Saruman the White, originally the Maia Curumo, is the first of the Istari and chief of the White Council, granted guardianship of the tower of Orthanc at Isengard. For many years he is regarded as an ally of Gondor and Rohan.
Studying the lore of the Rings of Power, Saruman is overcome by pride and ambition; he swears fealty to Sauron, breeds Uruk-hai at Isengard, and corrupts King Théoden through his agent Gríma Wormtongue while marshalling an army to conquer Rohan and seize the One Ring for himself. He is ultimately undone and slain by Gríma. Christopher Lee portrays him across the film adaptations.
This overview summarizes source material under CC BY-SA; event chronology is presented on the Timeline.
Key events in the life and history of Saruman.
Key people, factions, places, and events connected to Saruman.
Related entities surfaced from across the OLN network.
Where Saruman appears across works and media.
Discussion, insights, and theories from contributors.
This page is maintained and fact-checked by volunteer editors.