Saruman - Lord of the Rings

Tolkien tells us that during the first thousand years of the Third Age of Middle-Earth, the interest of the Elves in worldly matters slowly waned, the life-spans of the Men of Númenor gradually decreased, and the Dwarven holdings, too, became shadows of their earlier glory. Sauron, however, had not perished, nor all of those who served him.

"When maybe a thousand years had passed, and the first shadow had fallen on Greenwood the Great [which would then be renamed Mirkwood], the Istari or Wizards appeared in Middle-earth. It was afterwards said that they came out of the Far West and were messengers sent to contest the power of Sauron, and to unite all those who had the will to resist him; but they were forbidden to match his power with power, or to seek to dominate Elves or Men by force and fear."

"They came therefore in the shape of Men, though they were never young and aged only slowly, and they had many powers of mind and hand. They revealed their true names to few, but used such names as were given to them. The two highest of this order (of whom it is said there were five) were called by the Eldar [the Elves] Curunír, 'the Man of Skill', and Mithrandir, 'the Grey Pilgrim', but by Men in the North Saruman and Gandalf. Curunír journeyed often into the East, but dwelt at last in Isengard. Mithrandir was closest in friendship with the Eldar, and wandered mostly in the West, and never made for himself any lasting abode." from Appendix B following The Return of the King.

(Note: the only other wizard mentioned in The Lord of the Rings is Radagast the Brown.)

While sent to do good, Saruman seems to have fallen prey to ambition early on, retreating from the world of Men to his tower at Isengard and pondering the fate of the One Ring. We learn from Tolkien, in his numerous appendices, that as early as the Year 2850 of the Third Age and about 270 years before the events told in the trilogy, Gandalf confirmed that Sauron was indeed back and was seeking to recover the Rings of Power, including the One Ring. Reporting to the White Council the next year, he advocates immediate attack - but Saruman overrides him, under the guise of caution. Meanwhile, Saruman begins quietly poking about the Gladden Fields, seeking the Ring himself.

From that time forward, he is a traitor to the Council, telling them the One Ring has gone out to Sea, suppressing information he has about Sauron's search for the Ring, fortifying Isengard, and spying upon Gandalf - thereby uncovering his interest in hobbits and soon establishing his own agents in Bree and the South-farthing. By Year 3000, Saruman is making use of his Palantír and has become ensnared by Sauron. He also learns the Rangers keep a close watch on the Shire.

Saruman's conceit and lust for power blind him to two important facts: Sauron is far more powerful than he and will not share dominion of the West. And Gandalf is growing in power and will best him in the end. From the heady heights of Orthanc, Saruman is thrown down completely.

In The Return of the King, he and Wormtongue escape their Entish guards and make their way to the Shire, where they terrorize the Hobbits in the cruelest and pettiest of ways. When Frodo and his companions return and set things right, Frodo remembers his lesson on mercy and lets "Sharkey" go, even after he has tried to stab Frodo. But the most cowardly of men will take abuse only so long - Wormtongue turns on his master and murders him.

Tolkien then says "To the dismay of those that stood by, about the body of Saruman a grey mist gathered, and rising slowly to a great height like smoke from a fire, as a pale shrouded figure it loomed over the Hill. For a moment it wavered, looking to the West; but out of the West came a cold wind, and it bent away, and with a sigh dissolved into nothing." So ended Saruman, once The White and most powerful of the wizards sent to help the peoples of Middle-earth.