Nazgûl

The Nazgûl (which can be translated from the black language as "wraiths of the Ring"; nazg = "ring" + ûl = "spectre"), also known as the Nine Horsemen, the Black Riders, more rarely in Quenya the Úlairi, or simply the Nineare a group of characters from the fictional universe of the British writer J. R. R. Tolkien. They appear in his novel The Lord of the Rings as evil servants in Middle-earth of the main antagonist, Sauron, bound to his will as "his most terrible servants" by the force that binds the Rings of Power that They carry their creator.

History

Second Age

The nine Nazgûl emerged as Sauron's most powerful servants in the Second Age of Middle-earth. It is said that three of the nine were originally "great lords" of Númenor. They were powerful mortal men to whom Sauron gave nine Rings of Power. These turned out to be his downfall:

Those who used the nine rings were powerful in their days, kings, magicians, and warriors of old. They got glory and wealth, but they became misfortune. They had, as it seemed, eternal life, but life became too eternal for them. They could walk, if they wanted, invisible to all eyes under the sun, and they could see things invisible to mortal men; but they often contemplated only the ghosts and illusions of Sauron. And one by one, sooner or later, according to their natural strength and the good or bad of their acts in the beginning, fell under the slavery of the ring they carried and the dominion of the One Ring of Sauron. They became forever the invisible protectors of the One Ring Owner, and entered the kingdom of shadows. It was the Nazgûl, the Wings of the Ring, the most terrible servants of the enemy; the darkness followed them, and cried with the voices of death.

The Silmarillion: "From the Rings of Power and the Third Age"289.

Reconstruction of the original inscription of the Unique Ring, in black language written with tengwar characters

The corrupting effect of the rings caused their physical bodies to fade until they were reduced to ghosts. Visible—and mostly tangible—only by their robes and regalia, their original appearance was completely invisible to mortal eyes, and they were virtually indestructible: even if incapacitated, they could take form again later. The red reflection of his eyes could be clearly distinguished even in daylight, and when enraged they looked like infernal flames. They had many weapons, such as long steel swords, daggers with poisonous properties, and black maces of great power.

His arsenal of deadly weapons was not limited to physical attacks only; They were constantly surrounded by an aura of terror, which affected every living creature; Their breath (called Black Breath) was poisonous, and their cries caused terror and despair. According to Tolkien, however, it was the fear they inspired that was their main danger:

"They have no great physical power against the intrepid," he wrote, "but what they have, and the fear they inspire, is enormously increased in the darkness."

Letters, 210)

The Nazgûl first appeared around the year 2251 S.E. and they soon manifested themselves as Sauron's main servants, less than three centuries after the forging of the rings. They dispersed after Sauron's first overthrow in S.E. 3434. thanks to the Last Alliance between elves and men, but their survival was nevertheless assured as the One Ring persisted.

Third Age

They re-emerged around 1300 TE, when the Lord of the Nazgûl, the Witch-king of Angmar, led Sauron's forces against Arnor's successor states: Rhudaur, Cardolan and Arthedain. He was finally defeated in battle in T. A. 1975 and returned to Mordor, gathering the other Nazgûl in preparation for Sauron's return to his kingdom, having achieved his goal of destroying all of Arnor's successor states.

In the year 2000 T.E., the Nazgûl besieged Minas Ithil and after two years they captured it. From then on, the city was called Minas Morgul, the stronghold of the Nazgûl, from where they led the rebuilding of Sauron's armies, also acquiring the Palantir for the Dark Lord.

In 2942 TE, Sauron returned to Mordor and openly declared himself in 2951 TE. Two or three of the Nazgûl were sent to his fortress of Dol Guldur to garrison that frontier post.

In the War of the Ring

In 3017 TE, near the beginning of the story told in The Lord of the Rings, Sauron ordered the Ringwraiths to recover the One Ring from "Baggins" of "the Region". Concealed as horsemen clad in black, they sought out Bilbo Baggins who, as Gollum had revealed, had the One Ring in his possession. It was in September 3018, during the Council of Elrond when the "nine companions" of the Community were chosen to face the "nine horsemen" Nazgûl.

The Nazgûl generally used black horses as a means of transportation. When they were swept away by the waters of the Bruinen River, their horses drowned. The Ringwraiths were forced to return to Mordor to reorganize. They reappeared riding flying creatures, so they were known as Winged Nazgûl.

The Lord of the Nazgûl himself was slain by Éowyn, Théoden's niece, and Merry, during the Battle of the Pelennor Fields. The stab that Merry delivered was made with a powerful enchanted sword, from Númenor, which caused the Witch-king to fall to his knees, leaving Éowyn to deliver the fatal blow by stabbing the sword into his supposedly never-seen head. This was possible despite the prophecy that Glorfindel made to King Eärnur long ago to prevent him from going to meet the Witch King: "His doom is still far away, and he will not fall by the hand of man". The prophecy, misinterpreted by many, was finally fulfilled since those who killed the Witch King were a woman and a hobbit.

The remaining eight wraiths attacked the Army of the West during the last battle before the Black Gate. Anyway, when Frodo Baggins threw the One Ring into the fires of Mount Doom, Sauron ordered the eight Nazgûl to fly there to stop him. But they were late: the Ring had fallen into the fire along with Gollum. With its destruction, the eight remaining Nazgûl disappeared.

Black Breath

An exposure to the Nine results in a poisonous influence known as the "Black Breath", also known as the "Black Shadow" in some cases. The effects were: deep despair, unconsciousness, nightmares and even death. However, athelas could be used to counteract the effect.

The best-known victims of the black breath were Faramir, Éowyn, and Merry, who were healed by Aragorn during the War of the Ring.

Names and titles

Only a few of the Nazgûl are named or identified individually in Tolkien's works (none in The Lord of the Rings). Their leader was the Witch-king of Angmar, and the second in command was called Khamûl. Tolkien stated that three of them were great Númenórean lords. Khamûl was the only Nazgûl known by his name. Some followers also speculate that the Nazgûl could include Herumor or Fuinur, two Black Númenóreans who gained great power among the Haradrim.

In early role-playing games and Middle-earth derivative material, the remaining eight Nazgûl (not counting Khamûl) had their own names; Er-Murazor (the Witch-King, of Númenórean race), Dwar of Waw, Ji Indur Dawndeath, Akhorahil, Hoarmurath (Númenórean), Adunaphêl the Silent (Númenórean woman), Ren the Impure and Uvatha the Horseman, but none of these names have been considered canonical (legitimate). It is unlikely, in the context of the books, that any of the Nazgûl would have been female. Nor is it clear who were Númenórean descendants: only Khamûl's origin is given clearly (he was eastern). While the Witch-king is considered a Númenórean lord, this is not indicated in any of Tolkien's writings.

In The Lord of the Rings trading card game, the Nazgûl are called: The Witch King, Úlairë Attëa, Úlairë Nelya, Úlairë Cantëa , Úlairë Lemenya, Úlairë Enquëa, Úlairë Otsëa, Úlairë Toldëa and Úlairë Nertëa . In Quenya, Úlairë means "Ring Ghost", and the second name is merely a numeral from two to nine. Also called: "the Fallen Horsemen", "the Nine Horsemen" and "the Black Wings" when appropriate, and "the Shadows", "the Nine", "the Nine Servants of the Lord of the Rings", and, by the orcs of the Tower of Cirith Ungol, "the Screamers."

In the video game Middle-earth: Shadow of War, three of the Nazgúl are named. The first to be named is Suladân, who, according to his history, would have been a great lord of Harad. A second is identified as Helm Hammerhand, who was a Rohir, last king of the first line of kings of Rohan. Finally, a third specter is introduced, which is identified as Isildur himself. According to his story, after dying at the hands of the orcs in an ambush, the orcs collected his body, which was taken to Mordor. There Sauron put a ring on him that revived him and ended up turning him into one of the Nine, chaining his soul to the Dark Lord. Talion, who cannot bear the idea that a king of Gondor now serves Sauron, frees him and, by taking possession of his ring and using it against the Witch-king to retake Minas Morgul, he ends up falling into shadow and occupies the Isildur's position as the new rider.

Other information

• It is known that Tolkien used the term figuratively. In a letter to his son in 1945, he compared his reaction to World War II aircraft to how Frodo would have felt if he had discovered hobbits "learning to ride birds-nazgûl".
• Nazgûl is a band black metal of Italian nationality.