After Sauron was essentially reborn as Annatar at the end of The Rings of Power Season 2, Episode 2, many are curious about the significance of his new Annatar form, which is also called the Lord of Gifts.

Sauron’s deception was at an all-time high in The Rings of Power Season 1 when he disguised himself at Halbrand and spent most of the season directly at the side of Galadriel.

After Galadriel learned of his true nature, she instructed Celebrimbor not to work with Halbrand/Sauron again, but that did not work out too well at the beginning of Season 2.

Sauron’s Transformation to Annatar in The Rings of Power Season 2

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At the end of The Rings of Power Season 2, Episode 1, Sauron, who was still in his Halbrand form, ventured to Eregion in hopes of being welcomed back by Celebrimbor.

As Galadriel instructed, Celebrimbor refused to allow him into the city, but that did not last very long, as the Elvish smith eventually went outside to talk with Sauron and explain to him that he had to leave.

However, Sauron deceived Celebrimbor once more, making it sound as though he had talked with Galadriel and everything had been worked out.

After letting him back inside, Celebrimbor and Sauron talked about making more Rings of Power, until eventually, Celebrimbor opposed Sauron’s ideas of making some for men.
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Sauron tried to tell Celebrimbor that he was not the king of the Southlands, and was not even a mortal, but instead an “envoy” sent to Celebrimbor.

Celebrimbor seemed interested as Sauron essentially explained to him that he was sent by the Valar (which, in a way, is true since Sauron is a Maia). For those unfamiliar, the Valar were fourteen rulers of the world (think of them as angels), and the Maiar were directly below them on the power chain.

However, Celebrimbor did not believe Sauron.
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Seeing no other alternative, Sauron snuck into Celebrimbor’s forge, and when the gates opened, walked out with light beaming from behind him appearing as if he was the god sent down from the heavens of Middle-earth that he explained to be.

Speaking to Celebrimbor, he stated he sought to save Middle-earth through the creation of the Rings of Power and needed Celebrimbor’s help as he was the greatest smith in existence.

Celebrimbor fell to his knees, claiming that he must bow since he saw Sauron in his natural form, making it clear that he now believed him.
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After asking what he should call him, Sauron told Celebrimbor that his name was Annatar, which Celebrimbor noticed meant Lord of Gifts.

It is important to note that the word Annatar directly translates to Lord of Gifts in Quenya, which is the language that the Elves speak.

Why Did Sauron Change His Appearance?

Before changing his appearance and donning the long, golden hair, Sauron was simply known to the people of Middle-earth as a lowly king from the Southlands.

Although he helped Celebrimbor forge the three rings for the Elves, Celebrimbor still felt as though he was above Sauron since, at that time, he just appeared to be a man.

However, Sauron (now Annatar, Lord of Gifts) knew that if he were to convince Celebrimbor that he was a higher power sent by the Valar, Celebrimbor would do any and everything he asked.

However, he still could not appear as just a man and had to make it seem as though he had been in disguise.

So, Annatar is essentially just the fair form that Sauron chose for his appearance to further his deception. He will ultimately use that deception and his appearance to get Celebrimbor to create the rest of the Rings of Power.

It is also worth noting that he intentionally chose his name because it means Lord of Gifts so that Celebrimbor will see the rings as gifts to the people of Middle-earth and not something to be afraid of.

galadFans will likely continue to see Sauron in his Annatar form for the foreseeable future, at least until one major event happens that will change him forever.

The Rings of Power is available to stream on Amazon Prime Video, and new episodes are released every Thursday.