While Sauron is the main villain ofThe Lord of the Rings, he isn’t the only ancient and evil being the heroes have to contend with. The Ringwraiths or Nazgûl are first introduced as they go to the Shire to look for the Ring. As they catch up to the hobbits, even Aragorn (Viggo Mortensen) –then calling himself Strider– doesn’t wait to fight them, proving how dangerous the Nazgûl are. But the films tell very little about them because there isn’t much to tell. These terrifying beings are largely mysterious, even withJ. R. R. Tolkien’s detailed writings about Middle-earth. During the Third Age of Middle-earth, they werea nearly unkillable force for Sauron, but they weren’t always. They have existed so long that their names are no longer remembered, but the Nazgûl were once human.They became the creatures fans know during the Second Age, but what they were up to at this time isn’t clear.
The Nazgûl Came Into Existence in the Second Age
The Nazgûl were oncethe bearers of the Nine Rings of Men. With the additional powers from Sauron’s rings, they became leaders of their people during their lives but eventually succumbed to the power of the One Ring, becomingthe shadowy servants of Sauron. How long it took them to go from leaders of Men to Nazgûl isn’t clear. Along with turning them invisible and giving them the ability to look intothe Unseen World, the rings prolonged their lives, and the Men never really died but faded into something not quite alive and under Sauron’s control.According to Tolkien’s timeline, Sauron finished the nine rings by S.A. 1697, but the Nazgûl didn’t start appearing until S.A. 2251, giving quite a considerable gap for the transition to occur.Yet the time spent as Men slowly being consumed by the power Sauron offered them accounts for much of the Nazgûl’s time during the Second Age.
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Yet the Second Age goes on for roughly 1,200 years after the Nazgûl first appeared in their wraith form. They became the primary servants of Sauron, but even so, they are not mentioned during the major events of the war. It seems as though they should be fighting alongside Sauron, but the Nazgûl are not even there during the Last Alliance of Elves and Men when Isildur destroyshis mortal form.The Nazgûl’s apparent absence suggests that they were fighting other battles, or else Sauron was not sure of their capabilities yet, but not having them by his side proved to be a fatal mistake. Upon Sauron’s defeat, the Nazgûl faded, but as The Lord of the Rings proves, they were not destroyed.
Much About the Nazgûl in the Second Age Is Missing
Not only is it odd that they are seemingly not present in the war, but so is the fact that they are not given backstories. During the Second Age, the Nazgûl were born and were influential Men, but Tolkien left the details mysterious. Supposedly, three were from Númenor, but no more is said about them.Only two of the nine have names given by Tolkien:the Witch-king of Angmarand Khamûl.Except for the fact that he was likely a sorcerer, all the information about the Witch-king of Angmar is from after he became a Nazgûl, including the name, which comes from the kingdom he established for Sauron. He is notable in the Third Age for his fight with the last King of Gondor and the prophecyGlorfindelgives about him, stating that no man will kill him. This is fulfilled whenÉowyn (Miranda Otto)slays the Withch-king, but when it comes to the Second Age, even the chief of the Nazgûl has a clean slate. Khamûl is the sole Nazgûl whose name from before his transformation is established, assumedly. The second in command to the Witch-king, Khamûl is also known as “the Shadow of the East,” according toUnfinished Tales, which suggests that he is an Easterling, or was when he was a man. Yet that is all established about him before the War of the Ring.
While Tolkien reveals little about the Nazgûl in the Second Age, Prime Video’sThe Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Powerhas the chance to establish backstories for these villains.Already, the Elves and Dwarves have received rings, which means Men are next.Fan theories have suggested that Theo (Tyroe Muhafidin)or Kemen (Leon Wadham) could become Nazgûl, and in the context of the series, this is plausible. Though it will not be coming from Tolkien itself, the series can finally give fans a backstory for the Nazgûl.
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