Despite Gandalf visiting Dol Guldur and encountering The Necromancer in An Unexpected JourneyWell, there were still some reasons why the White Council wouldn’t listen to him about Sauron’s return, even if it made them sound naive (or even silly) to fans. At the time, Saruman was the only other wizard/stari Lord of the rings The White Council with Gandalf, led by other powerful members such as Elrond and Galadriel, convened to discuss important matters in Middle-earth. Each of them had lived through and been affected by Sauron’s corruption in some way, which makes it especially strange why they didn’t take Gandalf’s warnings about the shapeshifter in the ruins more seriously.
Gandalf visited Dol Guldur on two separate occasions that were separated over thousands of years, though what happened on both visits was merged into one for the film. A lot happened in Middle-earth between Gandalf’s visits, including changing allegiances and shifting opinions about what was happening in the ruins as word of the Orc sightings spread. After Gandalf chooses Bilbo to join Thorin’s company, his journey to the Lonely Mountain brings him to Gollum and the One Ring, which would cause a ripple effect of evil for many years to come, felt only by a few of the most powerful beings, and recognized by the less than that.
Saruman had already decided that he wanted the Ring himself
What Gandalf did not know at the time he warned the White Council about necromancers was that Saruman had already begun to corrupt with the power of the One Ring and could not be trusted. Saruman wanted the Ring for himself, and wanted to spend time searching for it in other regions, not waste time scouting Dol Guldur for a revived Sauron. Of course, he couldn’t outwardly declare it, and had to make excuses instead to get rid of the smell of Gandalf (and the rest of the White Council).
Saruman hoped Sauron would continue to do his work and ask the One Ring, to eventually reveal itself to its master, giving Saruman the opportunity to claim it for himself. He suspected it, given that Dol Guldur was near the Gladden Fields where Isildur was eventually brought down, and it would only be a matter of time until Sauron’s busy work cleared it up. As the wisest and fairest member of the White Council, Saruman has been chosen to lead it, and so cannot be seen playing his hand in a way that threatens his integrity and leadership.
Most Lord of the Rings characters believe Sauron has been defeated
Even if Saruman had second thoughts on the matter, he kept them to himself, and the other members of the White Council (and Lord of the Rings characters in general) believed Sauron had died after Isildur cut him down in battle. His evil had not been felt for an age, and everything that was happening in Dol Guldur was attributed to the Nazgûl or some other malevolent being beside the Dark Lord, which was perfect for him. It was hard to imagine how Sauron could have returned with the One Ring still missing and no physical ship to be found.
Saruman sought the Ring in the River Anduin and the Fields of Gladden but not as Sauron’s steward, and while his interests were self-serving, they weren’t entirely evil. Saruman sought knowledge before he sought power, and was still on the side of light when he searched for the One Ring, more so than to take control of all of Middle-earth. Besides, it’s been so long since anyone alive has heard of Sauron, and the Witch-king has been leading crusades of his own against Arnor, that even their first thought wouldn’t be that Sauron had returned from being a formless entity unless you were there. News also 1 episode found.
Why did Saruman change his mind about attacking Dol Guldur
There were two reasons why Saruman eventually changed his mind about attacking Dol Guldur, and both reveal the complexities of his character at the time. Saruman, on the other hand, was still worried about Gandalf protecting him from Sauron’s malice and did not want his search for the One Ring to be what led to Gandalf’s death. On the other hand, it reached a point where Saruman could no longer refuse to go without arousing suspicion, and once he realized that Sauron knew where Isildur died, there was a danger that Sauron would find the One Ring before Saruman could get to it first.
necromancer in An Unexpected Journey It was one of the many ways Sauron’s greatest powers had returned for some time, but despite the Witch-king’s maneuvers, attacks from the Easterlings, and other signs, the White Council, like other inhabitants of Middle-earth, didn’t act until it was too late. In the end, the damage was done, and Sauron was in a perfect position to come back, and only the final attack on Dol Guldur succeeds in proving just how powerful Sauron is. Sauron had nothing to do but let arrogance cloud the judgment of even the most clairvoyant of beings and wait for their denial to clear the way for a perfect surprise attack.
