The return of Sauron

[Elladan and Elrohir]

I'm afraid I disagree with those who say the return of the Ithryn Luin would make a worthy sequel to LOTR. It leaves out an essential element of Tolkien's stories: The Quest. With LOTR you have the Quest of the Ring, with Silmarillion the Quest of the Silmarils, with The Hobbit the Quest of Erebor, but with Blue Wizards Attack Gondor, what quest can be conjured up?

Sure, it might make an interesting annal in the account of the Fourth Age, but beyond that, I don't see much story possibility. That's just me, though.

A year or so ago I tried to write an LOTR sequel called "The Stone of Valinor." It featured three descendants of Sam, Merry and Pippin, summoned to a Council of Elessar (the Second) at Minas Tirith. Another Balrog, together with the return of Ungoliant (since Silmarillion never explicitly says she died), were to be the nemesis. It was an interesting beginning, but never got farther than that, as I'm sure you can imagine.

Someday I plan on writing an account of the Fourth Age, Silmarillion style, that concludes with the return of Morgoth and the Dagor Dagorath. Fun stuff.

[AragornII]

What if somebody stole some thing from Harry Potter and have Sauron do one of those possessing things? He could possess someone who is among the evil still in ME and then work through that person. It could one of the Blue Wizards and then they discover the secret of the Rings of Power and make like three more . Then there would still be that Quest element, only they would have to get the Rings before they destroyed them. Or maybe the good guys could find the Rings' secret too and make some of their own. Whew, enough brainstorming for now.

Although the evil power & spirit of Sauron & the Nazgul was destroyed when the One Ring was no more, is there anything to suggest that these guys can return in their original form, as in before Sauron turned to evil ways & ensared the nine men doomed to die?

A novel could follow in which Sauron returns as a good guy, but in seceret again plots the mastery of ME for his own, with the nine men, formerly the Nazgul, working as his agents? Sounds like re-telling the LOTR all over again, but not quite.

Sauron would not have to openly reveal himself as Sauron until he has his secret plan in motion. I would have thought that this time his army would have to consist mainly of evil men, as there would be no Ring, not many orcs etc (or trolls?).

[mormegil]

For into the midst of all these policies comes the Ring of Power, the foundation of Barad-dur, and the hope of Sauron. Concerning this thing, my lords, you now all know enough for the understanding of our plight, and of Sauron's. If he regains it, your valour is vain, and his victory will be swift or complete: so complete that none can foresee the end of it while this world lasts. If it is destroyed, then he will fall: and his fall will be so low that none can foresee his arising ever again. For he will lose the best part of his strength that was native to him in his beginning, and all that was made or begun with that power will crumble, and he will be maimed for ever, becoming a mere spirit of malice that gnaws itself in the shadows, but cannot again grow or take shape. And so a great evil of this world will be removed. Other evils there are that may come; for Sauron is himself but a servant or emissary

3 LOTR V, 9 The Last Debate. In The War of the Ring - The Houses of Healing

This more or less answers that Sauron will never take shape again.

Originally Posted by mormegil

3 LOTR V, 9 The Last Debate. In The War of the Ring - The Houses of Healing

This more or less answers that Sauron will never take shape again.

This does not rule out the possibility of a good spirit of Sauron taking shape again - only the evil one.

[mormegil]

Originally Posted by Mansun

This does not rule out the possibility of a good spirit of Sauron taking shape again - only the evil one.

If it is destroyed, then he will fall: and his fall will be so low that none can foresee his arising ever again.

Two problems.

1. He would fall (evil or good) and none can foresee his arising. It would be impossible for him, having poured so much of his whole being and power into that ring and then the ring is destroyed, to regain any significant strength.

2. Sauron, in my opinion, will never be able to be good again. He had a chance when the Valar overthrew Morgoth and did not repent. I think that was the point of no return for him.

[Boromir88]

Let's say if even after the destruction of the One Ring, Sauron could reshape. (Though this isn't possible). There's still another way Tolkien addresses to defeat Sauron that many people miss. In Letter 200 Tolkien brings up that it takes so much "power" for Sauron to reshape time and time again, that eventually he wouldn't have enough to reshape (even if the Ring wasn't destroyed).

'But that of course did not destroy the spirit, nor dismiss it from the world to which it was bound until the end. After the battle with Gilgalad and Elendil, Sauron took a long while to re-build, longer than he had done after the Downfall of Numenor (I suppose because each building-up used up some of the inherent energy of the spirit, which might be called the 'will' or the effective link between the indestructible mind and being and the realization of its imagination).'

As Tolkien calls it the "will" or "inherent spirit," each "build up" Sauron uses to reform takes up his "spirit." And eventually just killing him enough times he would not have enough "will" to reform.