Sauron's name

[Inziladun]

Originally Posted by gondowe

Included in the work "Words, phrases and passages", (PE17) a compilation for TLOTR greater than that published once in "A Tolkien Compass".
Under the root SAWA-, disgusting, foul, vile.... (for the name Sauron), the professor ends with the paragraph: " Sauron's original name was Mairon, but this was altered after he was suborned by Melkor. But he continued to call himself Mairon The Admirable, or Tar-mairon (King Excellent) until after the downfall of Numenor."
So in my opinion its absolutely canonical, and really defined as his "extraoficial" real name.

Well, there it is then.

You know, that brings another question. The Elves named Melkor, "He who arises in might", and Mairon, "The Admirable". Those two were later the prime enemies of Eldar and Edain in Arda. Did elven flattery in the names feed their pride and tip them toward greater evil?