Today on Nerd of the Rings, we cover the entire life and travels of Saruman the White, including
his journeys to the East and his downfall in the Shire.
Curumo was once a powerful maia who served Aule, the smith of the Valar.
Along with Curumo in this role was another maiar, who would come to be known as Sauron.
As we know, in the second age, Sauron would begin his quest to conquer all of Middle-earth
- overseeing the creation of the Rings of Power and creating The One Ring.
In response to the actions of Sauron, Manwe, the King of the Valar, calls a meeting during
which it is decided they must send emissaries to Middle-earth to assist the free peoples.
Curumo is the first to volunteer.
The five who are sent are known as the Istari or Wizards, taking on the forms of old men.
Curumo makes the journey to Middle-earth, becoming the Wizard Saruman the White.
While Saruman would volunteer to go to Middle-earth, Olorin, or Gandalf, was convinced to go by
the Valar.
Varda says that though Gandalf goes as the third of the Istari, he was not truly the
third - implying he is the most important of them alll.
This moment causes Saruman to become jealous of Gandalf - this jealousy would only grow
over time.
But Gandalf isn’t the only wizard that Saruman has ill will toward.
Before he leaves for Middle-earth, Saruman is ordered to take Aiwendil with him.
This leads Saruman to ever after hold in contempt Radagast the Brown.
Saruman, Radagast, and Gandalf would arrive at the Grey Havens sometime around 1000 TA.
In Tolkien’s earlier writings, the Blue Wizards came at this same time.
However, in his later writings, they would arrive 2,841 years earlier - in 1600 SA.
Due to his great wisdom, Cirdan perceives the identity and origin of the wizards.
As Gandalf arrives in Middle-earth, Cirdan gifts him Narya - the elven Ring of Fire.
Later, Saruman would learn of Cirdan giving Gandalf the ring and his jealousy would begin
to turn into an even greater, secret dislike of the Grey Wizard.
After arriving in Middle-earth, he travels to the East - the same location as the Blue
Wizards.
Saruman would spend the next 1,500 years in the East.
What he did there, we can only guess.
We know only that he would return to the west of Middle-earth after his 1500-year journey.
In 2460, Sauron returns to Dol Guldur as the Necromancer - more powerfu l than his previous
time in Mirkwood.
What is interesting to note here is that Sauron secretly flees Dol Guldur in 2063, when Gandalf
first enters the fortress.
He would spend nearly 400 years in the East, during the same time that Saruman and presumably
the Blue Wizards are in the region.
Now, Rhun is a rather large area, and years, decades, and even centuries mean little to
immortal beings, but we can’t help but wonder what happened during Saruman’s time in the
East, and whether he came into contact with Sauron or the Blue Wizards.
What we do know is that Saruman was not corrupted during this time.
While he may not hold his peers in high regard, he is not the fallen wizard we would see later.
The Necromancer’s emergence in Dol Guldur leads the great and wise to form the White
Council in 2463 TA.
Initially, Galadriel makes it known that she believes Gandalf should be the head of the
council, but Gandalf turns it down.
Despite being named the head of the council himself, Saruman is once again jealous of
Gandalf.
Even at this time, Saruman has begun to desire power like Sauron’s - specifically, The
One Ring.
After returning to the westlands of Middle-earth, Saruman would make his way to Minas Tirith,
where he studies in the archives - much as Gandalf would do centuries later.
There, Saruman learns all he can of Isildur and the One Ring.
Around this same time, the lands of Calenardhon are given to the Eotheod, thus becoming the
land of Rohan.
While Gondor would continue to man the realm of Isengard, the keys to the tower of Orthanc
itself are kept by the Stewards of Gondor.
Eventually, the line of these Gondorian chieftains would fail, and the Dunlendings would seize
control of Isengard, from which they would lead raids on the Westfold of Rohan.
In his studies, Saruman learns one of the palantiri is likely still in the tower of
Orthanc.
These seeing stones could not only communicate with one another, but also be used by the
powerful to see across the world.
Saruman offers Steward Beren of Gondor and King Frealaf of Rohan to take up residence
in Isengard.
The two leaders welcome the opportunity to place a Wizard at their northern border and
in 2759 TA, he is given the keys of Orthanc.
Saruman takes up residence in the tower, where he discovers the Palantir, which he keeps
secret from the White Council.
In 2851, as head of the White Council, Saruman vetos Gandalf’s appeal to attack the Necromancer
in Dol Guldur.
However, 90 years later (2941), as Thorin and Company are on the Quest of Erebor, Saruman
discovers that the servants of Sauron are searching for the ring near the Gladden Fields.
This leads him to agree to move against Dol Guldur.
He hopes this will allow him to search the Gladden Fields for himself, unchallenged by
Sauron’s forces.
In 2953, the White Council meets for the final time, where they discuss the Rings of Power.
It is during this meeting that Saruman tells the others that he has discovered that the
One Ring has passed down the Anduin and has been lost to the sea.
After this meeting, he retreats to Isengard and begins fortifying it.
His jealousy and fear of Gandalf now at an all-time high, he assigns spies to watch all
of his movements.
Seeing Gandalf’s interest in the Shire, he places
agents in Bree and the Southfarthing.
Around 3000 TA, Saruman uses the Orthanc palantir for the first time.
What Saruman failed to realize is that the stone from Minas Ithil was now in the possession
of Sauron in Mordor.
Sauron uses the Ithil-stone to bend the Orthanc-stone to his will - and by extension Saruman himself.
Around this time, Saruman begins his efforts to seize control of Rohan.
He enlists the assistance of Grima Wormtongue - the advisor to King Theoden.
Promising him the Lady Eowyn as reward, Saruman puts Grima to work acting as his spy and preventing
Rohan from interfering with the growth of Saruman’s Army.
Grima not only informs Saruman of Rohan’s secrets, but also weakens King Theoden - both
with words and with poison.
At some point around 3018, Saruman sends Radagast the Brown to Eriador to seek Gandalf.
Gandalf, having just confirmed Bilbo’s ring to be The One, meets Radagast on the road,
who tells him to go to Isengard.
On July 10, Gandalf makes his way to Orthanc where he tells Saruman the One Ring had been
found in the Shire.
At this point, Saruman finally reveals his true colors.
He plans to be a ruler over men and to join Sauron, but also his desire to claim the One
Ring for his own if he can.
Whether by the knowledge of Sauron, the lore of the nearby destroyed Eregion, or by his
own studies, Saruman had crafted a lesser ring of his own in an effort to emulate Sauron.
We know very little of Saruman’s ring, except that he wears it when he confronts Gandalf
and refers to himself as “Saruman ring-maker”.
He also goes on to give himself a new title - Saruman of Many Colors.
It is in this moment that Gandalf notices Saruman’s robes are no longer white, but
that they are woven of all colors and as he moves, they create a bewildering effect to
the eyes.
In one of his more low-key insults, Gandalf simply replies “I liked white better.”
Saruman goes on to make his pitch to Gandalf.
That they should join with Sauron, for Sauron was now the Power of Middle-earth - not the
elves or the dying line of Numenor.
By joining the Dark Lord, he says they can accomplish their high and ultimate purpose
of Knowledge, Rule, and Order.
Gandalf refuses to join Saruman and is imprisoned atop the tower of Orthanc.
During the more than two months that Gandalf is prisoner, he witnesses Saruman’s army
amassing at Isengard.
He sees hordes of orcs and wolves.
Also gathering are groups of Dunlendings and Uruk-hai.
Though Saruman’s use of Radagast would deliver Gandalf to him, it would also be the means
of Gandalf’s escape.
For Radagast had given the message to Gwaihir the lord of Eagles to seek Saruman and Gandalf
at Isengard.
The great eagle rescues Gandalf and brings him to Rohan, where he takes Shadowfax and
makes his way North toward the Shire.
On September 20, the black riders arrive at Isengard, seeking the ring and the shire.
Saruman begins his open betrayal of Sauron - lying to the Nazgul by saying he doesn’t
know where the ring is, despite having deduced it being the Shire when speaking to Gandalf.
He also tells the nine that they would know if he had found the ring, for if he had - the
nine would bow before him and call him lord.
Implying that a being with such great power as Saruman could take full control of The
One Ring and by extension, the ringwraiths themselves.
He does, however, tell them that Gandalf knows the location of the Ring, and to search for
him nearby.
Later that month, the Nazgul captures one of Saruman’s spies, who reveals the wizard’s
treachery to the Witch-king.
Having now been exposed as a traitor to both Sauron and the White Council, Saruman puts
all his efforts into getting the ring.
He sends forth raiding parties of orcs on various routes that a company bearing The
One Ring would be likely to take.
He also attacks the realm of Rohan in the First Battle of the Fords of Isen on February
25.
This attack was less about Saruman taking control of Rohan by force than eliminating
the threats to his conquest via control of Theoden.
There were two who stood in Grima’s way of having full control of the King - Theodred
and Eomer - Theoden’s son and his sister-son or nephew.
Saruman orders an attack on the Fords with the command that Theodred is to be slain at
all costs.
In this, he is successful, Theodred dies from his wounds and is buried on the small island
between the forks of the river.
The next day, one of his raiding parties comes upon the Fellowship of the Ring at Amon Hen,
where they kill Boromir and capture Merry and Pippin.
However, Saruman’s streak of luck would end as this band of orcs would be destroyed
by the Rohirrim led by Eomer on the Outskirts of Fangorn Forest.
Saruman’s capture of the hobbits would directly lead to Merry and Pippin meeting Treebeard
in Fangorn Forest.
Now there’s some major differences at this point between the books and films.
In the films, Theoden retreats to Helm’s Deep rather than risking open war with the
Uruks of Isengard.
It seems that the Rohirrim go to this abandoned fortress in a desperate attempt to hold out
rather than being overrun at Edoras or on the plains of Rohan.
In reality, Helm’s Deep is closer to Isengard than Edoras, is manned by a garrison of troops,
and Theoden immediately moves against Saruman, riding North with 1000 soldiers to take the
fight to the orcs.
However, on March 2, the Rohirrim now under the command of Erkenbrand, encounter the full
forces of Isengard - 10,000 Uruk-hai, orcs, Dunlendings, wargs, and other evil men.
The Rohirrim are scattered and a rider named Ceorl comes across Theoden in his retreat
- telling him of the massive force.
Saruman, who ever since Gandalf’s escape has been forced to rush his plans, has sent
nearly his full strength to wipe out Rohan at Helm’s Deep.
Gandalf perceives something in the distance toward Isengard.
He even asks Legolas to use his elf-eyes, which are mysteriously obscured.
In this moment, Gandalf advises Theoden to make for Helm’s Deep, where they may hold
out for a time as he rides North.
You see, Gandalf likely realizes that something is happening at Isengard and that the reason
for the obscuring of Legolas’ vision is the Huorns moving against Saruman, who were
beings known to be able to cloak themselves in shadow.
This is indeed what was happening - the Ents are attacking Saruman.
They surround Isengard, destroy its gates, break its walls and the dam.
Isengard is flooded and sacked.
Gandalf arrives and asks Treebeard for help - Helm’s Deep needs the Huorns.
From there, he goes to find Erkenbrand and amass a cavalry of Rohirrim to aid the King.
As we know, Saruman’s army is utterly defeated at the Battle of the Hornburg the next morning
(March 4).
Gandalf, Theoden, and the victorious heroes of Helm’s Deep ride to Isengard to parley
with Saruman.
Knowing he was utterly defeated, Saruman actually - very briefly - considers repenting for his
actions.
In the end, whether by pride, his hatred of Gandalf, or believing Sauron would be victorious
and forgive him, he could not repent.
He uses one of his last and greatest weapons remaining to him - his voice.
He attempts to sweet talk Theoden and Gandalf into allying together once more, but this
fails.
The wizard’s staff is broken and he is expelled from both the White Council and the Order
of the Istari.
In this moment, Grima throws the palantir of Orthanc at the group - not realizing how
important an object it is.
This would be the same stone that both Pippin and Aragorn would use.
Aragorn in order to draw Sauron into open-war, drawing his attention from his own lands - and
Pippin in one of his foolish Took moments.
Saruman would remain a prisoner in his own tower for the next five months.
On August 15, 3019, he convinces Treebeard to let him depart - playing on Treebeards
pity for watching living creatures be imprisoned.
Saruman and Grima make their way North and on August 28, they are passed on the road
by Gandalf, Galadriel, Celeborn, Elrond, and the four hobbits.
As the hobbits make their way to Rivendell with Gandalf and Elrond, Saruman and Grima
make their way to Hobbiton.
Weeks later, on September 22, the hobbits come to the Shire to discover it has been
taken over by ruffians, aided by Lotho Sackville-Baggins and commanded by a mysterious boss named Sharkey.
This Sharkey is revealed to be Saruman himself as Frodo, Sam, Merry, and Pippin lead the
hobbits in regaining control of the Shire.
As Saruman knows he is defeated, he takes some level of comfort in knowing that it will
take the hobbits many years to undo the damage he has inflicted upon them.
In this moment, when Saruman is at his lowest, Frodo has pity on him - even after Saruman
attempts to kill him with a knife in a parting shot.
In the end, Saruman’s frequent mistreatment of Wormtongue would be his undoing.
Frodo finally convinces Wormtongue that he need not follow the fallen wizard, but Saruman
insults and scorns Grima once again, leading Wormtongue to slit Saruman’s throat.
Grima is shot by a hobbit archer as he flees and Saruman dies a ruined, and feeble version
of his former self.
As the hobbits stare in wonder, a spirit mist raises from the body and appears to look to
the West, to the Undyling Lands - home to immortal beings.
But at this moment a wind comes out of the West pushing the spirit away.
Leading us to believe that, like Sauron, the spirit of Saruman is left naked
and powerless, floating away into nothing.