Sauron, one of Morgoth’s followers, is the greatest villain in the world; The Lord of the Rings saw him finally defeated, but not totally without hope of return. Written by the father of modern fantasy, this book was published in three parts between 1954 and 1955. J. R. R. Tolkien’s masterwork was expertly adapted into Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings movies, which tackled one part of the book per movie. Sauron’s reign of terror also came crashing to a halt at the end of Jackson’s final Lord of the Rings movie, but one prophecy may have enabled a comeback.
The world of Lord of the Rings is far wider than just the book, and it contains a prophecy of a final battle that may have revived Sauron. The Silmarillion and many drafts written throughout Tolkien’s career refer to the Dagor Dagorath, the battle that will destroy Middle-earth and its whole world, allowing a new start without evil. The battle is confirmed. However, Tolkien worked and reworked his Dagor Dagorath story again and again, never completing or finalizing it. Sauron was absent but may have been present had Tolkien finished the story, particularly if he raised the Melkor ingredient.
Melkor Could Be The Key To Sauron’s Return In The Dagor Dagorath
Morgoth May Have Rescued Sauron For Lord Of The Rings’ Last Battle
Morgoth was Lord of the Rings’ original villain and his ëala could facilitate Sauron’s return in the Dagor Dagorath. This seems unlikely, since Tolkien may not have wanted to risk dislodging any of the power of the end of his novel, which used eucatastrophe — a term coined by Tolkien — to create a deep sense of relief in readers. Sauron’s oppressive horror is felt in the book and the movies, and Frodo and Sam’s tragic deaths seem imminent until their shock rescue by the Great Eagles. The relief of this rescue is eucatastrophe. But Sauron’s return was still possible.
Melkor became known as Morgoth — “the black foe” (Sindarin) — after his fall from grace.
Tolkien revived Morgoth, Túrin, and Eärendil for most versions of his Dagor Dagorath, all previously completely retired from the story. The One Eru Ilúvatar, Middle-earth’s God, was capable of reviving anyone, including ᴅᴇᴀᴅ humans like Túrin. Meanwhile, Morgoth was far more powerful than Sauron and capable of recovery from the kind of damage Sauron took when the One Ring was destroyed, while Sauron was not. On his own, anyway. Eru could have brought Sauron back to help his side fight Morgoth in a redemption plot twist, but it would be more likely for Morgoth to rescue Sauron through his scattered ëalar.
The One Ring Was Dismantled But Its Consтιтuent Parts Likely Remained
The One Ring’s Contents May Have Been Salvageable
If Morgoth wanted to resuscitate Sauron to aid him in the final battle, he may have been able to access the contents of the One Ring through his ëala (Quenya for “being“). Morgoth and Sauron were immortal Ainur, spirit beings with ëalar, a substance composed of spirit. They could wear fanar (bodies) if they chose. One of Morgoth’s worst crimes was weaponizing his ëalar in the First War. Morgoth split his ëalar, pouring himself into the fabric of the world to ensure his long-term survival and influence, resulting in Arda Marred — Arda being the world containing Middle-earth.
J.R.R. Tolkien goes into detail on Arda Marred and Ainur spirits and bodies in Morgoth’s Ring.
This was “A vaster, and more perilous, procedure, though of similar sort to the operations of Sauron with the Rings.” Sauron poured the greater part of his ëala into Lord of the Rings’ One Ring, which was essentially made of Sauron and gold. Sauron performed sorcery at Mount Doom, so it is uncertain what enchantments were in place there, if any. However, Tolkien confirmed that “if the One Ring was… unmade… then its power would be dissolved,” but the “indestructible mind and being” could have remained, in pieces.
Gold has a high melting point and may have sunk or melted after being tossed into the fires, while the magic surrounding the Ring and Mount Doom itself is mysterious enough for some narrative malleability. However, the crux of the theory is Morgoth, a being of such immense power, may have been able to retrieve whatever was left of the One Ring at Mount Doom and revive Sauron through it.
Sauron & Morgoth Were United At The End Of Lord Of The Rings
Sauron & Morgoth Were Sharing Quarters Again In Their Defeat
Sauron and Morgoth were as close as two beings could be at the end of Lord of the Rings, although not in any way familiar to humans. Morgoth’s ëala, scattered through Arda, was called the Melkor ingredient, and some elements contained much more of it than others. Gold, fire, and ice were Morgoth’s specialty. “Morgoth’s power was disseminated throughout gold,” while he “devised fires without restraint.” Morgoth’s ëala was the secret ingredient that made the gold and lava capable of creating the One Ring in Mount Doom. As Tolkien states in Morgoth’s Ring:
It was this Morgoth-element in matter, indeed, which was a prerequisite for such ‘magic’ and other evils as Sauron practised with it and upon it.
If it survived, most of Sauron’s ëala found itself in a magma chamber in Mount Doom, jostling particles with Morgoth’s ëala. The Return of the King finale secretly unites Sauron with Morgoth, along with bewitched gold and lava that was also possibly enchanted. This potentially volatile combination could have fused, reacted, or given Morgoth a foothold to sтιтch his greatest servant back together, the skilled manipulator of fire and gold that he was. Morgoth recovered his power by the time of the Dagor Dagorath and may have been able to become lava, gold, or rock, once again, to hunt and fix Sauron’s ëala.
Morgoth May Have Revived Sauron For One Last Fight After The Lord Of The Rings
Morgoth May Have Wanted Help Against His Enemies In The Dagor Dagorath
Morgoth broke free from his imprisonment in the Void in every version of the Dagor Dagorath and returned to Arda to try to gain control again, and he may well have wanted help. Morgoth faced some serious opposition in most versions of the story, often fighting many of Lord of the Rings’ fiercest warriors all at once. It stands to reason for Morgoth to seek ᴀssistance in the final fight, especially considering his long retirement; he may not yet be at full power and there would be millennia of gaps in his knowledge.
After Morgoth was thrown into the Void, Sauron stole his idenтιтy, using his name to recruit followers in the Third Age (he declared himself “Morgoth returned“). Morgoth wanted to destroy what Sauron wanted to control and wasn’t always a kind master, and Sauron was terrified to return to him after being defeated by Lúthien. Despite the bad blood, Sauron was loyal to Morgoth during the War of Wrath. So, after Morgoth’s defeat in the War of Wrath and subsequent return in the Dagor Dagorath, he had many reasons to bring Sauron back for the one final battle of The Lord of the Rings.
