Obligitory GetoBoys refrain: “Damn it feels good to be a Nazgûl”
In lieu of thoughtful, geeky speculation on the general quality of life of Sauron’s ‘nine fingers’ I welcome a full rap parody of the GetoBoys *Gangsta *.
That out of the way, what would it be like to be a Nazgûl from day to day. I’m sure the initial power they felt while still human absolutely rocked. Then they got bored with the power combined with immortality, then they lost any will of their own which would kinda suck if you were able to remember how it was back in the day. Still, even as servants they were entrusted with meaningful tasks–certainly better assignments than even a champion orc could ever hope to receive–and they could scare the hell out of anything they wanted to. So essentially butlers, yeah, but highly-favored butlers with perks like their very own fell beasts. So how bad of an existence would it be, really?
I’m sure it’s great. They don’t have to show their passes at The Gates of Mordor, they can cut in line at Barad-dur, and they get free seconds at the buffet in Rhun. Plus they have that whole Grim Reaper/The Shadow/Jedi Knight Power To Cloud Men’s Minds/Mysterious Guy Dressed in a Black Robe vibe that lets them score effortlessly with Elf Maidens at the conventions.
the downsides are that you have a creepy voice, your nose is always running, and, luike a vampire, you can’t see yourself in a mirror, so your hair is always a mess, and you don’t know if you have ketchup on the side of your face unless another Nazagul tells you.
If I were a Nazgûl, I’d be all like, “Hey, Sauron. How come you first stuck us with horses when you had these sick-ass flying dragons all this time? What’s up wid dat?”
No, not undead because they were never corpses. Near as I can tell they just out-existed their bodies and are for all intents and purposes just spirits. (so Sauron issued them fell beasts to lift his spirits after the embarassing Rivendell incident) The Witch King for instance seems to have kept, possibly even enhanced, the powers he had when he was human. They’re certainly not mindless by any account.
That’s questionable. After the War of the Last Alliance , the Nazgul may have ‘died’ . JRRT said went “into the shadows”. eh.
There’s also the question if they wore the Nine Rings or not. At one point, it seems Sauron wore the Nine, and at others it seems the Nazgul did. It seems that Sauron wore the actual rings, but perhaps the Nazgul had a non-physical “memory” of their ring on the hand.
They couldn’t be revenants because they were never corpses, but I think they could be undead, couldn’t they? They weren’t exactly alive, but they were kept from dying by the power of the ring. I think they had a certain amount of independence and free will, though they were ultimately just slaves to Sauron. They even seemed to enjoy their work in a grim, twisted kind of way. They were pretty much like Darth Vader, which of course is not by coincidence.
Now I’m picturing a Nazgul hanging out in a tavern after work and getting into a heated argument with a group of zombies about who was more undead.
N: “Guys, really, I’ve had a long day. The last thing I need to see is a bunch of zombies munching on a bowl of brains. Can’t you just eat pretzels like normal people?”
Z: “You wouldn’t understand. It’s an undead thing.”
N: “Oh, dry up. I’m undead too.”
Z: “Dude, if you’ve never been dead, you just don’t get ‘undead’.”
N: “You really want to take on a Nazgul? I could kill you right here.”
Z: “Been there. Done that.”
I always assumed they were kind of like those people who lose their short-term memory. They know who they are and what’s going on around them, but they think the same thoughts over and over again without being really aware of the passage of centuries.
“I am the Witch King … I am very powerful and all must bow before me … where is The Ring … it is near, I can sense it … it is important that I find The Ring … anyone why prevents me from finding the ring will die … I am the Witch King … I am very powerful and all must bow before me … where is The Ring … it is near, I can sense it … .”
They’re always angry and unhappy and obsessed, but they have no sense of how repetitive and narrow their existence is.
I think the closest analogy would be a lich, a being made immortal through powerful magic. Those are considered undead because magic is the only thing that keeps them from death, and they are capable of inhabiting a different form when their mortal body is destroyed.
As I’ve understood it, the Rings make you invisible by moving you partially into the spirit world. Which is why Frodo can see the Witch King when he wears the One Ring, and why wearing it makes him easier for Sauron and the Nine to track through the spirit world. The Nazgul have been permanently shifted mostly or all the way there by long term use of their Rings.
Bilbo feels thin and stretched out after his paltry handful of Ring-extended years. The Nazgûl are much worse off than that.
Also, Sauron gave them Rings of Power, then took them away. Losing a lesser Ring isn’t as full of mental anguish as losing the One Ring, but from what Gandalf implies, it ain’t no picnic.
Plus, they’re working for Sauron, who is not just a Boss From Hell, he’s the Subordinate of the Boss From Hell. Basically, they’re trapped in middle management supervising orcs for all eternity.
OK, so that beggars the question about the other rings. The elves kept their 3 rings, but what about the dwarven rings, so if he kept one finger free for The One Ring, where did he wear the dwarven rings, on his toes?
So Sauron already wore 9 rings and he wanted to add a tenth ? Somebody needs to tell homeboy there’s such a thing as *too *pimp.
Now I really want to see Memento2, starring the Witch King of Angmar:
Shit, I lost my Ring. Need to find the Ring ! picks up polaroid of Flaming Eye, annotated Obey Man, that guy sounds like a jerk. Wait, why am I on a baller dragon ? I’m chasing this guy. No, wait, he’s chasing me. And he’s a girl, what the… ? Shit, I lost my Ring. Gotta find the Ring. What’s with *this *tiny guy ? He looks friendly. Oh good, he’s stabbing me now. Awesome. Why would he do that ?! Why are all these people cheering this little prick ? What have I ever done to them ?! Shit, I lost my Ring.
Four of the Seven were destroyed by dragonfire, so he had only 3. So that’s 12 in all rings he had during the War of the Ring.
Sauron also only had 9 fingers, so he didn’t have a finger free; but I expect he could wear more than one on a finger, assuming he even needed to wear the lesser rings.
I’m on vacation, not near the books, but I’m assuming someone more knowledgable can fill in. There’s a line about how Sauron was breeding the flying-worms, so it took a long time, and they weren’t “ready” until he unleashed them. And the unleashing was designed to bring terror (and surprise) to the West. Thus, the Nazgul were stuck with horses and Harleys until the flying-thingies were unveiled.
