Why didn't Sauron lead the attacks?

[Attalus]

Well put, Lefty! I can imagine fewer things that would alarm Sauron more than an i
ncursion by his ancient enemies the Eagles. And, of course, just one troop of Orcs in or around the Sammath Naur would have brought the whole quest to an end. Gandalf and Elrond both stressed the need for secrecy.

[Olmer]

But, maybe Sauron was not that much interested in the Ring?
How come that he never did an extensive search, when he knew very well an aproximate location where to took for his lost jewelry?
How come Saruman (who was really interested in attaining the Ring) sent twice more of his limited "special forces" to ambush all potential ringbearers , while Sauron, having at his hands a limitless troops, sent a "task force' of just 40 inept uruks and did not even bother to secure his border area with patrols to make sure no one try to escape the trap?

[Amanda]

Yeah, Sauron didn't have a magnificent track record when it came to going into battle. He hid from his master as Angband fell, and although he presented himself at the end of the Second Age, he met with a miserable (yet not total) defeat. Sauron's like this kind of person everyone's afraid of, but when you get to know him, you eventually realize that he's more like an angry house cat on steroids. Yeah, he's got an awesome mace and the one ring and can kill about 20 to 50 men in one swing of his mace, but he makes some of the worst mistakes in the history of evil beings bent on world domination. He gains the fear of the people through not much more than his minions -- trolls, the biting flies of Mordor, his current residence which looks to have quite the evil aura about it, the orcs who fight and die just for Sauron's amusement, and last but definitely not least, his Nazgul. It's just something that a being as old and strong as Sauron didn't have much hands-on experience in combat.

[Lefty Scaevola]

Originally Posted by Olmer

How come that he never did an extensive search, when he knew very well an aproximate location where to took for his lost jewery?

He apparently tried, when he had his HQ at Dol Guldar, but whatever information he had obtained on Isildur's end (apparently less than Saruman had, per a bit from UT), he had no idea that some Hobbits named Smeagol had already found it and was hidning under the Mysty Mountains. He did not learn that part until shortly before the War of the Ring. It would not occur to him that some little person had found it and was using it to occaisionally ambush a goblin in deep caverns. Without it making a more spetacular appearance on the hands of a warrior or king, he would think it was still lost in some swamp somewhere.

[Attalus]

Yes, and here the movie led many people into error, by making it seem that Sauron had loosed the Nine before Bilbo had given the Ring to Frodo. Canonically, it was 17 years before Gandalf returned to Hobbiton to tell Frodo the true nature of his trove. The Nine, Sauron's mightiest servants and some of the few trusty enough to bear the Ring were not sent abroad until about the time of the events related in "The Shadow of the Past" and spent the summer blundering around in the Wild, to Sauron's mounting impatience and wrath. It is hard to remember in these days of GPS and Mapquest that Sauron (and Gollum,!) had little idea where the Shire lay.

[Attalus]

I always think of Sauron as something like an evil bureaucrat: everything has to be just so, like he likes it,a and if it isn't, he throws a hissy-fit/

[Olmer]

It's just something that a being as old and strong as Sauron didn't have much hands-on experience in combat.

He didn't have to. Only a moron leader would go to the battle ahead of his army.
The art of successful management is to plan strategic moves and let others to accomplish this plans. As I see, Sauron was much wiser than edain. Galadriel, by the way, used the same tactic.

I always think of Sauron as something like an evil bureaucrat: everything has to be just so, like he likes it,a and if it isn't,

He was a perfectionist. As opposite to his teacher. He tried to create an order on a god forsaken land. But the law of nature (the nature of Valar) to create a chaos. So he have had full hands.

He apparently tried, when he had his HQ at Dol Guldar, but whatever information he had obtained on Isildur's end (apparently less than Saruman had, per a bit from UT),

Something says to me that he didn't try too hard. But, maybe, because he already had found it?
The reason of such thinking is in the strangeness of a Dol Guldur's account.
Sauron's movements in and out of Dol Guldur are quite interesting. For a thousand years he stayed there, right in the middle of an elves domain an nobody ever bothered him, even knowing that " the power of Dol Guldur grows"(LOTR)
Then a curious Gandalf paid a visit to the fort.
I think that Gandalf's story of this venture is a bit prevaricated; they recognised each other and had some talk. Othervise why the heck Sauron suddenly decided to leave Dol Guldur if he have had a peacefull life over there and did not have any treat?
So, they talked...Probably found that they are sharing related agendas. They made a plan and after a frienly hands (or whatever)shake each went on their own way. And, seemingly, for 400 years both sides did not make any moves.
Then, suddenly, Sauron comes back to Dol Guldur and - voila!- 3 years later Deagol dived in the gushing flow of the river and found a Ring, which for (suposedly) 2460 years had lain on the riverbed's sand in a plain view. Lay as it fell in the water!
Seems the Ring turned out in a quite unnatural way. Who planted it?

[Attalus]

Why on Middle-earth would Sauron want to give away the R
ing, his Achilles' heel?

[Olmer]

Originally Posted by Attalus

Why on Middle-earth would Sauron want to give away the Ring, his Achilles' heel?

Who said it was his Achilles heel? Sauron did not say that.
Seems he was quite all right staying without it: travelling around, getting back to his previous healthy shape (he is an ainu after all), redecorating Barad Dur, building up the army, looking for new aliases, ruling the world (most of it)...
Probably after the defeat at Orodruin he came to realization that his idea with rings was like a dud - wouldn't not work (elves refused to use the rings despite having a great loss), but too dangerous for commonners on ME.
So he was wrapping up the project, collecting loose ends and loose rings. After all one never know, what if his homely Barad Dur and Mordor will be turned into another Numenor disaster if he will continue to pursue his
agenda using modifying the law of nature devises.
Besides, probally it downed to him - to rule the word you don't need a magic artifacts. The art of persuasion will make you reach your goals without sacrifices, and this was not a problem, because he was a smooth talker.

So, he needed to start with a clean slate and with such makeover that nobody would suspect a former Dark Lord in a new charming stranger. He needs to leave the stage with a big bang and a lot of witnesses, so nobody forever would have a doubt about his departure.
It could be done only if you will stage the destruction of the Ring. But he couldn't do it all by himself. He needed a help. And here comes Gandalf...

[CAB]

Attalus is absolutely right in referring to the Ring as Sauron's Achilles' heel. It was Sauron's one fatal weakness...the only way he could be destroyed.

Olmer, I always enjoy reading your ideas and look forward to you expanding on this one. I guess you are suggesting that Gandalf and Sauron struck a deal whereby Gandalf could return to Valinor as the hero who defeated Sauron while Sauron would be able to avoid a “Numenor disaster” and take up a new identity? Is that right?

A few starting questions: You speak of the plan involving many witnesses but as I see it there were only two. Was this a failure of the plan?

Was Gollum, the actual destroyer of the Ring, in on the plan?

Wasn't Sauron stuck in his then current form? How could he expect to have a “clean slate” while still residing in such a body?

It seems to me that the Ring must have truly been destroyed. The Nazgul vanished, Orodruin blew up, the holders of the Three surely felt the removal of the influence of the One, Frodo's mind was released, Bilbo suddenly got old, etc. How does this fit with your idea?

[Olmer]

Thanks, Thurin for your interest in my ramblings. This is my way to study Tolkien - you are getting an idea, and then you are poring through the books looking for facts to prove it, or for quotes to disaprove it. Either way it makes reading more interesting.

It was Sauron's one fatal weakness...the only way he could be destroyed.

He can't be destroyed. He was a Maia, one of the original Ainur - the spirits, who shaped Arda by manipulating the physical world.
Though reduced to his raw state, he would still have an ability of creation. Obviously, Sauron put some of his power into the Ring to preserve his created body, but after the destruction of the body his spirit was affected only by a temporal weakness, just like you are geting tired after a hard work day.
So, the destruction of the Ring could reduce him to the spirit, which is, after some recuperation, will be as powerful, as ever.

...you are suggesting that Gandalf and Sauron struck a deal whereby Gandalf could return to Valinor as the hero who defeated Sauron while Sauron would be able to avoid a “Numenor disaster” and take up a new identity?

You've got that right!

You speak of the plan involving many witnesses but as I see it there were only two.

Is 7000 of Aragorn's men and "ten times and more than ten times" of Sauron's soldiers at Morannon not enough?

Was Gollum, the actual destroyer of the Ring, in on the plan?

No in some way. By the plan the ringbearer should be a hobbit, any hobbit, who can be easily manipulated. So, Deagol was a first choice, but "*** happens". Nobody forsaw the Ring would end up with Smeagol, sly and distrustful fellow, who just disappeared from everybody's field of view, screwing up such a good scheme.
This is why good old Gandalf was periodically sending hobbits on "mad adventures" in hope that kind will find kind. And eventually it worked out.

[Attalus]

After the destruction of the Ring, Tolkien specifically states that Sauron would remain a spirit, unable to take form again.

[Olmer]

Originally Posted by Attalus

After the destruction of the Ring, Tolkien specifically states that Sauron would remain a spirit, unable to take form again.

He just said that Sauron would be ..diminished to vanishing point, and he would be reduced to a shadow (Let.#131) He did not say "forever" and he did not say "disappears completely".
Actually, according to Tolkien, he is indestructable.
So, he became a spirit. It his natural form, and with lost of his temporary "body" he is not loosing any knowledge or abilities, he just taking a longer time for recovery of his capacity to act physically .
Note, Gandalf said that Sauron put a great part of his own former power in the Ring, but not ALL his power. He was not such an idiot to trust all his existence into an artifact with dubious qualities (like looking for a new and stronger owner).
The story was greatly exaggerated by Gandalf, who, by the way, at the council of Elrond was talking about any kind of things which this awfull ring can do, but Sauron's destruction was never among them. Maybe the sly old man knew better?
Maybe with destruction of the Ring all Sauron's power was not diminished, but released, and he was able to get it back?
After all Tolkien gives a suggestion of Sauron's return in the future.

[mithrand1r]

Maybe we can wait for Tolkien to write about Sauron's return.

I enjoy your take on things Olmer. One day, I'll have to look at other works to see if I can do the same as you have done with LOTR.

Originally Posted by Olmer

He just said that Sauron would be ..diminished to vanishing point, and he would be reduced to a shadow (Let.#131) He did not say "forever" and he did not say "disappears completely".
Actually, according to Tolkien, he is indestructable.
So, he became a spirit. It his natural form, and with lost of his temporary "body" he is not loosing any knowledge or abilities, he just taking a longer time for recovery of his capacity to act physically .
Note, Gandalf said that Sauron put a great part of his own former power in the Ring, but not ALL his power. He was not such an idiot to trust all his existence into an artifact with dubious qualities (like looking for a new and stronger owner).
The story was greatly exaggerated by Gandalf, who, by the way, at the council of Elrond was talking about any kind of things which this awfull ring can do, but Sauron's destruction was never among them. Maybe the sly old man knew better?
Maybe with destruction of the Ring all Sauron's power was not diminished, but released, and he was able to get it back?
After all Tolkien gives a suggestion of Sauron's return in the future.

[Olmer]

Thanks, mithrand1r You have to try to look deeper into the story. Ask questions. Makes a lot more interesting to read.

Maybe we can wait for Tolkien to write about Sauron's return

Unfortunately, it will be a long wait.
But, fortunately, at least he left to us some suggestions about upcoming events. So, we will know what to expect and won't be kept in the dark.

[GrayMouser]

Originally Posted by mithrand1r

Maybe we can wait for Tolkien to write about Sauron's return.

I enjoy your take on things Olmer. One day, I'll have to look at other works to see if I can do the same as you have done with LOTR.

One interesting case of a writer doing that to her own work is Ursula K. LeGuin in her Earthsea series. The first three -an actual trilogy- show a pretty standard patriarchal fantasy world; 'Tehannu', written 20 years later 'deconstructs' (Oh no, the "D" word!) the earlier world from a feminist viewpoint.

She basically makes the case that all the great and good wizards she wrote about in the first series are just a bunch of narrow-minded power-hungry jerks.

[SonOfSamWise]

I don't know if anyone suggested this yet, but, separated from the one ring, Sauron was in many ways impotent.
What power would a Ringwraith have if separated from his ring?
After Isildur lost the ring, it took Sauron a couple thousand years to cobble together enough of his prostrate energy to even muster together the Ringwraiths for a search and pursuit.
Without the One Ring, Sauron was like the crazy quadraplegic, Mason Verger, from Hannibal, ordering from a wheel chair his slaves, the Nazgul, to do his bidding.