Dark Worship

The Dark Worship later called Sauronite Worship was the veneration of Sauron or another evil being/spirit as a deity, god-like being or power.

Beginnings
The Roots of the Dark Worship could be traced back to Utumno where Melkor, the First Dark Lord, demanded god-like adoration from his servants. So the first dark worship grew among the mighty minions of Utumno and later Angband, the Maia-servants whose first Dark Priest was the evil spirit Fankil.

Later, with the awakening of Men, Melkor disguised himself as a mighty man and initially presented himself as a prophet of Eru, becoming the teacher and seductor of the early men of Hildorien. In time however, he ceased to portray himself as a follower of God and ordered them to build him a temple and to bring human-sacrifices in his honor.

Sauronite Worship
After Morgoth's banishment, Sauron continued the dark worship thorought the Second Age and until his downfall in the Third Age. At first he acted as Melkor's viceregent and High-Priest, but later he doubted that Morgoth would ever return and fancied himself his rightful heir. He eventually started to claim that he was God incarnated and demanded the godlike worship as King of the World for himself as the true Dark Lord. In the end the Sauronite Worship as it became known, contested the reverence of Illuvatar as monotheistic religions, tolerating no gods, except evil fays and sprites conceived by the Shadow, beside the Dark Lord. As The Dark Worship was renewed and confirmed throughout the Third Age, the Sauronites began to prosecute the adherents of both, the Eruist and Valarin Cults of the Eldar and Dúnedain as well as the superficial Cults of the Wild Men. All Orc Hais (tribes) practiced the Dark Worship of Sauron, reffering to him as Ashdurbûk ("Sole Ruler") and Ashdeiavausan ("Sole Deity"), abandoning any faith left in Morgoth.In the end even the Human Followers of the old Melkoric Cults, such as the Cult of the Long Night, were considered intolerable rivals by the devout Orc Sauronites, who raided their Temples and destroyed manuscripts written by Fankil. These places were then turned in time into Sauronite Worship Temples, where all those under the Shadow's sway performed sacrifices and paid homage to the Dark Lord and associated evils. It was a known fact that during such rituals, Sauron wore a self-made golden mask with an aura, signifying his status as God-King. By the middle-Second Age, the Sauronite Worship became the only Dark Worship to be practiced.

Later years
At the height of his Power Sauron claimed the Title King of The World and King of Men, later after his fall the Dark Worship often disguised itself, Sauron's return was prophesized as the coming of The Adanil, the "Friend of Men", a messianic figure often in combination with anti-Dúnedain Propaganda.

Melkorist cults

 * the Court of Ardor in the Utter South
 * Cult of Herumor (fourth Age Gondor)
 * the Cult of the Long Night (Rhûn and Rhovanion
 * The Cult of Vatra (Far-Harad)
 * the Mahurk (Near-Harad)
 * Servants of the True Fire (Far-Harad)
 * the Zâur an-Anî (Near-Harad)

Sauronite cults

 * the Belaen-an-Voryl or cult of the Shadow
 * the Black Hand, the Prophets of the Adanil in the Southern Regions
 * the Bwaig-ir-Omdren in Lôchas Drûs
 * the Cult of the Lidless Eye (Sauron's religion after he had procaimed himself the true Dark Lord)
 * the Cult of Shoglic (Daen)
 * the Fists of Dark Sorcery
 * the Guldur Sorcerers (Rhovanion)
 * the Hron Tumrakhi (Khand)
 * the Mor-Sereg
 * the Order of Tûthmeid (Umbar)
 * the Sarshen Meltek (Balchoth)
 * Tattoo of the Eye (Rhûn)
 * The Tayb or Followers of The Silent One (Far Harad)
 * the Witches of Angmar