What were Sauron's powers in The Lord of the Rings (LOTR)? Did he have any magic or anything like that?

Tolkien is not always direct, but if you read the trilogy many, many times, or you just read between the lines, the answer is basically there….

And before the downfall of Numenor, his powers included the ability to be incredibly persuasive (sort of like the Serpent in the Garden of Eden). But after that episode, he was never able to once again assume a “fair form.”

And finally, Sauron has massive knowledge of the “lore” of two of the greatest Valar: Morgoth and Aule, because Sauron served each of them in turn. And, in working for these two powerful Valar, he retained the knowledge he would later use to forge the Rings of Power.

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But what precisely are those powers… and how, if in any way, are these unique powers uniquely related to the Ring?

Yes, and Tolkien says (often through the mouth of Gandalf) that the Dark Lord Sauron is the most powerful, and most terrifying, being in all of Middle Earth…. and that his power, EVEN WITHOUT THE RING, is terrifying and could completely crush anyone in a one-to-one confrontation. Sauron could basically rip your sanity from you and destroy your mind. Really.

He could look at you and cause immense pain, just by reaching into your mind.

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The powers of Sauron are related intimately to power, domination, and the supreme Will to control all other beings.

As I interpret this, you would never want to have a one-on-one meeting with Sauron (as Pippin did, in a way). To confront Sauron would be to confront a supremely strong Will, which could crush you through its sheer power to dominate. We do know that Sauron was able to dominate, and even control, Denethor and Saruman (two people of great power themselves) through the power of his Mind.

He could probably look at you and know everything you were thinking, if he really tried to. He might have discovered what Pippin knew, but he underestimated the importance of these little Hobbits.

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