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- Sauron Didn’t Originally Serve Morgoth
- Sauron Was Never A Spirit Of Fire
- Sauron Took More Than One Form
In The Lord of the Rings, before Sauron was an extremely feared and powerful enemy of Middle Earth, he was an immensely gifted Maia. The Maiar are spirits that helped the Valar to build and shape the world of Arda, each a member of a different Vala.
Each Maia was a spirit associated with the Valar, gods of Arda. Some Maiar belonged to Yavanna, such as the Istar Radagast the Brown, who was a spirit of the earth, hence his love for animals. Others were spirits of Manwë (Vala of winds, birds, and air) and Varda (Vala of light and stars), such as Gandalf, who is considered the wisest of the Maiar. Then there were those Maiar who were spirits of the Vala Aulë, the Great Smith and Maker, such as Saruman and Sauron in The Lord of the Rings.
There were many Maiar in existence, though few were ever known to be given a physical form on Middle Earth, making them Istari, or wizards. Although Sauron was a Maia and went to Middle Earth in a physical form, he was never an Istari. This is because he was never sent by the Valar to help and guide the races of Middle Earth. Instead, Sauron aligned himself with Morgoth, giving him incredible power, which allowed him to take a physical form.
But wizards weren’t the only Maiar on Middle Earth. Apart from Sauron, there were actually several other Maiar with physical forms in Middle Earth. These would be the Balrogs, servants of Morgoth, and Maiar so corrupted by Morgoth that they were bound to a fiery, demon form.
If Maiar who served Morgoth were corrupted into Balrogs, then why is it that Sauron, who is also a Maia and servant of Morgoth, didn’t become a Balrog when he pledged his loyalty to Morgoth?
Sauron Didn’t Originally Serve Morgoth
Before Morgoth fled Valinor, when he was still called Melkor, was the time of the Music of the Ainur. This refers to a period before time itself began, meaning before the First Age of Middle Earth. It was during this time that several Maiar, seven to be exact, were loyal to the Valar Melkor. They were so loyal that when Melkor first rebelled against his fellow Valar, they followed him to Middle Earth where he constructed his fortress.
It was here, before the beginning of time, that these seven Maiar promised themselves to Morgoth. These Maiar were all fire spirits without a physical form. But when they pledged themselves to Morgoth, they bound their spirits into a fiery, demon form, ultimately sealing their fate as a Balrog for the rest of eternity.
During this time, Sauron, who was called Mairon among the Valar and Maiar, was still very much loyal to the rest of the Valar who opposed Morgoth. It wouldn’t be until after Morgoth stole the Silmarils, when the First Age of Middle Earth began, that Mairon would join Morgoth and become known as Sauron. And by the time that came around, the Balrogs had long since been in existence.
Sauron Was Never A Spirit Of Fire
Even if Sauron had joined Morgoth from the very beginning, it’s still highly unlikely he would ever become a Balrog. Unlike the seven Maiar who bound themselves to Morgoth, Sauron was never a spirit of fire.
Balrogs take the form that they do (a scary, fiery demon with whips) because it’s in their nature. They are fire spirit Maiar, and as such their physical form should represent this. Of course, had the Balrogs never been corrupted by Morgoth, it’s likely their physical forms would be much less scary and intimidating but still represent that they are a fire spirit at the core.
Similarly, if Sauron had been corrupted before the First Age and chose to bind himself like the Balrogs did, his physical form would represent his spirit. Sauron is a maker or a smith. As a Maiar, his spirit came from Aulë, the Great Smith. Therefore, his physical form would represent this, as opposed to what a fire spirit represents. Since he wouldn’t have the same characteristics as a Balrog, he wouldn’t be classified as one.
Sauron Took More Than One Form
In The Lord of the Rings, Sauron never bound himself to Morgoth as the Balrogs did. Yes, he swore oaths, but he always had his own interest at heart (specifically when it came to the way that Middle Earth was ruled), whereas Balrogs were complete servants of Morgoth and didn’t have any of their own interests.
Because he didn’t originally bind himself to Morgoth or a physical form as the Balrogs did, this means he was also free to take whatever form he wanted. And as long as he kept taking more than one physical form, he wouldn’t be able to bind himself to his darkest form for eternity, meaning he could never be a Balrog.
In retrospect, this could supposedly mean if, and that’s a big if, he wanted to assume a form similar to a Balrog, Sauron could. However, if there’s one important thing about Sauron, it’s that he likes a good disguise. Showing up as a demon would surely give away his position immediately. Whereas if he chose to blend in, such as assuming the form of Halbrand, the lost King of the Southlands, or Annatar, a friendly Elf, his true self and intentions would stay hidden much longer.
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