This was excellent. Thank you for taking the time to make. It's funny I would rather watch a free video about Tolkien's work than a billion dollar production.
His greatest antagonist was Sam. Every aspect of Sam’s very being was entirely incomprehensible to Sauron, and his inability to understand Sam’s simple agape for Frodo meant that there was no way for Sauron to manipulate, no crack to exploit. Sam’s devotion made him invisible to the Dark Lord. All that Sauron could do was harm his body; he could never harm his spirit.
@@classiclife7204 That’s true. I think it is a lesson in how fear while rational, is a great deceiver. He put all his might and will against Aragorn and Gandalf whilst, two lowly hobbits were his undoing and what he hated most and sought to destroy in Gandalf, hope, was carried on in Samwise.
According to Mithrandir, Sauron knows fear. Sauron would fear Aragorn because he was the Heir of Isildur, wielded Narsil, was the rightful owner of the Ithil Stone (Which Sauron used to great effect on Denethor. Sauron couldn't do that to Aragorn) Finally Aragorn is a descendant of Luthien. Luthien was able to cast down both Sauron and Morgoth.
@@simonmorris4226, Luthien cast down Sauron and Morgoth alone. Beren cut the Simaril from Morgoth's iron crown with Angrist after Luthien cast him down.
Other than a couple of hobbits destroying his ring, I think the greatest actual threat to Sauron was that he would get the ring and win the war. From what I understand Eru intended that men would more or less inherit middle earth and manage their own affairs going forward. It wasn't the option he would have wanted, but if it came down to it he would have sent Tulkas with some chains to have a little chat with Sauron and reunite him with his old master in the void.
Sauron should have feared Merry most of all. Merry was instrumental into getting Treebeard to attack Isengard, and he was instrumental in helping Eowyn to kill the witch king. Merry did more direct damage to Sauron’s most powerful allies than anyone else on middle earth
Doesn't Sam actually kill Shelob in the movie? In addition to fighting Gollum and being instrumental in the journey through Mordor, he defeated a blockage Sauron was sure he could rely on. I know in the books Shelob doesn't die, she just gets severely injured and retreats, her fate unclear from then on.
Merry got Treebeard to attack Isengard? How so? The Ents agreed to attack Isengard during the Entmoot. Merry wasn't part of those deliberations. Of course, I could be forgetting some detail. If so, please remind me.
@@Raz.C Merry and Pippin's words were taken into consideration by Treebeard, the oldest and wisest of the ents. Their influence on the outcome of the ent-moot is never fully clarified, but it seems obvious that their presence made a difference in the debate.
@@runtergerutscht4401 I suppose it's remotely plausible that for the Ents and other Olvar, it was likely a very long time since they had seen Kelvar other than orcs. If that's indeed the case, then seeing Kelvar such as Hobbits might have served to renew their faith in the world/ help to convince them that there are things in the world that are worth saving. In that sense, I suppose they might have influenced the decision of the Ents, but that's entirely speculative. Then again, it's possible that the Ents were always going to choose to fight against Saruman (a Maiar of Aulë), since they were created by Yavanna as the result of an argument she had with Aulë (about the need his creation [dwarves] will have for wood, which is the body of her creations [the trees])... It's hard to guess at motivations. That's why I was really hoping there was something definite which would indicate that the Hobbits, through word or deed, had some significant effect on the outcome of the Entmoot. As I said, it's possible that I've forgotten relevant information, so if there is any clear indication of them affecting the decision of the Ents, I'd be very keen to read it.
My opinion; I would assume that Sauron would be somewhat afraid of Glorfindel aswell, alongside Gandalf and Aragorn. i mean, Glorfindel came back as an immortal, even the Nazguls were hesitant (if I remember correctly) to confront him. Great video by the way, keep 'em coming!
At this point in the third age Glorfindel is probably the single most powerful fighter. With the sword that is. He was already super powerful having been among those graced by the two trees. And then when he gets resurrected after already killing a balrog he gets elevated to the powers of a Maia by Manwe. If Glorfindel were to get in a 1v1 fight with melee weapons he would probably win against anyone. Including Sauron.
Im saying it now, This is one of the Best and my favorites videos ever! I've always loved that detail that Sauron altough in full his might was always afarid of Heirs of Islidur, esspecially Aragorn! And also one of my favorite scenes from movies was from The Two Towers when Gandalf said "The Heir of Numenor still lives, Sauron Fears You Aragorn" and when Ian Mckellen says that in a way he did, its so epic! So yeah I definitely think that Sauron was afraid of Aragorn! James, as always great and interesting video!!
Sauron was far from his full might after Numenor , He didn't even 'recharge' before the war of the last alliance after losing his original body and he was even further from his full might in the 3rd age, full might Sauron from first age would have likely kill both Gil-Galad and Elendil with low-mid difficulty
It seems that childlike simplicity was the greatest threat to Sauron. He never suspected the small and powerless. His real nemeses were Frodo and Sam: simple, loyal and unambitious to acquire power and wealth. It never occurred to him that any being would consider destruction of the ring.
I would also add Smirgl to the list, as Smirgl did lead Frodo and Sam to the only way they could reasonably expect to get into Mordor uncaptured, and even that route was a close thing, as Frodo did get captured, fortunately Sam was brave enough to assume the burden of Ringbearer and wise enough to not fall for its temptations. Yet in the end, it was Smirgl's relentless quest to regain the Ring, and the Ring's refusal to return to a rejected Bearer again, and its curse upon Smirgl that led to its own downfall. The One Ring would rather melt into nothing in the fires of Mt Doom then be in the possession of Smigl again.
I think Sauron was largely too strong to defeat because he stayed in Barad-dûr by the time we come to "meet" him in LOTR. Remember that he was actually defeated a few times in history when he fought personally - by Huan the Hound (with Luthien present) in the First Age, by the White Council at Dol-Guldur, by the Numenoreans led by Ar-Pharazon and of course by Elendil and Gil-Galad. Of course, it was only Huan who really defeated him one-on-one, but one clue is that he didn't defeat Finrod Felagund easily; it was definitely a contest before Sauron eventually overcame Finrod's magic. It's worth remembering that Sauron was greatly weakened by this point in time. Not only was he recrafting his body after multiple "deaths", but he had put most of his power into the Ring and had lost the Ring, and finally he had put his will into the host of his armies. In the same way that Morgoth was diminished personally by all the power he put out to corrupt Arda and create new monsters, Sauron must have been diminished vs his original power by the time of the Third Age. If Fingolfin could severely injure _Morgoth_ eight times and really threaten to win (even though he didn't), then I doubt Sauron was above fear, especially with his history of defeats in personal combat. Would he have relished the thought of facing Gandalf the White 1 vs 1 in an open plain, without support from anyone, or Galadriel...or Glorfindel, who was now more powerful than when he and a Balrog fought to a fatal stalemate and unlike the Istari was not constrained by an aged mortal body? Maybe Sauron would still have won in such a desperate situation, but I don't think he would have liked the odds. As Aragorn said, he wasn't above fear and anyone significant who claimed the Ring might have a chance to defeat him - of course, it would also ruin them in the process.
Yes! I think people underestimate just how strong Gandalf the White was in pure power. He went from losing decidedly against Saruman but yet still strong enough to take a Balrog to mutual death as the Grey to absorbing a giant fireball blast without flinching from Saruman and breaking his staff with just a word as the white. I gather he would deal with a Balrog with relative ease as the White and possible even get the upper hand against Sauron in open combat if Sauron was without the ring
@Jinx-hy7pt you forget sauron killed elendil and Gil galad. Tolkien even states that a warrior like elendil will never come again, plus Gil galad was the last high king. He came out of bared dur and made his way to Mount doom to fight the two greatest warriors alive at the time. Sauron isn't the greatest fighter of all time but him killing them both shows he's no pushover in combat.
Interesting for sure considering we still don’t even know what sort of being Bombadil actually was. Just that the ring didn’t affect him. Which not even a maiar like Gandalf could boast.
I don't think there would be a fight, as Old Tom would walk off, and nothing Sauron could do could stop him. Tome would simply walk away, caring not, singing away the danger and stomping his boots.
I think Tom Bombadil like Ungoliant was apart from Middle Earth existing in the void before time, someone who existed before the sewing of the great fabric, who just is a part of the fabric intrinsic to it, but not part of Erus great plan a mystery, leave him that way.
While each person listed have their pros and cons, I think Sauron should have feared all of them working together. Combining their powers, abilities, skills, knowledge... Strengthening and empowering each other towards a common goal. It was never about a one on one fight, it's was all of them together against Sauron alone.
I am amazed by your thought and insight on this fascinating subject. Honestly, the best LOTR video I have ever seen. Thank you so much. Your work is greatly appreciated!
To me, Tom Bombadil is like an element; an immaterial entity that shapes the world around him like a river shapes a valley. His existence in the book is very deliberate. His character is said to be as old as Arda itself. He seems to have the ability to repel evil with little effort. His existence is beyond the existence of any other character in the story. Personally, I feel like Tom Bombadil has always been Tolkiens clever way of writing himself in. A subtle break in the 3rd wall like how Steven King wrote himself into a character that existed in the Dark Tower series. A character that engages with the characters of the story but is aware of themselves being beyond the story. Tom versus Sauron wouldn’t work because that’s not the story being told, if that makes sense. The two characters don’t quite exist together in the same sense. If they did come face to face, I feel like it would not be as exciting as one might think. Sauron would give Tom as much regard as one might regard the direction of the wind blowing through the trees. Tom would acknowledge Sauron but perhaps he would understand the purpose that Sauron serves to move and shape Arda. I can’t imagine immortal beings have much regard for “good vs evil.” It’s all change. Moments that are finite compared to the infinite. Much like how the Valar don’t directly interact. Instead they gently guide existence with little direct interaction. If Sauron went full on Connor McGregor, the square up with old Tom would be him bending Sauron across his knee for a century long rump paddling 🤣
Tom is much like Ungoliant, in that they were both "beings that were drawn into Arda from outside." While Ungoliant came from the "Darkness" beyond Arda, Tom would have come from elsewhere (though also from beyond Arda). They were spirits that chose a form that reflected their identities. Tom took the form of a non-threatening, happy farmer. Ungoliant took on the form of a terrifying monstrosity of a spider. This is why Tom can claim to have existed before Arda; because he was a spirit, living beyond the void before Arda was formed. The formation of Arda was what drew these spirits in. Some of these spirits are probably among the things encountered by Gandalf beneath Moria "There are far older and fouler things than orcs in the deep places of the world. Far, far below the deepest delvings of the Dwarves, the world is gnawed by nameless things. Even Sauron knows them not. They are older than he." To be older than Sauron, they would have to be other spirits like Ungoliant, like Tom Bombadil. It's rather a pity that of them, Gandalf only says "I will bring no report of them to darken the light of day," or something to that effect.
Asking if Sauron could beat Tom in a fight is like asking if a werewolf could beat a river in a fight. They're both completely different entities and it fundamentally doesn't make sense lol
I would say Sauron should have feared the unknown the most. Elves and men he could predict on their actions, but as you said here, the choice of destroying the ring was unthinkable to him. The ring was a tool to be used either against him or be be manipulated by his will to have the holder aid him. Thus the choice to destroy the ring worked.
Aragorn. He would know of the rules Olorin had to follow and that he would only be a direct threat if he himself attacked, if he did that he would lose against Olorin who was sent back by Eru to complete his task and was untouchable. For those who are not as Tolkien nerdy as I am, Olorin is Gandalfs original name in Maiar form, Maiar being Angels. When Gandalf the White came to middle Earth he was likely in the form of Olorin and with all his strength so thats why in the book no enemy was brave enough to attack him and indeed when he chose no shadow would even fall upon him. Eru is the creator of all and it is indicated when Gandalf the grey died he went to the void where Eru resides and was sent back by Eru and not the Valar who are the Arch Angels if you like.
I agree, Gandalf or Olorin as he was known as a Maiar was at least equal in power to Sauron also a Maiar, I would argue more powerful as he was the wisest among the Maiar and favored by Eru Iluvatar himself. Granted in his wizard form as Gandalf he is scaled down immensely in power and I think this was done by Iluvatar by design, he was sent for his wisdom and counsel not sheer power and for men to find their strength to lead them into the next age. But as Olorin himself at his full Maiar power, I think he would've gone toe to toe with Sauron and defeated him, but that wouldn't have made a great story & it wouldn't have given the children of Iluvatar the courage and strength to stand up and defend Middle Earth against the forces of evil, if that was the case Iluvatar could've just sent Manwe to curb stomp Sauron!
@@Matt-zs6qx Olorin was afraid of Sauron, he didn't think he was strong enough. Gandalf the white was sent back by illuvatar and was in essence olorin which is why no enemy ever attacked him, they just stood there and thought about it or ran away. In the final battle he was able to control the clouds..no shadow fell upon him that day.
@@burstcity3832 If I recall correctly, yes Olorin originally said he was afraid of Sauron and Manwe said something to the effect, "that was a reason why he should go". I personally didn't take that as he's too weak, but to overcome his fear. Even when he is sent back by Iluvatar as Gandalf the White, yes he had more power and now was the leader and most powerful of the Istari when he cast Saruman out of the order, but he was still Gandalf the wizard in a mortal form, yes he had a power upgrade, but I still don't think he was no where near his full power potential as Olorin the Maiar. I could be wrong, that's just how I interpreted it. Thanks man, I have to read the books again, it's been about 30 years since I've read them when I was a teen & I would love to immerse myself back into Middle Earth. "I think I'm quite ready for another adventure!"
@@Matt-zs6qx He wasn't in mortal form, in one of the history books it saysthat no weapon could harm him while he was the white. It's often overlooked. Look to Gandalf when you reread..when he dies "We must do without hope" when he returns " Beyond all hope you return" that encapsulates Gandalf, he is hope.
Pippin of the Shire is who he should’ve feared most He alerted Aragorn to the ring bearer He woke the balrog causing Gandalf to be reborn as the white His bravery brought about the downfall of Saruman and Isengard He deceived the dark lord into believing he was the ring bearer He saved Faramir and caused Denethor to die paving the way for the return of the king No pippin no happy ending in LOTR
I think a comparison of Bombadil and Sauron would be interesting. Especially if take it from my perspective that Bombadil's power limitations were self imposed and not restricted by other powers.
Tom wasn’t a being that would wield power in that manner! He was more engrossed in all things natural and didn’t even bother with things going on outside his borders. He may of been very powerful but would never have instigated or joined in battle!!
What-if video idea for you to do: What if Gandalf never fell at the Bridge of Khazad-dum and continued with the fellowship to Lothlorien and on forward?
I think each of the fellowship possessed something that Sauron feared and loathed. Gimli: his natural dwarvish resistance to his influence. Legolas: Plain and simply one of the most badass Elves of the age. Sauron always feared the Elves and their power. Boromir: His capability of self-sacrifice. Aragorn: the heir to Isildur and Elendil, epitomizes the strength of men. Gandalf: the only wizard who stayed true to his quest, a constant thorn in his side and one of the few beings who could possibly stand against him one-on-one. Merry and Pippin: Their cleverness, luck, resourcefulness and the fact that the Hobbits significance were largely beyond Sauron's understanding. Sam: his courage and loyalty to his master in the face of all odds. Frodo: his resilence and compassion. They really were the ultimate group that could be set against Sauron, even when they went their separate ways. Middle Earth isn't saved and Sauron defeated without each of them playing their part.
Its hard to say that Gandalf is the only wizard that stayed true to the quest. Although there isnt much information on the Blue Wizards, both succeeded in their quest at the east.
Actually, Radigast did stay true to his quest and was the reason Gandulf was even able to escape captivity at the hands of Sarumon. As for the Blue Wizards, we don't know what they did. For all we know, they may have done more to contribute to the Men of the West winning from their work behind enemy lines then even Gandulf did. They may well have weakened Sauron's subjugated empires from within, fermenting dissent and rebellion, and keeping many Haradrim, Rhunmen and Easterling armies held up in their homelands dealing with rebels, all of which is beyond the reach of the narrators of Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit, so we know nothing of their actions. Were it not for them, and whatever they were doing in the east, it may well have been that Rhun and the Easterlings could have sent such overwhelming force that Dale and Erabor could not withstand it and would have fallen, instead of being besieged for the length of the War of the Ring. That would have freed up the Northern army of Mordor to either take out the Elves of Mirkwood next, or turn their attention to Rohan and Gondor to the South, whichever would have the most impact on the rest of the war from that point on, or they may have been in sufficient numbers to split the army, with one part joining with Dul Goldur in attacking the elves, and the other heading south to also join with both Moria and Dul Guoldur and crush Lothlorien, which would free up all armies in the North to cross the Misty Mountains and assault Rivendell directly, or head south to sweep through a relatively undefended Rohan and Western Gondor, cutting off both Western armies from critical supplies even as they marched on Mordor. Even if the One Ring was destroyed still, the human armies of Mordor may well have been enough to crush the Men of the West, leading to no Dark Lord Sauruon being victorious, but also no more Gondor or Rohan as they become provinces of empires of Haradrim, Umbar, Rhun and Easterlings. Only the Misty Mountains and those west of them fortifying the passes would save them from falling under these eastern, former Mordor aligned empires That's also assuming a much enalarged Haradrim Umbar contingent would not have been able to withstand Gondor, the Rangers of the Dunedien and Rohan and conquered Minas Tirith even as Dale and Erabor to the north were falling. The defense of the West would be forced to retreat to Prince Imrahil's city to hold their ground from there in that case. Their only hope being that Lothorien, Rivendel and the Grey Havens could hold, and even send aid.
it has to be gandalf. he conceived of the raid against smaug. it led to smaug's downfall. he convinced the council to finally raid the necromancer in dol goldur in southern mirkwood, and they drove him from that fortress. he researched the ring and found out what it was, he was part of the fellowship perhaps was instrumental in putting together the fellowship, he had a plan to destroy the one ring, he laid saruman low, he laid the balrog of moria low. he alone of the istari (indeed, of all the maia, tom bombadil included) matched himself against sauron in deed and strategy. gandalf is the main power against sauron.
I heard that one of the enchantments on the ring prevented anyone from intentionally harming, abandoning, or setting aside the ring. Which makes Bilbo Baggins all the more remarkable, for he was the first and only individual in history to surrender the ring of his own volition.
@@simonmorris4226 I had forgotten about Sam. He didn't have it very long, but still very impressive that he returned it to Frodo without too much problem. Thanks for reminding me of that.
I really enjoy your video essays, and the lore of the LOTR is awesome. Sauron should have feared Aragon more than Gandalf, as Aragon was able to unite all men, and that posed a huge challenge to Sauron. Yes, please do a video on Tom Bombadil vs Sauron. Tom remains an enigma to this day. They did discuss him quite briefly at the council of Elrond, but moved on quickly. At least they should have tried to get him to join the fellowship.
Quite a few individuals could take him on. Eonwe (or perhaps him with others of his order). Not to mention most of the valar themselves. I can't see Sauron matching the likes of Aule, Manwe and Tulkas one on one. Sauron is not the equal of Manwe or the other lords of the valar. Not sure about particular valar like Yvanna. The Valar acting together would obliterate Sauron. Gandalf the White said he was the most dangerous being in Middle Earth unless brought before the throne of Sauron himself, though he may have rivalled his power at least. Sauron did fear Aragorn for his ability to unite the Free Peoples (especially men) against him, however, Aragorn was obviously not a direct threat to him (one-on-one). Bombadil is a strange one as his power is of a different sort. He seems to have immense power in his own domain but it's hard to determine if he could contend with Sauron and his forces if it came down to it. At the Council of Elrond this is doubted. I think the words are something like he would fall last as he was first, but he would fall.
His greatest threat was the one who was in the deepest enthrall of the One Ring: Smeagol/Gollum. The one who even when ordered by the one ring to stand down, was so obsessed that he lusted for the ring. He bore the ring for too long and because of that its corruption ran deep to the point of twisting and breaking something within Gollum. That broken part or piece was fundamental in the Ring's destruction.
I believe it's said that Tom bombadil is one of the strongest beings alive I might be mistaken but I believe he's eru illuvatar himself an if thats true no one's stronger than he nit even the Valar or the nameless things of the deep
It's not just that the Istari take the forms of old men. It's also that even as Maiar in the beginning they were of lesser native strength than Sauron. Some Maiar are much more powerful than others. Also - there's noting about any of Tolkien's writings that justifies the description of the Istari being feeble just because they look old. Gandalf is perfectly capable of taking on orcs in a swordfight. Saruman appears to be hale and quite healthy, even at the very end when his power had been taken away.
Weren't the Istari meant to look unexceptional on purpose? They didn't look like feeble old men, they looked like wise old men. They weren't meant to directly take charge and command, they were meant to be wise and guide.
Gandalf was strong enough to clash swords with the balrog and shatter it's sword. Without magic, just with his own strength and the strength of glamdring
Before watching... My opinion is that Sauron feared Aragorn, Gandalf the Grey, and Gandalf the White, in different ways and in different degrees. Sauron feared that Aragorn, as Isildur's heir, and wielder of Narsil, could make great use of the ring against him. Aragorn could use the ring to bring much of Sauron's forces to his own cause, especially the likes of the Haradrim, Easterlings, Southrons, etc. Of course, Aragorn would eventually succumb to the ring's corruption, and this isn't the end that anyone wants. Sauron did not fear a direct confrontation with Aragorn in any way. He feared the power that Aragorn could amass against him and diminish his influence in Middle Earth through the power of the ring. To some lesser extent, Sauron feared Gandalf the Grey through what he represented - that the Valar were acting against him and that his activities were not going unnoticed. He also feared him for the same reasons he feared Aragorn to some extent, but in different ways (a ring-bearing Gandalf the Grey would represent more of a direct threat, and less of a force-amassing threat, as Gandalf did not represent some royal bloodline or influential kingly status among men.) To a much greater extent, he feared Gandalf the White, largely because Gandalf the White represented not only an intervention on behalf of the Valar, but of Eru himself. It cannot be overstated how significant this was.
Clearly, the most dangerous foe of Sauron was Frodo. His natural ability to resist the call of the one ring made him the most dangerous creature in middle earth to Sauron, even though he nearly succumbed to it at the end. If it wasn't for Golem, and Sam.. he very well might have. Sam is the big hero in this story in my opinion, he saved Frodo from the giant spider and held the ring for a time.
His fear of Gandalf would be the fear of a fallen angel facing a faithful angel, with native power much greater than Aragorn, standing up to him and taking everything he built.
it didn't show that in last hobbit movie...sauron really showing pleasure of torture the wizzard with fun....fear?? really who the hell you talking to?? gladderia maybe...but what scare him the most....tiny creatures have too much innocence to be killed for no other reasons, sauron is nice lord that does not like anyone harm his pets...he treat them with respect and care...just like mouth sauron was very angry at gandulf for sending hobbits to dangerous place in his home, he shown sadness with conflict in that extended scene in return of the king
@@user78405 You will have to remember that the Hobbit version of Dol Guldur is very loose Canon. Tolkien states the fact that Gandalf went to Dol Guldur but he was neither captured or rescued by the others. And we can be certain that if Saron caught a Maiar he whould surely kill him so the Valars will have less agents on Middle Earth. No matter how he pretends otherwise he fears the intervention of Higher authority, in the fall of Numenor we saw that Eru's fury is not a joke.
Melkor was fallen Valar (Angelic being) not Sauron. Gandalf and Sauron both are maiar. Servants of Valar. Have u ever watched Hobbit? Sauron doesn't fear Gandalf. He can beat him even he was Necromancer. without physical form.
If he hasn't lost access to his oldest memories he would fear Iluvatar most. Facing his old conductor, he would know he'd been messing up as a member of the choir. Although in the end he would of course get the chance to do better next time...
Sauron vs Tom Bombadil? Interesting. Well, we know that Sauron's ring, filled with all of his malice and a great deal of his power had ZERO effect on Tom Bombadil. I think, as unlikely as that confrontation would be - given that Tom seems to be so will-o'-the-wisp - Sauron would be thoroughly outmatched. Tom Bombadil comes across as being such an unbridled force of nature and something like a manifestation of Eru Iluvatar's will, that all of Sauron's nonsense power and deviancy would seem like petulant cruelty to a being like big ole' Tommy boy. Well, that's how I like to think of the matter, anyways. God bless you guys; what a great chanel!
"In the place of the Dark Lord you will set a Queen" that seems a literal replacement to me. Galadriel was pretty sure she would be able defeat Sauron with the One Ring when she said that to Frodo. She even can block Sauron trying to reach her mind, and use her telepathy on him in return to see what he plans for the elves. Gandalf says to the hobbits shes probably be the best rival to Sauron whe they ask if could be him. She alone demolished Dol Guldur and cleansed Mirkwood even without nenya's power, after de destruction of the one. She learned from the Valar, mostly from Aule, Sauron's original master, in Valinor like most Noldor, and from Melian in Nargothrond. The mightiest of the elves in Middle Earth and by far, and, at her age at the end of the story, she also had the expertise, willpower and knowledge to use and master rings of powers, as she explains to Frodo whe they talk about being ring bearers.
One other reason for Sauron to fear Aragorn was that he had already shown that he had all the will power of his ancestress Luthien. He had the will needed to use the ring for its intended purpose, to control the holders of the other rings. This would give Aragorn control, not only of Galadriel, Elrond, and Gandalf, but he would also have the power to wrest away the allegiance of Sauron's most lethal followers, the Nazgul. With such a coalition, Aragorn could possibly throw down Sauron and imprison him for ages in his own dark tower.
Sauron vs Bombadil is ALREADY addressed during The Council Of Elrond. Allow me to quote from it: Gandalf is talking to the council, saying - "Could that power (of Sauron) be defied by Bombadil alone? I think not! I think that in the end, if all else is conquered, then Bombadil will fall, Last as he was First. And then night will come." Galdor later adds, about Bombadil: "... but Glorfindel, I think, is right. Power to defy our Enemy is not in him. Unless such power is in the earth itself. And yet we see that He can torture and even destroy the Earth..." No, Bombadil is no match for Sauron. Even if we look at a comparison of how Ungoliant was a match for Melkor, this was only so because she had been given much of Melkor's power. He gave her this power so she would grow in size and in power. And so she did. When fleeing Valinor, Melkor was almost devoured by her and indeed might have been, had it not been for the timely intervention of Melkor's balrogs... So even though both Bombadil and Ungoliant might be "Spirits from the void beyond Arda," neither, unaided, would have been a match for the Ainur.
Great video! two objections though: 1. The Istari were send by the Valar, fellow Ainur, which could not change/alter other Ainurs in shape/ability as far as I know. That could have only been done by Eru (as was done with Gandalf). -> The Istari therefore were not unable to change their form. 2. While Sauron surely feared Aragorn, Aragorn could have used the Ring to some extend(be more dominant or great to other humans and elves), not mastered it. I think he feared him more because of his heritage (Isildur, Luthien ect.) and the hope he gave the people of the west.
Whom Sauron really would have had to fear the most is not a single enemy of his but the entire team. A team which works together on the base of friendship rather than of fear. The entire fellowship worked against his power in different places, some of them drawing his attention towards themselves than to Frodo and Sam, Sauron's actually greatest threat.
Gandalf had shown humility and I think actually underestimated his own power, not to mention having his own ring of power that was designed to inspire and resist tyranny. I believe while Sauron may have feared Aagorn it was actually Gandalf that was the biggest threat to him due not only to his power but his wisdom and inspiration to others. What I would like to see is Gandalf, Galadriel, and Elrond tag teaming Sauron, OMG the chills!
Didn't Sauron create a religion based on himself declaring himself as God and a King of the World to the Easterlings and they would worship and follow him willingly? I have heard there is something called "Dark Worship" within the Mythos which Melkor started. It pretty much has the same role and position as the occult religions in the Bible that the Watcher Fallen Angels in First Enoch inspired have which all stood and attacked Yahuah and Yahusha's teachings and his chosen people and had spread all throughout the world by the time of the book of Jubilee was written. It seemed Dark Worship was throughout the entire continent outside of the realm of Middle Earth and the Easterlings, Harad, and Black Númenoreans were heavily influenced by it's evil doctrines and lawlessness which Sauron helped propagate with his presence and teachings in the Second and Third ages. A pretty scary thought to realize Sauron even had more power outside of Middle Earth and it was pretty much a whole continent of Sauron worshipping occultists and orcs against the realm of Middle Earth itself.
As to Sauron vs Bombadil, I think you gave the answer yourself in the sentence before: "Sauron never has an off-day", whilst Bombadil's concentration waxes and wanes. This is my own interpretation but Bombadil, because he is tied to his land, is tied to the seasons.
Sauron vs Tom is like Sauron vs Bugs Bunny. He defies all rules of reality which Sauron is bound to. It would just come off as a comical laugh of a "fight".
I wonder if Sauron actually feared himself feared his Essence being used against him? As to brute strength as the only sign of winning a battle, strategy skill and devotion all can play a role. As to Bombadil versus Sauron Tom definitely injured Sauron by taking out his captain via the gift he gave The Hobbit. Remember that the ability to see ages and time happened at Tom's house and it wasn't by accident. And if Tom could encourage that in little Hobbits how much more were the specific gifts of daggers given to the hobbits functionally at least on purpose. Tom may not have had brute strength enough or he may have but he definitely had prescient strategy to take out the witch King. Even at a distance Tom was a force that Sauron did not account for. For that matter neither do most directors of movies either. Galadriel Gandalf Sam Frodo Aragorn Elrond and more all were factors Sauron could fear simply because he couldn't understand love power and devotion that was not just self-focused.
SAURON VS BOMBADIL VIDEO IS YES! But my answer in short is Bombadil cannot defeat Sauron. Just a gut feeling though. Fleshing that argument out will take some work! Thanks again for all your great work Fellas!
If not for this limited scope, would the Valar count? His former master? Manwei? Perhaps ungoliant...perhaps Smaug? You make a good point in Gandalf. The grey faced off with the necromancer and lost; would the white have stood on equal footing?
Sauron vs. Bombadil would be very interesting. If Tom would even bother. Other channels have pointed out it's possible he would've just waited it out. He'd seen the rise and fall of Morgoth, twice, and Sauron wasn't anywhere near that level, plus he'd fallen before. Plus let's not forget Glorfindel... To see Gandalf, or rather Olorin, go toe to toe would be interesting, two Maiar duking it out.
The ones sauron should have feared the most is the Hobbits :) Especially Hobbits like Bilbo, Frodo and most of all Sam :) The movie did a great thing showing the mortal danger middle-earth was in with the last alliance fight. It was short yes, but written well, music use was fantastic, mood was correct and the good side was shown suffering.
I'm sure Tom Bombadil if his lands started to be damaged he would have fought. And being as he could well be Eru himself, able to hide his past and true form from anyone, it would be a short battle. While Tom even with his lack of understanding of good or evil, would not react to any damage of his beloved animals and fauna which surround him and are part of him.
Sauron fears the wrath of the Valar the most. If he wasn't there was a chance he would have returned to them after the first age but he feared retribution. That's the reason he waits for thousand of years after Morgoths defeat. Ptsd. He had thoughts of being good again but of fear of vengeance by the Valar
He feared both of them because he could only imagine either of them wielding the ring against. Aragorn alone among men possessed the ability to resist the ring to a high degree, just as Isildur did, armed with the ring, Anduril(forged from Narsil which smote the ring from Sauron), and allies, Aragon would of utterly crushed Sauron and his enemies. Gandalf the White or Sauraman alone were Sauron's equals, either would of been a worthy match for Sauron in single combat with either possessing the ring. However, with the ring, Gandalf or Sauraman could of simply commanded the Nazgul to wipe out Sauron and his armies.
@@str.77 It is in America. Maybe you should of been an English teacher, and then you could of convinced me to speak in a way that makes some random grammer nazi on youtube happy. You also failed to use proper puncutation, sentence structure, and capitalization in your comments, so I'll consider my English far superior to yours.
@@SpecialEDy Well, I am an English teacher. If you choose to write like some nincompoop then I can't help it. There were actually no mistakes in spelling or punctuation at all and what you mistake for wrong capitalisation was actually correctly quoting you.
It’s not so much IF Tom Bombadil could defeat Sauron in a fight, as WOULD he he ever fight him in the the first place. Since Tom’s origins and abilities are so mysterious and his disposition so gentle, it really impossible to judge his upper power limits in the same way as Saurons. I always imagine him looking a bit like GK Chesterton, or Teddy Roosevelt.
Before watching your video- I would offer Galadriel as one answer. As she tells Frodo in both the book and the movie- give her the ring and she would throw down Sauron and take his place. The assumption that with the one ring she was powerful enough to defeat the dark lord. Undoubtedly there were other high elves who could do likewise, Celeborn. Elrond. Legolas- just kidding. Sorry L. Besides, he's a wood elf.
Agree with that. And hes defined as the migtiest elf on middle earth in the silmarillion. More than Elrond, Celeborn or Glorfindel. She's from Valinor, Celeborn and Elrond are not. Elves from Valinor are more powerfull, and they learned things direcly from the Valar. Noldor Elves mostly from Aulë, Sauron's original master indeed. In that period of her youth only Feanor was a more powerfull, but she already was greater in wisdom, and eventually in power along the years. When in Middle Earth she also learned a lot from Melian the maiar in Nargothrond, and all that power, higher than the rest of elves had, is enhaced by nenya in third age, so with the one ring she would be over the top. She even demolished Dol Guldur and cleansed Mirkwood without the power of nenya, after the one ring is destroyed. She's the one for me, by far.
I'm pretty convinced Tom Bombadil is the physical form of Eru Illuvatar. Mostly because he was able to see Frodo when he wore the Ring, could see the Nazgul without their cloaks, and the Ring had literally no effect on him whatsoever when he held it
Aragorn But, his greatest enemies in this order Elrond Gandalf Galadriel Elrond did more to thwart him than any other individual. If he could have defeates Elrond or his plans, he would have won a long time ago.
Bombadil is the First 'Heydol!' in the Song of the Valar; like Father Christmas in Narnia, he arms the protagonists, but he would no longer be the world's Ceremony of Innocence if he took up arms. Given their proximity to Bombadil, their shared love of riddles, and the uncertain quality which let Gollum and Baggins bear the Ring so long, Sauron had more cause to fear the Hobbits at the Gate than Tom himself.
frodo becoming gollum at 12:45. damn I like that ending better. then again frodo was on the radar of a lot more people than smeagol was when he first came into possession of the ring so I don't know how that could have happened.
Technically speaking I doubt he feared either in terms of their ability best him in direct sorcery or combat, but he feared their abilities to lead and bring everyone together as a united force. Sauron spent centuries chipping away at his enemies, particularly Gondor and Arnor, Gandalf and Aragorn had the ability to unite and organise these people to oppose him. I doubt he would have faced either in direct combat, Sauron despite his reputation, tends to lose when he fights. Oddly the one who he should have feared the most is Frodo, as he ultimately caused his downfall.
I disagree. He never feared Aragorn wearing the ring. That was his desire. For men, or lesser beings, in his opinion, to wear it. The only people he feared wearing the rings would be beings of great power. Sauraman, Gandalf, and lady Galadriel. Not including radagast, they are the only beings in Middle Earth capable of using the ring. He feared Aragon because of his lineage and ability to rally all men to his side upon. He feared his leadership. He feared a complete alliance of men under his command. The heir of elendil. The ring was evil and had all of Sauron’s malice in it, so it would eventually corrupt anyone who write it. Besides Tom bombadil, and I believe any of the valar.
Sauron had some reason to fear each of the fellowship, but the fellowship working together was his undoing. While Aragorn and his army were a threat, it was the distraction from the 2 hobbits made him look for his undoing in the wrong place.The distraction was his undoing.
Sauron's greatest fear would be Aragorn using the ring of power and realizing Boromir's great dream - a great empire composed of a great confederation of peoples: "The Ring would give me power of Command. How I would drive the hosts of Mordor, and all men would flock to my banner!’ Boromir strode up and down, speaking ever more loudly. Almost he seemed to have forgotten Frodo, while his talk dwelt on walls and weapons, and the mustering of men; and he drew plans for great alliances and glorious victories to be; and he cast down Mordor, and became himself a mighty king, benevolent and wise." But Aragorn is so honored and of such high presence that he won the alliance with Rohan, united Gondor, brought the Dúnedain from the North, and made the ghosts of Dunharrow fulfill their oath. All this with diplomacy, courage and honor. And without the One Ring!
I'd guess that Saruman would be the one he actually feared most. As it's likely Sauron had become aware of Saruman trying to find the ring for himself. Saruman was also aware of Saurons relative strength and location and had forces at his disposal, plus influence over Rohan. His greatest fear came to life when the palantir was used by Pippin. He knew that Saruman would use the ring if he got it. And no Bombadil couldn't defeat Sauron. But I feel that Bombadil could probably relocate his home and be VERY hard to find if he chose to. Assuming he could move his protective space, then he could also create a lot of problems for evil. But he would never be motivated to do so. He's even less useful than Radagast, relative to his power. in the grand scheme of things.
Saruman was a Mere puppet of sauron lol i highly doubt he ever feared him. Also, I je would probably not be able to use the ring in a way that could actually do harm to sauron, More Likely is that it would make it easier for him to locate the ring as it would corrupt saruman
@@frodofraggins Agreed, and let's not forget that Saruman in his previous life as a Maia was of the same line as Sauron himself, originally serving Aule the Craftsman; secondly as Saruman, he had studied Ring Lore and even made a magical Ring for himself. I think he certainly could have used the Ring and bent it to his will had he actually possessed it, and (only) with it could have defeated Sauron.
I've always been curious did Sauron even know about the undead army bound by the oath of Isildure to start with, why was his ring the first thing to come to mind when aragorn arrived?
I feel like Tom would invite him to his home, listen, sing and put sauron to sleep, leave him in the fields wondering wtf just happened. Never knowing but possibly pursuing this level of power. Never understanding indiffernce
I think Sauron believed that if anyone tried to use the Ring against him he could "turn" them quite quickly. Look at how devastating it was for Frodo every time he put the ring on (granted that was often after being wounded by the blade). I think he was worried about Aragorn using the ring and perhaps defeating much of his army, but probably thought it was likely, especially if they came face to face, that he could take the Ring from Aragorn, force him to give it to him. I think he would fear Gandalf with the Ring more. The same dynamic would apply, and he may believe he could eventually manipulate Gandalf through the Ring into losing, or giving it up. But there would be more of a chance of Gandalf using it effectively to destroy Sauron's corporeal form again and rule in his stead. But ultimately, my impression was that the Ring always wanted to go back to it's master, and proximity to Sauron seems to make anyone trying to use the Ring against him completely ineffective at best. The danger was seeing his army suffer a great loss and having to retreat, but then he would know that his foe had the Ring and would desperately keep trying to get it.
Elrond specifically states that Bombadil would fall; Last, as He was First Bombabil, I believe, is the Spirit of Arda. And he now only delights to control The Old Woods, tend the disquieted Trees there, even though he could control all the trees everywhere. Bombadil is immensely powerful. As Music is a theme in LotR, when Bombadil whistles as Frodo is sleeping in his house, he raises the Sun. . . But if he got the Ring he would just throw it away. Maybe if all the Peoples of Middle Earth begged him to take and guard the Ring, he might, but he would just forget about it over time and lose it again . . . BUT IF Our Boy took to Ring and Coveted it, just for sake of Argument . . . well. . he would probably be the best "Spirit" of the bunch to Possess it. He would just force everyone to be good to Nature. He is so laid back . . Yeah . . Bombadil. Bombadil just might be The One.
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Please do that sauron and Tom video that could be really good considering not many people know the true power of Tom
This was excellent. Thank you for taking the time to make. It's funny I would rather watch a free video about Tolkien's work than a billion dollar production.
Sauron vs bombadil
More like who else did Sauron fear besides Iluvatar, and Melkor.
His greatest antagonist was Sam.
Every aspect of Sam’s very being was entirely incomprehensible to Sauron, and his inability to understand Sam’s simple agape for Frodo meant that there was no way for Sauron to manipulate, no crack to exploit. Sam’s devotion made him invisible to the Dark Lord. All that Sauron could do was harm his body; he could never harm his spirit.
Awesomely well said!
Thanks for the kind words bro
Couldn't agree more! Samwise the brave was indeed the true hero of the rings!
But since Sauron didn't know who Sam was, it's moot.
@@classiclife7204 That’s true. I think it is a lesson in how fear while rational, is a great deceiver. He put all his might and will against Aragorn and Gandalf whilst, two lowly hobbits were his undoing and what he hated most and sought to destroy in Gandalf, hope, was carried on in Samwise.
According to Mithrandir, Sauron knows fear. Sauron would fear Aragorn because he was the Heir of Isildur, wielded Narsil, was the rightful owner of the Ithil Stone (Which Sauron used to great effect on Denethor. Sauron couldn't do that to Aragorn) Finally Aragorn is a descendant of Luthien. Luthien was able to cast down both Sauron and Morgoth.
Good point Mate!
And Beren Erchamion.
@@simonmorris4226, Luthien cast down Sauron and Morgoth alone. Beren cut the Simaril from Morgoth's iron crown with Angrist after Luthien cast him down.
funny, the Valar did not send Huan to take out Sauron
Aragorn's unifying effect on Middle Earth was his most powerful ability.
Other than a couple of hobbits destroying his ring, I think the greatest actual threat to Sauron was that he would get the ring and win the war. From what I understand Eru intended that men would more or less inherit middle earth and manage their own affairs going forward. It wasn't the option he would have wanted, but if it came down to it he would have sent Tulkas with some chains to have a little chat with Sauron and reunite him with his old master in the void.
Gandalf didny say anything of the sort. If Sauron takes middle earth, then all is lost
Sauron should have feared Merry most of all. Merry was instrumental into getting Treebeard to attack Isengard, and he was instrumental in helping Eowyn to kill the witch king. Merry did more direct damage to Sauron’s most powerful allies than anyone else on middle earth
Doesn't Sam actually kill Shelob in the movie? In addition to fighting Gollum and being instrumental in the journey through Mordor, he defeated a blockage Sauron was sure he could rely on.
I know in the books Shelob doesn't die, she just gets severely injured and retreats, her fate unclear from then on.
@@runtergerutscht4401 No, I think she just runs away. Just rewatched the extended versions.
Merry got Treebeard to attack Isengard? How so? The Ents agreed to attack Isengard during the Entmoot. Merry wasn't part of those deliberations.
Of course, I could be forgetting some detail. If so, please remind me.
@@Raz.C Merry and Pippin's words were taken into consideration by Treebeard, the oldest and wisest of the ents. Their influence on the outcome of the ent-moot is never fully clarified, but it seems obvious that their presence made a difference in the debate.
@@runtergerutscht4401
I suppose it's remotely plausible that for the Ents and other Olvar, it was likely a very long time since they had seen Kelvar other than orcs. If that's indeed the case, then seeing Kelvar such as Hobbits might have served to renew their faith in the world/ help to convince them that there are things in the world that are worth saving.
In that sense, I suppose they might have influenced the decision of the Ents, but that's entirely speculative. Then again, it's possible that the Ents were always going to choose to fight against Saruman (a Maiar of Aulë), since they were created by Yavanna as the result of an argument she had with Aulë (about the need his creation [dwarves] will have for wood, which is the body of her creations [the trees])...
It's hard to guess at motivations. That's why I was really hoping there was something definite which would indicate that the Hobbits, through word or deed, had some significant effect on the outcome of the Entmoot. As I said, it's possible that I've forgotten relevant information, so if there is any clear indication of them affecting the decision of the Ents, I'd be very keen to read it.
My opinion; I would assume that Sauron would be somewhat afraid of Glorfindel aswell, alongside Gandalf and Aragorn. i mean, Glorfindel came back as an immortal, even the Nazguls were hesitant (if I remember correctly) to confront him. Great video by the way, keep 'em coming!
Glorfindel is a badass! Is it possible he trained Aragorn to use a sword?
Glorfindel’s last name is Norris.
@@RossHolt89Possibly yes.
At this point in the third age Glorfindel is probably the single most powerful fighter. With the sword that is. He was already super powerful having been among those graced by the two trees. And then when he gets resurrected after already killing a balrog he gets elevated to the powers of a Maia by Manwe. If Glorfindel were to get in a 1v1 fight with melee weapons he would probably win against anyone. Including Sauron.
@@crabberdabberye Yes - shame he was not in the films!
Im saying it now, This is one of the Best and my favorites videos ever! I've always loved that detail that Sauron altough in full his might was always afarid of Heirs of Islidur, esspecially Aragorn! And also one of my favorite scenes from movies was from The Two Towers when Gandalf said "The Heir of Numenor still lives, Sauron Fears You Aragorn" and when Ian Mckellen says that in a way he did, its so epic! So yeah I definitely think that Sauron was afraid of Aragorn!
James, as always great and interesting video!!
Thank you so much 💚
Sauron was far from his full might after Numenor , He didn't even 'recharge' before the war of the last alliance after losing his original body and he was even further from his full might in the 3rd age, full might Sauron from first age would have likely kill both Gil-Galad and Elendil with low-mid difficulty
It seems that childlike simplicity was the greatest threat to Sauron. He never suspected the small and powerless. His real nemeses were Frodo and Sam: simple, loyal and unambitious to acquire power and wealth. It never occurred to him that any being would consider destruction of the ring.
I would also add Smirgl to the list, as Smirgl did lead Frodo and Sam to the only way they could reasonably expect to get into Mordor uncaptured, and even that route was a close thing, as Frodo did get captured, fortunately Sam was brave enough to assume the burden of Ringbearer and wise enough to not fall for its temptations. Yet in the end, it was Smirgl's relentless quest to regain the Ring, and the Ring's refusal to return to a rejected Bearer again, and its curse upon Smirgl that led to its own downfall. The One Ring would rather melt into nothing in the fires of Mt Doom then be in the possession of Smigl again.
I think Sauron was largely too strong to defeat because he stayed in Barad-dûr by the time we come to "meet" him in LOTR. Remember that he was actually defeated a few times in history when he fought personally - by Huan the Hound (with Luthien present) in the First Age, by the White Council at Dol-Guldur, by the Numenoreans led by Ar-Pharazon and of course by Elendil and Gil-Galad. Of course, it was only Huan who really defeated him one-on-one, but one clue is that he didn't defeat Finrod Felagund easily; it was definitely a contest before Sauron eventually overcame Finrod's magic.
It's worth remembering that Sauron was greatly weakened by this point in time. Not only was he recrafting his body after multiple "deaths", but he had put most of his power into the Ring and had lost the Ring, and finally he had put his will into the host of his armies. In the same way that Morgoth was diminished personally by all the power he put out to corrupt Arda and create new monsters, Sauron must have been diminished vs his original power by the time of the Third Age. If Fingolfin could severely injure _Morgoth_ eight times and really threaten to win (even though he didn't), then I doubt Sauron was above fear, especially with his history of defeats in personal combat. Would he have relished the thought of facing Gandalf the White 1 vs 1 in an open plain, without support from anyone, or Galadriel...or Glorfindel, who was now more powerful than when he and a Balrog fought to a fatal stalemate and unlike the Istari was not constrained by an aged mortal body? Maybe Sauron would still have won in such a desperate situation, but I don't think he would have liked the odds.
As Aragorn said, he wasn't above fear and anyone significant who claimed the Ring might have a chance to defeat him - of course, it would also ruin them in the process.
Sauron's a schemer rather than a fighter. Rather like Saruman in that respect, except Sauron was better at it.
Yes! I think people underestimate just how strong Gandalf the White was in pure power. He went from losing decidedly against Saruman but yet still strong enough to take a Balrog to mutual death as the Grey to absorbing a giant fireball blast without flinching from Saruman and breaking his staff with just a word as the white. I gather he would deal with a Balrog with relative ease as the White and possible even get the upper hand against Sauron in open combat if Sauron was without the ring
@Jinx-hy7pt you forget sauron killed elendil and Gil galad. Tolkien even states that a warrior like elendil will never come again, plus Gil galad was the last high king. He came out of bared dur and made his way to Mount doom to fight the two greatest warriors alive at the time. Sauron isn't the greatest fighter of all time but him killing them both shows he's no pushover in combat.
Sauron vs. Bombadil would be an interesting match up.
Bombadil will be making an appearance in Rings of Power, played by Jeff Bezos 👍
Interesting for sure considering we still don’t even know what sort of being Bombadil actually was. Just that the ring didn’t affect him. Which not even a maiar like Gandalf could boast.
I don't think there would be a fight, as Old Tom would walk off, and nothing Sauron could do could stop him. Tome would simply walk away, caring not, singing away the danger and stomping his boots.
I think Tom Bombadil like Ungoliant was apart from Middle Earth existing in the void before time, someone who existed before the sewing of the great fabric, who just is a part of the fabric intrinsic to it, but not part of Erus great plan a mystery, leave him that way.
I highly disagree. Bombadil wasn't interested in fighting anyone and we have absolutely no information on his power set.
While each person listed have their pros and cons, I think Sauron should have feared all of them working together. Combining their powers, abilities, skills, knowledge... Strengthening and empowering each other towards a common goal. It was never about a one on one fight, it's was all of them together against Sauron alone.
I am amazed by your thought and insight on this fascinating subject. Honestly, the best LOTR video I have ever seen. Thank you so much. Your work is greatly appreciated!
Even the devil looks for monsters under his bed, sometimes. 😆 That's a good line.😁
To me, Tom Bombadil is like an element; an immaterial entity that shapes the world around him like a river shapes a valley. His existence in the book is very deliberate. His character is said to be as old as Arda itself. He seems to have the ability to repel evil with little effort. His existence is beyond the existence of any other character in the story. Personally, I feel like Tom Bombadil has always been Tolkiens clever way of writing himself in. A subtle break in the 3rd wall like how Steven King wrote himself into a character that existed in the Dark Tower series. A character that engages with the characters of the story but is aware of themselves being beyond the story. Tom versus Sauron wouldn’t work because that’s not the story being told, if that makes sense. The two characters don’t quite exist together in the same sense. If they did come face to face, I feel like it would not be as exciting as one might think. Sauron would give Tom as much regard as one might regard the direction of the wind blowing through the trees. Tom would acknowledge Sauron but perhaps he would understand the purpose that Sauron serves to move and shape Arda. I can’t imagine immortal beings have much regard for “good vs evil.” It’s all change. Moments that are finite compared to the infinite. Much like how the Valar don’t directly interact. Instead they gently guide existence with little direct interaction. If Sauron went full on Connor McGregor, the square up with old Tom would be him bending Sauron across his knee for a century long rump paddling 🤣
Tom is much like Ungoliant, in that they were both "beings that were drawn into Arda from outside." While Ungoliant came from the "Darkness" beyond Arda, Tom would have come from elsewhere (though also from beyond Arda). They were spirits that chose a form that reflected their identities. Tom took the form of a non-threatening, happy farmer. Ungoliant took on the form of a terrifying monstrosity of a spider. This is why Tom can claim to have existed before Arda; because he was a spirit, living beyond the void before Arda was formed. The formation of Arda was what drew these spirits in. Some of these spirits are probably among the things encountered by Gandalf beneath Moria "There are far older and fouler things than orcs in the deep places of the world. Far, far below the deepest delvings of the Dwarves, the world is gnawed by nameless things. Even Sauron knows them not. They are older than he." To be older than Sauron, they would have to be other spirits like Ungoliant, like Tom Bombadil. It's rather a pity that of them, Gandalf only says "I will bring no report of them to darken the light of day," or something to that effect.
Asking if Sauron could beat Tom in a fight is like asking if a werewolf could beat a river in a fight. They're both completely different entities and it fundamentally doesn't make sense lol
Tom B also had a hot hippie wife
@@Tamajyn69well said
I would say Sauron should have feared the unknown the most. Elves and men he could predict on their actions, but as you said here, the choice of destroying the ring was unthinkable to him. The ring was a tool to be used either against him or be be manipulated by his will to have the holder aid him. Thus the choice to destroy the ring worked.
I love that “Even the Devil looks for monsters under his bed sometimes” 😊😊❤
Aragorn.
He would know of the rules Olorin had to follow and that he would only be a direct threat if he himself attacked, if he did that he would lose against Olorin who was sent back by Eru to complete his task and was untouchable.
For those who are not as Tolkien nerdy as I am, Olorin is Gandalfs original name in Maiar form, Maiar being Angels. When Gandalf the White came to middle Earth he was likely in the form of Olorin and with all his strength so thats why in the book no enemy was brave enough to attack him and indeed when he chose no shadow would even fall upon him. Eru is the creator of all and it is indicated when Gandalf the grey died he went to the void where Eru resides and was sent back by Eru and not the Valar who are the Arch Angels if you like.
I agree, Gandalf or Olorin as he was known as a Maiar was at least equal in power to Sauron also a Maiar, I would argue more powerful as he was the wisest among the Maiar and favored by Eru Iluvatar himself. Granted in his wizard form as Gandalf he is scaled down immensely in power and I think this was done by Iluvatar by design, he was sent for his wisdom and counsel not sheer power and for men to find their strength to lead them into the next age. But as Olorin himself at his full Maiar power, I think he would've gone toe to toe with Sauron and defeated him, but that wouldn't have made a great story & it wouldn't have given the children of Iluvatar the courage and strength to stand up and defend Middle Earth against the forces of evil, if that was the case Iluvatar could've just sent Manwe to curb stomp Sauron!
@@Matt-zs6qx Olorin was afraid of Sauron, he didn't think he was strong enough.
Gandalf the white was sent back by illuvatar and was in essence olorin which is why no enemy ever attacked him, they just stood there and thought about it or ran away. In the final battle he was able to control the clouds..no shadow fell upon him that day.
@@burstcity3832 If I recall correctly, yes Olorin originally said he was afraid of Sauron and Manwe said something to the effect, "that was a reason why he should go". I personally didn't take that as he's too weak, but to overcome his fear. Even when he is sent back by Iluvatar as Gandalf the White, yes he had more power and now was the leader and most powerful of the Istari when he cast Saruman out of the order, but he was still Gandalf the wizard in a mortal form, yes he had a power upgrade, but I still don't think he was no where near his full power potential as Olorin the Maiar. I could be wrong, that's just how I interpreted it. Thanks man, I have to read the books again, it's been about 30 years since I've read them when I was a teen & I would love to immerse myself back into Middle Earth. "I think I'm quite ready for another adventure!"
@@Matt-zs6qx He wasn't in mortal form, in one of the history books it saysthat no weapon could harm him while he was the white. It's often overlooked.
Look to Gandalf when you reread..when he dies "We must do without hope" when he returns " Beyond all hope you return" that encapsulates Gandalf, he is hope.
Pippin of the Shire is who he should’ve feared most
He alerted Aragorn to the ring bearer
He woke the balrog causing Gandalf to be reborn as the white
His bravery brought about the downfall of Saruman and Isengard
He deceived the dark lord into believing he was the ring bearer
He saved Faramir and caused Denethor to die paving the way for the return of the king
No pippin no happy ending in LOTR
I think saurons biggest fears are the entities that he already run away from or tried:
Eonwe
Huan
Tulkas
I think a comparison of Bombadil and Sauron would be interesting. Especially if take it from my perspective that Bombadil's power limitations were self imposed and not restricted by other powers.
Tom wasn’t a being that would wield power in that manner! He was more engrossed in all things natural and didn’t even bother with things going on outside his borders. He may of been very powerful but would never have instigated or joined in battle!!
What-if video idea for you to do:
What if Gandalf never fell at the Bridge of Khazad-dum and continued with the fellowship to Lothlorien and on forward?
The ones he feared were Luthien, Beren and Huan.
Aragorn gave him PTSD from their encounter
I think each of the fellowship possessed something that Sauron feared and loathed.
Gimli: his natural dwarvish resistance to his influence.
Legolas: Plain and simply one of the most badass Elves of the age. Sauron always feared the Elves and their power.
Boromir: His capability of self-sacrifice.
Aragorn: the heir to Isildur and Elendil, epitomizes the strength of men.
Gandalf: the only wizard who stayed true to his quest, a constant thorn in his side and one of the few beings who could possibly stand against him one-on-one.
Merry and Pippin: Their cleverness, luck, resourcefulness and the fact that the Hobbits significance were largely beyond Sauron's understanding.
Sam: his courage and loyalty to his master in the face of all odds.
Frodo: his resilence and compassion.
They really were the ultimate group that could be set against Sauron, even when they went their separate ways. Middle Earth isn't saved and Sauron defeated without each of them playing their part.
Dream team😅
Its hard to say that Gandalf is the only wizard that stayed true to the quest. Although there isnt much information on the Blue Wizards, both succeeded in their quest at the east.
nah
Actually, Radigast did stay true to his quest and was the reason Gandulf was even able to escape captivity at the hands of Sarumon. As for the Blue Wizards, we don't know what they did. For all we know, they may have done more to contribute to the Men of the West winning from their work behind enemy lines then even Gandulf did. They may well have weakened Sauron's subjugated empires from within, fermenting dissent and rebellion, and keeping many Haradrim, Rhunmen and Easterling armies held up in their homelands dealing with rebels, all of which is beyond the reach of the narrators of Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit, so we know nothing of their actions. Were it not for them, and whatever they were doing in the east, it may well have been that Rhun and the Easterlings could have sent such overwhelming force that Dale and Erabor could not withstand it and would have fallen, instead of being besieged for the length of the War of the Ring. That would have freed up the Northern army of Mordor to either take out the Elves of Mirkwood next, or turn their attention to Rohan and Gondor to the South, whichever would have the most impact on the rest of the war from that point on, or they may have been in sufficient numbers to split the army, with one part joining with Dul Goldur in attacking the elves, and the other heading south to also join with both Moria and Dul Guoldur and crush Lothlorien, which would free up all armies in the North to cross the Misty Mountains and assault Rivendell directly, or head south to sweep through a relatively undefended Rohan and Western Gondor, cutting off both Western armies from critical supplies even as they marched on Mordor. Even if the One Ring was destroyed still, the human armies of Mordor may well have been enough to crush the Men of the West, leading to no Dark Lord Sauruon being victorious, but also no more Gondor or Rohan as they become provinces of empires of Haradrim, Umbar, Rhun and Easterlings. Only the Misty Mountains and those west of them fortifying the passes would save them from falling under these eastern, former Mordor aligned empires That's also assuming a much enalarged Haradrim Umbar contingent would not have been able to withstand Gondor, the Rangers of the Dunedien and Rohan and conquered Minas Tirith even as Dale and Erabor to the north were falling. The defense of the West would be forced to retreat to Prince Imrahil's city to hold their ground from there in that case. Their only hope being that Lothorien, Rivendel and the Grey Havens could hold, and even send aid.
Nice timing, I needed some Tolkien lore today!
I hope you enjoyed it 😁
it has to be gandalf. he conceived of the raid against smaug. it led to smaug's downfall. he convinced the council to finally raid the necromancer in dol goldur in southern mirkwood, and they drove him from that fortress. he researched the ring and found out what it was, he was part of the fellowship perhaps was instrumental in putting together the fellowship, he had a plan to destroy the one ring, he laid saruman low, he laid the balrog of moria low. he alone of the istari (indeed, of all the maia, tom bombadil included) matched himself against sauron in deed and strategy. gandalf is the main power against sauron.
I heard that one of the enchantments on the ring prevented anyone from intentionally harming, abandoning, or setting aside the ring. Which makes Bilbo Baggins all the more remarkable, for he was the first and only individual in history to surrender the ring of his own volition.
Him and Sam
I seem to recall that there was some heavy convincing by Gandalf involved though.
@@wanderhillen2435 nonetheless, a remarkable feat.
Tough little buggers them hobbits! Sam did too!
@@simonmorris4226 I had forgotten about Sam. He didn't have it very long, but still very impressive that he returned it to Frodo without too much problem. Thanks for reminding me of that.
I really enjoy your video essays, and the lore of the LOTR is awesome.
Sauron should have feared Aragon more than Gandalf, as Aragon was able to unite all men, and that posed a huge challenge to Sauron.
Yes, please do a video on Tom Bombadil vs Sauron. Tom remains an enigma to this day. They did discuss him quite briefly at the council of Elrond, but moved on quickly. At least they should have tried to get him to join the fellowship.
Quite a few individuals could take him on. Eonwe (or perhaps him with others of his order). Not to mention most of the valar themselves. I can't see Sauron matching the likes of Aule, Manwe and Tulkas one on one. Sauron is not the equal of Manwe or the other lords of the valar. Not sure about particular valar like Yvanna. The Valar acting together would obliterate Sauron.
Gandalf the White said he was the most dangerous being in Middle Earth unless brought before the throne of Sauron himself, though he may have rivalled his power at least. Sauron did fear Aragorn for his ability to unite the Free Peoples (especially men) against him, however, Aragorn was obviously not a direct threat to him (one-on-one).
Bombadil is a strange one as his power is of a different sort. He seems to have immense power in his own domain but it's hard to determine if he could contend with Sauron and his forces if it came down to it. At the Council of Elrond this is doubted. I think the words are something like he would fall last as he was first, but he would fall.
His greatest threat was the one who was in the deepest enthrall of the One Ring: Smeagol/Gollum. The one who even when ordered by the one ring to stand down, was so obsessed that he lusted for the ring. He bore the ring for too long and because of that its corruption ran deep to the point of twisting and breaking something within Gollum. That broken part or piece was fundamental in the Ring's destruction.
SAURON VS TOM BOMBADIL would b an amazing video!!
SAURON VS TOM BOMBADIL i would like to see that one
I believe it's said that Tom bombadil is one of the strongest beings alive I might be mistaken but I believe he's eru illuvatar himself an if thats true no one's stronger than he nit even the Valar or the nameless things of the deep
Another great video - thanks! I would love to see Sauron vs. Bombadil!
It's not just that the Istari take the forms of old men. It's also that even as Maiar in the beginning they were of lesser native strength than Sauron. Some Maiar are much more powerful than others. Also - there's noting about any of Tolkien's writings that justifies the description of the Istari being feeble just because they look old. Gandalf is perfectly capable of taking on orcs in a swordfight. Saruman appears to be hale and quite healthy, even at the very end when his power had been taken away.
Weren't the Istari meant to look unexceptional on purpose? They didn't look like feeble old men, they looked like wise old men. They weren't meant to directly take charge and command, they were meant to be wise and guide.
Gandalf was strong enough to clash swords with the balrog and shatter it's sword. Without magic, just with his own strength and the strength of glamdring
@@2shadesofgray752 Exactly.
"He is not so mighty yet as to be above fear. Doubt ever gnaws at him even now."-Aragorn
Very good work but in Letters by JRRT, he states that Gandalph would likely destroy Sauron IF he wore the THE ONE RING.
Of course a Sauron vs Bombadil would be interesting🤪
Before watching... My opinion is that Sauron feared Aragorn, Gandalf the Grey, and Gandalf the White, in different ways and in different degrees.
Sauron feared that Aragorn, as Isildur's heir, and wielder of Narsil, could make great use of the ring against him. Aragorn could use the ring to bring much of Sauron's forces to his own cause, especially the likes of the Haradrim, Easterlings, Southrons, etc. Of course, Aragorn would eventually succumb to the ring's corruption, and this isn't the end that anyone wants. Sauron did not fear a direct confrontation with Aragorn in any way. He feared the power that Aragorn could amass against him and diminish his influence in Middle Earth through the power of the ring.
To some lesser extent, Sauron feared Gandalf the Grey through what he represented - that the Valar were acting against him and that his activities were not going unnoticed. He also feared him for the same reasons he feared Aragorn to some extent, but in different ways (a ring-bearing Gandalf the Grey would represent more of a direct threat, and less of a force-amassing threat, as Gandalf did not represent some royal bloodline or influential kingly status among men.)
To a much greater extent, he feared Gandalf the White, largely because Gandalf the White represented not only an intervention on behalf of the Valar, but of Eru himself. It cannot be overstated how significant this was.
Clearly, the most dangerous foe of Sauron was Frodo. His natural ability to resist the call of the one ring made him the most dangerous creature in middle earth to Sauron, even though he nearly succumbed to it at the end. If it wasn't for Golem, and Sam.. he very well might have.
Sam is the big hero in this story in my opinion, he saved Frodo from the giant spider and held the ring for a time.
His fear of Gandalf would be the fear of a fallen angel facing a faithful angel, with native power much greater than Aragorn, standing up to him and taking everything he built.
Sauron also knows that Gandalf is the wisest of their kind..
it didn't show that in last hobbit movie...sauron really showing pleasure of torture the wizzard with fun....fear?? really who the hell you talking to?? gladderia maybe...but what scare him the most....tiny creatures have too much innocence to be killed for no other reasons, sauron is nice lord that does not like anyone harm his pets...he treat them with respect and care...just like mouth sauron was very angry at gandulf for sending hobbits to dangerous place in his home, he shown sadness with conflict in that extended scene in return of the king
@@user78405 You will have to remember that the Hobbit version of Dol Guldur is very loose Canon. Tolkien states the fact that Gandalf went to Dol Guldur but he was neither captured or rescued by the others. And we can be certain that if Saron caught a Maiar he whould surely kill him so the Valars will have less agents on Middle Earth. No matter how he pretends otherwise he fears the intervention of Higher authority, in the fall of Numenor we saw that Eru's fury is not a joke.
Sauron viewed Gandalf as a messenger for the Valar. He utterly underestimated Gandalf and didn't fear him directly.
Melkor was fallen Valar (Angelic being) not Sauron. Gandalf and Sauron both are maiar. Servants of Valar. Have u ever watched Hobbit? Sauron doesn't fear Gandalf. He can beat him even he was Necromancer. without physical form.
If he hasn't lost access to his oldest memories he would fear Iluvatar most. Facing his old conductor, he would know he'd been messing up as a member of the choir. Although in the end he would of course get the chance to do better next time...
I heard he checks under his bed every night for CHUCK NORRIS!
19:08 I like how you can see a modern day alley reflected in the ring, lol
Sauron vs Tom Bombadil? Interesting.
Well, we know that Sauron's ring, filled with all of his malice and a great deal of his power had ZERO effect on Tom Bombadil.
I think, as unlikely as that confrontation would be - given that Tom seems to be so will-o'-the-wisp - Sauron would be thoroughly outmatched.
Tom Bombadil comes across as being such an unbridled force of nature and something like a manifestation of Eru Iluvatar's will, that all of Sauron's nonsense power and deviancy would seem like petulant cruelty to a being like big ole' Tommy boy. Well, that's how I like to think of the matter, anyways.
God bless you guys; what a great chanel!
"In the place of the Dark Lord you will set a Queen" that seems a literal replacement to me. Galadriel was pretty sure she would be able defeat Sauron with the One Ring when she said that to Frodo. She even can block Sauron trying to reach her mind, and use her telepathy on him in return to see what he plans for the elves. Gandalf says to the hobbits shes probably be the best rival to Sauron whe they ask if could be him.
She alone demolished Dol Guldur and cleansed Mirkwood even without nenya's power, after de destruction of the one. She learned from the Valar, mostly from Aule, Sauron's original master, in Valinor like most Noldor, and from Melian in Nargothrond. The mightiest of the elves in Middle Earth and by far, and, at her age at the end of the story, she also had the expertise, willpower and knowledge to use and master rings of powers, as she explains to Frodo whe they talk about being ring bearers.
You confused Nargothrond with Doriath
Melina lived in Doriath with her husband Thingol and Galadriel never visited her brother's Kingdom
Sauron didn't fear Aragorn per se, but feared what Aragorn represented; the heir of Isildur uniting the men of the west against him.
One other reason for Sauron to fear Aragorn was that he had already shown that he had all the will power of his ancestress Luthien. He had the will needed to use the ring for its intended purpose, to control the holders of the other rings. This would give Aragorn control, not only of Galadriel, Elrond, and Gandalf, but he would also have the power to wrest away the allegiance of Sauron's most lethal followers, the Nazgul. With such a coalition, Aragorn could possibly throw down Sauron and imprison him for ages in his own dark tower.
Sauron vs Bombadil is ALREADY addressed during The Council Of Elrond. Allow me to quote from it:
Gandalf is talking to the council, saying - "Could that power (of Sauron) be defied by Bombadil alone? I think not! I think that in the end, if all else is conquered, then Bombadil will fall, Last as he was First. And then night will come."
Galdor later adds, about Bombadil:
"... but Glorfindel, I think, is right. Power to defy our Enemy is not in him. Unless such power is in the earth itself. And yet we see that He can torture and even destroy the Earth..."
No, Bombadil is no match for Sauron. Even if we look at a comparison of how Ungoliant was a match for Melkor, this was only so because she had been given much of Melkor's power. He gave her this power so she would grow in size and in power. And so she did. When fleeing Valinor, Melkor was almost devoured by her and indeed might have been, had it not been for the timely intervention of Melkor's balrogs...
So even though both Bombadil and Ungoliant might be "Spirits from the void beyond Arda," neither, unaided, would have been a match for the Ainur.
well done really enjoyed this flash back if if its not all lore. just love being back in middle earth.
great music at the end
Great video!
two objections though:
1. The Istari were send by the Valar, fellow Ainur, which could not change/alter other Ainurs in shape/ability as far as I know. That could have only been done by Eru (as was done with Gandalf). -> The Istari therefore were not unable to change their form.
2. While Sauron surely feared Aragorn, Aragorn could have used the Ring to some extend(be more dominant or great to other humans and elves), not mastered it. I think he feared him more because of his heritage (Isildur, Luthien ect.) and the hope he gave the people of the west.
Whom Sauron really would have had to fear the most is not a single enemy of his but the entire team. A team which works together on the base of friendship rather than of fear.
The entire fellowship worked against his power in different places, some of them drawing his attention towards themselves than to Frodo and Sam, Sauron's actually greatest threat.
The greatest enemy of Sauron was Sauron. The day he decided to pour most of his power into an object created a fatal weakness. A very flawed idea
Gandalf had shown humility and I think actually underestimated his own power, not to mention having his own ring of power that was designed to inspire and resist tyranny. I believe while Sauron may have feared Aagorn it was actually Gandalf that was the biggest threat to him due not only to his power but his wisdom and inspiration to others. What I would like to see is Gandalf, Galadriel, and Elrond tag teaming Sauron, OMG the chills!
Didn't Sauron create a religion based on himself declaring himself as God and a King of the World to the Easterlings and they would worship and follow him willingly?
I have heard there is something called "Dark Worship" within the Mythos which Melkor started. It pretty much has the same role and position as the occult religions in the Bible that the Watcher Fallen Angels in First Enoch inspired have which all stood and attacked Yahuah and Yahusha's teachings and his chosen people and had spread all throughout the world by the time of the book of Jubilee was written.
It seemed Dark Worship was throughout the entire continent outside of the realm of Middle Earth and the Easterlings, Harad, and Black Númenoreans were heavily influenced by it's evil doctrines and lawlessness which Sauron helped propagate with his presence and teachings in the Second and Third ages.
A pretty scary thought to realize Sauron even had more power outside of Middle Earth and it was pretty much a whole continent of Sauron worshipping occultists and orcs against the realm of Middle Earth itself.
As to Sauron vs Bombadil, I think you gave the answer yourself in the sentence before: "Sauron never has an off-day", whilst Bombadil's concentration waxes and wanes. This is my own interpretation but Bombadil, because he is tied to his land, is tied to the seasons.
I'd love more videos of Tom bombadil!
Sauron fears above all else, Farmer Maggot wielder of the scythe!
Sauron vs Tom is like Sauron vs Bugs Bunny. He defies all rules of reality which Sauron is bound to. It would just come off as a comical laugh of a "fight".
Well great, now I want to see a Sauron vs Bugs Bunny fight, thanks haha
I wonder if Sauron actually feared himself feared his Essence being used against him? As to brute strength as the only sign of winning a battle, strategy skill and devotion all can play a role. As to Bombadil versus Sauron Tom definitely injured Sauron by taking out his captain via the gift he gave The Hobbit. Remember that the ability to see ages and time happened at Tom's house and it wasn't by accident. And if Tom could encourage that in little Hobbits how much more were the specific gifts of daggers given to the hobbits functionally at least on purpose. Tom may not have had brute strength enough or he may have but he definitely had prescient strategy to take out the witch King. Even at a distance Tom was a force that Sauron did not account for. For that matter neither do most directors of movies either. Galadriel Gandalf Sam Frodo Aragorn Elrond and more all were factors Sauron could fear simply because he couldn't understand love power and devotion that was not just self-focused.
SAURON VS BOMBADIL VIDEO IS YES!
But my answer in short is Bombadil cannot defeat Sauron. Just a gut feeling though. Fleshing that argument out will take some work!
Thanks again for all your great work Fellas!
I would love the Bombadil video
If not for this limited scope, would the Valar count? His former master? Manwei? Perhaps ungoliant...perhaps Smaug?
You make a good point in Gandalf. The grey faced off with the necromancer and lost; would the white have stood on equal footing?
Sauron vs. Bombadil would be very interesting. If Tom would even bother. Other channels have pointed out it's possible he would've just waited it out. He'd seen the rise and fall of Morgoth, twice, and Sauron wasn't anywhere near that level, plus he'd fallen before.
Plus let's not forget Glorfindel...
To see Gandalf, or rather Olorin, go toe to toe would be interesting, two Maiar duking it out.
I take my hat off for getting Lotr into the Ad for Nord VPN…i admit i usually fastforward thru the ads but this time i heard it all👍😀
Bombadill could not have defeated Sauron, as I recall Gandalf put it, "No one has power over him, but neither does he have power over them"
Now this is a question i'v been asking myself for a long time
The ones sauron should have feared the most is the Hobbits :)
Especially Hobbits like Bilbo, Frodo and most of all Sam :)
The movie did a great thing showing the mortal danger middle-earth was in with the last alliance fight.
It was short yes, but written well, music use was fantastic, mood was correct and the good side was shown suffering.
I'm sure Tom Bombadil if his lands started to be damaged he would have fought. And being as he could well be Eru himself, able to hide his past and true form from anyone, it would be a short battle. While Tom even with his lack of understanding of good or evil, would not react to any damage of his beloved animals and fauna which surround him and are part of him.
Sauron feared Nori the most
😂😂
God nooo....plz no...
Nori would not have stolen his wheels. 😆
Sauron feared Morgoth. If he ever returned, he’d have become just a minion again. 😅
@@jamesswindley9599 that's true he would have just become a minion again should Morgoth returned
Yes please, Sauron vs Tom Bombadil.
Great video, as always. The "Sauron vs Tom Bombadil" video is a great idea
The importance of gil galads letter to meneldur that eventually leads to the last alliance
Vital!
Sauron fears the wrath of the Valar the most. If he wasn't there was a chance he would have returned to them after the first age but he feared retribution. That's the reason he waits for thousand of years after Morgoths defeat. Ptsd. He had thoughts of being good again but of fear of vengeance by the Valar
He feared both of them because he could only imagine either of them wielding the ring against. Aragorn alone among men possessed the ability to resist the ring to a high degree, just as Isildur did, armed with the ring, Anduril(forged from Narsil which smote the ring from Sauron), and allies, Aragon would of utterly crushed Sauron and his enemies.
Gandalf the White or Sauraman alone were Sauron's equals, either would of been a worthy match for Sauron in single combat with either possessing the ring. However, with the ring, Gandalf or Sauraman could of simply commanded the Nazgul to wipe out Sauron and his armies.
would have
@@str.77 would of what?
@@SpecialEDy "would of" is not English.
@@str.77 It is in America. Maybe you should of been an English teacher, and then you could of convinced me to speak in a way that makes some random grammer nazi on youtube happy.
You also failed to use proper puncutation, sentence structure, and capitalization in your comments, so I'll consider my English far superior to yours.
@@SpecialEDy Well, I am an English teacher. If you choose to write like some nincompoop then I can't help it.
There were actually no mistakes in spelling or punctuation at all and what you mistake for wrong capitalisation was actually correctly quoting you.
Sauron never really feared the forces that could actually destroy him. It is a thing more wonderful which Sauron himself hath not imagined
It’s not so much IF Tom Bombadil could defeat Sauron in a fight, as WOULD he he ever fight him in the the first place.
Since Tom’s origins and abilities are so mysterious and his disposition so gentle, it really impossible to judge his upper power limits in the same way as Saurons. I always imagine him looking a bit like GK Chesterton, or Teddy Roosevelt.
The books are to me canon. Bombadil would fall in the end. The oldest and the last!
Tom is from outside. From before the song. He cannot harm Sauron nor is Sauron able to harm him.
@@simonmorris4226 The books don't state that as a fact, it's just Gandalf's opinion. He may be wrong.
@@vidarfe as an Maiar of Manwe I suspect he knows a thing or two!
Oh, absolutely. He's extremely knowledgeable. But he's not infallible.
Before watching your video- I would offer Galadriel as one answer. As she tells Frodo in both the book and the movie- give her the ring and she would throw down Sauron and take his place.
The assumption that with the one ring she was powerful enough to defeat the dark lord.
Undoubtedly there were other high elves who could do likewise, Celeborn. Elrond.
Legolas- just kidding. Sorry L.
Besides, he's a wood elf.
Agree with that. And hes defined as the migtiest elf on middle earth in the silmarillion. More than Elrond, Celeborn or Glorfindel.
She's from Valinor, Celeborn and Elrond are not. Elves from Valinor are more powerfull, and they learned things direcly from the Valar. Noldor Elves mostly from Aulë, Sauron's original master indeed. In that period of her youth only Feanor was a more powerfull, but she already was greater in wisdom, and eventually in power along the years. When in Middle Earth she also learned a lot from Melian the maiar in Nargothrond, and all that power, higher than the rest of elves had, is enhaced by nenya in third age, so with the one ring she would be over the top.
She even demolished Dol Guldur and cleansed Mirkwood without the power of nenya, after the one ring is destroyed.
She's the one for me, by far.
I'm pretty convinced Tom Bombadil is the physical form of Eru Illuvatar. Mostly because he was able to see Frodo when he wore the Ring, could see the Nazgul without their cloaks, and the Ring had literally no effect on him whatsoever when he held it
Aragorn
But, his greatest enemies in this order
Elrond
Gandalf
Galadriel
Elrond did more to thwart him than any other individual. If he could have defeates Elrond or his plans, he would have won a long time ago.
The premise of the title is interesting, so I look forward to seeing your thoughts.
Bombadil is the First 'Heydol!' in the Song of the Valar; like Father Christmas in Narnia, he arms the protagonists, but he would no longer be the world's Ceremony of Innocence if he took up arms. Given their proximity to Bombadil, their shared love of riddles, and the uncertain quality which let Gollum and Baggins bear the Ring so long, Sauron had more cause to fear the Hobbits at the Gate than Tom himself.
Put me down as a "yes"for Tom Bombadil versus Sauron
frodo becoming gollum at 12:45. damn I like that ending better. then again frodo was on the radar of a lot more people than smeagol was when he first came into possession of the ring so I don't know how that could have happened.
Aragorn because of his ability to be a great leader
Technically speaking I doubt he feared either in terms of their ability best him in direct sorcery or combat, but he feared their abilities to lead and bring everyone together as a united force. Sauron spent centuries chipping away at his enemies, particularly Gondor and Arnor, Gandalf and Aragorn had the ability to unite and organise these people to oppose him. I doubt he would have faced either in direct combat, Sauron despite his reputation, tends to lose when he fights. Oddly the one who he should have feared the most is Frodo, as he ultimately caused his downfall.
He fears a second season of rings of power
I disagree. He never feared Aragorn wearing the ring. That was his desire. For men, or lesser beings, in his opinion, to wear it. The only people he feared wearing the rings would be beings of great power. Sauraman, Gandalf, and lady Galadriel. Not including radagast, they are the only beings in Middle Earth capable of using the ring. He feared Aragon because of his lineage and ability to rally all men to his side upon. He feared his leadership. He feared a complete alliance of men under his command. The heir of elendil. The ring was evil and had all of Sauron’s malice in it, so it would eventually corrupt anyone who write it. Besides Tom bombadil, and I believe any of the valar.
Sauron had some reason to fear each of the fellowship, but the fellowship working together was his undoing. While Aragorn and his army were a threat, it was the distraction from the 2 hobbits made him look for his undoing in the wrong place.The distraction was his undoing.
Legitimate inquiry, and top tier analysis! 👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏
Sauron's greatest fear would be Aragorn using the ring of power and realizing Boromir's great dream - a great empire composed of a great confederation of peoples:
"The Ring would give me power of Command. How I would drive the hosts of Mordor, and all men would flock to my banner!’ Boromir strode up and down, speaking ever more loudly. Almost he seemed to have forgotten Frodo, while his talk dwelt on walls and weapons, and the mustering of men; and he drew plans for great alliances and glorious victories to be; and he cast down Mordor, and became himself a mighty king, benevolent and wise."
But Aragorn is so honored and of such high presence that he won the alliance with Rohan, united Gondor, brought the Dúnedain from the North, and made the ghosts of Dunharrow fulfill their oath. All this with diplomacy, courage and honor. And without the One Ring!
I'd guess that Saruman would be the one he actually feared most. As it's likely Sauron had become aware of Saruman trying to find the ring for himself. Saruman was also aware of Saurons relative strength and location and had forces at his disposal, plus influence over Rohan. His greatest fear came to life when the palantir was used by Pippin. He knew that Saruman would use the ring if he got it.
And no Bombadil couldn't defeat Sauron. But I feel that Bombadil could probably relocate his home and be VERY hard to find if he chose to. Assuming he could move his protective space, then he could also create a lot of problems for evil. But he would never be motivated to do so. He's even less useful than Radagast, relative to his power. in the grand scheme of things.
Saruman was a Mere puppet of sauron lol i highly doubt he ever feared him. Also, I je would probably not be able to use the ring in a way that could actually do harm to sauron, More Likely is that it would make it easier for him to locate the ring as it would corrupt saruman
@@absolutbene8215 He outsmarted Gandalf and likely could have killed him. Saruman with the ring would be a serious problem for the nazgul and Sauron.
@@frodofraggins Agreed, and let's not forget that Saruman in his previous life as a Maia was of the same line as Sauron himself, originally serving Aule the Craftsman; secondly as Saruman, he had studied Ring Lore and even made a magical Ring for himself. I think he certainly could have used the Ring and bent it to his will had he actually possessed it, and (only) with it could have defeated Sauron.
I've always been curious did Sauron even know about the undead army bound by the oath of Isildure to start with, why was his ring the first thing to come to mind when aragorn arrived?
Lovely to hear this : Excellent .Thank you .
Sauron vs. Bombadil. Sauron is one of my favorite villains of all time. Too many reasons to list
I feel like Tom would invite him to his home, listen, sing and put sauron to sleep, leave him in the fields wondering wtf just happened. Never knowing but possibly pursuing this level of power. Never understanding indiffernce
Sauron vs. Bombadil I would love to see this video :)
Surely, the being that Sauron should fear the most is himself for a multitude of philosophical reasons.
I think Sauron believed that if anyone tried to use the Ring against him he could "turn" them quite quickly. Look at how devastating it was for Frodo every time he put the ring on (granted that was often after being wounded by the blade). I think he was worried about Aragorn using the ring and perhaps defeating much of his army, but probably thought it was likely, especially if they came face to face, that he could take the Ring from Aragorn, force him to give it to him.
I think he would fear Gandalf with the Ring more. The same dynamic would apply, and he may believe he could eventually manipulate Gandalf through the Ring into losing, or giving it up. But there would be more of a chance of Gandalf using it effectively to destroy Sauron's corporeal form again and rule in his stead.
But ultimately, my impression was that the Ring always wanted to go back to it's master, and proximity to Sauron seems to make anyone trying to use the Ring against him completely ineffective at best. The danger was seeing his army suffer a great loss and having to retreat, but then he would know that his foe had the Ring and would desperately keep trying to get it.
YES!!! We want more Tom Bombadil content
He fears no one in his arrogance. That was his mistake and that's why he was defeated.
Gandalf voice on point
Elrond specifically states that
Bombadil would fall; Last, as He was First
Bombabil, I believe, is the Spirit of Arda.
And he now only delights to control The Old Woods, tend the disquieted Trees there, even though he could control all the trees everywhere.
Bombadil is immensely powerful.
As Music is a theme in LotR, when Bombadil whistles as Frodo is sleeping in his house, he raises the Sun. . .
But if he got the Ring he would just throw it away. Maybe if all the Peoples of Middle Earth begged him to take and guard the Ring, he might, but he would just forget about it over time and lose it again . . .
BUT IF Our Boy took to Ring and Coveted it, just for sake of Argument . . . well. . he would probably be the best "Spirit" of the bunch to Possess it.
He would just force everyone to be good to Nature. He is so laid back . . Yeah . . Bombadil. Bombadil just might be The One.