Sauron is the dark lord opposing the Free Peoples in J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings.
He forged the One Ring in the fires of Mount Doom, intending to control the other Rings of Power and dominate their bearers. Because the Ring contains much of his power, destroying it is essential to defeating him permanently.
Sauron serves the earlier dark lord Morgoth during the First Age, but he becomes the principal enemy of the Second and Third Ages. In The Lord of the Rings, he is rebuilding his strength from the land of Mordor and directs armies against Gondor, Rohan, and their allies.
Sauron is sometimes confused with the Witch-king, who is his chief servant, or with Saruman, a fallen Wizard who acts independently while seeking power. Tolkien’s mythology presents Morgoth as an older and more primordial evil.