What was Sauron's 👁️Eye

[greypilgrim]

Where did he put it? How did it tell him what it saw? How did he have an eye left anyways? Just wondering..

 

[Mr. Underhill]

The "Eye" of Sauron may have been a metaphor for the Palantir he used to observe the goings-on in Middle-Earth. Any other existing Palantir (such as in Orthanc or Minas Tirith) would have had direct awareness of him and perhaps the image he conveyed was that of an all-seeing "Eye". I suspect the other Ring-wearers (Gandalf, Elrond, and Galadriel) may have also had access to this image thus re-enforcing his theme.

 

[Thorondor_]

I think his Eye is most likely a projection of his will (mind power). We could say that Melkor had a similar gift:
"...he held the Orcs in dire thraldom; for in their corruption they had lost almost all possibility of resisting the domination of his will. So great indeed did its pressure upon them become ere Angband fell that, if he turned his thought towards them, they were conscious of his 'eye' wherever they might be."

 

[Entmoot]

There now he brooded in the dark, until he had wrought for himself a new shape; and it was terrible, for his fair semblance had departed forever when he was cast into the abyss at the drowning of Númenor. He took up again the great ring and clothed himself in power; and the malice of the Eye of Sauron few even of the great among Elves and Men could endure.

For Suron was not of mortal flesh, and though he was robbed now of that shape in which he had wrought so great an evil, so that he could never again appear fair to the eyes of Men, yet his spirt arose out of the deep and passed as a shadow and a black wind over the sea, and came back to Middle-earth and to Mordor that was his home. There he took up again his great Ring in Barad-dur, and dwelt there, dark and silent, until he wrought himself a new guise, an image of malice and hatred made visible; and the Eye of Sauron the Terrible few could endure.

I think the Eye of Sauron was a pretty literal thing. A hidious cyclops creature was the form he chose when reforming.

 

[HLGStrider]

I think the movie left a lot of people with a really awkward impression of what the Eye of Sauron was. In the movie it was sort of like a Nazi search light except without German shepherds.

In the book it was an eye in a head attached to a body of a guy who has at least nine fingers, which, according to Gollum, are quite enough.

 

[Hammersmith]

Perhaps. Doesn't the book also describe a wheel of fire like a great eye, atop Barad Dur? I think that there are many links between the eye and the ring. Sam is also seen by the orcs to possess a wheel of fire when he carries the ring against them. Maybe the eye or "wheel" is a metaphor made manifest. It is the ring's power, projected through Sauron's spirit. Or whatever he had left. I'm babbling; maybe I said something of value in there.

 

[Alatar]

I still think that sauron or8ginated as a cat, see book of lost tales 2, and the fact that the eye was as yellow as a cats.
In the book the eye is seen as a yellow cats eye surrounded by flames. Not flames, looking at you Mr jackson.

 

[HLGStrider]

I'd never thought of it that way, but it makes a lot of sense. I remember Telvido, and I kind of liked him, but Sauron is a heck more frightening.

I tend to think they took out most of his catliness.

 

[Hammersmith]

Maybe a werecat? Think back to Beren's encounter with him and wonder...could whoever wrote the account of Sauron's wolfliness got it slightly wrong?

 

[HLGStrider]

No, it couldn't be. We all know cats were a gift from Heaven! Cats can't be evil. . .just slightly malicious!

Anyway, I think the cat thing was dropped because cats aren't nearly scary enough. Wolves often ate men alive. Cats rarely do. . .well, we could get into lions and tigers, but they are so pretty. . .

 

[Alatar]

...unused to a climate equall to brittan.
What you wern't going to say that, o whatever.
Nah the cat intelligence was kept, as seen though his eye. But he beccame Lord of Werewolves, which is prety cool i mean wolf battle on the bridge Cool! Sauron being nearly killed by Haun, Cool!



Well thats me.

A wolf eating a simaril, Cool! Sorry.

 

[HLGStrider]

I figure if we can fit in Oliphants we can fit in Tygirs or Leons.

 

[Wraithguard]

Let's not forget Fell Beasts and those creatures that pulled the Grond along that Jackson made look like Kodos from WC3. Nonetheless it would seem that the eye is a strange topic that might entertain me for a while. Once again I am forced to agree with HLGStrider. Most of Sauron's... catliness... was removed because most people simply don't fear and despair cats. However perhaps the eye is but a manifestation of the way Sauron thinks of himself... no wait... I'm thinking Silent Hill.

 

[HLGStrider]

My evil, Catly, modliness is forcing people to agree with me now. Mu ha ha ha

 

[Wraithguard]

Actually I have agreed with you for some time. Pity that.

 

[Telëlambe]

I am sorry, but i have to say i am not in with the whole cat thing. Up untill now i thought that he lost his warrior form when he lost at the hands of the alliance, and his spirit could'nt take a phisical shape and he was just this floating catlike eye wreithed in flame.

But this plantir thing sounds good,
His spirit could take no shape at all, but hovered around the seeing stone formless, and looked in it seeing whatever he could. and those who looked in a stone saw his eye, which i suppose was kinda like the eyes he had when he had the warrior form, which has been discribed beforehand.

 

[Alatar]

I still thinnk he had a phyical shape, though he has a sort of eye thing( Like the dark man from the Stand) and can send it out looking for things. I am agenist the whole eye-on-a-tower idea, as that is well... strange?

 

[HLGStrider]

Itz de Nazi spotlight. It haz wayz ov knowving ven you have a vring. . .

Gollum is pretty sure that Sauron at least has nine fingers and nine fingers suggest two hands which suggest two arms which suggest two bodies. . .gasp! Sauron has an evil twin!

 

[Alatar]

Nice, the most powerfull bieng in ME has been transfered to the spotlight department.
Btw Elgee, nice working out, but that means... there's another ring! Quick, to the Shre, maybe the gaffer has a ring!

 

[Starbrow]

Sauron must have had a body, otherwise how could he wear the ring. But I've always thought of the Eye of Sauron more as a symbol of how he was always watching you and giving you the evil eye. But I guess the whole Cyclops idea of one eye would work too.