In J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth legendarium, the Nazgûl (from Black Speech nazg, "ring", and gûl, "wraith, spirit"; also called Ringwraiths, Ring-wraiths, Black Riders, Dark Riders, the Nine Riders, or simply the Nine) are nine undead human kings who have succumbed through greed to Sauron's power and attained immortality as wraiths bound to the power of the One Ring as servants of The Enemy. Middle-earth refers to the fictional lands where most of the stories of author J Tolkien's Legendarium (ISBN 0-313-30530-7 is a collection of scholarly essays edited by Verlyn Flieger and Carl F Orkish redirects here For other uses see Urkish. The Black Speech is the Fictional language of Mordor in The Lord of the Rings Sauron (ˈsaʊrɒn Quenya: /sawrɔn/ literal meaning "Abhorred") is the title character and the principal Antagonist of the Fantasy They are first mentioned in his book The Lord of the Rings, originally published in 1954–1955. The Lord of the Rings is an epic Year 1954 ( MCMLIV) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1954 Gregorian calendar) Year 1955 ( MCMLV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays the 1955 Gregorian calendar) The book refers to the Nazgûl as Sauron's "most terrible servants. "

Appearances

Literature

According to Tolkien's legendarium, the nine Nazgûl arose as Sauron's most powerful servants in the Second Age of Middle-earth. Tolkien's Legendarium (ISBN 0-313-30530-7 is a collection of scholarly essays edited by Verlyn Flieger and Carl F The Second Age is a time period from J R R Tolkien 's Middle-earth fantasy writings They were once powerful mortal Men, three of which being "great lords" of Númenor. The race of Men in J R R Tolkien 's Middle-earth books such as The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, refers to Númenor (ˈnuːmɛnɔɹ is a Fictional place in J R R Tolkien 's writings which the author intended to be an allusion to the legendary Atlantis. Sauron gave each of them one of the nine Rings of Power. The Rings of Power are fictional artifacts of J R R Tolkien 's Middle-earth Legendarium. Sauron also gave seven Rings of Power to the Dwarves, and Celebrimbor forged three for the Elves, untainted by Sauron's evil. It was Sauron's design to control the Nine, Seven, and Three Rings through the power of his One Ring, forged in secret for this purpose, but it was only the Nine who succumbed completely to its power:

"Those who used the Nine Rings became mighty in their day, kings, sorcerers, and warriors of old. They obtained glory and great wealth, yet it turned to their undoing. They had, as it seemed, unending life, yet life became unendurable to them. They could walk, if they would, unseen by all eyes in this world beneath the sun, and they could see things in worlds invisible to mortal men; but too often they beheld only the phantoms and delusions of Sauron. And one by one, sooner or later, according to their native strength and to the good or evil of their wills in the beginning, they fell under the thraldom of the ring that they bore and of the domination of the One which was Sauron's. And they became forever invisible save to him that wore the Ruling Ring, and they entered into the realm of shadows. The Nazgûl were they, the Ringwraiths, the Enemy's most terrible servants; darkness went with them, and they cried with the voices of death" (The Silmarillion: "Of the Rings of Power and the Third Age", 346). The Silmarillion is a collection of J R R Tolkien 's mythopoeic works edited and published posthumously by his son Christopher Tolkien in

The corrupting effect of the Rings extended their earthly lives far beyond their mortal lifespans, while their bodily forms faded over time until they had become entirely invisible to mortal eyes. They assumed visible form only under their outward black attire. The red reflection in their eyes could be plainly distinguished even in daylight, and in a rage they appeared in a hellish fire. They had many weapons; in The Fellowship of the Ring they were armed with steel swords while their leader, the Witch-king of Angmar, wielded a knife with insidious magical properties. Literature Within the context of Tolkien's Legendarium, the Witch-king was originally a great king of Men. The following list of weapons and armour of Middle-earth includes all weaponry and Armour directly taken from J Later, during the Battle of Pelennor Fields, he bore a "long pale sword" that struck fear into the hearts of Minas Tirith's defenders, and after the arrival of the Rohirrim he wielded a mace in a duel against Éowyn. In J R R Tolkien 's fantasy fiction, the Battle of the Pelennor Fields is the battle for the city of Minas Tirith between the forces of Gondor In J R R Tolkien 's Middle-earth, the Rohirrim were a Horse people, settling in the land of Rohan, named after them A mace is a simple Weapon that uses a heavy head on the end of a handle to deliver powerful blows Literature Appearances In The Lord of the Rings Éowyn a daughter of the House of Eorl and the niece of King Théoden, is introduced

Their arsenal of deadly armaments was not confined to physical weapons: they were perpetually surrounded by an aura of terror, which affected all but the most powerful living creatures. Their breath (called the Black Breath) was poisonous. The effects of the Black Breath, also known as the Black Shadow, were contracted by exposure to them. Victims could suffer deep despair, unconsciousness, nightmares and even death. However, the herb athelas could be used to counter the effects. This is a list of all fictional Plants that appear in J R R Tolkien 's Middle-earth writings The most well-known victims to the Black Breath were Faramir, Éowyn, and Merry, who were healed by Aragorn during the War of the Ring. In J R R Tolkien 's Middle-earth legendarium, Faramir is a Fictional character appearing in The Lord of the Rings. Literature Appearances In The Lord of the Rings Éowyn a daughter of the House of Eorl and the niece of King Théoden, is introduced Meriadoc Brandybuck, usually referred to as Merry, is a Fictional character from J Aragorn II is a fictional character from J R R Tolkien 's Middle-earth Legendarium. In the fictional Fantasy -world of J R R Tolkien, the War of the Ring was fought between Sauron and the free peoples of Middle-earth

In addition, their terrible cries caused terror, loss of control over your body, and despair; and the Lord of the Nazgûl was notorious for practising black sorcery. Literature Within the context of Tolkien's Legendarium, the Witch-king was originally a great king of Men. According to Tolkien, though, it was the fear they inspired that was the chief danger:

"They have no great physical power against the fearless," he wrote, "but what they have, and the fear that they inspire, is enormously increased in darkness". ^[1]

The Nazgûl first appeared around S.A. 2251 and were soon established as Sauron's principal servants, less than three centuries after the rings were forged. The Second Age is a time period from J R R Tolkien 's Middle-earth fantasy writings The Nazgûl were dispersed after the first overthrow of Sauron in 3434 at the hands of the Last Alliance of Elves and Men, but their survival was nonetheless assured since the One Ring survived. J R R Tolkien 's Middle-earth fantasy writings include many wars and battles set in the lands of Aman, Beleriand, Númenor, and

They re-emerged around T.A. 1300, when the Lord of the Nazgûl, also known as the Witch-king of Angmar, the Black Captain and the Morgul-lord, led Sauron's forces against the successor kingdoms of Arnor; Rhudaur, Cardolan and Arthedain. The Third Age is a time period from J R R Tolkien 's Middle-earth fantasy writings In the fictional Legendarium of J R R Tolkien, Arnor, or the Northern Kingdom, was a kingdom of the Dúnedain in the land of Eriador In the fictional Legendarium of J R R Tolkien, Arnor, or the Northern Kingdom, was a kingdom of the Dúnedain in the land of Eriador In the fictional Legendarium of J R R Tolkien, Arnor, or the Northern Kingdom, was a kingdom of the Dúnedain in the land of Eriador In the fictional Legendarium of J R R Tolkien, Arnor, or the Northern Kingdom, was a kingdom of the Dúnedain in the land of Eriador He was eventually defeated in battle in 1975 and returned to Mordor, gathering the other Nazgûl in preparation for the return of Sauron to that realm, having achieved his goal of destroying all of Arnor's successor kingdoms. In J R R Tolkien 's Fictional universe of Middle-earth, Mordor (from Sindarin Black Land and Quenya Land of Shadow

In 2000, the Nazgûl besieged Minas Ithil and captured it after two years. Minas Morgul (ˈminas ˈmɔrɡuɫ ( Sindarin: Tower of Black Magic) also known by its earlier name of Minas Ithil ( Sindarin: Tower of the The city thereafter became Minas Morgul, the stronghold of the Nazgûl, from where they directed the rebuilding of Sauron's armies, also acquiring a palantír for the Dark Lord. Minas Morgul (ˈminas ˈmɔrɡuɫ ( Sindarin: Tower of Black Magic) also known by its earlier name of Minas Ithil ( Sindarin: Tower of the A palantír is a magical artifact from J R R Tolkien 's Fantasy legendarium. In 2942, Sauron returned to Mordor and declared himself openly in 2951. Two or three of the Nazgûl (The Second of the Nine was put in charge) were sent to his fortress in Mirkwood, named Dol Guldur, to garrison it. Mirkwood is a name used for two distinct fictional forests in J Dol Guldur ( Sindarin: "Hill of Sorcery" was Sauron 's stronghold in Mirkwood in the fictional world of J

In 3017, near the beginning of the story told in The Lord of the Rings, after hearing news of the One Ring, Sauron commanded the Ringwraiths to recover the One Ring from "Baggins of the Shire". The Lord of the Rings is an epic Disguised as riders clad in black, they sought out Bilbo Baggins who, as Gollum had revealed, had the One Ring in his possession. Bilbo Baggins is the protagonist of The Hobbit and also makes an appearance in The Lord of the Rings, two of the most well-known of Character overview Originally known as Sméagol, this character was later named Gollum after his habit It was around 3018 that the "Nine Walkers" of the Fellowship of the Ring were chosen to mirror the Nazgûl, "Nine Riders". The Fellowship of the Ring, or Company of the Ring, as described in the first volume of The Lord of the Rings, which bears the same name is

The Nazgûl rode specially bred black horses that were trained in Mordor to endure the terror. By now, they had learned that the Ring was in the possession of Bilbo's heir, Frodo. They found Frodo and his company at Weathertop, where the Witch-king stabbed Frodo in the arm with a Morgul blade, breaking off a piece of the blade in the hobbit's flesh. In the fiction of J R R Tolkien, Weathertop ( Sindarin Amon Sûl, "Hill of Wind" is a significant Hill in the Eriador When they were swept away by the waters of the river Bruinen, their horses were drowned. In J R R Tolkien 's Fictional universe of Middle-earth, the river Bruinen or Loudwater is a river which appears in The Hobbit as The Ringwraiths were forced to return to Mordor to regroup. They reappeared later mounted on fell beasts, at which point they were referred to as Winged Nazgûl. In J R R Tolkien 's fantasy novel The Lord of the Rings, "fell beast" is the author's description of the flying creatures on which the

The Witch-king of Angmar himself was slain by Éowyn and Merry (known as the Magnificent thereafter), during the Battle of the Pelennor Fields: Merry's stab with a powerfully enchanted barrow blade drove the Witch-king to his knees, allowing Éowyn, the niece of Théoden, to deliver a strike between his crown and mantle. Literature Appearances In The Lord of the Rings Éowyn a daughter of the House of Eorl and the niece of King Théoden, is introduced Meriadoc Brandybuck, usually referred to as Merry, is a Fictional character from J In J R R Tolkien 's fantasy fiction, the Battle of the Pelennor Fields is the battle for the city of Minas Tirith between the forces of Gondor The following list of weapons and armour of Middle-earth includes all weaponry and Armour directly taken from J Literature Appearances In The Lord of the Rings Éowyn a daughter of the House of Eorl and the niece of King Théoden, is introduced Early life Théoden was the only son of King Thengel and Morwen of Lossarnach (a region of Gondor) Which blow actually destroyed him is a matter of debate, since the text specifically mentions that Merry's blade was enchanted and covered with runes meant for the Witch-King, while Éowyn fulfilled a prophecy that he would not be killed by "Man. " In both cases, the weapons that struck him were destroyed — a standard fate for weapons that touched his undead flesh. Whether all Nazgûl had this power is unknown.

The remaining eight Ringwraiths attacked the Army of the West on their fell beasts during the last battle at the Black Gate. However, when Frodo put on the Ring in the fires of Mount Doom, Sauron ordered the eight remaining Nazgûl to fly there to intercept him. They arrived too late, with the Ring falling into the fire. At the moment of the One Ring's destruction, the remaining Nazgûl were destroyed.

Adaptations

The Nazgûl, as portrayed in the 1978 animated film version. JRR Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings is a 1978 animated Fantasy film directed by Ralph Bakshi.

One of the Nazgûl portrayed in the Lord of the Rings film trilogy. The Lord of the Rings film trilogy consists of three Live action Fantasy Epic films The Fellowship of the Ring ( 2001

The Witch-king of Angmar in The Lord of the Rings film trilogy. The Lord of the Rings film trilogy consists of three Live action Fantasy Epic films The Fellowship of the Ring ( 2001

The Nazgûl are featured in all adaptations of The Lord of the Rings on radio, film, and stage. This article is about the films and other media For the article on the musical see The Lord of the Rings (musical The Lord of the

In Ralph Bakshi's 1978 animated film version of The Lord of the Rings, the Nazgûl hack and slash the hobbits' beds at The Prancing Pony inn themselves. Ralph Bakshi (born October 29 1938 is an American director of animated and occasionally live-action films The year 1978 in film involved some significant events Top grossing films (U JRR Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings is a 1978 animated Fantasy film directed by Ralph Bakshi. In the book, the attackers are not precisely identified, but Tolkien implies that the attack was carried out by agents of the Nazgûl, possibly including one Bill Ferny, not the Nazgûl themselves (though they were present in the town). Bill Ferny is a Fictional character in J R R Tolkien 's The Lord of the Rings. ^[2]

In the 1981 BBC Radio serial of The Lord of the Rings, the Nazgûl can be heard chanting the Ring-inscription. Year 1981 ( MCMLXXXI) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link displays the 1981 BBC Radio is a service of the British Broadcasting Corporation which has operated in the United Kingdom under the terms of a Royal Charter since 1927 In 1981 the UK radio station BBC Radio 4 broadcast a dramatisation of J [1]

In the Lord of the Rings movie trilogy (2001–2003) by Peter Jackson, the Nazgûl also attack the inn themselves. The Lord of the Rings film trilogy consists of three Live action Fantasy Epic films The Fellowship of the Ring ( 2001 The year 2001 in film involved some significant events (For more about non-English films check sources in those languages The year 2003 in film involved some significant events Releases of sequels took place with movies like 2 Fast 2 Furious, The Lord of the Rings The Return Peter Robert Jackson, CNZM (born 31 October 1961 is a three-time Academy Award -winning New Zealand director producer and writer best known for directing Emphasis is given to their loud shrieks, which are made deafening, and their use of the fell beasts in battle is expanded, notably at the siege of Minas Tirith, when they destroy numerous trebuchets and kill many soldiers. In J R R Tolkien 's fantasy novel The Lord of the Rings, "fell beast" is the author's description of the flying creatures on which the The cries of the Nazgûl as interpreted in Peter Jackson's films are mixed from that of his wife and co-screenwriter, Fran Walsh. Frances Walsh, MNZM, (born January 10, 1959) is a Grammy and Academy Award -winning Screenwriter, Film producer

In other media

The Nazgûl are featured in many products based on Tolkien's writings and more recently, the Jackson films.

Some examples include the real-time strategy computer games The Lord of the Rings: War of the Ring, not based on the Jackson films, and The Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle-earth and its sequels,The Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle-earth II and its expansion pack The Rise of the Witch-king, which are based on the films. The Lord of the Rings War of the Ring is a 2003 Real-time strategy game (RTS developed by Liquid Entertainment, the makers of the previous The Lord of the Rings The Battle for Middle-earth (aka ' tLotRtBfME') is a Real-time strategy (RTS game for the PC developed by EALA The Lord of the Rings The Battle for Middle-earth II is a Real time strategy computer game published by Electronic Arts, based upon the fantasy The Lord of the Rings The Battle for Middle-Earth II—The Rise of the Witch-King ( tLotRtBFMEIItROtWK) is a Real-time strategy computer

In The Lord of the Rings: War of the Ring the Witch-king is a hero for the Evil faction, similar to the movie-based games (whose evil factions are realm-specific). In The Rise of the Witch-king there are three named Ringwraiths: the Witch-king, Khamûl, and "Morgomir", Lieutenant of Carn Dûm. The last Ringwraith's name is invented for the game, developed by Electronic Arts.

In the massive multiplayer online role-playing game The Lord of the Rings Online, the Nazgûl, in particular the Witch-king, play a prominent part in the storyline; the premise of the game at release is to fight the armies of the Witch-king in his realm of Angmar.

In the Middle-earth Collectible Card Game produced by Iron Crown Enterprises, most of the Nazgûl had invented names, shared with Middle-earth Role Playing by the same company. Middle-earth Collectible Card Game (MECCG is a Collectible card game released by Iron Crown Enterprises in late 1995. Iron Crown Enterprises is a publisher of role playing, board, miniature battle, and Collectible card games ICE was incorporated in Middle-earth Role Playing (MERP is a Role-playing game based on the writings of J Liz Danforth created the art for each of the Nazgûl in the game.

George R. R. Martin's novel The Armageddon Rag is about a fictional rock band named the Nazgûl. George Raymond Richard Martin ( September 20, 1948) sometimes referred to as GRRM, is an American Author and Screenwriter The Armageddon Rag is a book by author George R R Martin, published in 1983 The band's manager and promoter is referred to as Sauron, its lead singer is nicknamed Hobbit, and its logo is an Eye of Mordor. Many of its song and album titles make reference to Tolkien's Middle Earth.

Names, titles and terms

The rarely used Quenya name for Nazgûl is Úlairi; from this it can be conjectured that the Sindarin term is Ulaer. Quenya 'kwɛɲa is one of the fictional languages spoken by the Elves (the Quendi, "those who speak with voices" because when Sindarin is an Artificial language developed by J R R Tolkien.

They are also called the Fell Riders and the Black Wings (when they ride the fell beasts), as well as the Shadows, the Servants of Sauron, and the Nine Servants of the Lord of the Rings. In J R R Tolkien 's fantasy novel The Lord of the Rings, "fell beast" is the author's description of the flying creatures on which the By the Orcs of the Tower of Cirith Ungol they are called the Shriekers. Cirith Ungol (ˈkiriθ ˈuŋgɔl is a location in J R R Tolkien 's fictional universe of Middle-earth in his fantasy work The Lord of the Rings.

Only a few of the Nazgûl are named or identified individually in Tolkien's works. Their leader was the Witch-king of Angmar, and his second in command was named Khamûl, the "black Easterling" or the "shadow of the East". Literature Within the context of Tolkien's Legendarium, the Witch-king was originally a great king of Men. Khamûl is a Fictional character in J R R Tolkien 's Legendarium, appearing in his The Lord of the Rings series Tolkien stated that three of them were great Númenórean lords. Númenor (ˈnuːmɛnɔɹ is a Fictional place in J R R Tolkien 's writings which the author intended to be an allusion to the legendary Atlantis. Khamûl was a lord of the Easterlings, and is the only Nazgûl whose name is revealed to the reader. In the fiction of J R R Tolkien, " Easterling " and " Easterlings " were generic terms for Men who lived in the east of Middle-earth

The term "Nazgûl" is frequently mistakenly used to describe the winged steeds the Ringwraiths are given after their horses are drowned in the river Bruinen (even in the commentary tracks for the New Line films on DVD, many cast and crew members make this mistake). Tolkien gives these creatures no real name in the books, though he uses the descriptive term "fell beast" (fell in the archaic sense of "cruel", "evil" or "lethal"). In J R R Tolkien 's fantasy novel The Lord of the Rings, "fell beast" is the author's description of the flying creatures on which the Tolkien himself was known to use the term Nazgûl figuratively. In a 1945 letter to his son (a Royal Air Force pilot), he compared his reaction to the aircraft of World War II to how Frodo might have felt if he had discovered Hobbits "learning to ride Nazgûl-birds. Year 1945 ( MCMXLV) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including "^[3]

Non-canonical

Some fans also speculate that Herumor and Fuinur, renegade Númenóreans who rose to great power among the Haradrim, became Nazgûl. Herumor, which is Quenya for Lord of the Dark, was a Black Númenórean in the Middle-earth Legendarium created by J Fuinur, which is Quenya for Shadow Lord, was a Black Númenórean in the Middle-earth Legendarium created by J This is not possible since both Black Númenóreans were born well after the Nine Rings of Power were crafted and the Nazgûl appeared. The Rings of Power are fictional artifacts of J R R Tolkien 's Middle-earth Legendarium. Since there is no record of any original Nazgûl dying, thus being replaced, Herumor and Fuinur could not have become Nazgûl. This theory has become popular on the Internet, but has been directly contradicted by Tolkien's writings of the foundation of the Nazgûl and the birthdates of Herumor and Fuinur.

The early Middle-earth Role Playing games and material derived from them name the eight, other than Khamûl; Er-Murazor (the Witch-king, of Númenórean race), Dwar of Waw, Ji Indur Dawndeath, Akhorahil (Númenórean), Hoarmurath of Dir, Adûnaphel the Quiet (female Númenórean), Ren the Unclean and Uvatha the Horseman,^[4] but none of these names or details are considered canonical. Middle-earth Role Playing (MERP is a Role-playing game based on the writings of J Literature Within the context of Tolkien's Legendarium, the Witch-king was originally a great king of Men. Middle-earth canon is a term used in Tolkien fandom to promote the ideas of a Fictional canon within the writings of J In the context of the books, it is unlikely that any of the Nazgûl would have been female, due to repeated references to them as of "kings". Nor is it clear who were of Númenórean descent in the books: only Khamûl's origin is given with certainty, and he was an Easterling. While the Witch-king is often assumed to be a Númenórean lord, this is not directly stated in any of Tolkien's books. However, in his notes for translators Tolkien stated that the Witch-king's name and background were not recorded, but that he was probably of Númenórean descent.

In the Lord of the Rings Trading Card Game, chiefly based on the Jackson films, the Nazgûl are called The Witch King, Úlairë Attëa (The Easterling), Úlairë Nelya, Úlairë Cantëa, Úlairë Lemenya, Úlairë Enquëa, Úlairë Otsëa, Úlairë Toldëa and Úlairë Nertëa. The Lord of the Rings Trading Card Game (aka LOTR TCG) is a Collectible card game produced by Decipher Inc The eight new terms are not new names. In Quenya, Úlairë means Ringwraith, and the second name is merely a numeral from two to nine. Quenya 'kwɛɲa is one of the fictional languages spoken by the Elves (the Quendi, "those who speak with voices" because when

For the expansion to its real-time strategy game The Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle-earth II, The Rise of the Witch-king - chiefly based on the Jackson films and building much upon the original writings - Electronic Arts invented a name for one of the Nazgûl, Morgomir. The Lord of the Rings The Battle for Middle-earth II is a Real time strategy computer game published by Electronic Arts, based upon the fantasy The Lord of the Rings The Battle for Middle-Earth II—The Rise of the Witch-King ( tLotRtBFMEIItROtWK) is a Real-time strategy computer It is clearly derived from the Sindarin title Morgoth, which meant "Dark Enemy" (mor "dark" + goth "enemy") with the element mir, meaning "jewel", added; however the name has no full meaning in any of Tolkien's Elvish languages. Sindarin is an Artificial language developed by J R R Tolkien. The name The name Morgoth is Sindarin, one of Tolkien's invented languages and means "Black Enemy" Bauglir is also Sindarin meaning Elvish languages are Constructed languages used typically by elves in a Fantasy setting

References