What powers did the Nazgul actually have? Were they any good? | Middle Earth Lore
HTML-код
- Опубликовано: 28 июн 2024
- What abilities did the 9 rings of power give to the Ring Wraiths.
LOTR | Middle Earth | Rings of Power | Nazgul | Ringwraiths | Witch King of Agmar
00:00 | Nine rings for mortal men...
02:24 | Who were the Nazgul?
05:45 | Concerning ghosts...
09:22 | What powers did the Nazgul have?
11:45 | Examples of the Nazgul's true power
14:38 | Nothing to fear 
Развлечения
If I recall correctly, it was not the sticks that drove the Nazgul away, but it was the fire that drove them away. Also, the Nazgul chose not to fight the hobbits, probably because it would have diverted from their mission (to retake the One Ring).
Also, don't forget the Morgul Blades: those that can, if they pierce your heart, turn you into a lesser wraith under their command. So, I would not say that they are ineffective. But, we never really got to see them in full combat.
Reminds me a lot of the battle meditation used by Bastilla in Kotor. Basically did the opposite of the Nazgul and allowed her allies to fight with perfect morale and work in perfect sync. People underestimate how much morale can swing the tide of battle.
I think you're on to something significant there. I've never really thought of it quite that way before. I wonder if Gandalf had a similar effect to Bastilla... the opposite of the Nazgul maybe?
It's funny, it reminds me of the game mechanics of Lord of the Rings Online.
You don't have actual health, or hit points. You have morale, and when you drop to 0, your character doesn't die, he flees.
And the Nazgul NPCs have an aura surrounding them, simply called Dread, which reduces your maximum morale.
Other heroic characters have the opposite effect, like Gandalf, Aragorn, Radagast, etc...
👏👏👏
Hi. I find especially inspiring the idea "overcoming your fear defeats the worst of ghosts" -"One small light still pierces the deepest darkness". Too bad that in the movies, the fact that they breaks Gandalf's staff, gives them so much power that they never had in the books. I'm already subscribed to your channel, it's excellent, thanks for all your effort and dedication. Best regards.
Thanks for the positive vibes! I really appreciate that!
I honestly like to think of the Nazgul as just scary ghosts, that can't do too much harm really. It's then like what you said above... your not really fighting the ghosts, your fighting your own fear. You just need to master "yourself" and you can be successful.
To me, personally, that rings true and seems really impactful in my life.
Wow. Just wow. I came here because of some of your fancy shorts. But this was something, something totally different. Something epic like poetry. I applaud you. Awesome video.
Would've been amazing: Aragorn having a simple chat with Gandalf on the way, Gandalf worrying how he's no match against the Witch-King of Angmar, Aragorn just replies "just don't forget your two wooden branches and you'll be fine, mate!" 😀
Love it 🤣🤣🤣. Or let's just send Farmer Maggot up to Minas Tirith and let him stand at the gate. No one's getting through that legend!
@@thegreyhavens167 True. "You shall not pass!" should've been Maggot's line originally 😀
@@thegreyhavens167 Hilarious xD
Damm this was a good one! These are great breakdowns of LotR
Thanks for the positive vibes. I appreciate that! Glad you liked it.
Very insightful.
Their powers seemed to vary quite a bit really. The wraith seemed to have an aura that if struck would shatter an attakcer's bones, had strength to shatter shields, and seemed to not be afraid of a powerful maiar.
But that was when they were in the shadows close to mordor, when the fear and despair coming from others was highest. Glorfindel was a great warrior and beat the witch king, but yet failed to kill him.
How poweful were the nine? Depends.
Agreed. It's honestly all over the place.
My "theory" is that they are just harmless ghosts. I mean let's be real... we never see them actually kill anyone... not once. Their steeds run down some hobbits and their feel beasts do some killing, but not the Nazgul. It's unclear they can do anything but stab pillow sheets. The only fight we see is with Eowyn, and hard to know how skilled she really was. She had never been in any kind of fight her whole life, so hard to know.
They RUN AWAY from farmer Maggot? A hobbit with no fighting experience and no military weapons?
They lose to Aragorn with no sword, no shield, no armor, and only two sticks?
Gotta challenge you that they are tough fighters here... What do you think?
@@thegreyhavens167well, witchking did show some mucles inn the angmar wars. I do believe Morgomir was with him during that time? We also do know, they like using their cursed swords on their victims. (When Frodo gets stabbed for instance)
@@thegreyhavens167
They did Stab Frodo. So they can inflict physical harm. How good they are at it is another question
@@thegreyhavens167didn't Gandalf, galadriel, sauruman, and Elron fight the nazgul in the hobbit? At least in the movie they did.
I do believe as stated in the books a normal weapon would not have killed them, how can you attack spirit with something physical?!??
I can't remember if the blade Eowyn are used was special or not, but the blade Marry used was especially enchanted to hurt that kind of being, and I'm thinking that it brought the which king were into his physical form, so that Eowyn could deliver that final blow
I wonder if you could use footage from Minecraft middle Earth for longer videos like this. That Minecraft server is absolutely stunning.
Dude! That sounds awesome 😎! I will definitely check that out 🙌. Thx.
@@thegreyhavens167 it's a simple matter to join, it's an adventure mode server so you can't build or destroy anything. There is a way to become a builder. There are footprints to follow some characters paths through the world between the Hobbit and LOTR. Most of it is 1:1 scale.
Dammmmmm....that was really cool.
Love to see more of your videos.
Glad you enjoyed it! I have been making very different videos lately (high energy, lots of visuals)... do you think I should mix in some more like this one (storytime feel, deep theory)?
@@thegreyhavens167
Yeah man. Just do what's on your mind.If it works, it is. If it doesn't, who cares.
"FOLLOW YOUR NOSE" :Gandalf the white
I will always believe that Gandalf the White could survive an encounter with a Nazgul. Even The Witch King or Khamul. He's a maiar so not a man as such. Ordinary men would likely lose or at best drive the Nazgul away. Assuming that they could conquer their fear. The Nazgul I'm sure could fight if need be. Just because they avoided one on one encounters doesn't make them incapable. It appears that they fear fire as it uncloaked them, weakening their physical presence. It doesn't kill them however. I think that they are more effective on the fell beasts because the terror they bring is an area of effect weapon and it makes sense to unhinge the many rather than fight one on one. That just dilutes their worth.
Love ur content. U really know ur stuff
@stevenharrison6689, thanks! I really appreciate that! Glad you liked it.
I do remember once that the Witch King shatters Gandalf’s staff with his cursed sword
I can't remember if that's in the books or not, but that was the witch king, specifically. He was DISTINGUISHED among the nazgul.
He was indeed a sorcerer, who had made himself King, AND a Nazgul.
The ringwraiths and Witch-king were badly defined even in the books. Everything they are said to be able to do doesn't match up with their actions. All you could really say was that they were scary. Gandalf never told Pippin that he was no match for the Witch-king. Can you honestly see Witch-king v. Balrog going his way? Tolkein's books always tried to avoid these OP match ups.
My boy just killed a spirit turtle like, oh, just another Tuesday at the office.
Hey man, dont judge me 😥..... I mean I had not choice, it was the only way.... 😢... I had to save all of the lands between.... 😭😭😭😭
I'm pretty sure their aura of dread DID come from the rings they wore!
Also since they were barely physical beings I do believe those in the books when they say a normal weapon wouldn't be able to kill them.
I also believe had any of them been separated from the rings they would have pretty much instantly died. 😂
Love it. Awesome comment! But let me give you some secret info that you wont hear too often.... Gandalf says at the Council of Elrond that the Nazgul no longer have their rings! Yep, Sauron took them back and holds them himself... 🤔
Wow. First the video makes me want to play ER.... then Skyrim.... and now you bring up Kotor? Guess I'm staying up late tonight. 😅
They kill a watchman with a sword when theyre looking for Frodo.
The rings turned them into aerogel. The wind would have blown them away if their cloaks wasn't woven with lead.
Farmer Maggot confirmed stronger than Gandalf
Brilliant 🎉
Hey Thanks! I appreciate the positive vibes! 😂
Interesting
What about the Black Breath and the wounding of Faramir?
Oh yeah... great comment. Well said. Here are my thoughts, but I think you actually bring up a great couple points!
* I always pictured Faramir getting hit by a poisoned dart from the Hadarim, not the Nazgul. But re-read it really quickly and it totally could have been a Nazgul. Either interpretation is totally reasonable. So yeah, that;s true, I think they are subpar warriors but still warriors nonetheless and can still deal death! Good call out!!
* The black breathe: I personally read it that death clings to these guys. So the black breath is essentially death. I think humans get so scared around them they actually die of fear. That's what the black breath seems to me.
What do you think about the Nazgul?
@@thegreyhavens167 Hard to say. JRR got it right when he left some things a mystery without a detailed explanation. There are lots of books/movie sequels that blow this - take an intriguing mystery and explaining too much, ruining the effect. Jaws and Star Wars (Midichlorians - yuck) come to mind.
I think a lot of what you say is correct, but there is something more something mysterious and indefinable. Merry fell to the Black Breath in Bree, and at that time would be subject to the unknown fear, having not found his courage yet. At the same time, the Black Breath knocked out Faramir to the point that he required Aragorn’s expert healing and Faramir was as brave as anyone in the story.
I just started re-reading the book for the first time in about 45-50 years (seen the movie about a zillion times though). It seems individually they were not always overpowering, but collectively they could be trouble. Gandolf tells Frodo this in Rivendell: “On foot even Glorfindel and Aragorn together could not withstand all the Nine at once.” And those are two pretty powerful heroes.
Then again, several times at the beginning of the story, it does seem they were easily routed when they should not have been. Perhaps it was because of the nature of the mission? Kind of a “Find my ring, but don’t start any wars just yet” sort of thing. I think this is similar to why most of the Fellowship survived the battle at Path Galen. I suspect Orcs could not carry out complicated missions and needed simple instructions. So once they captured the Hobbits, it was their mission to escape back to Isenguard, not get involved in a protracted fight. Kind of reminds me of Hitler in the mid 1930s, was willing to use threats and intimidation to get what he wanted, but not quite ready for all out war at the time.
Gandalf wasn't afraid of the Witch King - a maia is more powerful than a ghost which the King essentially was.
I agree 100% that Gandalf would SHREK the witch king. But he does seem a bit nervous about it in the book for some reason. And to be sure, there are several examples of men killing maiar in battle, so I guess it could happen...
But I personally think like you do that Gandalf would dominate this guy!
@@thegreyhavens167probably had to do with the prophecy, because gandalf was rendered a man and incapable of showing his great power he had in the West
Also I interpreted it as only a woman could kill the witch king until your other video showed that hobbits weren't men
In short the prophecy was probably why he couldn't fight it and maybe the power really was too much for even gandalf for he says black is mightier still
Think the problem was that Gandalf was forbidden from showing/using his true power by the Valve, and the wraiths still possess the rings of power making them stronger.
That's how this becomes a close comparison.
Aragorn is one of the dunedain though.. and is descended from Eledil.. so he does have some advantages.
What about the Witch King vs Boromir in the second age? Not our Boromir obviously but he got his ass handed to him so saying they’re just men is a bit of an understatement.
Even Glorfindel the one that spoke the prophecy let the witch king go… and arguably Glorfindel was the most powerful ally. No doubt he’d best the witch king but he said not by the hand of man shall he meet his doom. Or words to that effect. So yeah I think they have their limitations but not to be underestimated!
At least the Witch King is able to sword fight. He does against Eärnur as well as against Eowyn.
So what you're saying is that the Ringwraiths are essentially playing the game on the lowest difficulty with cheats on and when that's not working for them they quit and go back to a safe zone
im late and not super educated on lotr but i've read it many times and my understanding is that for the most part the magics of middle earth are 'soft', rather than the more tangible powers we see in most fantasy like throwing a fireball or telekinesis. i definitely agree that the nazgul's main power is fear but i think you underestimate it significantly, all the powerful beings of middle earth battle mainly mentally rather than physically and the fear of sauron and the ringwraiths is in direct opposition to the courage and hope of gandalf, the elves and the numenoreans. they aren't pathetic human spirits who cloak themselves in fear to hide their weakness, they are genuinely very powerful they just don't exert their power in the physical world, they use fear to dominate others just like aragorn or gandalf use courage to inspire, which is best shown in the books with the battle of the pelennor fields where the witch king instills fear in the soldiers and gandalf fights his control to give them the hope to carry on. it's part of why i love lotr sm and i think a big part of why it's such a special story, im planning to write a book one day (hopefully not a lotr clone) and it's an idea i really want to make use of myself. love your channel btw found it today and started watching a bunch of videos
Ghosts are indeed real.
Would love to think so. I did have a sorta ghost experience once when I was 20. But as a physicist, the evidence just seems so poor. How about you? Have you experienced anything?
Impressive; however your claim that (in our world) ghosts are "a fantasy" is a bit puzzling. As a paranormal investigator who's experienced some pretty weird stuff, I can assure you that ghosts at the very least are _very_ real...
I would like to say I believe Tolkien was trying to compare the naz ghoul and demons I am a Christian and I believe if I’m not mistaken Tolkien was to
Yep, JRRT was Roman Catholic. He does say in interviews time and time again that it's pure fantasy and not allegorical to Christianity, the World Wars, or anything else.... but I think lots of us see it in there regardless. 👍
What game is shown?
Elden Ring.... a beautiful game, and a really profound experience. It's super hard, but super rewarding as well!
Do you know why the Nazgul dress in those pretty black cloaks instead of going naked and invisible ? Seems like less of a risk. But then they would be OP for the story. Could make it boring and we can't have that in LOTR.
@praetorian3902, great question! And I have an answer. It's like 75% cannon and 25% my theory:
* When they are naked, the fear that surrounds them is way more powerful. It actually makes it harder for them to be sneaky.
* The black cloaks are special made. They are ghosts/spirits and cant hold onto a weapon or ride a horse. They inhabit those special clocks and then can use them to interact with the physical world. Else they couldnt even open a door.
* They also need the cloaks to be able to ride a horse, to increase their speed.
* They also cannot see in the daytime, so need the horse to see.
There you go. What do you think?
(come to think of it, pretty much everyone invokes a sense of fear around them when walking around naked 🤔)
@@thegreyhavens167 lol for the last paragraph and for not being able to open a door.
You asked me what I think so I'm gonna take point by point :
* I don't think the Nazgul can be sneaky no matter what they do. With a cloak people see them = not sneaky. Without a cloak = absolute terror lol = not sneaky.
I guess they can be sneaky only when approaching someone from behind but those metal shoes would give away their position. And their awesome screeching doesn't help lol
About the terror bit, maybe it would be more helpful overall to use terror instead of fear because the first thing fear does is to paralyze. Terror is fear multiplied by 5, it will paralyze the target completely long enough for the Nazgul to kill it. Instead of the target experiencing fear for a few seconds and then starting to run all over the place. Maybe with terror it would have been too much for Aragorn or Arwen and they would have gotten the ring. Terror is only unpractical if they need to talk to someone to gain information - someone paralyzed by terror is unable to talk. A bit like Gandalf when he faced the Witch King right before Theoden arrived.
*On needing the cloaks to open physical doors, if the Nazgul are a different kind of spirit than the ghost army that Isildur cursed then ok. But if they're the same type (as in "ghosts are ghosts, period") then it wouldn't make sense because the green ghosts have no problem slaying orcs (= interacting with the physical environment) without cloaks. They even built a dead city made of stone. But my guess is they're probably different because normal people can see the green ghosts (Gimli, Legolas shooting an arrow through ghost's head) while unable to see a naked Nazgul. Do you know anything about this ?
*Fair enough for needing horse to increase their speed.
*They cannot see during daytime ? So, when they were grabbing Gondorian soldiers and throwing them from a height then they were seeing through their wyverns eyes by some sort of telepathy ?
@@praetorian3902
In the Books its specificly mentioned that the Ghosts inflict terrible fear but theire ability to kill is questioned. The buildings were build before the oathbreakers became Ghosts.
They are also different from one another.
During the siege of Minas thirit the Sky was darkened and it was almost Like night.
It's probably a risible comment but imagine you instill so much fear that no woman will ever sleep with you again. A potential eternity with no nookie. Yikes 😮😯😲🤣🤣🤣
It's fine, they are too old anyways.