Sauron isThe Lord of the Rings, literature’s greatest villain and the namesake of J.R.R. Tolkien’s masterpiece, but he was bested by a dog called Huan millennia before the Third Age story of the novel and movies. This astonishing defeat is an example of Tolkien’s miraculous storytelling, with the little beating the large in David-Goliath standoffs that reflect one of Tolkien’s key messages - hope, even in the darkest of times.Sauron is an immortal Maia, a Godlike race of superpowered beings, making him very hard to beat. This makes Huan’s victory all the more astounding.
Huan followed his master, Celegorm, into exile from Valinor, and was thus doomed along with the Noldor. But Huan wasn’t quite subject to the Doom of the Noldor, but another prophecy. According to Tolkien’sThe Silmarillion, “it was decreed that he should meet death, but not until he encountered the mightiest wolf that had ever walked the world.” This strange prophecy was to play out in a showdown between Huan andthe Dark Lord SauroninThe Lord of the Rings’First Age. The fight was recorded in Elvish lore in “The Lay of Leithian.”
How Huan Defeated Sauron During The Lord Of The Rings' First Age
Huan Beat Wolf-Sauron In The First Age
Huan isthe only character in Tolkien’s legendarium to beat Sauronin single combat, making him arguably the most impressive character of them all. Gil-galad and Elendil defeated Sauron together and Lúthien tussled with Sauron to a certain extent, but only Huan beat him in a one-to-one fight, indisputably.Sauron heard of Huan’s prophecy and turned into a wolfto fight Huan, thinking about killing him, but it didn’t work out for Sauron.
The Silmarillionincludes an extract of “The Lay of Leithian,” but the rest of it can be found inThe Lays of Beleriand,although Tolkien never quite finished it.
As a Maia,Sauron possessed the innate ability to shapeshift, and wolves were his style. He was Lord of Werewolves and may have had a part in breeding them, according to Tolkien. He ruled the Isle of Werewolves and was well-matched against Huan, the mighty wolfhound. But according to “The Lay of Leithian,“Huan had Wolf-Sauron by the neck, and he surrenderedto avoid physical death and the punishment of his soul by his master, Morgoth.
Huan Was Not An Ordinary Wolfhound, Even By Middle-Earth Standards
Huan Was A Hound Of Valinor
Huan was no ordinary wolfhound but a Hound of Valinor, gifted to Elf Celegorm by the Vala Oromë. Oromë was one ofthe 15 Valar, the demigods of Middle-earth. They lived in Aman, the continent housing Valinor, which is the realm of the Valar.The Hounds of Oromë, and likewise the Eagles of Manwë, were a bit of a mysteryinThe Lord of the Rings. InMorgoth’s Ring, Tolkien stated that “Huan and Sorontar could be Maiar.”
Morgoth’s Ringis book 10 of the 12-volumeThe History of Middle-earthbook series, compiled of Tolkien’s various finished and unfinished works, from various eras.
Sorontar being an Eagle ofthe Vala Manwëimplied that Huan was the same race as Sauron, which would have explained their equally matched fight. However,Morgoth’s Ringalso suggested thatHuan was “taught language by the Valar, and raised to a higher level,” rather than being a Maia. This makes more sense, since Huan’s death inThe Silmarillionseemed very final, rather than the unhousing of an eternal spirit.
Lúthien’s Magic Was Useful Against Sauron
Celegorm wasn’t the nicest ofthe Noldor Elves, so Huan switched his loyalty to the gentle Elf princess, Lúthien, who helped Huan beat Sauron.The whole fight was Lúthien’s idea- she had gone, with Huan, to the Isle of Werewolves as that was where her love, Beren, was being held prisoner by Sauron. Half-Maia herself, her voice had magical properties, and “the isle trembled” at her singing on arrival.
All Of Sauron’s Names In Lord Of The Rings Explained
The Dark Lord Sauron has gone by several names in J.R.R. Tolkien’s works, and some of his aliases have already appeared in Rings of Power.
Sauron sent his wolves out to fight the intruders, but they were slain one by one until he realized that the task fell to him.Sauron was all too happy to fulfill Huan’s wolf prophecy, turning himself into “the mightiest that had yet walked the world.” He first jumped at Lúthien, who cast a sleep spell on him. His brief drowsiness gave Huan enough time to attack and begin the brutal fight that ended up constitutingSauron’s most embarrassing defeat.
Sauron’s Defeat Against Huan Is Still Surprising, Given His Power During The Lord Of The Rings
Huan And Lúthien Were A Powerful Duo
Despite Lúthien and Huan’s superpowered heritage,Sauron’s defeat was surprising. Lúthien was half-Maia on her mother’s side and descended from the most powerful of Elvish royalty on her father’s side. Meanwhile, Huan was either a Maia himself or a dog given superpowers by one of the 15 most powerful beings inthe whole of Middle-earth. It was understandable if they could defeat Sauron together, just. But it was still a battle against the odds. Sauron was probably nearly equal to the Valar in power.
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Powerseasons 1 and 2 can be streamed on Amazon Prime Video, with season 1 showing a statue of what appears to be Huan and either Celegorm or Lúthien.
The Silmarillionconfirmed that when the Valar descended into Eä - the universe - to build it, they brought many Maiar with them, “some well nigh as great as themselves.” Eönwë was a Maia “whose might in arms is surpassed by none in Arda.” By the Third Age,Sauron’s power was so greatthat “confrontation of Sauron alone, unaided, self-to-self was not contemplated,” as Tolkien himself stated in a letter.Sauron certainly seems “well nigh as great” as the Valar, at least by the Third Age, if not in the First or Second as well.
Before time
33,537
10,061
Elves awoke in Cuiviénen
4,902
3,441
3,021
Elven-ring bearers left Middle-earth
Fo.A 1 - unknown
Unknown
All said and done,Sauron’s defeat at the hands of one dog is one of the highlights of the legendarium. It speaks to the wider excellence of “Of Beren and Lúthien,” the relevantSilmarillionchapter. This chapter was later given a whole book by Christopher Tolkien. Tolkien’s son, Christopher, published his father’s work posthumously and focused on thisThe Lord of the Ringsstory in the 2017 publicationBeren and Lúthien.
The Lord of the Rings
The Lord of the Rings is a multimedia franchise consisting of several movies and a TV show released by Amazon titled The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power. The franchise is based on J.R.R. Tolkien’s book series that began in 1954 with The Fellowship of the Ring. The Lord of the Rings saw mainstream popularity with Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit trilogies.
