LOTR: Was Sauron Afraid Of Gollum?

gamerant.com:

As is well known throughout Tolkien’s legendarium, Sauron is one of the fiercest enemies of Middle Earth to have lived through any of the Ages, rivaled only by his teacher Melkor, who fell during the Second Age. It seems impossible that such a colossal harbinger of doom would be afraid of anyone, or of anything, but Sauron did in fact have many fears that kept him ever watchful, in case some terrible subterfuge should slip under his net and foil all of his plans.

The audience can see a few examples of his fears in Peter Jackson’s film adaptations of the trilogy, such as when Aragorn challenges Sauron in the Palantir, and it is clear that he fears the heir of Numenor’s return to come and strengthen the kingdoms against him. Or when, in the last moment, he realizes that Frodo has put on the ring of power close to the fires of Mount Doom, and he suddenly understands the plot to destroy it, and the imminent danger that this places him in.

Why Did Sam Gamgee Have Better Survival Skills Than The Other Hobbits?

But one unlikely character that it seems strange for Sauron to fear is Gollum. Although Gollum is a tricksy and threatening creature, who often appears as though he is going to strangle Frodo and Sam in their sleep, he is just one small being in a much larger battle for power. He is not mighty like the kings of old, with the ability to muster great legions against Sauron’s army, he is not a skilled wizard with magical and illustrious powers at his command, he is nothing more than a stoor hobbit, who has been corrupted by the long years of being a ring-bearer. So why would the mighty Sauron fear such a seemingly insignificant being?

The answer is knowledge. Everyone knows that knowledge is power, and unfortunately Sauron made