Sauron finally revealed himself at the end of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power season 1 – and he wasn’t actually lying about his motives.
Sauron wasn’t actually lying when he tried to tempt Galadriel in The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power’s final episode. The first series of Amazon’s The Lord of the Rings prequel series essentially sold itself on mysteries that were only unraveled in the final episode. The end of The Rings of Power finally confirmed Sauron’s true identity, revealing he had been acting under the alias of Halbrand, manipulating Galadriel to ensure the first rings were forged.
Galadriel realized the truth too late, and was foolish enough to confront Sauron directly. He used his dark magic to enter her mind, using visions and hallucinations to tempt her to his side. Sauron claimed he was acting not out of a lust for power but out of a desire for peace, and that he longed to heal Middle-earth from the damage it had suffered during the long, bitter war against Morgoth. The scene was beautifully done, continuing J.R.R. Tolkien’s imagery of Sauron as a fallen angel, his Lucifer figure, the one who tempts Eve in the Garden of Eden and Jesus at the beginning of his ministry. It showed how even an elf like Galadriel could fall, with Sauron appealing to her goodness and perverting it.
The Rings Of Power Really Did Reveal Sauron’s Motives
Most viewers will assume Sauron was simply trying to get into Galadriel’s head, taking advantage of the friendship he had cultivated with her while acting under the alias of Halbrand. But he was able to make such an appeal precisely because this is indeed his motive in Middle-earth’s Second Age. According to J.R.R. Tolkien’s notes, the author planned to reveal Sauron had abandoned his master Morgoth shortly before his defeat at the end of the First Age. Sauron really did dream of uniting the people of Middle-earth and undoing the harm wreaked during that conflict. This would eventually be warped into a desire for power and control, however, leading Sauron to become as great an evil as Morgoth.
This adds further depth to the Lucifer/Sauron parallels. The Christian Bible regards Lucifer as the father of lies, and the most convincing lies are half-truths. Sauron is able to tempt Galadriel precisely because she senses the honesty in his words, and it takes tremendous force of will for her to see through his words and recognize that the world of peace and order he promised would be one where he was in a position of absolute power.
How Will Sauron’s Motives Influence The Lord Of The Rings: The Rings Of Power?
This potentially sets up Sauron’s plans in The Rings of Power season 2. All the best villains believe they are heroes in their own story; the Sauron of the Second Age is no different. He genuinely believes he alone can offer salvation for Middle-earth, and uses this to justify his insatiable lust for power. This will lead him to seek out the three elven rings that were forged in The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power’s finale, simply because he hopes to control the elves. It will ultimately lead him to forge the One Ring in secret, a ring above all other rings that will allow him to control those who wield the others.
