Sauron was the most powerful of the Maiar—primordial spirits created to help the Valar first shape the World. His original name was Mairon, which means "the Admirable," and as an immortal spirit born before the world's creation, he was able to perceive the Creator Eru Ilúvatar directly.
He explained that, like "all tyrants", Sauron had started out with good intentions but was corrupted by power, and that he "went further than human tyrants in pride and the lust for domination", being in origin an immortal (angelic) spirit.
Origin. Sauron's original name was Mairon. He was the mightiest Maia of the Vala Aulë the Smith, and learned much from Aulë of smithing and handiwork, becoming a great craftsman and "mighty in the lore of" Aulë's people. He was among the most powerful Maiar.
Sauron was once a wise Maia who valued order but was corrupted by Morgoth and became his first lieutenant wishing to assist Morgoth in order to create the world he saw fit.
The first Dark Lord was the rebel Vala first known as Melkor and then as Morgoth. Denied the demiurgic power he desired, he was consumed by a nihilistic purpose: the destruction of Middle-earth. The second Dark Lord was Morgoth's successor, the subversive Maia named Mairon, and later Sauron.
The Story of Sauron - The Lord of the Rings - The Lord of the Rings Universe - See U in History
Who was the big bad before Sauron?
Melkor is the most powerful of the Valar but he turns to darkness and is renamed Morgoth, the primary antagonist of Arda. All evil in the world of Middle-earth ultimately stems from him. One of the Maiar of Aulë betrays his kind and becomes Morgoth's principal lieutenant and successor, Sauron.
Bloodlines are very important in Tolkien's stories, and it makes a lot of sense that Sauron would fear the great-grandson of the man who cut off his hand. Aragorn carried the blood of Numenor with him. His genetic connection to the heroes of the Second Age established him as a dangerous opponent of Sauron.
Despite her power, Galadriel couldn't match Sauron's ability to wield the One Ring, and it would have ultimately turned against her. Even if she managed to carry the ring, Galadriel's ambition and power-seeking nature would have eventually led to her corruption, making her unfit to deal with Sauron's weapon.
"So I think in his pitch to Galadriel, it cannot mean that he loves her or that there's any kind of romantic relationship. There should be no ambiguity around the fact that Sauron is evil — he's terrible, and he's using Galadriel to enhance his power."
Isildur used a broken sword to cut the Ruling Ring off Sauron's hand. Sauron was fatally wounded by Gil-galad and Elendil as Sauron killed them. Gandalf took the job of blocking the Balrog - and he was barely able to defeat the Balrog (in fact, he died in the process).
Sauron was originally a shape-shifting fallen angel and could take on various forms, including a vampire and a werewolf. Sauron's final form was terrifying and demonic, reflecting his own hate and evil, and he did not wear armor in the books.
Although Sauron's origins are angelic, he becomes captivated by the idea of ordering things as per his own will, which might be a possible reason behind him being lured by Morgoth, a Dark Lord who corrupted countless souls and waged wars against Elves and Men throughout the First Age.
Meanwhile, a few faithful Númenóreans, led by Elendil, were saved from the flood, and they founded Gondor and Arnor in Middle-earth. Sauron still considered them his hated enemies and he launched a pre-emptive attack on Gondor in S.A. 3429.
Morgoth, the first to reign terror upon Middle-earth, was more powerful than Sauron and commanded an army of dragons and Balrogs. While both Morgoth and Sauron were cunning, Morgoth's rule and terror lasted longer and his corruption spread further, making him more formidable in the Lord of the Rings universe.
It was said that Morgoth hated and feared the House of Fingolfin most among the Houses of the sons of Finwë, especially Fingolfin's son Turgon, as it was prophesied that his doom would come from the House of Turgon.
Envy: He hates how he cannot make life and is jealous of Eru's ability to create life which is why he creates Discord and is the prime motivation of Morgoth. If it isn't mine, then I will destroy it. Gluttony: He breaks his promise and betrays Ungoliant, so he can keep the Silmarils for himself.
While Morgoth doesn't appear in The Lord of the Rings or The Hobbit, he plays a significant role in The Silmarillion and Tolkien's other writings, and his reign of terror had a far bigger impact on Middle-earth history than Sauron's — as seen in Amazon's The Rings of Power series.
In his notes, Tolkien remarks that Sauron saw Galadriel as his equal. Add that to the fact that she's untrusting of Sauron (yes, even when he's in his Annatar guise) and an unwavering, single-minded force, and it's more likely than not that Sauron feared Galadriel — or the potential she held to upend his plans.
Take note, then, that at the root of Gandalf's quest is fear -fear of Sauron in particular. We are not told exactly why -but Sauron is a fellow Maiar, an angelic being who chose to follow Morgoth at the beginning.
Since their will was not bound to Sauron now, it is more likely that they ran away in terror and scattered across Middle-earth. After Sauron's defeat, Aragorn and his army killed the remaining Orcs in Mordor.
The answer is, by far, Melkor. Melkor, or Morgoth, wanted to currupt and destroy everything good created by the other Valar. Sauron on the other hand only wanted to control and rule Middle Earth.
Mainly Eru for going against his will and siding with Morgoth. After the fall of Morgoth and Sauron's rise to power his primary nemesis would be a collection of leaders who opposed him: Gil-Galad, Elrond, Cirdan, Galadriel, Celeborn, the line of Elros and the Numenoreans.
