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| “ | Shire… Baggins… | „ |
| ~ The Nazgûl's most famous quote. |
| “ | Come not between the Nazgûl and his prey! Or he will not slay thee in thy turn. He will bear thee away to the houses of lamentation, beyond all darkness, where thy flesh shall be devoured, and thy shrivelled mind be left naked to the Lidless Eye. | „ |
| ~ Another famous Nazgûl quote as uttered by Witch-king of Angmar. |
The Ringwraiths, also known by their Black Speech name Nazgûl, as well as their Quenyan name Ulari, The Nine, and Black Riders, are major antagonists in J.R.R. Tolkien's fantasy novel The Lord of the Rings, as well as Peter Jackson's film trilogy adaptation of it. They are also minor antagonists in Jackson's The Hobbit prequel film trilogy.
Once nine noble kings of Men, they were offered nine Rings of Power by the Dark Lord Sauron and took them, greedily. This corrupted them and enslaved them to Sauron, who used the One Ring to bind them to his will. They would become Sauron's most loyal and deadly servants and obey his every whim. He would send them to reclaim the One Ring from Frodo and use them in his war against the Free Peoples of Middle-earth.
Description[]
| “ | They were once Men. Great kings of Men. Then Sauron the Deceiver gave to them nine rings of power. Blinded by their greed, they took them without question, one by one falling into darkness. Now they are slaves to his will. They are the Nazgûl, Ringwraiths, neither living nor dead. At all times they feel the presence of the Ring, drawn to the power of the One. They will never stop hunting you. | „ |
| ~ Aragorn telling Frodo about the Nazgûl in The Fellowship of the Ring film adaptation. |
| “ | 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 downfall. 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 Úlairi, the Enemy's most terrible servants; darkness went with them, and they cried with the voices of death. | „ |
| ~ Description of the Nazgûl from The Silmarillion |
The Nazgûl were originally leaders of Men who were given the nine Rings of Power by Sauron, which enslaved them. Over time, they changed into ghostly beings, their bodies invisible to the normal eye; they often wear visible dark cloaks and other garments, enabling other beings to see them. They are usually mounted, either on horseback or riding great winged beasts (though unnamed, they are often called "fell beasts", after a descriptive term used by Tolkien). The Nazgûl serve Sauron in various functions as scouts and spies, as well as leaders of his armies.
As the Nazgûl's powers tied to One Ring; should the might of Sauron grew or diminished, so too did theirs.
Only two Nazgûl are known as individuals:
- The Witch-king of Angmar, the first leader of the Nazgûl. His name is unknown, and he is instead referred to by various epithets.
- Khamûl, the Witch-king's second in command. He was a former Easterling lord and is the only named Nazgûl. He became the second leader of the Nine after the death of the Witch-king at the Battle of the Pelennor Fields.
History[]
The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien[]
In Part I, The Fellowship of the Ring, the Nazgûl are sent to the Shire on horseback to retrieve the One Ring, and subsequently, chase the Ring-bearer Frodo Baggins and his companions on their way to Rivendell.
Later, in Part II, The Two Towers, they appear at various times riding the winged fell beasts. One noticeable time was when a Nazgûl flew over the Dead Marshes, and Frodo, Sam, and Gollum try to hide from him. Eventually, it leaves and rides back to Mordor.
In Part III, The Return of the King, the Witch-king of Angmar leads Sauron's armies in the Siege of Minas Tirith and the Battle of the Pelennor Fields, but he is killed by Lady Éowyn of Rohan and the hobbit Merry Brandybuck. The other Nazgûl all reappear at the Battle of the Black Gate, from where they speed to Mount Doom after Sauron becomes aware of the Ring's location. They burn in the flames of the erupting volcano after the One Ring is destroyed, and their deaths have freed the kings from Sauron's control.
Trivia[]
- Black horses utilized by Nazgûl were descended from ones in Rohirrim. When Gimli accused the Rohirrim of working with Sauron, Éomer argued otherwise, claiming that the Dark Lord once attempted to buy theirs for his own purposes only to resort to have his Orcs stealing them upon their refusal.
- The decision of stealing only black horses was intentional in Sauron's part not just for the Nazgûl, but also for fitting his forces' aesthetics (preference for black color).
