JRR Tolkien produced one of the best stories ever told, as it perfectly depicts the struggle between the dualistic forces more commonly known as good and evil. In fact, the main antagonist of The Lord of the Rings, Sauron the Deceiver, symbolizes narcissism at its core because he actively works to consume everything that opposes him. That is, anything and everything beyond Sauron is seen as an extension of his own being rather than representing separate, single puzzle pieces that included the universe at large.

So what does this mean? Well, it means that it symbolizes a threat to all living beings of sentience! Oh, but narcissists really aren’t that dangerous, are they? Well, let’s go over our little checklist to determine the validity of such an absurd claim.

An evil narcissist is masterful when it comes to manipulating individuals or entire groups. How is this accomplished? Well it all depends on the nature of the relationships, although gas lighting, triangulation, anger outbursts, silent treatment spells, and even displaying “the evil eye” are all methods a narcissist will use to skew perceptions. of those who can challenge the abuser in question.

None of those techniques or behaviors are loving in nature. In fact, each can work to diminish one’s sense of self-worth and self-worth in a world that is quickly shrouded in darkness when they find themselves intertwined with such an abuser. My own narcissistic mother constantly used others to ensure that her position was elevated. You know, the proverbial “a mother can’t do anything wrong.”

Well, my own experiences showed me how invalid that claim really is. Take, for example, the moment my birth mother successfully manipulated a licensed therapist into believing that this writer was causing ALL the problems in our relationship. Right, because there is nothing one-sided about it, so how did my therapist fall into the trap of embarrassing her client instead of supporting her personalized healing journey?

It all has to do with the image a narcissist projects because even Sauron was able to appear benevolent and well-meaning when it suited him. This was how he was able to uproot the various power structures in Middle-earth before the Lord of the Rings took place. Because there was a time when Sauron was kept under control by the Númenóreans (men) and Valar (divine beings), although he managed to infiltrate Númenór to corrupt it from within.

This is evident when Sauron gave the rings of power to elves, dwarves, and men. The first two races were able to resist Sauron’s deceptions through a combination of stamina and brains, though the men were not so lucky as the kings of men eventually lost their identities and succumbed to the will of the dark lord. They would become the Nazgûl, servants who answered only to Sauron (not even to themselves).

If this all still seems far-fetched, just focus on what happened to Gollum and Denethor. Each became a shell of their former glory, and it was all because they had been exposed to the corruption (abuse) of Sauron. One ring to rule them all, one ring to find them. One ring to bring them all and bind them in the dark. Namely, Sauron is an evil narcissist who does not care about the lives and well-being of sentient life forms that reside beyond his own world.