What is the origin of the word barrow-wight?
The word wight comes from Old English wiht meaning a person or other sentient being. Tolkien stated that barrow-wight was an invented name rather than one existing in Old English.
The word wight comes from Old English wiht meaning a person or other sentient being. Tolkien stated that barrow-wight was an invented name rather than one existing in Old English.
Both Tom Bombadil and the barrow-wight first appeared in Tolkien's poem published in the Oxford Magazine of the 15th of February 1934. This publication predates the writing of The Lord of the Rings by several decades.
Evil spirits were sent to the Barrow-downs by the Witch-king of Angmar to prevent restoration of Cardolan. These spirits animated the bones of Dúnedain and older Edain from the First Age buried there.
Peter Jackson omitted barrow-wights from his The Lord of the Rings film trilogy entirely. Humanities scholar Brian Rosebury argues this removal reduces running time without fundamentally changing the story.
Barrow-wights appeared in the second season of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power television series as ancient reanimated heroes acting for evil against their will. Their design reflects noble status in life as kings queens and high-ranking officials contrasted by glowing blue eyes.