Witch-king of Angmar
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The Witch-king of Angmar, also known as Lord of the Nazgûl or the Black Captain, is a fictional character in the novel The Lord of the Rings by J. R. R. Tolkien, set in the fantasy world of Middle-earth. Within Tolkien's legendarium, he is the chief of the Nazgûl (Ringwraiths), the chief servants of the Dark Lord Sauron. His true given name is not revealed in any of Tolkien's writings, nor are the names of any of the other Nazgûl save Khamûl.
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[edit] Appearances
[edit] Literature
[edit] History
The Witch-king was originally a great king of Men. In the Second Age, he and eight other men were given the nine Rings of Power by the Dark Lord of Mordor, Sauron. The Rings gave them incredible power, which they used to further their own ambitions, but eventually the Rings completely corrupted them and turned them into the ghastly Nazgûl, "neither living nor dead", as Aragorn put it.
The first sighting of the Nazgûl in Middle-earth was reported in 2251 of the Second Age. For the next 1200 years, the Lord of the Nazgûl would serve Sauron as his second in command. He fought in the war against the Last Alliance of Elves and Men between 3434 and 3441 of the Second Age. It was in 3441 that Sauron was defeated by Isildur and the nine Nazgûl disappeared from Middle-earth.
One thousand years into the Third Age, Sauron resurfaced under the guise of "the Necromancer", and founded the fortress of Dol Guldur in southern Mirkwood in 1050 of the Third Age. This signalled the return of the Nazgûl to Middle-earth.
The Lord of the Nazgûl reappeared in 1300 of the Third Age in the north near the lost realm of Arnor. There he founded the kingdom of Angmar. It is after the formation of Angmar and several conflicts with the Dúnedain of the North that the Lord of the Nazgûl became widely known as the Witch-king, Lord of Angmar, reflecting the fact that he practiced black sorcery. Because of the great havoc he wreaked in the north, he became notorious among the peoples of Middle-earth as the terrible Lord of Angmar; thus, he thereafter retained his title of Witch-king, even long after he left Angmar.
He then began his open war campaign with the three divided kingdoms of Arnor (Arthedain, Rhudaur, and Cardolan). In 1409 of the Third Age, the Witch-king invaded the kingdom of Rhudaur and Cardolan and eventually destroyed both kingdoms. Soon, the only resistance against the Witch-king's forces was the western kingdom of Arthedain. The Witch-king continued his war for hundreds of years. In 1636, the Witch-king sent wights to the Barrow-downs in Cardolan in order to prevent the rebirth of the kingdom. The Witch-king claimed ultimate victory in the north in 1974 of the Third Age, when his forces captured Fornost Erain, the capital of Arthedain. With its capture, the final kingdom collapsed, and with it, the last remnants of the lost realm of Arnor were destroyed.
The Witch-king took his seat of power in the newly captured Fornost. But his glory did not last long, for in 1975, prince Eärnur of Gondor landed at the harbours of Mithlond, leading an army of Gondorians. His army was joined by the Elves of Lindon and the remnant of the northern Dúnedain and marched on the Witch-king.
They did not meet the Witch-king at Fornost, but on the plains west of it toward Lake Evendim, home of the ancient kings of Arnor, Annúminas. The battle would forever be known as the Battle of Fornost. Eärnur's army was later joined in the midst of battle by Glorfindel and an Elven army from Rivendell. The combined forces of Elves and Men brought utter defeat to the Witch-king and his forces. After the battle, the Witch-king fled south to Mordor and his kingdom of Angmar, without an able leader, was destroyed. When the Witch-king fled, Eärnur attempted to follow him, but Glorfindel stopped the prince and prophesied,
- "Do not pursue him! He will not return to these lands. Far off yet is his doom, and not by the hand of man will he fall."
The Witch-king finally returned to Mordor in the year 1980 of the Third Age.
When the Witch-king returned, his wrath of defeat still burned within. In 2000, the Witch-king led the Nazgûl on a siege of Minas Ithil. They finally captured it in 2002, in the name of Sauron and renamed it Minas Morgul, the Tower of Black Sorcery. It was at Minas Morgul that the Witch-king made his stronghold, giving him the title of Lord of Morgul.
In 2043, King Eärnil II of Gondor died and his son, the Witch-king's old enemy, Eärnur inherited the throne. Upon his coronation, the Witch-king challenged him to combat, but Eärnur refused. However, seven years later in 2050, the Witch-king again challenged him, this time he accepted. Eärnur rode out of Minas Tirith to meet the Witch-king in Minas Morgul. He entered the city's gates and was never seen again, thus ending the reign of the Gondorian Kings and causing the beginning of the ruling Stewards of Gondor.
No more than twelve years after the siege of Minas Ithil, Osgiliath was next in the Witch-king's line of sight. He led hordes of orcs and Haradrim against the city. The city had already been devastated centuries before by a plague, and the Witch-king's forces ruined what remained of the city and destroyed the great bridge linking the east and west banks of the Anduin river. This was a devastating blow to the morale of Gondor.
In 2941, the Necromancer was finally expelled from Dol Guldur when Gandalf confirmed that he truly was Sauron in disguise. Sauron returned to Mordor and began preparations to find his One Ring. He began the reconstruction of his dark tower, Barad-dûr, in 2951 and sent three Ringwraiths to re-capture Dol Guldur.
[edit] The Lord of the Rings
In 3018, with the capture of Gollum, Sauron learned the location of the Ring from two words uttered by Gollum, "Shire...Baggins." Sauron opened the gates of Minas Morgul and sent forth the Witch-king and the other Nazgûl disguised as Black Riders to fetch his Ring. This was seen by many as the beginning of the War of the Ring. At this time, the Riders did not know the location of the Shire, but when they by chance came upon Gríma Wormtongue in Rohan, he told them what he knew of Saruman's plans, including his interest in the Shire, and its location. Surprisingly, the Witch-king let Gríma escape with his life, but only because he could see that Gríma was a coward, who would not dare speak of his treachery to Saruman.
The Witch-king of Angmar and the other eight Nazgûl rode swiftly from Mordor to the lands of the Shire. They continued to search for "Baggins" until they tracked him to Buckland. Five of the Riders raided Buckland but could not find the Ring.
The Witch-king led four other Nazgûl to Weathertop where they discovered Frodo Baggins and the other hobbits, accompanied by the Ranger Strider. The Ringwraiths attacked the party and the Witch-king wounded Frodo with a Morgul-blade. Though apparently driven off by Strider (since they could have intentionally withdrawn), Frodo's wound threatened to turn him into a wraith like the Nazgûl. Strider also revealed that all blades that pierced the Witch-king were destroyed.
On the way to Rivendell, the realm of Elrond Half-elven, the company met Glorfindel, who lent Frodo his horse Asfaloth. Pursued by all seven, the horse bore Frodo to the borders of Rivendell, crossing the River Bruinen. Frodo defied the Witch-king and the other Nazgûl, who were on the other side of the river. But the Witch-king struck him dumb and broke his sword with a gesture, and led some of them in crossing the river. However, the river was under the control of Elrond, who released a great flood, augmented by Gandalf the Grey. Frodo's companions suddenly appeared on the Ringwraiths' side, and forced the others into the river with torches and Glorfindel's bared spiritual power. The flood drowned the horses of the Ringwraiths, who were forced to return to Mordor empty-handed.
With their return to Mordor, Sauron provided the Nazgûl with great winged beasts as their new mounts. Sauron used the lesser eight Nazgûl for reconnaissance work. The Witch-king, however, returned to Minas Morgul and reassumed the role of commander of Sauron's forces. He then began operations to capture Osgiliath. The Witch-king was afterwards known as the Black Captain by the soldiers of Gondor because he instilled fear in his enemies; in a skirmish the previous year, Gondor's captain Boromir was driven off, barely managing to destroy Osgiliath's last stone bridge.
The final battle for Osgiliath was fought on March 13, 3019 of the Third Age against Faramir's Rangers. Faramir's forces could not hold the Orc hordes who swarmed across the Anduin. Faramir pulled his forces back to Minas Tirith assailed by flying Nazgûl, but Gandalf drove them away. Later, Denethor ordered Faramir to defend the Causeway Forts, despite the danger; he was returned to Minas Tirith gravely wounded.
On March 14 the Witch-king, infused by Sauron with added demonic force, led massive numbers of Orcs, Haradrim, and Easterlings to besiege Minas Tirith. Before dawn on the 15th, the great battering-ram Grond, likely assisted by the Witch-king's sorcery, was used to break the city's main gate. He was the first ever enemy of Minas Tirith to enter its gate and grounds. Riding on a horse, the Witch-king was prevented from entering the city further only by Gandalf.
- "You cannot enter here," said Gandalf, and the huge shadow halted. "Go back to the abyss prepared for you! Go back! Fall into the nothingness that awaits you and your Master. Go!"
- "Old fool!" he said. "Old fool! this is my hour. Do you not know Death when you see it? Die now and curse in vain!" And with that he lifted high his sword and flames ran down the blade.
Before the two engaged, the cock crowed, the darkness broke, and the horns of Rohan were heard as around 6,000 of their riders joined the battle. This forced the Witch-king to withdraw and remount, this time on his fell beast.
Théoden had just slain a leader of the Southrons when the Witch-king attacked him. The advancing Rohirrim's horses panicked as his fell beast attacked. Théoden's horse, Snowmane, became frightened, was struck by an arrow, and crushed his master.
As the Witch-king hovered over Théoden, Éowyn, disguised as a man, stood in his way.
- "Begone, foul dwimmerlaik, lord of carrion! Leave the dead in peace!"
- "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."
- "Do what you will, but I will hinder it, if I may."
- "Hinder me? Thou fool. No living man may hinder me!"
- "But no living man am I! You look upon a woman. Éowyn I am, Éomund's daughter. You stand between me and my lord and kin. Begone, if you be not deathless! For living or dark undead, I will smite you, if you touch him."
Éowyn then decapitated his fell beast with a single stroke, but the Witch-king broke her shield and her left arm with a blow from his mace. As he prepared to deliver the final blow, Merry from behind plunged his enchanted sword into the back of the Witch-king's knee (in The Hobbit, the reader is told that hobbits can move very quietly and can evade notice).
The enchanted blade used by Merry was of particular importance to this encounter. It had been forged by the men of Arnor during their battles with the land of Angmar, when the Lord of the Nazgûl had been its sorcerer king. The sword was imbued with powerful magic against the Witch-king himself, but it had lain unused in a barrow for centuries until it was discovered and given to Merry by Tom Bombadil.
In Merry's hand, the sword penetrated the magical spells protecting the Witch-king and caused his stroke to pass wide of Éowyn, leaving him hunched over her. With her remaining strength, she quickly rose and thrust her sword into his invisible face; as her sword shattered, his clothing fell to the ground and he vanished with a wailing cry, passing away from this world, thereby fulfilling the prophecy of Glorfindel from many centuries before: he had fallen not by the hands of a "man", but by those of a woman and a (male) hobbit (though Tolkien properly defines Hobbits as an offshoot of Men). Due to the enchantment on the Witch-king, Merry's sword also disintegrated, but its purpose was fulfilled.
- So passed the sword of the Barrow-downs, work of the Westernesse. But glad would he have been to know its fate who wrought it slowly long ago in the North-kingdom when the Dúnedain were young, and chief among their foes was the dread realm of Angmar and its sorcerer king. No other blade, though mightier hands had wielded it, would have dealt that foe a wound so bitter, cleaving the undead flesh, breaking the spell that knit his undead sinews to his will.
Had it not been for Merry and the sword specifically designed to pierce him, the Witch-king would have killed Éowyn, but with his death, the Rohirrim regrouped. By the end of the day, victory was theirs, shared with their allies. After his death, the Witch-King's spirit attempted to flee back to Sauron in Mordor. Frodo and Sam, descending from the Mountains of Shadow at the time, heard a horrible shriek and saw a "fading black shape" speeding toward the Dark Tower. However, it appeared to dissolve before it reached its destination.
About ten days later, Sauron himself was defeated when the One Ring was cast into the fires of Mount Doom.
[edit] Adaptations
In New Line Cinema's The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, directed by Peter Jackson, the actions of the Witch-king and the other Ringwraiths differ from that in the book.
They attack the Prancing Pony inn of Bree themselves and wreck the hobbits' rooms, whereas in the book their local accomplices do the deed.
They also engage in an extended swordfight with Aragorn at Weathertop, in which some of the former are set on fire. In the book, Aragorn faces them with burning brands, since his sword is still broken (the film Aragorn uses a different sword at this point), none of them are set aflame, and they withdraw quickly.
At the ford of Bruinen, the Ringwraiths face Arwen, to whom the Witch-king demands "Give up the Halfling, she-Elf!", before she conjures up the flood with an incantation.
In The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, the Witch-king's encounters during the War of the Ring also differ from that told in the book.
First, he appears in Minas Morgul on a fell beast instead of leading the Morgul host on a black horse. He does not sense the Ring as he does in the book, but Frodo does recognize him as the Ringwraith who stabbed and nearly killed him, and he cries out in pain, "I can feel his blade."
Later the Witch-king orders Gothmog to "[s]end forth all legions. Do not stop the attack until the city is taken. Slay them all." When Gothmog asks him of Gandalf's fate, he confidently retorts, "I will break him."
During the siege of Minas Tirith, the Witch-king is constantly wreaking havoc from the air while mounted on his fell beast, whereas in the book he does not come forth on his horse until the battering ram Grond is at the gate. In the film the first enemies to enter Minas Tirith's grounds are orcs from siege towers, and the first to enter the gate are trolls. Later still, during the Battle of the Pelennor Fields, the Witch-king wields his sword and a huge flail (instead of a mace), the latter of which he swings at Éowyn several times before finally connecting.
[edit] Confrontation with Gandalf
During the siege of Minas Tirith, as Gandalf races to the upper levels of the city on Shadowfax, he unexpectedly runs into the Witch-king on his fell beast. In a duel of "wills", the Nazgûl prevails and shatters Gandalf's staff, knocking the wizard off his horse. As the Witch-king raises his burning sword, he hears the army of Rohan approach the besieged city. The scene is only in the extended version of the film.
Many fans of Tolkien's books have criticized Jackson's take on the confrontation scene, saying it unlikely that the Witch-king — in reality a corrupted, undead human — could be more powerful than Gandalf, who is not human (though he has a human body), but has ancient, divine origins; Gandalf is actually an incarnate angelic being called a Maia, as are Sauron and Saruman, as elaborated in the later published Unfinished Tales. This is only hinted at in The Lord of the Rings, where Gandalf and the other Wizards are said to be agents supposed to work against Sauron, coming from the Uttermost West. The Silmarillion, published after The Lord of the Rings but before Unfinished Tales, reveals that they were sent by other angelic beings called Valar.
The Lord of the Rings is quite clear that the Witch-king "wields great powers". Notably, the Witch-king is responsible for the breaking of the mighty gate of Minas Tirith (as Grond the battering ram was unsuccessful until his intervention); however, Gandalf has recovered much of his past strength in his latest incarnation, as Gandalf the White. The book also hints that the other eight Nazgûl are aware that "their Captain" would eventually come forth to "challenge the white light of their foe", and indeed, he does aggressively confront Gandalf at the broken gates of Minas Tirith; though they do not get the chance to clash as the Rohirrim arrive. Before that happens, Denethor taunts Gandalf by asking him if he is overmatched by the Witch-king, and the Wizard says, "It might be so. But our trial of strength is not yet come."
However, other references in the book tend to hint that Gandalf would have been the victor of the aborted battle. In The Fellowship of the Ring, Gandalf (the Grey, not yet the White) battled all nine Ringwraiths simultaneously at the Tower of Amon Sûl at Weathertop hill, before Frodo arrived there. The light and fire from the battle could be seen from great distances, but the battle ended in a stalemate, even with Gandalf being heavily outnumbered. In The Two Towers Gandalf the White claims that he is "...very dangerous: more dangerous than anything you will ever meet, unless you are brought alive before the seat of the Dark Lord." Aragorn also says, "The Dark Lord has Nine: But we have One, mightier than they: the White Rider. He passed through the fire and the abyss, and they shall fear him." Finally, in The Return of the King Gandalf later says that he could have defeated the Witch-king if he did not have to save Faramir from Denethor's madness.
Many Tolkien fans thus believe Gandalf should not have been so blatantly defeated in the confrontation; some of these fans contend it was done to heighten the drama of Éowyn and Merry's victory over the Witch-king. Of course, since the films do not go into his backstory and some lines from the book have been omitted, Jackson's Gandalf is not necessarily as blatantly powerful as the divine being of Tolkien's books.
[edit] Names and titles
The Witch-king's other titles include Black Captain, Lord of the Nazgûl, Lord of Minas Morgul, Lord of the Nine Riders, Wraith-king, Captain of Despair, First of the Nazgûl, High Nazgûl, and Chieftain of the Ringwraiths.
His true name is never given, and therefore among some Tolkien fans, the Witch-king is often simply called Angmar, after the name of the realm he founded and led (as Arthur Wellesley, the first Duke of Wellington, is simply "Wellington"). Many fans also identify him as one of the three Black Númenóreans Tolkien stated had become Nazgûl, or possibly Isilmo, a Númenórean prince and father of Tar-Minastir. 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.
Some sources name the Witch-king Murazor or Er-Murazor, and also give names for the other Ringwraiths. However, these names are found solely in the now-defunct Middle-earth-themed role-playing and trading card games produced by Iron Crown Enterprises, and are therefore non-canonical.
[edit] Cultural references
- An undead witch-king named Þráinn appears in Hrómundar saga Gripssonar. It is possible that this was Tolkien's source of inspiration.[citation needed]
- The prophecy of Glorfindel also echoes Shakespeare's Macbeth, in which one of the witches foretells that "none of woman born / Shall harm Macbeth" (Act IV, scene i). Macbeth is eventually slain by Macduff, who "was from his mother's womb / Untimely ripp'd [aka, was born of a crude Caesarian section, and thus was not "born" in the sense of going through the birth canal ]." (Act V, scene viii).
[edit] Miscellanea
- The title "Witch-king" does not appear in The Lord of the Rings until the Appendices of The Return of the King. He is referred to only by his other titles (namely, "Lord of the Nazgûl," "Black Captain," "Sorcerer," "Morgul Lord") during the actual story.
- The original helmet for the Witch-king designed for the Peter Jackson film The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King was similar to that of an illustration by John Howe, and this original armour can still be seen in action in the game adaptation by Electronic Arts. However, confusion from crew members, who had not read the books, over whether it was Sauron or the Witch-king on the battlefield, prompted WETA to revise the design to make it more similar to the Black Rider look and then reshoot all his scenes during the 2003 pick-ups.
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- Witch-king of Angmar at The Thain's Book
| Books: | The Fellowship of the Ring • The Two Towers • The Return of the King |
|---|---|
| Films: | The Fellowship of the Ring • The Two Towers • The Return of the King |
| Animation: | J. R. R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings • The Return of the King (TV) |
| Radio: | The Lord of the Rings (1955) • The Lord of the Rings (1979) • The Lord of the Rings (1981) |
| Characters: | Frodo • Sam • Merry • Pippin • Bilbo • Gandalf • Aragorn • Legolas • Gimli • Boromir • Sauron • Saruman • Arwen • Elrond • Galadriel • Théoden • Éomer • Éowyn • Wormtongue • Faramir • Denethor • Gollum • Witch-king • Treebeard • Tom Bombadil |
| Miscellanea: | Adaptations of The Lord of the Rings • Themes in The Lord of the Rings • The Lord of the Rings in popular culture • Works inspired by The Lord of the Rings • The Lord of the Rings video games |
| Related works: | The Hobbit • The Silmarillion • Unfinished Tales • The History of Middle-earth • The History of The Lord of the Rings • Bilbo's Last Song • The Children of Húrin |
