Sauron is the great antagonist in the books and movies of The Lord of the Rings. However, in early versions of Middle-earth’s mythology, he appeared in a very different form: as a cat.
Sauron is certainly the most famous villain from Tolkien’s work, although his master Morgoth, once known as Melkor, surpasses him.
Nonetheless, Sauron is a memorable and complex character, who was not always the evil necromancer and warlord. In early versions written by the author J.R.R. Tolkien, the character appears in a very different form and is a cat.
Yes, you read that right. The Lord of Mordor was once a furry kitty, who was later rewritten by Tolkien. The early version in which the cat appears dates back to 1917-1919 and can now be found in “The Book of Lost Tales Part 2”. This volume is part of the series “The History of Middle-earth”, based on texts by Tolkien and published by his son Christopher.
A cat to enslave them …
What kind of cat is that? In the mentioned texts, Sauron is still called Tevildo and bears the title “Lord of Cats”. He is quite large for a cat, pitch black, with red-green, piercing eyes. Around his neck, he wears a golden band that grants him evil power and suspiciously resembles a certain ring that will later become important in Middle-earth.
Tevildo lives in a castle named “Angamandi”, which in later versions of the story became Tol-in-Gaurhoth, the fortress of Sauron. Both share the common trait of serving Melkor, who at that time had a slightly different name and was simply called Melko.
Yet his role is very similar: He rules with great malice, and Tevildo fits right in. The cat is also deeply evil. Even its purring causes enemies to flee. Weaker creatures like small animals are immediately turned to stone.
For these reasons, many beings fear the black cat, and other peoples see it as a clear enemy. Among them, conforming to the cliché, are the dogs. A particularly powerful specimen faced Tevildo several times in battle, and at least in Tolkien’s world, it was clarified which of the two animals comes out on top.
Dog vs. Cat – an old debate
Which dog are we talking about? Huan is a hunting dog and is quite strong. He encounters Tevildo after the latter has taken the human Beren captive. Beren must face a task of the cat and catch three mice. Unfortunately, he fails because he is already weakened, causing Tevildo to become increasingly angry with him.
The cat slowly but surely lets his prisoner languish. It is only when his wife Lúthien becomes very worried that she sets out with the dog Huan to rescue Beren. In a forest, they set a trap for the cat Tevildo: Huan pretends to be seriously injured.
So Tevildo seizes the opportunity: The cat has already lost a fight against Huan before and wants to finish off her arch-enemy once and for all. She seeks out the supposedly weakened dog and is accompanied by loyal cat warriors.
As it must, things unfold: Huan jumps up and in the fight, he manages to defeat Tevildo’s allies. The surviving cat flees up a tree. Huan demands the release of Beren and that Tevildo remove the collar that grants him such great power.
Only with great reluctance does Tevildo agree to this. Huan himself takes the collar and puts it on. In the meantime, Melkor also learns of the defeat of his cat lord and, in his anger, decides to banish Tevildo and all others of his kind. However, the evil in the cats remained.
Evil tongues would now claim that there is a true core in Tolkien’s version and that cats have always been the slightly meaner pets compared to dogs. It is definitely fascinating how Tevildo slowly became Sauron. In later versions, the cat disappeared and was replaced by a necromancer named Thû, who ruled over the werewolves.
All of this ultimately culminated in the famous figure of Sauron as we know him today. Remaining is primarily the evil character and the eye that suspiciously resembles that of a cat.
Certainly, a large cat is also an interesting antagonist, but in his later form, the dark lord probably caused even more terror in Middle-earth. Even if he was not the most powerful of all: A powerful being from The Lord of the Rings was what Sauron wished to be – It ruled over all of Middle-earth
