Saruman, also called Saruman the White, is a fictional character of
J. R. R. Tolkien's fantasy novel ''
The Lord of the Rings
''The Lord of the Rings'' is an Epic (genre), epic high-fantasy novel by English author and scholar J. R. R. Tolkien. Set in Middle-earth, intended to be Earth at some time in the distant past, the story began as a sequel to Tolkien's 1937 c ...
''. He is leader of the
Istari, wizards sent to
Middle-earth in human form by the godlike
Valar to challenge
Sauron, the main antagonist of the novel, but eventually he desires Sauron's power for himself and tries to take over Middle-earth by force from his base at
Isengard. His schemes feature prominently in the second volume, ''
The Two Towers''; he appears briefly at the end of the third volume, ''
The Return of the King''. His earlier history is summarized in the posthumously published ''
The Silmarillion'' and ''
Unfinished Tales''.
Saruman is one of several characters in the book illustrating the
corruption of power; his desire for knowledge and order leads to his fall, and he rejects the
chance of redemption when it is offered. The name ''Saruman'' () means "man of skill or cunning" in the
Mercian dialect of
Anglo-Saxon
The Anglo-Saxons were a Cultural identity, cultural group who inhabited England in the Early Middle Ages. They traced their origins to settlers who came to Britain from mainland Europe in the 5th century. However, the ethnogenesis of the Anglo- ...
;
he serves as an example of technology and modernity being
overthrown by forces more in tune with nature.
Appearances
''The Lord of the Rings''
The ''Lord of the Rings'' describes a quest to destroy the
One Ring, a powerful and evil talisman created by the Dark Lord
Sauron to control
Middle-earth. Sauron lost the Ring in battle thousands of years before the beginning of the story, and it is now held in secret in