Saruman
Saruman is a fictional wizard in J.R.R.
Tolkien's Middle-earth legendarium, appearing prominently in *The Lord of the Rings*.
Originally the head of the wizard order and leader of the council opposing Sauron, he becomes corrupted by power and ambition.
His name has become shorthand for a trusted leader who betrays his allies or abandons his principles: He started as a reformer but went full Saruman once he got the chairmanship.
Practitioner of sorcery
- MaiaGreek nymph, stellar namesake
- corruptedMade impure or dishonest
- fallenHaving dropped down
- betrayerOne who breaks allegiance
staff · voice · Gandalf · enemy · Tolkien · Middle-earth · Lord of the Rings · Sauron
Convincing through reasoning
- enchantmentMagical influence over someone
- manipulationUnderhanded control of others
- hypnoticInducing trance or slumber
- soothingReducing distress or discomfort
compelling · deception · charm · influence · rhetoric · spellbinding · seduction · honeyed
- councilAdvisory deliberative group
- towerTall slender edifice
- confrontationDirect hostile encounter
- imprisonmentLegal detention in jail
superior · jealousy · power struggle · ambition · supremacy · knowledge · lore · competition
wizard
Practitioner of sorcery
betrayer · staff · voice · Gandalf · enemy · Tolkien · Middle-earth · Lord of the Rings · Sauron · servant
persuasion
Convincing through reasoning
- enchantmentMagical influence over someone
- manipulationUnderhanded control of others
- hypnoticInducing trance or slumber
soothing · compelling · deception · charm · influence · rhetoric · spellbinding · seduction · honeyed · mesmerizing
Gandalf
- councilAdvisory deliberative group
- towerTall slender edifice
- confrontationDirect hostile encounter
imprisonment · superior · jealousy · power struggle · ambition · supremacy · knowledge · lore · competition · betrayal
furnaces
Enclosed heating chambers
- orcsSavage fantasy humanoids
- deforestationLarge-scale woodland elimination
- machineryCollective mechanical equipment
Uruk-hai · smoke · pits · forges · breeding · army · war machines · dam · wheels · fires
scouring
Vigorous abrasive cleaning
- diminishedMade or became smaller
- exileBanishment from homeland
- murderDeliberate unlawful killing
stabbing · death · humiliation · ruin · petty · vengeful · powerless · broken · spirit · defeated
- Tolkien CharactersFrodo, Gandalf, Aragorn, Legolas, Gimli
- Tolkien VillainsSauron, Morgoth, Gollum, Nazgul, Balrog
- Lord of the RingsFrodo, Sam, Gollum, Aragorn, Legolas
- Middle-earthFrodo, Gandalf, Aragorn, Bilbo, Gollum
- Wizard StuffGandalf, Merlin, Harry Potter, Hermione, wands
- villainsvillain, antagonists, Darth Vader, evil characters, Joker