fighting Uruk-hai. After the Grey Pilgrim's flight, the traitorous Wizard dispatched a party of his Orcs to pursue the Fellowship of the Ring.
Saruman's Uruk-hai scouts succeeded in capturing Merry and Pippen, but the halflings escaped and helped rally the Ents against the threat of the union between Mordor and Isengard.
At his Lord Sauron's command, the Wizard Saruman committed most of his forces to grievous attacks against the Rohirrim at the Fords of Isen and the fortress of Helm' Deep. While his ten thousand-strong legion was vanquished, the Ents assaulted and occupied Isengard, trapping the turncoat in Orthanc. Gandalf the White soon arrived, leading the armies of Rohan, and confronted the embittered Saruman, offering him a chance to repent. Arrogant as ever Saruman refused and tried to sow despair or push him towards Sauron's employ, so Gandalf banished him from the Istari order and broke his staff, stripping him of his power. In a fit of rage, Grima threw Saruman's Palantir out a window - not sure whichever Wizard he hated more - where it was claimed by Aragorn.
After the permanent defeat of the Dark Lord, the Ents released his two-faced servant, and he and Wormtongue journeyed to the Shire, where allies he had infiltrated there allowed him to take over. He was known among the hobbits there as "Sharkey" (derived from an orcish word meaning 'Old Man') and holding them responsible for his precarious position, Saruman imposed a terror regime in the land by means of ruffians and half-orcs. The four hobbits returned and managed to drive the disgraced Wizard out. But after lashing out at Grima, the oppressed agent (after enduring abuse and torture) attacked Saruman and cut his throat. Saruman's spirit rose from his body and looked towards Valinor, but was rejected and his spirit scattered on the wind; a fate perhaps not much unlike that of his master, as Sauron's soul was banished to the Void to gnaw on its own impotent malice.
Overview
Personality and attributes
As one of the Istari, he was a member of the order of wizards where he came to be known as Saruman the White.
Powers and abilities
Knowledge of the 'deep arts' was of particular interest to Saruman. He was also deeply learned in ancient lore regarding powerful kingdoms such as Númenor, Gondor, and Moria.
Notes
- Saruman was created by J. R. R. Tolkien where he featured in the Middle-earth universe.
In other media
Films
Video games
Appearances
- The Lord of the Rings:
External Links
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