rocky41_7

OKAY I know this has taken me a few days and I just have to say: it's the fault of my Sims laptop which I booted up again. I don't know how that game continues to suck me in for hours at a time.

Anyway.

I mean tl;dr incredibly negative, but let's break it down.

First, I think Sauron was contemptuous of Elrond. Elrond is someone who values peace and patience and kindness. If the Second Age timeline on Tolkien Gateway is correct, he establishes Rivendell as a haven for refugees the same year that Sauron tortures Celebrimbor to death for the location of the rings of power. Sauron, as we know, is someone who values power and is willing to go through any lengths to achieve it, as well as someone who desires to impose his will on others, believing he knows best. The Nazgul are an excellent example of this--Men he tempted to corruption, bound to himself essentially as slaves, and continues to support in their tortured existence well beyond when they should have been released by death. I think he would look at anyone as gentle as Elrond and think them weak and cowardly.

In Sauron's view, Elrond either has the ability to exercise more power and chooses not to, or Elrond lacks the ability entirely and either way Sauron finds him pathetic.

However, Elrond is also a direct descendant of Luthien Tinuviel, which makes Sauron reluctant to write him off entirely. He has not forgotten that whole clusterfuck. He never had to go toe-to-toe with Dior or Elwing because the Elves were busy destroying themselves, but I think for this reason he is also wary of writing Elrond off entirely. Furthermore, although at more of a distance, Elrond is also directly related to Fingolfin "challenged Melkor to a 1v1 and actually got several hits in wtf" Finwion and Turgon "can't find me or my city can you loser" Fingolfinion. He's unwilling to out of hand assume that Elrond entirely lacks the power to cause problems for him, because his family history suggests the possibility exists.

By the time of LotR, I think Sauron knows or suspects that Elrond has one of the Three Rings of course one of Luthien's brat descendants has one which also contributes to his ability to be difficult.

He would obviously prefer for Elrond to just be dead and out of the way, and I think he looks forward to destroying Rivendell simply to spoil one of the last Elven refuges that exist in Middle-earth, but there's a reason he didn't bring the hammer down there immediately. He's had enough experience with Elrond's family to want to handle him carefully.