When I read LOTR as a kid I automatically mentally pronounced the “Saur-” like the “-saur” in “dinosaur” – “sore - on.”
But in the movies they pronounced it “sow - ron.”
How did JRRT intend it to be pronounced?
As in the movies. Read the pronunciation guide in the books sometime.
I’ve always pronounced it sow-ron also. First place I encountered the name was here on the SDMB.
Wait, in saying it a few times, I may actually say it more like sour-on. But now I’m paying too much attention to it.
Sowron is correct.
The Encyclopedia of Arda: is a good place to look for a pronunciations.
But which “sow”—the pig one or the seeds one?
Not the pig one. But saw-ron is how it always came to me, but it’s similar to what they said in the movies.
Though the first time I ever encountered the name Sauron was from the Sega Video game “Primal Rage”. And it’s still what I tend to think of when I hear the name…
Excellent point. 
It’s the oinky one for me.
And to this part of the OP:
When in doubt, go by however Christopher Lee says it. He’s the only person associated with the film to have actually known Tolkien.
:smack: I meant the pig one.
I was thinking to myself, “Who sows pigs?”
Yup, “Sour-on”. The man himself said it.
As ye sow, so shall ye reap.
OINK!!!
Always fun to see ShibbOleth in a pronunciation thread. 
You pronounce “Sauron” however the Lord of Mordor wishes that name to be pronounced, if you know what’s good for you.
Sauron rhymes with sauna.
No it doesn’t.
Sow-ron, like sour. Saw-na, like chainsaw.
Yes it does.
Sow-ron, like saurkraut. Sow-na, because it’s a Finnish word and my step-father was from Finland and that’s the way it’s pronounced. 
No it doesn’t, because the final syllables are completely different
I knew someone would say that, but I don’t know a word like ‘rhymes’ that means the first part of a word so I just used what Tapioca Dextrin used. Think of it as a very broad interpretation of ‘rhyme’. 
That’s what I figured you meant too. Does anyone know the proper word for this?
Valete,
Vox Imperatoris
I’ve never heard sauna pronounced sowna before. Where is that common? (Other than Finland, apparently.)
Well, I don’t say it exactly like sowna, but closer to the sound of “saw” with no “w” at the end. Basically, the same way I say Sauron. Maybe it’s because we’re imagining the word “saw” differently (the way I say it rhymes with draw).
Valete,
Vox Imperatoris
PS: I tried to use sauna as a phonetic way of representing the way I say it before I made an important realization.