[+] The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power - SPOILERS ALLOWED

[Hriston]

I assume it's the creepy three finally speaking.

I would guess it's either someone in Lindon putting the idea of magic rings in folks' heads, or Halbrand.

I think Celebrimbor already has the idea of rings of power in his head, --that's what the forge is for-- but I'm pretty sure he's not Sauron. I think it's unlikely that the creepy three encounter any of the major characters in the next episode other than the Stranger, Nori, Poppy, Marigold, and Sadoc. No one else is anywhere near Mirkwood which is where the Stranger, who they're following, is headed.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

So, does Sauron's eye symbol pre-date him becoming a literal giant flaming eyeball?

This is a movie thing.

In the novel the Great Eye is a psychic projection, only visible to ringbearers, not a physical manifestation that anyone can see. Sauron has no physical form (he needs the Ring in order to make a new one).

 

[Paul Farquhar]

Notable that strange female-sounding voices can be heard saying, in unison, "You will be known at last for who you truly are. For you are Lord Sauron," at the same time the three travelers from Rhûn can be seen on-screen. Assuming it's them, to whom do you suppose they're saying this, and do you think they're mistaken?

I think they just wandered into the wrong story.

"Middle Earth? Bugger, we thought this was Scotland!" [Exit in search of a blasted heath].

 

[MarkB]

This is a movie thing.

In the novel the Great Eye is a psychic projection, only visible to ringbearers, not a physical manifestation that anyone can see. Sauron has no physical form (he needs the Ring in order to make a new one).

But he does get described as such by others. I think it's Saruman who talks about "a great eye, lidless and unsleeping" peering out from Mordor, and Aragorn speaks in terms of "keeping his Eye fixed on Gondor" to distract him from Sam and Frodo. And the Ringbearers include the Nine, so that manifestation would be well known to the forces of Mordor, thus their use of the symbol on banners and armour.

I'm just not aware of any reason why he'd have been using that symbol back when he still had a body.

 

[MarkB]

I think Celebrimbor already has the idea of rings of power in his head, --that's what the forge is for-- but I'm pretty sure he's not Sauron. I think it's unlikely that the creepy three encounter any of the major characters in the next episode other than the Stranger, Nori, Poppy, Marigold, and Sadoc. No one else is anywhere near Mirkwood which is where the Stranger, who they're following, is headed.

Our initial assumption is that the Forge is intended to be used to make the Rings, but in light of later episodes isn't it more likely that its intended usage is to work mithril?

 

[Stalker0]

Huh? He's riding to Lindon with Galadriel to get some elvish healing for his wounds, which honestly makes no sense to me, that he could ride all that way while losing blood.

They mentioned that the wound has "turned sour", aka its infected. Apparently elves have anti-biotics

 

[Sepulchrave II]

As far as I know, Sauron didn't adopt the Great Eye as his symbol until he declared himself openly in TA 2951, ten years after being driven out of Dol Guldur by the White Council. It's debatable whether the "Eye" glimpsed by Sam and Frodo atop Barad-dûr was a physical manifestation of Sauron.

It's my understanding that the Eye is only a kind of metaphysical manifestation of Sauron, which is perceived by the Wise, or those who wear rings in the right circumstances (on Amon Hen, in Mordor etc.), or when facilitated by some other magic - such as a palantir, the Mirror of Galadriel etc. It is also his symbol, of course.

It seems that Sauron spent the first part of the Third Age forming a corporeal body. Deprived of the ring, this took much longer than after the downfall of Numenor. By the end of the Third Age, he seems to have had a body, though. According to Gollum, who was personally interrogated by Sauron, "there are four fingers on the Black Hand," suggesting his physical form was now maimed (c.f Morgoth's wounds dealt by Fingolfin). Denethor tells Pippin "He will not come save only to triumph over me when all is won."

Appendices, LotR

2060

The power of Dol Guldur grows. The Wise fear that it may be Sauron taking shape again.

Appendices, LotR

It was the Shadow of Sauron and the sign of his return. For coming out of the wastes of the East he took up his abode in the south of the forest, and slowly he grew and took shape there again; in a dark hill he made his dwelling and wrought there his sorcery, and all folk feared the Sorcerer of Dol Guldur, and yet they knew not at first how great was their peril.

Of The Rings of Power and the Third Age, Silmarillion

'True, alas, is our guess. This is not one of the Úlairi, as many have long supposed. It is Sauron himself who has taken shape again and now grows apace; and he is gathering again all the Rings to his hand; and he seeks ever for news of the One, and of the Heirs of Isildur, if they live still on earth.’

In Letter 246 Tolkien describes Sauron's physical appearance in the Third Age.

In his actual presence none but very few of equal stature could have hoped to withhold it [the Ring] from him. Of 'mortals' no one, not even Aragorn. In the contest with the Palantír Aragorn was the rightful owner. Also the contest took place at a distance, and in a tale which allows the incarnation of great spirits in a physical and destructible form their power must be far greater when actually physically present. Sauron should be thought of as very terrible. The form that he took was that of a man of more than human stature, but not gigantic. In his earlier incarnation he was able to veil his power (as Gandalf did) and could appear as a commanding figure of great strength of body and supremely royal demeanour and countenance.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

I think it's Saruman who talks about "a great eye, lidless and unsleeping" peering out from Mordor

Saruman is a wizard, he "sees" this with his mind*, not his eyes.

*Technically, with the Palantir.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

They mentioned that the wound has "turned sour", aka its infected. Apparently elves have anti-biotics

In which case he would have a high fever, which would make him unable to ride a horse.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

I'm just not aware of any reason why he'd have been using that symbol back when he still had a body.

There is no reason why he wouldn't, either. There is no record of when or why Sauron started using that iconography. There is never any suggestion that his form only has one eye. His helmet (movies/TV show) has two eye slits.