Lots of fans of the Tolkien franchise have compared the creation of the One Ring with the Horcruxes of the Harry Potter world, in the books written by J.K.Rowling. Their quintessential similarity is that they create a prolonged and unnatural life by storing a part of the souls or essence of their masters inside a twisted object. And in order to defeat the dark lords once and for all, these objects must be destroyed.

There have been 3 times in the record of Middle Earth that the evil Sauron has been defeated and cast out of his physical form. The first is during the fall of Numenor, when the kingdoms are turned to ruin, and the once noble race is almost wiped out, and loses control of the Palantir stones. The second is when he is defeated by Elendil and Gil-galad, and the ring is cut from his finger at the battle of Dagorlad with the Last Alliance. This is the scene that is shown to the audience in the prologue of Peter Jackson’s 2001 film adaptation, and is the basis of the beginning of the story that sets both Bilbo on his quest to help the dwarves regain their lost home of Erebor, and Frodo on his quest to enter the lands of Mordor with the help of the nine members of the fellowship.

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The third is when the fellowship achieves their quest and throws the One Ring of power into the fires of Mount Doom where it was forged, which is also shown in Peter Jackson’s adaptation of the Return of the King. But as is seen from the first and second times, even though his physical body may be destroyed, his spirit is able to endure. So is the quest really complete, and is Sauron finally dead after all?

Sauron at Mount Doom

In short, the most accurate answer is no. There is a difference between physical death and spiritual death in Middle Earth, especially when it comes to the most ancient of beings like the Maiar, the race to which Gandalf the Grey and Sauron both belong. According to The Silmarillion, the Maiar are spirits who have been around since Illuvatar created the universe, and their core exists outside the laws of time and space, untethered to a concrete being.

Gandalf is a good example of how this sort of spirit may linger when a body is damaged, as he is able to return to Middle Earth as Gandalf the White after the elves lament his fall at the hands of the Balrog. He does ‘die,’ but his essence doesn’t completely vanish from the world. Similarly, with Sauron, his essence is thrust out of its form during the fall of Numenor, and when the ring is sundered from his finger and he is subsequently defeated in battle, but both times he is able to remain because a part of his spirit is tied to the ring.

When Frodo throws the ring into the fissure in the mountain, and the ring is finally gone for good, Sauron also falls. However, in the Return of the King, Gandalf explains that when the One Ring is vanquished, Sauron will be "maimed forever, becoming a mere spirit of Malice that gnaws itself in the shadows, but cannot again grow or take shape. So a great evil of this world will be removed." Thus, Sauron is not exactly dead, but his power is drained to the point of never being able to return. It is thought that he might be sent into the shadow realm where the characters go when they put on the ring of power, but unlike the Ring-wraiths, he won’t be able to touch things or wield weapons like they can when they stab Frodo on Weathertop. He won’t be able to harm another living thing again.

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During the Fourth Age of Middle Earth, after Sauron’s defeat, a time of great peace and prosperity falls upon the world. Aragorn as the rightful king of Gondor, is able to unify the kingdoms and free the long-suffering beings of their war and torment, including the southern men of the Haradrim, who were made to do Sauron’s bidding, and the Ents, who look after the trees of Fangorn Forest, along with all of the flora and fauna who live there, which are given a new land away from fires and axes. Eomer becomes the king of Rohan, a trusted friend of the fellowship, and Eowyn, his sister, marries the captain of Gondor Faramir. Even the hobbits, who have long been forgotten by the rest of the world, rejoin the united peoples. All seems well across the lands. But Sauron came to power after his own master Morgoth, so many believe that it is only a matter of time before another dark lord rises up to take Sauron’s place.

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