- "The Eye of Sauron the Terrible few could endure."
- —from The Silmarillion
The Eye of Sauron was a symbol adopted by the Dark Lord during the Second Age and the Third Age. It was said that few could endure the Eye's terrible gaze. The Eye was used on armor and banners of Mordor as a symbol of Sauron's quasi-omnipotence, and was adopted as something of an insignia by Sauron's forces in general.
History
Contrary to popular belief, the Eye of Sauron was a visible, though perhaps not tangible presence during the events of the Lord of the Rings. Its presence was made very clear when it appeared through a window when the clouds parted in Mordor.[1]
- "Far off the shadows of Sauron hung; but torn by some gust of wind out of the world, or else moved by some great disquiet within, the mantling clouds swirled, and for a moment drew aside; and then he saw, rising black, blacker and darker than the vast shades amid which it stood, the cruel pinnacles and iron crown of the topmost tower of Barad-dûr. One moment only it stared out, but as from some great window immeasurably high there stabbed northward a flame of red, the flicker of a piercing Eye; and then the shadows were furled again and the terrible vision was removed. The Eye was not turned to them: it was gazing north to where the Captains of the West stood at bay, and thither all its malice was now bent, as the Power moved to strike its deadly blow; but Frodo at that dreadful glimpse fell as one stricken mortally"
- —The Lord of the Rings, The Return of the King, Book Six, Chapter II "The Land of Shadow"
Portrayal in adaptations
In Peter Jackson's film series, the Eye is a gigantic eyeball composed of energy that sits atop Barad-dûr.
In Monolith's sequel to Shadow of Mordor, the Eye depicted in Jackson's trilogy is the manifestation of Sauron and the wraith of Celebrimbor, the Elf lord who forged the rings of power, in a state of perpetual combat. When the ring is destroyed and Barad-dûr falls, the Eye implodes and Celebrimbor is presumed free.
See also
Gallery
Translations around the World
| Foreign Language | Translated name |
|---|---|
| Afrikaans | Oog van Sauron |
| Albanian | Syri i Sauronit |
| Amharic | ጻኡሮን ዓይን |
| Arabic | عين سورون |
| Armenian | Աչքի Սաւրոն |
| Azerbaijani | Sauron göz |
| Belarusian Cyrillic | Вачэй Саурона |
| Bosnian | Oko Saurona |
| Bulgarian Cyrillic | Окото на Саурон |
| Cebuano | Mata sa Sauron |
| Catalan | Ull de Sàuron |
| Croatian | Oko Saurona |
| Czech | Oko Saurona |
| Danish | Saurons øje |
| Dutch | Oog van Sauron |
| Esperanto | Okulo de Sauron |
| Estonian | Silma Sauroni |
| Fijian | Mata ni Sauron |
| Filipino | Mata ni Sauron |
| Finnish | Sauronin Silmä |
| French | Oeil de Sauron |
| Frisian | Each fan Sauron |
| Galician | Ollo de Sauron |
| German | Auge von Sauron |
| Greek | Μάτι του Σάουρον |
| Hausa | Ido na Sauron |
| Hawaiian | Maka o Sauron |
| Haitian Creole | Je la Sauron |
| Hebrew | העין של סאורון |
| Hindi | सायरोन की आँख ? |
| Hmong | Qhov muag ntawm Sauron |
| Hungarian | Szauron szeme |
| Icelandic | Auga af Sauron |
| Igbo | Anya nke Sauron |
| Indonesian | Mata Sauron |
| Irish Gaelic | Súl na Sauron |
| Italian | Occhio di Sauron |
| Japanese | サウロンの目 |
| Javanese | Mripat saka Sauron |
| Kannada | ಸೌರಾನ್ನ ಕಣ್ಣು |
| Kazakh Cyrillic | Саурона Көз |
| Korean | 사우론의 눈 |
| Kyrgyz Cyrillic | Саурон көзү |
| Laotian | ສະຸຣໂນຕາຂອງ ? |
| Latvian | Acs Sauron |
| Lithuanian | Akių Sauronas |
| Luxembourgish | An vun Sauron |
| Macedonian Cyrillic | Окото на Саурон |
| Malagasy | Maso ny Sauron |
| Malay | Mata Sauron |
| Maltese | Għajn ta ' l-Sauron |
| Marathi | सायरोनची डोके |
| Mongolian Cyrillic | Саурон нүд ? |
| Nepalese | षौरोन् को आँखा ? |
| Norwegian | Øyet av Sauron |
| Pashto | د د سترګو صاورون |
| Persian | چشم سائورون |
| Polish | Oko Saurona |
| Portuguese | Olho de Sauron |
| Punjabi | ਸਾਓਰੋਨ ਦੀ ਅੱਖ |
| Romanian | Ochiul lui Sauron |
| Russian | Око Саурона |
| Samoan | Mata o le Sauron |
| Scottish Gaelic | Shùil de Sauron |
| Serbian | Сауроново око (Cyrillic) Sauronovo oko (Latin) |
| Sinhalese | ෂෞරොන් ඇස ? |
| Slovak | Sauronovo oko |
| Slovenian | Oči Sauron |
| Somalian | Isha ee Sauron |
| Spanish | Ojo de Sauron |
| Swahili | Jicho la Sauron |
| Swedish | Syna av Sauron |
| Tajik Cyrillic | Чашм аз Саурон |
| Tamil | ஷௌரொந் கண் ? |
| Thai | ตาของเซารอน |
| Turkish | Sauron'un gözü |
| Ukrainian Cyrillic | Око Саурона |
| Urdu | لارڈ ساؤرن کی آنکھ |
| Uzbek | Саурон кўз (Cyrillic) Sauron ko'z (Latin) |
| Vietnamese | Mắt của Sauron |
| Welsh | Llygad Sauron |
| Yiddish | אויג פון סאַוראָן |
- ↑ The Lord of the Rings, The Return of the King, Book Six, Chapter II: "The Land of Shadow"
External links
- Sauron Eye live animation following mouse