Sauron, the Necromancer

[Mithadan]

The Merriam-Webster on-line dictionary defines "necromancy" as "conjuration of the spirits of the dead for purposes of magically revealing the future or influencing the course of events". It is a term that evokes images of pale, black-clad sorcerers rasing the dead to do their bidding. One thinks of ghosts, the animated skeletons from Jason and the Argonauts or the zombies from The Dawn of the Dead.

Sauron, during his pre-LoTR sojourn in Dol Guldur, becomes known as the "Necromancer" and he and his minions are widely feared. Yet nowhere in the Hobbit or LoTR are "spirits of the dead" clearly apparent. Yes, we have the images of the fallen in the Dead Marshes, yet they are not animated or put to use. Indeed it is not clear that these images are spirits of any sort. Yes, we have the Barrow-Wights, but they are not spirits of the dead buried in the Barrows, but rather undefined spirits that later inhabited the Barrows. Necromancy? Maybe, maybe not. Indeed, the only example we have from the Middle Earth mythos of the spirits of the dead being put to any use is Sauron's use of an image of Eilinel to ensnare Gorlim for the purpose of betraying Barahir. But even here, the Silmarillion tells that the image of Eilinel is a "phantom devised by wizardry", rather than the spirit of Eilinel.

So where are the dead? Why does the sorcerer of Dol Guldur gain fame as the Necromancer?

[Legate of Amon Lanc]

Originally Posted by Mithadan

So where are the dead? Why does the sorcerer of Dol Guldur gain fame as the Necromancer?

As far as I know (but saying that "from second hand" because I didn't read it myself), there is something in HoME, somewhere, about Sauron possibly capturing the spirits of dead Elves who were a bit at loss when heading for Mandos. I recall there being a thread about that, let's say, a year ago? Or maybe a bit more. Maybe you could look for it - or wait for somebody more educated to elaborate (not that I would mind going through it again, either) - or try to find out what volume of HoME it was and read it for yourself (if you have access to some).

[Mithadan]

Maybe you could look for it - or wait for somebody more educated to elaborate

Good point, I'll wait...

[Aelfwine]

How about the Dead at Dunharrow or the Ringwraiths themselves?

[Legate of Amon Lanc]

Originally Posted by Aelfwine

How about the Dead at Dunharrow or the Ringwraiths themselves?

Yes, well - the point is rather that the Dead at Dunharrow have nothing to do with Sauron - they are undead merely because they are oath-breakers. And the Ringwraith, that's again a different mechanism: they "faded", they are not, in fact, undead in the typical sense of the word. They are in the wraith-world, but they are not subject to Sauron's control because of any necromancy, but because of the simple magic of the Rings - ALL Rings, based on their magical nature, and not any necromancy:

Originally Posted by FotR, Chapter 2

A mortal, Frodo, who keeps one of the Great Rings, does not die, but he does not grow or obtain more life, he merely continues, until at last every minute is a weariness. And if he often uses the Ring to make himself invisible, he fades

I guess Morgul could be one example of a Necromancy-soaked place, though.

[William Cloud Hicklin]

Quick reply- in the "Laws & Customs Among the Eldar" section of Morgoth's Ring, Tolkien explains

For the Unbodied, wandering in the world, are those who at the least have refused the door of life and remain in regret and self-pity. Some are filled with bitterness, grievance, and envy. Some were enslaved by the Dark Lord and do his work still, though he himself is gone. They will not speak truth or wisdom. To call on them is folly. To attempt to master them and to make them servants of one's own will is wickedness. Such practices are of Morgoth; and the necromancers are of the host of Sauron his servant.

Some say that the Houseless desire bodies, though they are not willing to seek them lawfully by submission to the judgement of Mandos. The wicked among them will take bodies, if they can, unlawfully. The peril of communing with them is, therefore, not only the peril of being deluded by fantasies or lies: there is peril also of destruction. For one of the hungry Houseless, if it is admitted to the friendship of the Living, may seek to eject the fea from its body; and in the contest for mastery the body may be gravely injured, even if it be not wrested from its righful habitant. Or the Houseless may plead for shelter, and if it is admitted, then it will seek to enslave its host and use both his will and his body for its own purposes. It is said that Sauron did these things, and taught his followers how to achieve them.

In canonical narrative, the Barrow-wights, summoned but not created by the Witch-king, should be understood as necromantic, evil spirits which reanimated corpses.

The Ringwraiths are a rather different matter.

[Bêthberry]

Perhaps the question can be resolved simply by looking at meanings of necromancer and necromancy that Tolkien would be most familiar with. After all, I do believe he knew the OED a bit better than the Merriam Webster on line dictionary.

The first uses of the words recorded in the OED focus more on communication with the dead rather than raising of the dead as spirits to be commanded. In fact, the first meaning given implies just a general reference to wizards and magic rather than to any zombie like animations.

Originally Posted by OED, necromancer

One who practices necromancy; one who claims to carry on communication with the dead; more generally, a wizard, magician, wonder-worker, conjuror.

Originally Posted by OED, necromancy

The pretended art of revealing future events, etc., by means of communication with the dead; more generally, magic, enchantment, conjuration.

One can always take up the OED for the assumptions behind its definitions (viz. the use of "pretended" in the second definition here, as the early employers of the word could quite well have believed in the ability) but it isn't until a usage from Swift that the idea of animated dead acting in this world appears in the quotations explicitly (if I'm reading the tiny print in my microreduced copy correctly.)

So, it is quite possible that Tolkien meant simply a wizard of the dark arts, one who communicates with the dead, even to the point of swearing oaths with them, in order to gain some advantage of knowledge, rather than to any possiblity that Sauron was press ganging the dead into his service as was the wont of the British navy.

Those with a taste for the living dead or the more ephemeral ghosts might of course apply their own thoughts, but perhaps Tolkien in this case merely meant a wizard of the dark side.

[Formendacil]

Of course, one can take this question further, since, in the context it was originally posed, it dealt with Sauron as the Necromancer--in Mirkwood. And, as noted, this is being used as Sauron's name/title, as separate from his history as Sauron because his identity, as Sauron, was not known (at least for some time) to the West.

Any speculation dealing with the broader case of Sauron being a necromancer is interesting--and probably worth pursuing--but let's not forget that most of the reasons we might come up with for thinking "necromancer" an appropriate cognomen for Sauron are divorced from his hidden identity in Mirkwood. Anything to do with the Ringwraiths is out, on that score, because the Úlairi (Ringwraiths) are clearly known to be Sauron's doing at the time of the Last Alliance (cf. "Of the Rings of Power and the Third Age"). Consequently, the actions of the Witchking, Angmar in general, and the retaking of Minas Morgûl would not have been laid at Sauron's door when he was first named the Necromancer--and this would include the Barrow-wights of Cardolan.

William Cloud Hicklin has a good argument from the OED that Tolkien did not mean much of a reference to death, but merely a generally malevolent practicer of dark arts, but it would still be interesting to know what these dark arts are.

Also--it occurs to me that I am assuming it was the West that gave Sauron-in-Mirkwood the name/title "the Necromancer" but I'm not sure this is warranted on my part. Although, on the one hand, I seem to recall (but cannot readily find a passage that says so...) that Sauron either never could or never did assume fair form again after the fall of Númenor, this does not mean that Sauron would necessarily have put out so dark an image as to call himself the Necromancer--especially given that there are reasons, namely the quote from "Laws and Customs of the Eldar" that would suggest that such a name might have rung a few alarm bells in the memories of Wise had Sauron claimed it for himself.

But if Sauron DIDN'T take that title to himself, what DID he call himself when he first returned to Mirkwood?

[Pitchwife]

Originally Posted by Legate of Amon Lanc

there is something in HoME, somewhere

Unless I'm very much mistaken, this would probably be in Laws and Customs (Morgoth's Ring, HoME XII), which, among other things, deals with Elvish reincarnation and the fate of houseless fear - but I can't check it right now. Hope this helps.

Another thing that comes to my mind in this context is the Silent Watchers of Cirith Ungol, which seem to have been inhabited by spirits of some sort (RK, Book VI, The Tower of Cirith Ungol):

some dreadful spirit of evil vigilance abode in them

Houseless Elvish fear imprisoned in statues? Now that's a nasty thought...