It always made me kind of curious in the LOTR books that no one ever directly referred to Sauron as Sauron. It was always the Evil One or some other pseudonym/euphemism, and it always seemed a bit silly. What is with this?
It’s a combination of notions from mythology and superstition: a Name has power, and that using someone’s Name can summon them. Thus, there is a sort of acknowledgement that using Sauron’s Name might attract his attention.
Even in real life, haven’t you heard someone say they’ve got an itch, so someone must be talking about them? Same principle.
just call Sauron Voldemort and Voldemort Sauron, problem solved!
Actually, several characters refer to him as Sauron, starting with Gandalf when he explains the history of the ring to Frodo. First he mentions a dark power, then the Dark Power, and then Sauron. You can almost see the evil taking shape and revealing itself.
Plunging further into geekdom…
Sauron means something like “abomination”, so we never hear what his name was before he turned evil – unless it was Abomination, which might explain his bad attitude.
The name Sauron is derived from the Quenya Saur- which translates as “Abominable, foul”. In Sindar it is rendered as Gorthaur with similar meaning. (Gor = “horror, dread”, thaur = abominable, foul)
Remember, while he was a Maiar of Aulë, he was seduced by Melkor before the making of the world. So he seems to have lost early any positive name for himself. Maybe he was sitting in Barad-dûr demanding his orcs call him Lissenil (“sweet lover”). But if so, tales of this did not seem to reach the ears of the Lords of the West.
Nitpick: if not, then how do you know what his name is?
Sorry.
Anyway, firstly there’s a tradition that naming big bad things can draw their attention (eg. Gandalf is hesitant to read the inscription on the Ring).
Names can often have power when spoken, and the enemy (see I can do it too) is probably alert to mentioning of his name, remember he can see everywhere with that big bada eye, I wonder if he has a big bad ear.
Anyway, he has spies, and they must report to him.
I thought that it was Sauron who didn’t like to be called “Sauron.” After all, doesn’t Legolas say something to the effect that “Barad-dur does not permit his name to be spoken or written down.”
If my name meant “foul abomination,” I wouldn’t be too crazy about it either.
At one time, prior to the events in LOTR, Sauron did not permit his followers to refer to him by name, so that he could recover his strength in secrecy. During this period, which lasted most of the Third Age, he dwelled in Dol Guldur near Mirkwood and was known as “the Necromancer”. It was not until the White Council, lead by Saruman, drove him out of Dol Guldur (at the same time as the events in the Hobbit) that he returned to Mordor and revealed his true identity. Aragorn (not Legolas), who spends most of his time away from civilization, seems to be out of the loop when he makes the above statement.
I don’t recall a general taboo against naming Sauron (with one exception, see below), but I’m typing this from a laptop whilst traveling sans Tolkien books, so YMMV.
The folk of Gondor don’t name Sauron, and instead call him The Enemy or The Nameless One. IIRC, there’s some verbage in ROTK about how the Gondorians don’t use his name since they live in such close proximity to Mordor.
“Sweet lover” is used as a facetious example. I am not asserting that was his original name.
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Anyway, firstly there’s a tradition that naming big bad things can draw their attention (eg. Gandalf is hesitant to read the inscription on the Ring). **
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I don’t recall hesitancy here. I do recall Gandalf refraining from using the Black Speech out of what I felt was politeness, rather than fear. It would seem to be on a similar level as showing films of Hitler speeches to concentration camp survivors.
But even then Gandalf didn’t hesitate to use it to make his point at the council of Elrond.
Smapti, Sauron didn’t build Dol Gulder until well into the 3rd age, about 1100 IIRC. And when he revealed himself, he revealed himself as their old foe returned. Based on the etymologic considerations of the origin of the name “Sauron” and his refusal to have his slaves use that name (as documented in LOTR) I doubt he considered “Sauron” his name. That would be my first assumption, rather than that “Aragorn…seems to be out of the loop” as you assert.
I’m not sure if we we’re talking at cross purposes here - just to check, that comment was in response to the OP, not your post.
There’s a lot of Tolkien you don’t know if it’s metaphorical or not. And I don’t have my copy here, but there are some quotes along the lines of “There’s only on Lord of the Rings and that’s not Frodo. Be slow to speak that name in this valley.” Enough that while not conclusively definately suggests to me there’s more to it than custom or spies.
Gotcha. That was just my basic self-absorption and narcissism coming into play.
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You are correct. Given all the nuances of JRRT’s writings, I think we’re both right! 
lol. Cool! Its such a good ending to an argument when both people win 
For some reason, an image of “Neverland” flitted through my mind when I read that. Thanks a bunch, QtM.
OW! Stop hitting me with that glove! OW!
I can’t quite picture the Dark Lord playing “rubba-rubba”. But you never know.
Now I’m picturing Sauron as the Abominable Snowman from the old Rudolph the Reindeer holiday special. If only Legolas had sneaked into the Barad-Dur and pulled his teeth, things might have turned out very differently.
Personally, I think Tolkien was just inconsistent. The Mouth of Sauron calls him Sauron: “thou shalt see what comes to him who sets his foolish webs before Sauron the Great.” But Tolkien was also inconsistent about Moria, which was only called that after it fell into ruin, and certainly not when they were making the door. Maybe Tolkien thought it would be confusing if the MOS referred to him by some nice, new name, so he kept the old, abominable one.
{in Rivendell, after Frodo wakes up}
{after the breaking of the Fellowship, at the riverside}
{In front of the Black Gate}
{and Gandalf later replies}
But of course at this point Gandalf is not worried about drawing Sauron’s attention. And maybe the MOS has a special dispensation so that he can use the name.
<< There’s a lot of Tolkien you don’t know if it’s metaphorical or not.>>
Point well taken, Shade. It’s actually one of the things that puts Tolkien’s work so far above the other (and later) fantasy writers. Much of the magic is portrayed as “natural” or even metaphorical, and that adds a great depth.
BTW, Gandalf’s refusal to use Black Speech is not just out of politeness – he deliberately doesn’t speak it in Hobbiton, for instance, when he’s alone with Frodo and there’s no question of “politeness.”