Did 👁️Sauron see the hobbits in Sammath Naur?

[Eonwe]

The story goes, that Frodo puts the Ring on in Sammath Naur, the foundations of the Barad-dur shake, and then Sauron perceives his peril.

Re-reading this passage recently, I am struck by a short description of how Sauron knows his doom hangs by a thread:

And far away, as Frodo put on the Ring and claimed it for his own, even in Sammath Naur the very heart of his realm, the Power in Barad-dur was shaken, and the Tower trembled from its foundations to its proud and bitter crown. The Dark Lord was suddenly aware of him, and his Eye piercing all shadows looked across the plain to the door that he had made; and the magnitude of his own folly was revealed to him in a blinding flash, and all the devices of his enemies were at last laid bare...For he knew his deadly peril and the thread upon which his doom know hung.

Looking at the door across the plain, his folly is revealed to him...

What do you think?

 

[Anamatar IV]

imo sauron could always feel where the ring was but would have to know who held it to have his eye set on it.

 

[Eonwe]

Does it seem like its possible he actually saw what was going on?

 

[Viceras Daydark]

My take on the deal

Just before entering Sammath Naur, the shadows around Barud-dur waned for a moment, and Frodo thought himself to be seen by Sauron (though it was told his eye was focused north at the Black Gate).

I don't believe Sauron could necessarily feel wear the ring was. As you could be certain he'd set up a guard on Mt. Doom if ever he percieved the ring to be anywhere near there. I don't believe he could actually "see" what was going on. Rather, he knew a new Lord had claimed the ring, and he knew the ring was at Mt. Doom, and thus, he realized there is no reason for the ring to be there, except to be destroyed.

I believe the "peril" was his underestimating his enemy, and not realizing The One had slipped through his now long-stretched arms, to the very heart of his reach.

Anyways, back to the topic though, I don't believe he could "see" what was going on. Rather, I believe he "knew" what was going on, and he "knew" a Baggins was at Sammath Naur, intent on destroying his ring. He didn't "see" his peril, but he knew it and sensed it.

-Viceras Daydark

 

[Merry]

Do not be misled, if Sauron had seen the hobbits at any time before Frodo claimed the ring on mount doom, the quest would have failed. I agree that Sauron was busy looking at the battle and was concentrating on his own gate rather than spying on the two hobbits, (whom he never considered coming to Mordor).

I do not believe that Sauron ever considered that a hobbit (Baggins) was going to destroy the ring, his greater fear would have been the Hobbits bringing the ring to the Steward of Gondor who may have chosen to weild it against him.

 

[Niniel]

It is called 'see' all the time, like when Frodo looks in the Mirror of Galadriel and sees the Eye, that is trying to 'see' him, but cannot yet 'not unless he willed it'. I think that if Sauron really gave his attention to the Ring instead of to the war, he could see Frodo in his mind, just as you can see things from far away with the Palantiri.

 

[Lantarion]

That's right.
The quote says he "was aware of them". Remember that Sauron is a Maia of great power, and does not need eyes to 'see'. Using common logic, pretending that Sauron was a mortal Man, how could he have seen Frodo on amon Hen at all?! He couldn't have. he was stretching his eye (!) so to speak, and could roam his thought around the lands.
He did see Frodo, Sam and Gollum jumping around the Sammath Naur, and he certainly would have perceived the Ring, just about to fall into the fire. He realized what had happened the second he 'saw' or perceived the unknown people near the place of the Ring's origin, as anybody would.
What puzzles me is that why didn't Sauron, with all his might and majesty, fly over to Amon Amarth himself? Why did he dispatch the Nazgûl, who would certainly take longer than a powerful Maia who could probably transform into an eagle and just zip over to them? Hmm hoom..

 

[Merry]

Did Sauron have the ability to take on a physical shape? I thought he was incomplete until his ring was returned to him, (strong as he was in mind and power).

 

[Niniel]

This was discussed earlier in another thread, but I don't remember what was the result. I believe that Sauron could take a physical shape, but that he was not able to change his shape as long as he did not have the Ring. So he could not have gotten there much faster than the Nazgul: like Gandalf, he was a Maia too. but could not 'teleport' himself, it took him a few days to get to Minas Tirith.