Sauron Narcissism Analysis

sauron narcissism analysis

1. lovebombs celebrimbor -> emotional dependence/ offering bouts of serotonin, gets him addicted to the praise and promise of creating something bigger than life/feanor

2. makes himself seem like the only person who can help him complete his work -> makes himself seem like he can offer something no one else can

3. expects celebrimbor to lie for him to others -> demanding proof of loyalty

4. lowkey secretly locks celebrimbor in the tower -> serves to isolate him from others and make him focus on doing sauron‘s bidding

5. he creates magic illusions and deliberately lies to celebrimbor to make him question his own reality/perception -> gaslighting

6. when celebrimbor confronts sauron with his lies sauron claims that celebrimbor WANTED all this done to him -> shifts the blame and responsibility for his own behaviour away from him and unto others

Celebrimbor’s final words deal a death blow to Sauron’s self image. he names him “Sauron, Lord of the Rings”, in direct contrast to episode two where Sauron names himself “Annatar” and Celebrimbor provides the translation “Lord of Gifts”. Charlie Vickers has stated in interviews that Sauron fully immerses himself in his own deceptions and everything he does is 100% genuine. throughout season two he really leaned into his persona as “Lord of Gifts”. he believes he is going to heal Middle Earth, he is the one “holding the storm at bay”. Celebrimbor’s role in episode seven and eight becomes one of confronting Sauron with truths that he is not willing to acknowledge, leading up to the culmination of calling him Lord of the Rings instead of Lord of Gifts, Sauron, not Annatar. the fact that he immediately then dies by Sauron’s hand (which was never part of Annatar’s plan) puts Sauron in a place to actually start to reflect and see how his actions are not aligning with “Annatar’s” purported goals. I think he just starts to realize how he has deceived himself but then his response is to lean into “Sauron”, abandoning “Annatar” altogether. losing Celebrimbor and then facing a second rejection from Galadriel is going to push him further into Sauron out of spite. but he still mourns the loss of Annatar, I think because Annatar had friends, and trust.

Listen I am a simple person I just wanna know what sort of conversations Frodo would have with all the First Age legends in Valinor and if they would be healing for him—

Would he talk to Fëanor about not giving up something despite knowing you should, and would he realize that he isn’t a monster for his mistake? Would he and Fingolfin talk about facing evil alone and would Fingolfin point out to him that he set out because of hope instead of despair, and that is why he was able to survive? Would he bond with Maedhros over their physical injuries—a missing finger and missing hand respectively—and would Maedhros tell him from personal experience that he was lucky to have someone who loved him beside him even when he sank to his lowest? Would he talk to Finrod about giving their lives for those they care about, and would Finrod tell Frodo he fought Sauron just as fiercely as he did? Would he meet Eärendil and would Eärendil share his own trauma sustained from setting out with only the monstrously foolish hope that he would be able to save everyone he loved?

Would he receive an apology from Celebrimbor, whose head is bowed in shame, for all that he has been through, and feel his body let go of something when he tells him there’s nothing to forgive????

i’m actually in love with him 🥹

Why Galadriel is the feminist hero that Middle Earth desperately needed:

Throughout Galadriel’s introduction in season one, it becomes immediately obvious that she is experienced and considered to be wise and respected. She’s the commander of an army. She demonstrates immense skill with swordsmanship. She has some knowledge of politics, lore, and can be very persuasive. However, her status is a double edged sword. She is incredibly prideful and believes that her plans and ideas and actions are better than anyone else, including the king. (She’s right about Sauron being back at least so *shrug*). Her driving motivation is a need for vengeance, which combined with her pride, does become blinding.

The show could have done more to explain her rank and status. We know from the Silmarillion that Galadriel is from a noble line and older than most other elves (including Elrond and Gil-Galad). Her pride is somewhat warranted. That doesn’t really come across in the show though. I think that is only because in order to really understand Galadriel’s position at the beginning of the show, they would have had to dive too far into first age lore and that all is a mess that casual viewers do not care about.

Galadriel makes some questionable choices throughout the show, but viewers mostly understand why. Her motivations are clear. She is prideful, yes, but not in a shallow, cocky, quippy one liner “girl power” way. She just has a conviction that she knows best and everyone else needs to catch up. It’s an understandable sentiment considering how skilled she appears to be. Some have criticized her as coming across immature, but her impatience and impulsiveness is totally motivated by her quest for vengeance. She is powerful, and flawed, and 100% a real person not a stereotype or trope.

Speaking of tropes, Galadriel avoids the shallow romance trap that is all too common (thinking of you Tauriel). Galadriel wants to rule because she thinks she’s smarter than everyone else. This is how the ring later tempts her when Frodo visits Lothlorien (maybe it will in later seasons of this show as well?). Galadriel is actually alarmingly similar to Sauron in this way which I think is what drew Halbrand to her. They have a shared vision. This is very much the same with Celebrimbor except he wanted to create power not necessarily rule himself. The idea of the One Ring would be abhorrent to Celebrimbor but it appeals to Galadriel.

Whatever the hell is going on with Haladriel (Saurondriel? What are we calling it now) is a much more complex situation than a standard fantasy relationship. They understand each other intimately hence they are drawn together, and yet she hates him for what he did to her family. So she’s conflicted, which adds tension, but it’s not “he’s so hot and attractive but a bad boy” it’s “goddamn this man understands me on a visceral level like no one else does and that scares me”.

Tl;dr- I don’t understand people who dislike Galadriel or criticize the writing/acting, she’s the most complex and realistic female character we’ve had in a Tolkien adaptation.

Celebrimbor being the only being that Marion felt comfortable bearing his soul to.... like Celebrimbor saw the REAL Marion, his true self, all of his emotions, all of his passions. The only being to see that part of him. The only being to listen to Marion talk about Morgoth, and the things he's been through. The only being to truly know how Marion thinks and feels...