Fans of the Lord of the Rings films must watch the extended editions if they want to get familiar with the character known as the Mouth of Sauron. He is one of Sauron’s most devoted servants, serving as his herald and messenger, and as the Lieutenant of the Tower of Barad-dûr at the time of the War of the Ring. His true name was forgotten, even by himself.

“A tall and evil shape, mounted upon a black horse… The rider was robed all in black, and black was his lofty helm; yet this was no Ringwraith but a living man … his name is remembered in no tale, for he himself had forgotten it.”

—The Return of the King

This Tolkien villain probably doesn’t get nearly enough attention or affection from fans. Though he only appears briefly, he makes quite an impression, since he has somehow managed to become incredibly close to Sauron himself.

The Mouth of Sauron’s cracked, blackened lips and rotting teeth were added as a hint that Sauron’s very words are so evil that simply repeating them causes the speaker’s mouth to decay and bleed

He is a powerful official in the Dark Lord’s bureaucracy, and he comes out to haggle with the captains of the West when they arrive at the gates of Mordor at the end of The Return of the King. In the books, we don’t hear the last words of this manipulating administrator. However, he doubtless dies or goes into hiding after Sauron’s fall.

He’s proactively beheaded by Aragorn in the film The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, in a questionable act of diplomacy. His last, admittedly provocative words before he’s unceremoniously executed are, “And who is this? Isildur’s heir? It takes more to make a king than a broken elven blade.” Very foolish words to speak to a man who makes a habit of removing his enemies’ heads from their bodies on a regular basis.