Warning! Spoilers for Rings of Power season 2 ahead!
Sauron has black blood in The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, a unique characteristic that connects him to the original Dark Lord Morgoth. Tolkien never explicitly stated that Sauron had black blood in his works, and no other Maia (the type of being Sauron originally was) had black blood either. This is another area in which Prime Video’s Lord of the Rings series has taken some creative liberties. However, given what Tolkien wrote about Morgoth in The Silmarillion, the sour state of Sauron’s blood is a reasonable addition to The Rings of Power.
In the first episode of The Rings of Power season 2, Adar and the Orcs brutally murdered Sauron, and this was the first instance in the Prime Video series in which his black blood appeared. In Rings of Power season 2, episode 6, Sauron (as Annatar) cuts open his hand and fills a vial with his own blood, which he gives to Celebrimbor under the illusion that it is refined mithril. Finally, in episode 7, the black color of Sauron’s blood is part of how Celebrimbor identifies Annatar as the Dark Lord. So, where does this idea come from?
Morgoth Had Black Blood, So Sauron Likely Did Too
Rings Of Power Is Drawing From A Deep-Cut Canon Detail
In The Silmarillion, Tolkien wrote about a battle between Morgoth and Fingolfin (Fëanor’s half-brother), in which the Dark Lord was injured seven times. As this pair continued to battle, Morgoth’s blood filled holes in the ground left by his devastating hammer. This blood is described to have been black. There was no further explanation for this, though it is noted in other parts of Tolkien’s work that Orc blood is also black. Since neither Morgoth nor Orcs were evil by the god of Lord of the Rings‘ initial design, it can be assumed that black blood is a sign of their corruption.
In Valinor, Sauron was called Mairon, known to be trustworthy with a great love for perfection and balance.
Sauron was originally a Maia who served the Valar (like Morgoth) and Ilúvatar in the creation of the universe. After Morgoth established himself as the Dark Lord in Middle-earth, Sauron followed and became his lieutenant (after spending centuries serving as Morgoth’s spy in Valinor). The process of Sauron’s transition from an inherently good Maia to the Dark Lord’s servant was slow, and Rings of Power implies that this corruption turned his blood to the black, sour substance seen in season 2.
Sauron’s Black Blood Could Actually Be More Than Just Blood
Rings Of Power Takes “Blood” A Little Further
Rings of Power also implies that Sauron’s blood is more than the typical red stuff found in living things. After being murdered by Adar and the Orcs, Sauron’s black blood seeped into the earth and congealed, coming together to form a new body over time. In Tolkien’s works, Sauron’s essence or spirit remained after his body was destroyed, and similarly, it took a long time to garner enough strength to take form. Rings of Power uses the black blood to represent this essence, implying that the lifeforce that seeps from Sauron (and Morgoth, by extension) when wounded is a far more intimate part of their evil being.
Black blood seems to represent the corruption and decay of a being’s own soul in Rings of Power…
This has significant implications regarding Rings of Power‘s Nine Rings. Celebrimbor unknowingly used Sauron’s black blood as a substitute for mithril when making the Nine. This will likely create a strong connection between those who wear these Rings and Sauron, possibly explaining why the recipients would become the Ringwraiths of Lord of the Rings. Ultimately, black blood seems to represent the corruption and decay of a being’s own soul in Rings of Power, and since there are many more yet to be corrupted, we are sure to see more of this dark substance flowing before the end.