Saruman

Saruman is a fictional character from the fantasy novel The Lord of the Rings by J. R. R. Tolkien. He is the leader of the Istari, a group of wizards sent to Middle-earth in human form by the godlike Valar to challenge Sauron, the novel's main antagonist, but he eventually craves Sauron's power and attempts to take over Middle-earth by force from his base at Isengard. His schemes are prominently featured in the second volume, The Two Towers, and at the conclusion of the third volume, The Return of the King. Saruman is one of several characters in the book who demonstrate the corruption of power; his desire for knowledge and order leads to his downfall, and he rejects the opportunity for redemption when it is offered. The name Saruman means "man of skill or cunning" in the Mercian dialect of Anglo-Saxon.

Saruman was described by Tolkien as having a long face and a high forehead, deep darkling eyes, white hair, and a beard, but strands of black still showed around his lips and ears at the time of The Lord of the Rings. He was skilled in magic, with one spell granting speed and strength to the Orcs who had kidnapped Merry and Pippin while impeding Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli. Saruman's most powerful ability, by far, is speech. He appears to have the ability to subdue all but the most powerful minds simply by speaking to them.