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Mouth of Sauron

2008-11-29T06:14:35Z

76.247.173.151: /* Name */

{{evil infobox
| image=[[Image:John Howe - The Mouth of Sauron.jpg|250px]]
| name=The Mouth of Sauron
| othernames=Lieutenant of the Tower of [[Barad-dûr]]
| created=
| years=
| age=
| destroyed=Probably [[Third Age 3019|T.A. 3019]]
| realm=[[Mordor]]
| gender=Male
| race=[[Black Númenóreans]]
| appearance=Rode a black horse, wore a great helm
| accomplishments=
|}}
'''The Mouth of Sauron''' was the [[Dark Lord]] [[Sauron]]'s servant and representative at the end of the [[Third Age]]. He had the title Lieutenant of Barad-dûr, since he was so strongly devoted to the Dark Lord. The Mouth of Sauron was one of the [[Black Númenóreans]].

==History==
The Mouth of Sauron had served Sauron all his life, and had forgotten his own name. A [[Man]] of great stature, he was potentially the equal of the [[Dúnedain]], but had fallen into darkness. He had learned much sorcery during his time under Sauron, and knew many of the Dark Lord's plans.

As a Black Númenórean he probably came from the [[Haven of Umbar]], and it is stated that "he entered the service of the [[Dark Tower]] when it first rose again". The Dark Tower rose again when rebuilding began in the year [[Third Age 2951|2951]] of the [[Third Age]], which means he entered Sauron's service shortly after that. Umbar had been defeated by [[Gondor]] under "[[Thorongil]]" (Aragorn's name in his youth) in 2980, so the Mouth might have fled to Mordor then.

If this mention of the second arising of the Dark Tower is taken literally (see below), then the Mouth of Sauron had been in the service of his master for 68 years by the time the Third Age ended. If his service began as a youth who was subsequently cowed, bewitched and indoctrinated by his new master, then the Mouth of Sauron could quite feasibly have no memory of his birth name.

During the [[Council of Elrond]], the [[Dwarves]] of [[Erebor]] spoke of a Man who had come to tell them of the power of Mordor and persuade them to join its forces. Though the Man's identity is unknown, it is possible that he was the Mouth of Sauron.

The Mouth of Sauron briefly appeared in ''[[The Lord of the Rings]]'' when he haggled with the army of the west in front of the [[Morannon]], trying to convince [[Aragorn II|Aragorn]] and [[Gandalf]] to give up and let Sauron win the battle for [[Middle-earth]]. Though he came before Aragorn and his men as an ambassador, he used quite insolent speech when he dealt with them. He tried to intimidate the army into surrendering by showing them the ''[[mithril]]'' coat of [[Frodo Baggins]] to make them think that the [[Ringbearer]] had been captured. When Gandalf turned down his proposal, the Mouth of Sauron set all the armies of [[Barad-dûr]] upon them.
[[Image:Alan Rabinowitz - The Mouth of Sauron.jpg|thumb|250px|''The Mouth of Sauron'' by [[Alan Rabinowitz]]]]
The Mouth's fate is nowhere recorded, and it is probable he died in the assault before the Morannon. If he had survived, it is likely that he would have been one of the leaders in the retreat of Sauron's evil servants after the fall of Barad-dûr.

==The Mouth of Sauron's Age==
It is possible to interpret the words 'arose again' to refer to the power of Sauron rather than the construction of his Tower. In this case, the rebuilding of the [[Barad-dûr]] in 2951 was actually its second arising. It ''first'' rose again some time after [[Second Age 3220|S.A. 3220]], which means that, according to this interpretation, the Mouth of Sauron might have been at least 3200 years old at the time of the War of the Ring. Even for a [[Númenórean]] this was an exceptional age matched only by the [[Ringwraiths]], and he therefore may have been a [[Ring-bearer]], who by some magic of Sauron had not become a wraith himself. He may have worn a lesser ring, and not one of the great [[Rings of Power]]. Alternatively, he could have been granted one of the [[Seven Rings]] of the Dwarves, several of which Sauron had recaptured.

Support for this extreme old age is found in the statement that "his name is remembered in no tale, for he himself had forgotten it". Even [[Gollum]] still remembered his old name after 500 years.
==Name==
The name of the Mouth of Sauron itself poses a serious inconsistency in the narrative. Gandalf mentions that the name "Sauron" (meaning "Abominable") is the name used by his enemies, and Sauron himself is not fond of it. Therefore it would be problematic for a servant of Sauron to have a title/name that includes the word "Sauron".

== Portrayal in Adaptations ==
[[Image:Rankin-Bass' Mouth of Sauron.jpg|thumb|right|The Mouth of Sauron in [[Rankin/Bass' The Return of the King]]]]
'''1980: ''[[Rankin/Bass' The Return of the King]]'':'''
:The Mouth of Sauron briefly appears at the Black Gate. No voice actor is specified for this role.

'''1981: ''[[The Lord of the Rings (1981 radio series)|BBC Radio's The Lord of the Rings]]'':'''
:The Mouth of Sauron's role is expanded. He is portrayed as the person who tortures [[Gollum]] into telling Sauron of "Baggins" and "Shire", though he is not named until the credits. [[John Rye]] provided the voice of the Mouth of Sauron, as well as the Voice of Sauron, symbolising the function of the Lieutenant of Barad-dûr.

[[Image:Mouth of Sauron.jpg|thumb|250px|[[Bruce Spence]] as the Mouth of Sauron in [[Peter Jackson's The Return of the King]]]]
'''2001-3: ''[[Peter Jackson's The Return of the King]]''
:The Mouth of Sauron does not appear in the theatrical cut of the movie, but he does appear in the extended version, played by an unrecognizable [[Bruce Spence]]. His helmet, with the words "LAMMEN GORTHAUR" ([[Sindarin]] for "Voice of (Sauron) The Abominable") in [[Cirth]] written on it, covers his entire face except for his mouth, which is horribly diseased and disfigured by all the evil he has spoken, and disproportionately large, creating an unsettling effect. In fact, much of this spectacle is a result of CGI effects. Actually Jackson conceived this idea long after the footage had been shot and asked his special effects team to create the effect digitally.

:The extended DVD cast commentary mentions that Jackson considered different depictions of the character, such as having Kate Winslet (who starred in ''Heavenly Creatures'', another Jackson film) play the role, partially to emphasize the temptations Aragorn was facing.

:In the story itself, Aragorn decapitates the Mouth of Sauron with [[Andúril|his sword]]. This sequence is often criticized by purist and outsider alike; through human history it was considered a crime of war to execute messengers or heralds; specifically the book gives emphasis against the inhumanity of such a deed.

== See Also ==
* [[:Category:Images of the Mouth of Sauron|Images of The Mouth of Sauron]]

[[Category:Black Númenóreans | Characters]]
[[Category:Characters in The Lord of the Rings]]

[[fr:encyclo:personnages:hommes:3a:bouche_de_sauron]]

Narsil

2008-11-29T04:34:19Z

76.247.173.151:

{{quote|...The blade that cut the [[One Ring|Ring]] from [[Sauron]]'s hand...|[[Boromir]]}}
[[Image:John Howe - Narsil.jpg|thumb|''Narsil'' by [[John Howe]].]]
'''Narsil''' was the sword of King [[Elendil]] of the [[Dúnedain]]. It was later known as '''Andúril''' (see below). The sword was forged during the [[First Age]] by the famed Dwarven-smith [[Telchar]], making it a cousin to the knife [[Angrist]], which cut a [[Silmaril]] from the crown of [[Morgoth]]. The blade presumably was given to one of the [[Sons of Fëanor]], possibly [[Curufin]], who also held Angrist. It eventually came to [[Maglor]], who likely gave it to [[Elros]].

In the [[Second Age]], Narsil was an heirloom of the descendants of Elros, the first [[King of Númenor]]. Although nothing is said of Narsil during this period, it eventually came into the hands of [[Elendil]], a distant descendant, towards the close of the Second Age.

Elendil used Narsil in the Siege of [[Barad-dûr]], but [[Sauron]] killed Elendil and the sword broke into two pieces under him as he fell. Elendil's son [[Isildur]] took up the sword and used its shard to cut the [[One Ring]] from the hand of Sauron. Isildur took the shards home with him. Shortly before Isildur was killed in the second year of the [[Third Age]] in the [[Disaster of the Gladden Fields]], the shards were rescued by [[Ohtar]], squire of Isildur's oldest son. He took them to [[Rivendell]], where Isildur's youngest son [[Valandil]] was fostered.

The '''Shards of Narsil''' were one of the heirlooms of the [[Kings of Arnor]], and after the Northern Kingdom was destroyed they remained an heirloom of the [[Rangers of the North]]. It was not reforged until the [[War of the Ring]] at the end of the Third Age.

In Third Age 3019 Narsil was reforged in Rivendell as Andúril, the "Flame of the West", for [[Aragorn II|Aragorn]], the heir of Isildur. He carried the sword during his journey south as part of the [[Fellowship of the Ring]], and it featured prominently at several points in the story, where it was sometimes referred to as the "Sword That Was Broken" or "The Sword Reforged".

Aragorn holds a reverence for [[Andúril]] that is not shown in the films. In ''[[The Two Towers]]'', when asked by [[Háma]] to disarm outside [[Meduseld]], he is very reluctant, saying that normally he would give up his weapon, "if I bore now any sword but Andúril."

== Etymology ==
Narsil means "[[Sun]] and [[Moon]]" in [[Quenya]] (from ''[[Anar]]'' = "sun" and ''[[Isil]]'' = "moon").

== Portrayal in Adaptations ==
In [[Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings]], Narsil was not broken in two but in several parts, which were kept at Rivendell, and by Sauron stepping on it instead of it breaking as Elendil fell. The sword is not reforged into Andúril until the [[Peter Jackson's The Return of the King|third film]], when [[Arwen]] persuades [[Elrond]] to have [[Elves|Elven]] smiths reforge it from the shards and bring to Aragorn. In the books, he actually wears the broken blade and shows it to the [[Hobbits]] when they meet at the [[Prancing Pony]] in [[Bree]], and its reforging prior to the departure of the [[Fellowship of the Ring|Fellowship]] is a decisive move toward kingship.

The movie version of The Fellowship of the Ring does include a scene of Aragorn reverently placing the hilt of Narsil back into the display after Boromir dropped the hilt on the floor.

==See also==
* [[Shards of Narsil]]

{{weapons}}

[[Category:Swords]]

Ents

2008-11-28T21:52:52Z

76.247.173.151:

[[Image:John Howe - Treebeard.jpg|thumb|''Treebeard'' by [[John Howe]].]]
'''Ents''' were created at the request of [[Yavanna]] to guard the trees, and thus were called "Shepherds of the Trees".

As with ''[[Hobbit]]'', '''Ent''' is a term that in modern times is almost exclusively connected with [[J.R.R. Tolkien]], and the usage of the term seldom evokes in people its earlier meanings.

==Concerning Ents==

Ents are a very old race that appeared in [[Middle-earth]] when the [[Elves]] did. They were apparently created by [[Ilúvatar|Eru Ilúvatar]] at the behest of Yavanna, after she learned that [[Aulë]]'s children, the [[Dwarves]], were wont to fell trees. Ents were envisioned as Shepherds of the Trees, to protect the forests from [[Orcs]], Dwarves and other perils. The Elves have tales of teaching the trees to talk, and they also taught the Ents to talk: although the Ents were sentient beings at the time, they did not know how to speak until the Elves taught them. [[Treebeard]] said of the Elves "curing the Ents of their dumbness" that it was a great gift that could not be forgotten ("Always wanted to talk to everything, the old Elves did").

[[Image:John Howe - Ents.jpg|thumb|200pxlleft|''Ents'' by [[John Howe]].]]
Ents are tree-like creatures, having become like the trees that they shepherd. They vary in traits, from everything to height and size, colouring, and the number of fingers and toes. An individual Ent more or less resembles the specific species of tree that they typically guard. For example, [[Quickbeam]] guarded Rowan trees and thus looked very much like a Rowan (tall and slender, etc.). In the [[Third Age]] of Middle-earth, the [[Fangorn Forest|Forest of Fangorn]] was apparently the only place Ents still inhabited, although the Ent-like [[Huorns]] may still have survived elsewhere, as in the Old Forest.

=== History ===
Almost nothing is known of the early history of the Ents — they apparently lived in and protected the large forests of Middle-earth in previous ages, and they briefly appear near the end of the [[First Age]], attacking a band of Dwarves, apparently summoned by [[Beren Erchamion|Beren]] and [[Lúthien Tinúviel|Lúthien]]. Treebeard told of a time when apparently all of [[Eriador]] was one huge forest and part of his domain, but these immense forests were cut by the [[Númenóreans]] of the Second Age, or destroyed in the calamitous War of the Elves and Sauron of the 17th century of the Second Age. Treebeard's statement is also supported by remarks [[Elrond]] Half-elven made at the Council of Elrond. Elrond said that "Time was once when a squirrel could carry a nut from tree to tree from Rivendell to the Great Sea...", further indicating that all of Eriador was once a single vast primeval forest, of which Fangorn Forest was just "the Eastern End of it" according to Treebeard.

[[Image:Luka Luka - Farewell to Fangorn.jpg|thumb|[[Entwives]] in ''Farewell to Fangorn'' by [[Luka Luka]].]]
There used to be ''[[Entwives]]'' (literally "Ent-women"), but they started to move farther away from the Ents because they liked to plant and control things, so they moved away to the region that would later become the [[Brown Lands]] across the Great River [[Anduin]]. This area was destroyed by [[Sauron]], and the Entwives disappeared. The Ents looked for them, but have never found them. It is sung by the Ents that one day they will find each other. In the Fellowship of the Ring, Sam Gamgee says his cousin Hal saw treelike giant in the north of the Shire. When Pippin and Merry tell Treebeard about the Shire, Treebread says the entwives would like that land.

=== Language ===
Ents are not hasty creatures, they take their time; even their language is "unhasty". In fact, their language appears to be based on an ancient form of [[Common Eldarin]], later enriched by [[Quenya]] and [[Sindarin]], although it includes many unique 'tree-ish' additions. There are actually two different languages:

{{quote|It takes a long time to say anything in Old [[Entish]]...|[[Treebeard]]}}

* Old Entish. Originally, the Ents had a language of their own, described as long and sonorous; it was a tonal language (like Chinese). It is unknown if a non-Ent could even pronounce Old Entish correctly: it was filled with many subtle vowel shades, and was very longwinded. Only Ents spoke Old Entish; not because they kept their language a secret, as the Dwarves did with Khuzdul, but because no others could master it. It was quite an alien language to all others. The Huorns and trees of Fangorn forest could understand Old Entish and converse with the Ents and each other with it. The only extant sample, ''a-lalla-lalla-rumba-kamanda-lindor-burúme'', the word for ''hill'' (or possibly even just part of the name of a specific hill), was described as a very inaccurate sampling. Even the Elves, master linguists, could not learn Old Entish, nor did they attempt to record it due to its complex sound structure. The grammar structure of Old Entish was also quite bizarre, often described as a lengthy, long-winded discussion of a topic. There may not even have been a word for ''yes'' and ''no'': such questions would be answered by a long monologue on why the Ent in question did or did not agree with the Ent who asked the question. The Ent Quickbeam was regarded as a very "hasty" Ent for answering a question before another Ent had finished: the end may only have been another hour away. Ents as a rule would say nothing in Old Entish unless it was worth taking a long time to say. For everyday language function, they usually resorted to "New" Entish.
*"New" Entish (Never named as such in the text). Due to contact with the Elves, the Ents learned much from them. The Ents found the Elvish language Quenya to be a lovely language, and adapted it after their fashion to everyday use. However, they basically adapted Quenya vocabulary to Old Entish grammatical structure. Thus, unlike Old Entish, the individual words of "New Entish" that characters such as Treebeard spoke were easily translatable. However, in context they formed lengthy run-on sentences of redundant adjectives that could still stretch well over an hour in length. For example, when Treebeard essentially wanted to tell Merry and Pippin, "There is a shadow of the Great Darkness in the deep dales of the forest", he literally said in New Entish "Forest-golden-leaves, deep-dales-winter, forest-many-shadowed, deep-valley-black". Unlike Old Entish, a non-Ent conceivably could speak "New" Entish. Even when speaking the Common Speech, Westron, Ents fell into the habit of adapting it into their grammatical structure of repeating compound adjectives used to express fine shades of meaning.

[[Image:Treebeard.jpeg|thumb|[[Treebeard]] from [[Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings]].]]
Treebeard boasted to Merry and Pippin about the strength of the Ents. He said that they were much more powerful than [[Trolls]], which [[Morgoth]] (in the Elder Days or First Age) supposedly made as imitations of the Ents, but did not come near to their power. He compares this with how [[Orcs]] were Morgoth's imitation of [[Elves]].

The Elvish name for Ents is ''Onodrim'', singular ''Onod''.

=== The March of the Ents ===
{{quote|The Ents are going to war!|[[Treebeard]]}}
In ''[[The Two Towers]]'', the second volume of Tolkien's ''[[The Lord of the Rings]]'', the Ents—usually a very patient, deliberate people—do become angry at [[Saruman]], whose armies are cutting down large numbers of their trees. They convene an ''Entmoot'', a meeting of the Ents of [[Fangorn Forest]] at Derndingle.

[[Image:Ted Nasmith - The Tree Shepherds.jpg|thumb|''The Tree Shepherds'' by [[Ted Nasmith]].]]
After lengthy deliberation (though from the perspective of the Ents, this is very quick action), they march on Saruman's fortress at [[Isengard]]: the last march of the Ents. They are led by Treebeard, the oldest Ent, and accompanied by the [[Hobbits]] [[Meriadoc Brandybuck]] and [[Peregrin Took]]. They destroy Isengard in an all-out assault and trap Saruman in the tower of [[Orthanc]]. Tolkien later noted that the destruction of Isengard by the Ents was based off of personal disappointment in MacBeth, when "Birnham Wood is come to castle Dunsinane", Tolkien was less than thrilled that it amounted to men walking on stage with leaves in their hats; he decided that when he did that scene for himself, he'd do it right.

==Portrayal in Adaptions==

Ents in [[Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings]] were portrayed as, perhaps, more tree-ish than in the books (the books describe them as having smooth skin; the movie has them with skin like thick and rough bark. They have been accused of being "stupidified", though the explanation that [[Peter Jackson]] gives is that he wanted to give Merry and Pippin a more important role in the action. In the movie adaption, the Ents at the Entmoot decide that this is "not our war", despite strong protest from Merry. The scene is also shorter, cutting out [[Bregalad]] completely.

Treebeard is about to take them north to the border, when Pippin insists that they go South instead, because "''the closer we are to danger, the farther we are from harm''". This "does not make sense" to Treebeard, but he does as they ask, and sees the ruin and destruction that Saruman has wrought on southern Fangorn. Treebeard then calls the Ents to battle with his booming Ent-call, and they appear out of the forest as if they had been standing there waiting for it. That they do not know the borders of their own forest is another critizism. But others have accepted Jackson's reasoning as valid, because of the seemingly minor actions of Merry and Pippin throughout The Two Towers.

==Trivia==
J.R.R. Tolkien most likely had not heard of the phenomenon, but there are actually rare trees which can "walk" by growing roots on the side in which they intend to move and killing the roots on the opposite side. [http://boonedocks.net/pa/pa.php?p:339:15]

==External links==
* [http://icbirmingham.icnetwork.co.uk/birminghampost/news/tm_objectid=15530734&method=full&siteid=50002&headline=tolkien-statue-plan-splits-community-name_page.html Plan to construct a 25' Ent in Birmingham]

{{ents}}

[[Category:Races]]

[[de:Ents]]