This article contains spoilers for The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power.Middle-earth's greatest villain, Sauron, is the primary antagonist in the 20 Rings of Power. In J.R.R. Tolkien's source material, Sauron is one of the oldest beings in Middle-earth.

Sauron went under different guises during the thousands of years he was alive. Using his powers as a Maia, Sauron could shapeshift, which enabled him to deceive others and take on different names. His most famous name, Sauron, comes from the Elvish language of Quenya, and translates to "the Abhorred." Rings of Power has begun to dive into some of his other identities, while also adding in some of its own invention. Meanwhile, Tolkien's legendarium presents a wide gamut of names assumed by the Dark Lord over the years.

Mairon, Maia Of Aulë

Name Originating In The First Age

The Tolkien linguistic journal Parma Eldalamberon published a Tolkien text in issue 17 confirming that Sauron's original name was Mairon before he turned to evil. In giving Quenya roots for this name, Tolkien implicitly confirmed it was an Elvish translation of Sauron's real name, which would have been in Valarin, his first language. Sauron was in the Maiar order of the Ainur race, a degree lower than the 15 Valar, and Ainur spoke Valarin.

In a deleted scene from Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, Sauron took an angelic form on the battlefield that may have reflected an early, good version of himself.

Tolkien gave little information on Valarin. Therefore, Sauron's real name, used in the Timeless Halls, will remain unknown. However, some have attempted a reconstruction; for example, Amâyaraz (via Mairon became Morgoth's most trusted servant.

Mairon was drawn to the Vala Morgoth precisely because he could affect his designs faster, playing into his hate for wasteful friction (The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien). His intentions had been good at the beginning. Indeed, before falling to Morgoth, Mairon was a great disciple of the Vala Aulë. His work was so significant that he "remained mighty in the lore of that people" even after falling to evil (The Silmarillion).

Tevildo, Prince Of Cats

Name Originating In The First Age

Surprisingly, in the very earliest drafts of Tolkien's legendarium, Sauron was a cat called Tevildo. Although arguably more Cat than Sauron, this character was an obvious stand-in for the character that became Thû in "The Lay of Leithian," an epic poem referenced in The Silmarillion but incomplete. Tolkien kept this story and his son, Christopher, included it in The Silmarillion, although the name Thû was removed.

Beren was made to be a thrall in Tevildo's kitchens in this story, which can be found in The Book of Lost Tales Part Two. This is a very entertaining read for anyone familiar with Beren, the heroic Son of Barahir, humbled into kitchen thrall. The Book of Lost Tales Part Two is part of the 12-volume The History of Middle-earth book series - posthumously published Tolkien works in varying states of completion, from various eras.

Thû, Lord Of Werewolves

Name Originating In The First Age

Ruler of the Isle of Werewolves, Thû was the dark sorcerer in the unfinished "The Lay of Leithian," made before Tolkien committed to the name Sauron. Tolkien aimed to finish the lay, which can be found in The Lays of Beleriand. "Thû" is based on a primitive Quendian root meaning "evil mist." This suggests that, like "Sauron," Thû was an Elvish insult. As Thû, one of Sauron's titles was Lord of Werewolves.

Thû fought the semi-divine wolfhound, Huan, in Werewolf form in this epic poem, but lost to the Hound of Valinor. This is one of the only times Sauron fought in person in The Lord of the Rings world. The only other instances offered are the War of the Last Alliance and Sauron's Unfinished Tales standoff with Celebrimbor after his Annatar cover was blown.

Sauron, Lord Of The Rings

Name Originating In The First Age

Meaning "the abhorred" in Quenya, Sauron was the name given by the Elves to Mairon after his fall into evil. By far his most widely-known name, it remains a point of contention whether Dark Lord Sauron ever accepted the name himself or not. Sauron was an Elvish insult, and the Maia thought he was doing the right thing, however tyrannous it was. So, one would have thought he would have rejected the usage of the name.

...Sauron's name became legend, most often associated with his final lordly epithet - the Lord of the Rings.

And indeed, Aragorn stated that Sauron did not "use his right name, nor permit it to be spelled or spoken" (The Lord of the Rings). However, the Mouth of Sauron used the name Sauron when introducing himself - possibly in order to ensure apt communication between multiple races. Either way, Sauron's name became legend, most often associated with his final lordly epithet - the Lord of the Rings.

Gorthaur, The Terrible Dread

Name Originating In The First Age

After Sauron began to firmly establish himself as Morgoth's second-in-command, he was described as "terrible dread" in Sindarin. This translated to "Gorthaur" (The Silmarillion). Sindarin became the common tongue in Elvendom during the First Age. So, it stands to reason that while the Sindar called Sauron Gorthaur, other Elves did too. Sauron kept this name throughout the ages.

This is clear as, in-universe, The Silmarillion was written in the Fourth Age (earliest) by scholars of the Elvish Eldar. Predominantly known to the Elves and their allies as Sauron and Gorthaur, Mairon embodied his Dark Lord form while holding these names. Sauron fought the Third Age War of the Last Alliance as "an image of malice and hatred made visible" (The Silmarillion).

Annatar, Lord Of Gifts

Name Originating In The Second Age

Sauron appeared in his fair form, Annatar, in Rings of Power season 2. In lore, with Celebrimbor and the smiths, Annatar forged the Rings of Power and secretly created the One Ring in the hope of controlling those wearing the other rings. Sauron made Celebrimbor believe that Annatar was an Emissary of the Valar, demonstrating his impressive magical shapeshifting abilities. This explained why Celebrimbor accepted Annatar's resemblance to Halbrand.

Unlike any Istar, the Lord of Gifts was a persona designed to impress and seduce.

Annatar was Quenya for "Lord of Gifts." It seems Sauron had to be Lord of Something, and since he no longer had the Isle of Werewolves, he chose to be Lord of Gifts in the Second Age. The Lord of Gifts contrasts the Istari, sent to Middle-earth as old men and banned by the Valar from revealing their power, lest they incite awe and worship. Unlike any Istar, the Lord of Gifts was a persona designed to impress and seduce.

Zigûr, Wizard Of Númenor

Name Originating In The Second Age

In Númenor, Sauron was known as Zigûr, meaning Wizard in Adûnaic, the Númenórean tongue. Eventually, Sauron will surrender to the Númenóreans in The Rings of Power, in some form or another, using his cunning to quickly become an adviser to the King, Ar-Pharazôn. The Rings of Power is likely to show Sauron corrupting the King of Númenor and convincing him to attack Valinor.

This will end with Númenor being destroyed in the Second Age and the death of Sauron's physical form, though his spirit should survive, leading to the events of The Lord of the Rings. Zigûr used his position to convert many Númenóreans to the darkness, and those that escaped the fall of Númenor became known as Black Númenóreans.

The Rings Of Power Only: Halbrand

Name Originating In The Second Age

The first name that Sauron takes in The Rings of Power season 1 is Halbrand, an Amazon original invention. Halbrand is a Man, and Sauron uses this form to pretend to be a long-lost King of the Southlands, the region that ultimately becomes Mordor, in a burst of original material. Sauron takes this form immediately after his Jack Lowden form, used toward the end of the First Age but murdered by Adar and the Orcs.

The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power has full rights to The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings but is securing one-off rights to other texts as needed.

It appears to take Sauron a long time to rebuild his body, and season 2 displayed this process. Sauron's regeneration process in Rings of Power involved his spirit lingering around his remains, slowly reanimating his black blood. Catching prey gradually, Sauron's spirit was able to build his black matter until it could finally catch and consume a human. Finally, Halbrand emerged into The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power.

Source: Reddit