Nazgûl

• 1. Nine Men Become Wraiths

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  In the Second Age, nine mortal men received Rings of Power from the Dark Lord Sauron. These rings granted them immortality but slowly stripped away their humanity. They became invisible wraiths bound to Sauron's will. Their sight worked differently than normal eyes. They did not see light as we do. Instead, they perceived shadows cast by living beings. Only the noon sun could destroy this perception. In darkness, they saw many signs hidden from others. This made them most dangerous when unclad and invisible. Their chief weapon was terror itself. The fear they spread was so great that Sauron faced a disadvantage using them. They could not easily travel in secret because their presence caused panic everywhere.

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• 2. Witch-king Falls At Pelennor

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  The leader among the Nine wore a crown beneath his hood during the Battle of the Pelennor Fields. He attacked Éowyn with a mace while she stood before Minas Tirith. Merry Brandybuck stabbed him with an ancient enchanted Númenórean blade. This stroke brought the Witch-king to his knees. Then Éowyn drove her sword between his crown and mantle. Both weapons disintegrated after piercing him. Both assailants were stricken with the Black Breath. Glorfindel had prophesied long ago that he would fall not by the hand of man. A woman and a hobbit fulfilled this prophecy together. After his death, command passed to Gothmog, the lieutenant of Morgul.

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• 3. Fell Beasts And Shadowy Forms

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  During early forays, the Ringwraiths rode black horses bred or trained in Mordor. These mounts endured their terror better than normal animals. Later, they appeared mounted on hideous flying beasts called fell beasts. Tolkien described these creatures as pterodactylic though not actual pterodactyls. The soldier Beregond called them Hell Hawks. They attacked with beak and claw. In Peter Jackson's films, these monsters had teeth instead of beaks. Despite their shadowiness, they possessed physical bodies inside their robes. They required physical steeds to carry them about. When Frodo wore the One Ring, he saw them as solid figures rather than shadows. Their invisibility was merely a trick of sight while their flesh remained real.

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• 4. Old English Charms And Etymology

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  Tolkien began writing The Lord of the Rings without any conception of Black Riders at all. The horseman in dark clothes originally represented Gandalf himself. By 1938, he called this transformation an unpremeditated turn. Edward Pettit noted that nine is the commonest mystic number in Germanic lore. He quoted the Nine Herbs Charm from the Lacnunga, an Old English book of spells. This charm mentioned gods, elves, and witches which may have suggested the Nazgûl's magical power. Jason Fisher explored how wraith connects to Old English wrīþan meaning to bend or twist. Gothic wraiqs meant curved or crooked. Another cognate was Old Saxon wred meaning cruel. The word nazg means ring while gûl means wraith in Black Speech. Khamûl's name may link to Welsh kam meaning crooked. Tolkien likely felt many philological associations between his characters and meanings of being bent and twisted.

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• 5. Black Breath And Psychological Terror

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  The Nazgûl spread terror and despair among enemies during the Battle of the Pelennor Fields. Dr Jennifer Urquart described the normal course as progressive loss of consciousness leading to death. Those suffering excessive proximity to a Ringwraith experienced hypothermia and weakness. Faramir showed symptoms different from typical Black Breath cases. He suffered exhaustion with heat stroke combined with psychological distress. Aragorn used athelas herb to heal others of this condition. Michael and Victoria Wodzak noted that Merry could be affected even when unnoticed by the Witch-king. Éowyn raised her shield against the horror of her enemy's eye instead of breathing on him directly. John Garth found these names anchor the Dark Lord in primal night fog of terror. This may derive from Tolkien's First World War experience of gas attacks on the Somme. Marion Zimmer Bradley wrote in 1961 that they were contaminated by radioactive transformation.

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• 6. Nine Riders Versus Nine Walkers

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  Ariel Little observed that Tolkien explicitly opposes the enslaved Nine Riders with the free Company of the Ring. Elrond announced that nine walkers shall be set against nine riders who are evil. The Nazgûl became homogeneous, discordant, intensely individualistic beings trapped by Sauron. They lost their identities as humans becoming nothingness under black clothing. Their evil characters formed an anti-community characterized by infighting and hate-filled discord. In contrast, the Company was diverse bound by friendship relying on each other's strengths. Strong bonds developed between all members throughout their journey. Frodo said Strider was dear to him despite initial suspicion. Even racial barriers dropped as members appreciated cultural distinctiveness. The Dwarf Gimli and Elf Legolas formed a strong friendship despite past clashes. When the Company split into smaller groups it did not destroy but deepened friendships. Every member remained essential to mission success through solidarity rather than controlling power.

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• 7. Adaptations And Visual Changes

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  Ralph Bakshi's 1978 animated film showed Nazgûl shuffling like zombies hacking beds at The Prancing Pony inn. Rankin-Bass adaptation depicted them as robed skeletons riding winged horses. The 1981 BBC Radio serial had them chant the Ring-inscription in Black Speech. Peter Jackson's trilogy made them almost always concealed by cloaks attacking Bree directly. During Minas Tirith siege, the Witch-king wore a distinctive helmet resembling a mask over his hood. Their shrieks were distorted recordings of producer Fran Walsh's scream. John Howe designed sets for Minas Morgul showing nine riders on winged monsters with teeth instead of beaks. These creatures killed Théoden and his horse Snowmane unlike the book version. Electronic Arts invented the name Morgomir for one Nazgûl in The Rise of the Witch-king expansion. Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor revealed Isildur was originally one of the Nine before being killed by Talion.

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