Annatar

Within Tolkien's legendarium the persona Annatar is the fair guise adopted in the Second Age by Sauron, a Maia‑class being who had formerly been a lieutenant of Morgoth and who survived the First Age. In the Second Age Sauron took the name and appearance of Annatar when he came to Eregion to teach and to influence the elvish smiths; this deception served his longer project of forging and controlling the Rings of Power and of regaining dominion over Middle‑earth. Canonical summaries identify Sauron as an 'originally an angelic being' who followed Morgoth in rebellion and later appears in other modes (the Necromancer, the symbolic 'Eye').

As Annatar he appeared fair and elflike to the Elves of Eregion, a convincing form sufficient to be accepted as a teacher and benefactor by Celebrimbor and the Gwaith‑i‑Mírdain. This flattering, believably elvish appearance contrasts with other manifestations of the same being recorded elsewhere in the legendarium—most notably the guise of the Necromancer at Dol Guldur and the recurring symbolic depiction as 'the Eye'—indicating different modes of presence used at different times.

In the Annatar persona he displayed deep knowledge of smithcraft, jewelry, and the lore of ring‑making and was able to teach and guide elvish craftsmen; this technical mastery was the principal means of gaining influence among the Gwaith‑i‑Mírdain. Behaviorally, the persona functioned as manipulator and corrupter: by providing gifts, skills, and apparent patronage he created openings to bind the Elves' works to his design. In the wider cosmological register the same being is a Maia with enduring power, capacity for varied manifestations, long‑term strategic intelligence, and a dependency on the One Ring as central to his designs on domination.