In the third movie of The Lord of the Rings, a character appears who, despite their brief appearance, is very important. We are talking about the Mouth of Sauron, a rather creepy character.
Who is the Mouth of Sauron? In “The Return of the King,” there is a striking scene that is only present in the Extended Cut of the film. In it, there is a meeting between Aragorn and a character named the Mouth of Sauron.
This is a man who over the years became a loyal servant of Sauron and is also referred to as the “Messenger of Mordor.” He negotiates with Aragorn and Gandalf on behalf of his master – namely the “Mouth of Sauron.”
In the film, the creepy fellow is beheaded by Aragorn at the end of the failed negotiations. In the book, he simply rides back behind the Black Gate.
However, his role in the story is much larger and is not addressed in the film adaptation. He even helped Sauron track down the One Ring.
Sauron’s Close Confidant
Where did the Mouth of Sauron come from? Although the eerie design suggests otherwise, the figure is a man. His real name is unknown. He is descended from the Black Númenóreans, a people who submitted to both Sauron and the Witch King of Angmar.
At the time when Sauron was slowly regaining strength, this man entered the service of the dark lord. He became a sorcerer and managed to prolong his life through dark magic. Among Sauron’s subjects, he quickly became known as exceedingly wicked and brutal – despite not being one of the Nazgûl or the cruelest orcs.
Sauron valued his servant greatly and made him the lieutenant of the Tower of Barad-dûr, Sauron’s own fortress. The Mouth of Sauron was very close to him, communicated directly with him, and frequently delivered his messages.
Within the narrative of the books, he also played an even more important role than in the film.
In Search of the One Ring
How did the Mouth of Sauron serve his master? As Sauron regained strength and began searching for the One Ring, Gollum fell into his hands. The poor creature was tortured to find out what had happened to the ring after Gollum lost it.
During this torture, the Mouth of Sauron was presumably present and directed the interrogation. He learned that a certain “Baggins” in the “Shire” supposedly had the ring. Sauron promptly sent out his Black Riders, which set the events of “The Lord of the Rings” in motion.
Furthermore, the Mouth of Sauron likely visited the dwarves and offered them a proposal: they should side with Mordor and fight against the free peoples of Middle-earth. The messenger of Sauron also asked the dwarves if they knew anything about a ring, but did not reveal that it was the mightiest of all rings.
The Mouth of Sauron met his end in the film before the Black Gate when Aragorn killed him. In the book, he was allowed to live on, with his end uncertain. Either way, his role in the story is very important, and without him, it would probably have played out differently. Other characters and events were also changed in the movie adaptation: The Lord of the Rings: 7 differences between the books and films
