What is the Eye of Sauron?

[Gordis]

Hi, everybody,
I have a question for you. I am not aware of its being discussed before.

WHAT is the eye of Sauron?
I don't mean the physical feature of his body, but the Eye he used to see things far away:

And suddenly he felt the Eye. There was an eye in the Dark Tower that did not sleep. He knew that it had become aware of his gaze. A fierce eager will was there. It leaped towards him; almost like a finger he felt it, searching for him. Very soon it would nail him down, know just exactly where he was. Amon Lhaw it touched. It glanced upon Tol Brandir he threw himself from the seat, crouching, covering his head with his grey hood.

and

... and then he saw, rising black, blacker and darker than the vast shades amid which it stood, the cruel pinnacles and iron crown of the topmost tower of Barad-dûr. One moment only it stared out, but as from some great window immeasurably high there stabbed northward a flame of red, the flicker of a piercing Eye; and then the shadows were furled again and the terrible vision was removed. The Eye was not turned to them: it was gazing north to where the Captains of the West stood at bay...

Could the Eye be the Palantir of Minas Ithil used by Sauron? Or was the Eye a special device?

[Beren3000]

Very very interesting question, gordis!!

I don't think this "eye" is the palantir. I think it was the "physical feature"; but I don't like Peter Jackson's interpretation of Sauron as only an Eye. I think that Sauron had a full body but his eye had this piercing gaze because he had a strong lifeforce on account of his being a Maia and all...
To support my point, Aragorn had the heralds cry "Let the lord of the Black Land come forth!" I don't exactly see Sauron as a huge eyeball rolling down Barad-Dur toward the Morannon. IMO, this means that Sauron had an incarnate form.

[Gordis]

Originally Posted by Beren3000

I don't think this "eye" is the palantir. I think it was the "physical feature"; but I don't like Peter Jackson's interpretation of Sauron as only an Eye. I think that Sauron had a full body but his eye had this piercing gaze because he had a strong lifeforce on account of his being a Maia and all...
To support my point, Aragorn had the heralds cry "Let the lord of the Black Land come forth!" I don't exactly see Sauron as a huge eyeball rolling down Barad-Dur toward the Morannon. IMO, this means that Sauron had an incarnate form.

I agree with all my heart that Sauron had a physical body. Perhaps he had one or two flaming eyes with vertical slits. One eye, likely. (Why does that always remind me of Gil-Galad's Aiglos?)

But did Sauron need some extra device to see far with his eye/eyes? Because if he had, that device looks very much like a palantir to me. Either he invented something of his own (as Galadriel with her mirror) or he used the palantir of Minas Ithil.
Normally people were not aware when someone looked at them using the palantir. But perhaps with Sauron being a very powerful bad maia and all, his gaze could be seen or felt directly at close range (within Mordor) and felt by sensibilized persons (wearing a ring or looking into the Mirror) at a longer range?
Any ideas?

[Last Child of Ungoliant]

IMHO the 'eye of sauron' refers to the fact that sauron had taken control of the ithil stone, maybe the influence of the nine that he held () made people aware that they were being observed [ref to: frodo on amon hen, black arm v. gandalf's voice]

[Olmer]

Originally Posted by gordis

Normally people were not aware when someone looked at them using the palantir.

Normally people aware when somebody is looking at them even without palantir.Try to stare at somebody's back, eventually person becomes uncomfortable and turns around.
The third eye IS exist in our body and this is devise for communication on body's energy level, only it's still in primodial stage in human.
Sauron is a higher being with energy amount surpassing humans many times, therefore his subliminal potential for communication is immense.
The Eye of Sauron, as I see, is a cluster of pulsating, fiery energy deep inside his mind (literally, it's what we call the Third Eye), which is he able to send at will far and away.
Something like some seers are doing.
Nothing paranormal, just highly enhanced body function.

[Nurvingiel]

Awesome question Gordis.

I third that Sauron has a physical body. Not fair to look upon like when he deceived people as Annatar, but certainly a physical form. "There are four fingers on the Black Hand," Gollum said. It's not a stretch to say that there's a body to go along with it.

I don't think of the Eye of Sauron as being in anyway an actual eye. I think it's how people refer to Sauron's will, which is powerful enough to perceive his enemies at a distance.

Let's take the situation on Amon Hen, (which I sketchily recall). Frodo was wearing the Ring, making him much easier for Sauron to perceive. Frodo only avoided discovery because Gandalf, now the White, strove with Sauron and distracted him. Gandalf also urged Frodo to take the Ring off, which he did, making him harder to find.

I don't think Sauron physically sees people with his "eye", I think he perceives their spirit. Maybe like the Nazguls, Sauron's only half operating in the physical world. That's why wearing the Ring makes Frodo easier to find - he becomes much more a part of the spiritual world. Which would explain why he had trouble finding Frodo Ringless.

He probably thought whoever had been wearing the Ring was trying to master it, not destroy it. He knew pretty much nothing about Hobbits, so maybe he had trouble recognizing their presence. I'm having trouble articulating this because I'm running out of canonical evidence.

However, I don't think that Sauron actually had a flaming spotlight of Mordor atop Barad-dur, in addition to an actual body. This seems a bit silly to me, and Sauron is anything but silly. I think Sauron could focus his will in such a powerful way that it would seem like a physical presence.

I think the Eye is a metaphor for Sauron's will, the way Gandalf used "Sauron's arm has grown long" to be a metaphor for Sauron's increasing power and influence.

[Telcontar_Dunedain]

I think the eye refers to the way that Sauron finds out about the goings on in ME, using 'spys' and cretures and beasts that are his service, although I like Nurv's idea of being half in the spirit world, probably by possesing the Nine.

[Gordis]

Originally Posted by Nurvingiel

I don't think Sauron physically sees people with his "eye", I think he perceives their spirit. Maybe like the Nazguls, Sauron's only half operating in the physical world. That's why wearing the Ring makes Frodo easier to find - he becomes much more a part of the spiritual world. Which would explain why he had trouble finding Frodo Ringless.

It is a very interesting observation, Nurvingiel. Actually you may well be right. Now I wonder, could Sauron even use the Palantir normally - to see things of physical world at a distance? Palantir was not a device used for shifting from the unseen world to a normal one. Perhaps his vision, even through the Palantir, was reduced to things of spirit world: he could see wraiths, ringwielders, High Elves, but he were unable to see the approach of the Rohan army or that the Umbar fleet was carrying the Gray company? Perhaps he could use the Palantir only to communicate with other stones and read the thoughts of Saruman and Denethor that contained visions of the physical world that they were able to see in their Palantiri as mortal men? Sounds confusing, even to myself.

[The Wizard from Milan]

Originally Posted by Nurvingiel

I don't think of the Eye of Sauron as being in anyway an actual eye. I think it's how people refer to Sauron's will, which is powerful enough to perceive his enemies at a distance.

Let's take the situation on Amon Hen, (which I sketchily recall). Frodo was wearing the Ring, making him much easier for Sauron to perceive. Frodo only avoided discovery because Gandalf, now the White, strove with Sauron and distracted him. Gandalf also urged Frodo to take the Ring off, which he did, making him harder to find.

I don't think Sauron physically sees people with his "eye", I think he perceives their spirit. Maybe like the Nazguls, Sauron's only half operating in the physical world. That's why wearing the Ring makes Frodo easier to find - he becomes much more a part of the spiritual world. Which would explain why he had trouble finding Frodo Ringless.

I totally agree with Nurv: Sauron's "eye" is Sauron's will or mind; he does not see things with his eyes when he uses the "eye" (confusig I know), when he needs to see something with his eyes, he uses the palantir

[Baldraf]

Sauron's eye is all of Sauron's will bent towards one thing, the ring.
Everyone sees things, memories, fantasies, etc. with their minds eye.
The inner eye. The hatred, malevolence, wanting of Sauron for one thing.
His will is bent towards getting the ring and the rest of his power from the ring. Sauron's eye is a symbol of all of these things. Sauron has the power to project this eye with his willpower. The want is so strong for the ring, that he can see and be seen looking for the ring. The eye is a product of the evil of Sauron. He lost his body and became shadow when he lost the ring. Being a user of magic, he controlled people with his mind. All he had left was this power. As the ring came closer to him and he could feel his power returning, he became more solid. So, in effect, he had a body. His body was reforming as his true powers came closer to him.

[Fat middle]

Originally Posted by Baldraf

Sauron's eye is all of Sauron's will bent towards one thing, the ring.
Everyone sees things, memories, fantasies, etc. with their minds eye.
The inner eye. The hatred, malevolence, wanting of Sauron for one thing.
His will is bent towards getting the ring and the rest of his power from the ring. Sauron's eye is a symbol of all of these things. Sauron has the power to project this eye with his willpower. The want is so strong for the ring, that he can see and be seen looking for the ring. The eye is a product of the evil of Sauron. He lost his body and became shadow when he lost the ring. Being a user of magic, he controlled people with his mind. All he had left was this power. As the ring came closer to him and he could feel his power returning, he became more solid. So, in effect, he had a body. His body was reforming as his true powers came closer to him.

Well said Baldraf. Although I'm not sure if in the last sentences you're saying that at the time of LOTR Sauron's body was just an eye. I don't agree on that.
I understand "Sauron's eye" like you say as a projection of his will. So, he appears as an eye to other people. Especially when that people have a mind that cannot held the sight of Sauron on them.