The mouth of Sauron

[Ardeth Bay]

When Sauron's "mouth" speaks to the captains of the west @ the gate of mordor he gives the immpression that they captured the ringbearers.

They didn't, so why was Sauron not searching for the ones who bore the ring with all his power

He could have at least spared the nine *the eight* to look for the thing that would give him immediate victory, right?

[Eomer of the Rohirrim]

He didn't know that the spies captured by Cirith Ungol had the Ring. He probably thought it was in Minas Tirith.

[Boromir88]

I agree with Eomer. Sauron believed that Aragorn had the ring. There's a quote in the Silmarillion on a letter he writes to Milton Waldman...

If that would happen, the new posessor could (if sufficiently strong and heroic enough by nature) challenge Sauron, become master of all that he had learned or done since the making of the One Ring, and so overthrow him and usurp his place. This was the essential weakness he had introduced into his situation in his effort (largely unsuccessfully) to enslave the Elves, and in his desire establish control over the minds and wills of his servants. There was another weakness: if the One was actually unmade, annhilated, then its power would be dissolved, Sauron's own reduced to a shadow, a mere memory of malicious will. But that he never contemplated nor feared. The Ring was unbreakable by any smithcraft less than his own. It was indissoluble in any fire, save the undying subterraneans fire where it was made-and that was unapproachable, in Mordor. Also, so great was the Ring's power of lust, that anyone who used it became mastered by it; it was beyond the strength of any will (even his own) to injure it, cast it away, or neglect it.

Sauron never feared the destruction of the Ring (hence why he didn't have really any concern for someone sneaking into Mordor going to Mount Doom and dropping it in). He believed no one could destroy it, nor would anyone want to destroy it.

The thing he feared was someone else using the Ring to try to overthrow him. He believed Aragorn had the ring, he believed naturally Isildur's heir would come to try to use it against him and overthrow him. The Mouth of Sauron went out to try to get Aragorn and co. to bust what they were doing, by telling them they found their spies and they suffered a horrible death. That's all Sauron thought the Hobbits were, spies out of Minas Tirith, he didn't think they had the ring.

[Thinlómien]

Originally posted by Boromir88
Sauron believed that Aragorn had the ring. There's a quote in the Silmarillion on a letter he writes to Milton Waldman...

So Sauron wrotre a letter to Milton Waltman? Oh dear...

[Tigerlily Gamgee]

I think that's why Aragorn challenged Sauron using the Palantir in Minas Tirith... to divert Sauron's attention onto himself so that Frodo and Sam could continue to pass safely. Sauron then, I believe, put all of his focus on Gondor, rather than within his own land.
I wonder, though, if Sauron had any thoughts to what Frodo and Sam were doing in his land... or did he even know? We know that the Mouth of Sauron had Frodo and Sam's clothing, but did Sauron know about them? Well, I assume he did. Maybe Sauron thought that Aragorn was using Frodo and Sam as a diversion to take his attention away from Gondor... guess he had it backwards if that's the case.

[Eomer of the Rohirrim]

I've recently re-read that bit of the story. Isn't it interesting that Sauron positioned all eight Ringwraiths at the Black Gate? You'd think that, with these tidings of spies in his land, he would have saved one or two to stay a bit closer to home.

[Himilsillion]

Well that is very odd because that would leave the entire pass of Cirith Ungol open and ready for attack. Sauron must have been really sure that Aragorn had the ring at the Black Gate. He risked everything on that Aragorn had the ring at the gate. As Gamgee has pointed out Sauron could have thought that Frodo and Sam were diversions from Aragorn but, little did he know that they diversions were the other way around.

[mormegil]

If I remember correctly (I don't have that book with me) The Mouth of Sauron called them spies, did he not? Therefore I truly think that Saruon believed them to be spies possibly on some covert operation to disrupt some internal affairs. It was told to the captains of the west in hopes of reading some of their thoughts and intent, hoping that some information could be gleaned for their benefit.

If Sauron had any inkling that Frodo, the spy, possessed the ring he would not have opened the gates and used his forces to search for Frodo and the their quest would have been in vain. Rather Aragorn, Pippin and Gandalf through 'chance' and strategem were able to convince Sauron that the hobbit who had originally possessed the ring was with the captains of the west. If you remember it was stated that the plan was that Sauron, believing the ring to be with them, would take the bait and ensare the person who claimed the ring for himself. That was the beauty of this plan. Sauron truly thought that Aragorn or Gandalf had claimed the ring and came prematurely to show their new found strength.

[Eomer of the Rohirrim]

It's true that the thought never entered his darkest dreams, but someone should really have had a word in his ear concerning eggs and baskets.