The downfall of Sauron

[Narsil's weilder]

I was catching up on my reading and in the chapter on the Ringwraiths in The Unifinished Tales I realized a great fault. Throughout middle earth there were none who truley knew the whereabouts of the Ring except Gollum. Now most true tolkien readers argue that the greatest mistake ever made was letting the ring endure. But I think the greatest mistake was that Sauron let Gollum loose into the wild. Sauron's spies eventually lost track of Gollum leaving him to be captured by Frodo and Sam. Taming him proved difficult but by letting him go Sauron signed his own death certificate. Gollum eventaully sought the ring and took it but from all ther joy he flet it brang his end, slipping and falling into the fires of Mount Doom. The very thing Sauron wanted to prevent came at his own commands. :grin:

[PippaUK]

but he had no other choice, he wanted the ring, and it was the only way he could find it (aswell as sending out the ringwraiths to locate the shire)

[Sindarin]

I agree with you, Pippa.

Because of Gollum's greed for the One Ring, Sauron concluded that Gollum, once released from Mordor, would search for the ring.

Knowing this, Sauron believed Gollum's persistence would eventually lead the dark forces to the Ring Bearer.

[Narsil's weilder]

Well Sauron was too ignorant to this world in the third age.

[Lalaith]

I would have to say, in reference to the first post, that letting the ring endure WAS the biggest error - if it had just been flung into the fire, Middle Earth could have avoided a lot of heartache! I always felt that Isildur's refusal to desroy the Ring made a mockery out of the sacrifices of Elendil and Gil-galad.

Sauron needed inormation from Gollum which he got and he probably did not truly understand that another could have such a strong longing for the ring. Once he had discovered the whereabouts of the ring, I doubt he really thought that there was much to stand in his way. Gollum, a snivelling little wreck, probably seemed like a far smaller threat than Aragorn or a mighty Elf-lord, who might take the ring unto themselves (at least that's how Sauron's mind may have worked - he certainly didn't expect that any being would have the strength or intent to destroy it)

Gandalf was one of the few who had the foresight to realise that Gollum still had some part to play. Even he couldn't tell if it was for good or for ill..

[Tar-Palantir]

Well as for Saruons mind, didn't Gandalf say that Sauron acted on his own wisdom, then meaning when Sauron attacked Gondor.
Gandalf also said that Sauron had never in his darkest nightmare thought that the free folk would destroy his ring and not set up a new Dark Lord.
So Saurons mind wasn't completley right!

[Gwaihir]

Even Sauron makes mistakes! roflmao He was too intent on finding the ring.

[Narsil's weilder]

It is ironic that in his new incarnation as a great lidless eye he could be so blind.