I’m sure this has been asked already, so if you have a link, please direct me.
How was Strider so easily able to dispatch 5 Black Riders (including the Witch King) on Weathertop? Basically, all he had was a sword and a torch.
Book states that they are mortally (ha!) afraid of fire and that they withdrew following piercing Frodo’s shoulder. They elected to simply wait until he succumbed and would fall under their power.
Aragorn is also of noble heritage, the heir of the great Numenorean king Elendil. To the Nazgul, he appears as a powerful and imposing figure, not just a humble ranger, and he is immune to the fear they evoke in most other beings. And he’s even a bigger badass than you think – in the book, he carries the broken sword Narsil, which he never draws when facing the Nazgul, dispatching them with only torches and sheer nerve.
Before he got Narsil reforged into Andúril, he remarked a bit sadly, “Not much use, is it, Sam?”
Thank you, very helpful. I still seems a little strange. The Witch King thought himself to be as powerful as Gandalf whom I suspect was much more powerful than Aragorn. Is it possible the Nazguls were not as powerful as they would be in the future. Though they were pretty badass in The Hobbit.
Yeah, from their point of view, they’d already gotten the job done - Frodo was doomed and all they had to do was wait. Why bother sticking around the scary big guy who acts like they’re nothing to be afraid of.
I agree it’s a little strange. We can make up some in-universe explanations, but IMHO they are a little strained (though doesn’t impact the overall work very much).
Best fanwank/retcons:
The Nazgul felt that the knife was going to do the work, so didn’t need to press things
Aragorn, being particularly immune to the fear-based magic of the Nazgul, was an enemy the Nazgul weren’t really ready for (and a badass regardless)
At that point, far from Mordor and relatively early in Sauron’s war, the Nazgul weren’t as strong as they became by the time of the siege of Minas Tirith
A page of a bad Frankenstein movie script got mixed into the MS of LOTR and the Nazgul accidentally had an extreme fear of fire.
There is mention that the further from Mordor the weaker the Nazgul at that time. Additionally it was believed they were trying not to reveal themselves yet to the powers of the West.
The Hobbit?? Or do you mean they put in a cameo in the movies?
I think it’s also part of Tolkien’s cosmology that evil, in addition to being unable to create (only imitate or distort), is fundamentally cowardly. The Nazgul were not at full strength at Weathertop and were very likely not expecting these halflings to be guarded by an exiled Numenorean king with no fear of them.
In the movies - not a cameo - it was in the third movie.
IMO, their great power is fear. They can cause fear in nearly every creature within xxxx yards. Prolonged Nazgul exposure would cause loss of will to live. This is a great military power.
On the other hand, we have no evidence from the books that they can handle themselves well in personal physical combat. Quite the contrary. Their leader is scared off by Glorfindel at the battle of Fornost. As mentioned, on Weathertop they’re intimidated by one man wielding a torch. Several of them attack Gandalf the Grey on Weathertop and are driven off. At the Battle of Pelennor, Gandalf runs them off, twice. The Witch King, with an army behind him, helps break the gate, but is stopped by Gandalf. After telling Gandalf, “Dang, I can’t fight you now, I hear some horns blowing”, he then takes to the air, throwing darts from a safe altitude, only landing when it looks safe to do so. He then is defeated by a woman and a hobbit.
Their great power is fear. Fear and surprise. Surprise and fear…
Their two great powers are fear and surprise… and the Morgul-knife…
Their three powers are fear, surprise, and the Morgul-knife… and an almost fanatical devotion to Sauron…
A woman protecting (or avenging) her father. Do not mess with Momma Bear nor any of her kind. Further, to the Witch King’s worse luck, the hobbit was deceptively overlookable and armed with The Weapon capable of at least leaving the Witch King limping, or worse.
I also thought there was something about their physical bodies not yet being fully formed, and thus not as powerful. The bodies were wiped out in the flood and their spirits went back to Mordor where they retook physical form; since Sauron’s power was growing their new forms were likewise more powerful.
But I think the main thing has already been stated: their true power lie in spreading fear, not wielding a sword, and Aragorn didn’t fear them.
Powerful in different ways. Aragorn was the greatest living man at that time, able to command an army of the undead, and rend control of a pilantir away from Sauron himself, something even Gandalf feared to try.
Aragon was the direct descendant of the man who cut the Ring off Sauron’s finger. In a world where heritage and descent is important, that’s pretty significant for the servants of the Ring.
Agreed, and it’s among the best parts of the books.
@Thudlow Boink
Just saw this, well commented - made my day!
Thanks
It makes sense to fear Aragorn. No matter what he’s armed with, he’s the single greatest badass alive in Middle-Earth. The better question is, why did they fear Farmer Maggot and his dogs?
It gets back to what Capn Carl said. Their main weapon is fear. And it’s a very potent weapon indeed: They can singlehandedly turn battles with that weapon. But what’s the response of a sensible tactician, on finding that your main weapon is ineffective? They should, rationally, be wary of anyone who can withstand their fear.
But it goes beyond that, because it’s not rational. Fear is such a fundamental part of their nature that, where they should be feeling wariness, they instead feel terror, the sheer, unreasoning terror that they (usually) instill in their victims.
Aragorn is, of course, brave, as well a badass like him should be. It ain’t boasting if you can back it up. But Farmer Maggot is likewise brave, in his own way, at least when defending his home, his family, his guests, and his neighbors. And the Nazgul can’t withstand that courage.