Saruman the Wise, Curunír, eldest and
first
to be chosen of the Istari. The friend of men, the most clever and
subtle
with the tongue and the art of craft. It was he who wandered east, and
to
him Beren the Steward entrusted the keeping of Orthanc and the Ring of
Isengard. This is where Saruman settled and began his abode.
It was when the shadow of Sauron was perceived to be
returning that the White Council was created. At its head was Saruman,
for his knowledge in the arts of the enemy, although this choice was
against
the wish of Galadriel, who chose Gandalf.
Saruman took then a great interest in the Rings of
Power and their lore. At the Council where it was discovered that the
shadow
in Dol Guldur was indeed Sauron, he bade them wait and not make rash
decisions. It was his belief, or the impression that he put forth, that
the One Ring had been lost forever, and that it had made its way to the
sea. It was most likely that Saruman fell at this time, brooding too
long in the designs of the enemy and the desire for the Ring, and
becoming ensnared by it.
He made Isengard strong, and gathered a great army
of spies of many kinds, unwittingly helped by Radagast. However,
another
Council was called, and Saruman was forced to give up his search for a
while,
and debate with the others the matter of the ring, and in this he left
out
much that he knew.
It was Gandalf's plan that Sauron should be forced
from Mirkwood, and to this Saruman agreed. Saruman had delayed them too
long however, for Sauron fled to Mordor, which he had already prepared
for
himself, and Barad-Dûr became strong again.
Saruman withdrew to Isengard again, and knew not
that the Ring had been found again, and that Gandalf knew of this.
However the armies were already gathering, and now in Isengard, as well
in Mordor, orcs were once again multiplying.
Saruman now greatly wanted the Ring for himself, and in his haste he
tried to convince Gandalf to join him, and in this way revealed his
treachery.
However, Saruman in his anger, struck too soon, and
emptied Isengard against Rohan, when a force that Saruman had long
forgotten turned against him. It was the Ents, and they had become
strong again, and they laid Isengard bare, with Saruman as witness.
There Saruman had to sit out the War, until the Ring was destroyed and
Sauron vanquished. Saruman only
had one power left: the power of his voice. With this he tricked
Treebeard into letting him go.
From greatness he fell, and a beggar he became,
wandering the Western Lands of Middle-Earth.
He was killed at last by his servant, Wormtongue, in
the very heart of the Shire.
References: Silmarillion, Lord of the Rings
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