Understanding Sauron's Survival

Survival Post Numenor's Fall

Before we get into the specifics, it's important to understand that Sauron did use the Ring to reform his physical form. After the fall of Numenor, Sauron's original body was destroyed, but his spirit survived, returning to Mordor with the Ring. The Ring allowed Sauron to survive as a disembodied entity for extended periods, using his great Eye to observe and control from a distance.

Reformation and Power

Moreover, in SA 3441, Sauron seemingly took the final step to reconstitute his physical form. Despite being defeated by Gil-galad, Elendil, and Isildur, who managed to take the Ring, Sauron managed to re-form his body in a bid to take on the remaining forces. This timeline indicates that Sauron might have been able to reconstitute a physical form with the Ring but it was a complex process that took a very long time.

Why Sauron Used the Ring but Did Not Use it as Planned

Limited Utility of the Ring

The Ring's Power and Restrictions

In the novel, we see that the Ring did indeed provide the means for Sauron to reform his physical body. However, its utility was restricted. The Ring was a tool to consolidate and control, but it wasn't a means to grant immense power for a swift physical rebirth. Sauron's great Eye was what he used for his survival, and the true reformation of a physical body was a more complex process.

Getting the Ring back would have granted Sauron his full power, but it wouldn't have provided him with an instant new body. The process of reconstituting the physical form is one that took considerable time and effort, as evidenced by the 2063 to 3017 years gap.

Timeline Analysis

SA 3319: The fall of Numenor, and Sauron's physical form was destroyed.

SA 3441: Sauron, with the Ring, reasserted his physical form and fought.

TA 2063: Evidence of Sauron's return but his body status is unclear.

TA 3017: Sauron personally tortured Gollum.

From these points, we can deduce that Sauron likely used the Ring to reboot his physical form at key moments, namely after his encounter with Gil-galad and Elendil and again as he battled the forces of the White Council.

Strategic Reasons and Discernment

Control over the Elves

Reason 1: Controlling the Elves

Another interesting angle to consider is Sauron's strategic motivations. Sauron knew how to make rings of power but deliberately kept them out of his own hands. This was strategic, as:

Reason 2: Self-Respect and Pride

Sauron also had a significant sense of pride and self-respect. He became more powerful and influential by manipulating others to forge the rings for him, rather than doing it himself. Even in his weakened state, he could still influence and command others through the power of his will and his influence over the Rings of Power.

Conclusion

The question of why Sauron did not use the Ring to recreate his body in a more expedient manner is deeply rooted in the strategic and tactical choices he made in his Machiavellian pursuits. While the Ring could indeed provide him with his full power and might have allowed a body reformation, Sauron's habits of control and his pride in his status as a master manipulator led him to prefer other methods.

Sauron's complex and layered character reflects not just a villain with an insatiable thirst for power but a strategic mind who saw its use more as a tool for control rather than a means for swift and simple physical reconstitution.