Before Sauron settled in Mordor around S.A. 1000, the region was largely desolate, formed by Melkor's (Morgoth's) ancient volcanic works, but it wasn't entirely empty; the giant spider Shelob and her kin inhabited the Ephel Dúath mountains, preying on passing Elves and Men, while scattered, unnamed Southlander tribes lived in the more fertile southern parts, like Nurn, before Sauron enslaved them or they fled.
The first being known to occupy the mountains of Mordor was Shelob, fleeing from the War of Wrath in Beleriand at the end of the First Age. She fed herself on Elves and Men living or passing nearby until these became scarce. Sauron settled in Mordor around S.A. 1000.
Sauron's rise to power in the Second Age is portrayed in the Amazon prequel series The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power. He first appears disguised as the non-canonical human character Halbrand, and then in the second season as Annatar (a canonical alias of Sauron), both played by Charlie Vickers.
All the Nazgûl are named - The Witch-king of Angmar, The Dark Marshal, Khamûl The Easterling, The Betrayer, The Shadow Lord, The Undying, The Dwimmerlaik, The Tainted and The Knight of Umbar.
Within Tolkien's fiction, "Mordor" had two meanings: "Black Land" in Sindarin, and "Land of Shadow" in Quenya. The root mor ("dark", "black") also appeared in Moria, which meant "Black Pit", and Morgoth, the first Dark Lord.
It was a lengthy battle where Gandalf put up a good fight. Gandalf the White has a stand-off with the Witch King at the siege of Minas Tirith and he is disarmed within seconds and would most likely be killed, before being saved. Why?
Why was Sauron afraid of Aragorn potentially possessing the Ring? Gandalf explains it in the Return of the King (during the council after the battle of the Pelennor fields) that Sauron would never think somebody would want to destroy the One Ring.
Gollum came from the river folk. He was shown as a hobbit in The Two Towers. The ring, time, centuries living under a mountain and steady diet of goblin babies changed his appearance, but not his past.
After he was attacked by the orcs, they transported his lifeless body to Mordor at Sauron's behest. Sauron revived Isildur with one of the nine rings, and then tortured him until his spirit was broken and he became a Nazgûl.
As a Maia, Gandalf was an angelic being in human form, in service to the Creator (Eru Ilúvatar) and the Creator's 'Secret Fire'. He took on the specific form of an old man as a sign of his humility. His role was to advise but never to attempt to match Sauron's strength.
His task was to do the bidding of his masters and so when he proved unfaithful in doing that task his masters stripped him of his robes and gave them to one who would do their bidding. Gandalf is now the White, Saruman as he should have been.
He is of the same 'race' as Sauron, Balrogs, and the other Wizards. As for the in-universe explanation, here's a brief history: There exists a supreme being, called Eru. He created divine beings, called the Ainur.
Aragorn Was Self-Aware And Resistant To Mistakes
Aragorn was conscious of repeating his ancestors' mistakes, which helped him resist the temptation of the One Ring. Boromir had no such personal training or blueprint.
Aragorn II was the son of Arathorn II and Gilraen. He was the last Chieftain of the Dúnedain and a direct descendant through many [note 1] generations of Isildur, the last High King of both Arnor and Gondor.
At one point in the book, Sauron almost discovered Frodo with the ring on. That was when Frodo wore the ring on Amon Hen, also known as the Seat of Seeing, with the added ability for distance vision. Otherwise, Frodo can only be seen by individuals in the "other world" if they are close.
Despite their great power and position as instruments of Sauron's will, not much is known of their activities during the Second Age. They were temporarily dispersed after Sauron's downfall in SA 3434 in the War of the Last Alliance.
After its conclusion, many Northmen emigrated to Gondor, and that is how Gondor's blood became "mingled". (LOTR Appendix A) So yes, Aragorn's blood can be considered "purer Númenorean".
By lingering behind, she chose mortality so she could rejoin him. She died a year after him of heartbreak if I recall correctly. She chose a mortal life to be with Aragorn, as such she could no longer travel to or set foot upon Valinor. Gimli, Bilbo, Frodo, and Sam were the only mortals ever granted passage to Valinor.
Celebrimbor was the greatest smith in Middle Earth. Sauron had a great admiration for smithing and craftsmanship. He probably wished he could have kept Celebrimbor as his abilities could have further served Sauron's new world order. It was a loss for Sauron.
It tells you why right in the book, Sauron releases him because he knows Gollum will go after the ring, and can be watched, leading Sauron to the ring.
Characteristics. Sam has brown eyes. At some points his hands are described as brown. This could indicate he belongs to the Harfoots, as they are described as having browner skin than the Fallohides, to which breed Merry, Pippin and Frodo belong.
He was known by many names during the long years he remained in Middle-earth: Elves named him Mithrandir, the Grey Pilgrim, while the men of Arnor named him Gandalf, which became his most common name. He was also known as Incánus in the south, and Tharkûn to the Dwarves.
Elrond chose the fate of the Elves and therefore the choice was presented to his children. The reason why Eldarion and his sisters (the children of Aragorn and Arwen) were born mortal was because Arwen chose mortality and therefore that fate was passed on to the rest of their line.
Saruman first appeared during a fourth phase of writing in a rough narrative outline dated August 1940. Intended to account for Gandalf's absence, it describes how a wizard titled "Saramond the White" or "Saramund the Grey", who has fallen under the influence of Sauron, lures Gandalf to his stronghold and traps him.
Sauron needed Gandalf out of the picture permanently, as he was the only enemy with the knowledge, leadership and determination to thwart him. His biggest mistake was ego. He succeeded by trickery, by his ability to deceive others. He conquered so much land that his ability to control became out of reach .