143-510: Glorfindel ( IPA: [ɡlɔrˈfindɛl] ) is a fictional character in J. R. R. Tolkien 's Middle-earth legendarium . He is a member of the Noldor , one of the three groups of High Elves . The character and his name, which means " blond " or "golden-haired", were among the first created for what would become part of his Middle-earth legendarium in 1916–17, beginning with the initial draft of The Fall of Gondolin . His name indicates his hair as
286-518: A Balrog . Glorfindel fought the Balrog and succeeded in slaying the monster, but was himself mortally wounded. His body was recovered by the great eagle Thorondor and buried under a stone cairn, where afterward grew yellow flowers. The Fall of Gondolin relates that "Glorfindel and the Balrog" became an in-universe proverb used in Elven culture to describe great skill and courage in battle. Following his death in
429-461: A Catholic , realised he had created a dilemma for himself , as if these beings were sentient and had a sense of right and wrong, then they must have souls and could not have been created wholly evil. Dragons (or "worms") appear in several varieties, distinguished by whether they have wings and whether they breathe fire (cold-drakes versus fire-drakes). The first of the fire-drakes ( Urulóki in Quenya)
572-694: A Purgatory -like period in the Halls of Mandos in Valinor , the home of Tolkien's "gods", the Valar and Maiar , where Elves previously lived before (re)migrating to Middle-earth. After being re-embodied, previously dead Elves stay in Valinor permanently. Tolkien eventually decided that each Elf's name should be unique, and therefore the two Glorfindels should be one and the same. In 1972, he wrote an essay in which he explains how Glorfindel returns to Middle-earth following his death in
715-525: A non-player character . The Games Workshop tabletop strategy battle game adaptation of The Lord of the Rings features two versions of Glorfindel: In one form, he is fully clad in armour, while the other has Glorfindel clad in robes and riding Asfaloth. A version of Glorfindel appears in the Lego Lord of the Rings video game, where he is available as downloadable content . Middle-earth Middle-earth
858-678: A tightrope unaided. Their eyesight is keen. Elves are immortal, unless killed in battle. They are re-embodied in Valinor if killed. Men were "the Secondborn" of the Children of Ilúvatar: they awoke in Middle-earth much later than the Elves. Men (and Hobbits) were the last humanoid race to appear in Middle-earth: Dwarves, Ents and Orcs also preceded them. The capitalized term "Man" (plural "Men")
1001-536: A "gradual incarnation of bodiless presence". Little by little, in his view, Tolkien increases the reader's insight into their nature, starting with Black Riders who are "spies more human than diabolical", rather than developing their character. Walker sees this as appropriate: the Nazgûl's main weapons are psychological, namely fear and despair. He writes that the progressive revelation of their capabilities, and their "escalation of steeds" from horses to fell beasts, builds up in
1144-534: A ' pterodactyl '", while acknowledging "obviously it is pterodactylic " and owed much to the "new ... mythology" [of the "Prehistoric"], and might even be "a last survivor of older geological eras." The medievalist Marjorie Burns compares the fell beast to the Poetic Edda ' s flying steed Sleipnir , "Odin's eight-legged otherworldly horse". She writes that whereas Gandalf's horse Shadowfax resembles Sleipnir in his miraculous speed and in almost seeming to fly,
1287-636: A band, a thing wound around something, and indeed a ring. Another cognate is Old Saxon wred , meaning cruel; Fisher comments that all of these stem from Indo-European *wreit , to turn, bend, or wind. "Nazgûl" has the Black Speech roots nazg , ring, and gûl , wraith. Fisher writes that the former may well be connected, unconsciously on Tolkien's part, to Gaelic nasc , a ring. Gûl has the meaning "magic" in Tolkien's invented language of Sindarin . Fisher comments that this has an English homophone in " ghoul ",
1430-566: A blackness came, and they thought no more of war, but only of hiding and of crawling, and of death. The Nazgûl reappear mounted on hideous flying beasts. During the Battle of the Pelennor Fields , the Lord of the Nazgûl uses magic , including Grond, a battering-ram engraved with evil spells, to break the gates of Minas Tirith. He is faced by Éowyn , a noblewoman of Rohan ; and not far away, Merry ,
1573-763: A catastrophic transition from a flat to a spherical world, known as the Akallabeth, in which Aman became inaccessible to mortal Men. Tolkien described the region in which the Hobbits lived as "the North-West of the Old World, east of the Sea", and the north-west of the Old World is essentially Europe , especially Britain . However, as he noted in private letters, the geographies do not match, and he did not consciously make them match when he
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#17330853865071716-464: A group of Nazgûl galloping through a snowy pine forest; they wear black cloaks, with glimpses of red equipment. In The Lord of the Rings film trilogy (2001–2003) by Peter Jackson , the Nazgûl are almost always concealed by cloaks; they attack the inn at Bree themselves. During the siege of Minas Tirith, the Witch-king wears a distinctive helmet over his hood resembling a mask and a crown, rather than
1859-467: A hobbit of the Company. Éowyn boldly calls the Nazgûl a "dwimmerlaik", telling him to go if he is not deathless. He casts back his hood to reveal a crown, but the head that wears it is invisible. Merry's surreptitious stroke with an enchanted Barrow-blade brings the Nazgûl to his knees, allowing Éowyn, the niece of Théoden , to drive her sword between his crown and mantle. Thus is the Witch-king destroyed by
2002-518: A king's crown on his invisible head. Yvette Kisor, a scholar of literature, writes that while the Ringwraiths and others (like Frodo) who wear Rings of Power become invisible, they do not lose any of their corporeality, being present as physical bodies. They require, she writes, physical steeds to carry them about, and they can wield swords. She notes that only a person in a body can wield the One Ring, so
2145-472: A little glorified by enchantment of distance in time. ...if it were 'history', it would be difficult to fit the lands and events (or 'cultures') into such evidence as we possess, archaeological or geological, concerning the nearer or remoter part of what is now called Europe; though the Shire , for instance, is expressly stated to have been in this region...I hope the, evidently long but undefined gap in time between
2288-573: A mark of his distinction, as the Noldor were generally dark-haired. A character of the same name appears in the first book of The Lord of the Rings , The Fellowship of the Ring , which takes place in Middle-earth's Third Age . Within the story, he is depicted as a powerful Elf-lord who could withstand the Nazgûl , wraith-like servants of Sauron , and holds his own against some of them single-handedly. Glorfindel and
2431-577: A rival to Sauron for absolute power in Middle-earth. Other races involved in the struggle against evil were Dwarves , Ents and most famously Hobbits . The early stages of the conflict are chronicled in The Silmarillion , while the final stages of the struggle to defeat Sauron are told in The Hobbit and in The Lord of the Rings . Conflict over the possession and control of precious or magical objects
2574-500: A sudden stabbing pain", to derive multiple attributes of the Nazgûl. He states that Tolkien certainly knew the charm. In Henry Sweet 's translation: They were loud, lo, loud, when they rode over the hill, They were resolute when they rode over the land. ... If a piece of iron is in here. The work of a witch, heat shall melt it! ... If it were shot of gods, or if it were shot of elves, Or if it were shot of witch, now I will help you. Pettit writes that Tolkien may have used
2717-527: A team, all continuing to function as communities. Little adds that the Company functions as a true team, every member being essential to the success of its mission. The Christian commentator Ralph C. Wood writes that "the greatness of the Nine Walkers lies in the modesty of both their abilities and accomplishments. Their strength lies in their weakness, in their solidarity as a company unwilling to wield controlling power over others." Rebecca Munro notes that in
2860-602: A version of the story of the Fall of Gondolin appear in The Silmarillion , posthumously published in 1977. In later writings, Tolkien explored Glorfindel's backstory in various material relating to the First Age of Middle-earth. He worked out how both characters named Glorfindel could be one and the same, something not evident from the published version of The Lord of the Rings ; the question has been debated by scholars. The incremental changes made to Glorfindel's character, most notably
3003-560: A wave of water resembling charging horses, an enchantment created by Elrond and Gandalf . While enjoying the hospitality of the Elves in Rivendell, Frodo was enchanted by the beauty and stature of Glorfindel and his kinfolk. He sat in honour next to Elrond and Gandalf in the Hall of Fire in Rivendell, and was part of the Council of Elrond which deliberated on their collective response to the discovery of
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#17330853865073146-626: A woman and a Hobbit, fulfilling Glorfindel's prophecy. Both weapons that pierced him disintegrate, and both assailants are stricken with the Black Breath. After the fall of the Lord of the Nazgûl, command of Mordor's army in the field falls to Gothmog, the "lieutenant of Morgul", of unspecified race. The remaining eight Ringwraiths attack the Army of the West during the Battle of the Morannon . When Frodo claims
3289-557: A wraith, which derives from Arabic غُول ḡūl , a demon that feeds on corpses. The Sindarin word is related to ñgol , wise, wisdom, and to Noldor , Fëanor 's elves who became in Fisher's words "bent and twisted" by the desire for the Silmarils . The only one of the nine Ringwraiths to be named is Khamûl. Fisher suggests a link to Welsh kam , crooked, and kamy , to bend. "Kam" made its way into English usage, including by Shakespeare , as
3432-545: Is "the commonest 'mystic' number in Germanic lore". He quotes the " Nine Herbs Charm " from the Lacnunga , an Old English book of spells: against venom and vile things and all the loathly ones, that through the land rove, ... against nine fugitives from glory, against nine poisons and against nine flying diseases. Pettit further proposes that Tolkien may have made multiple uses of another Lacnunga charm, "Against
3575-541: Is a notable exception to Tolkien's later stance on abandoning one of his oldest concepts, reincarnation through rebirth, and that he is Tolkien's first attempt of contemplating the portrayal of a reincarnated elf. In Tor.com 's bi-weekly series on "Exploring the People of Middle-earth", Megan Fontenot described Glorfindel's role in The Fellowship of the Ring as a shaman -like figure, a medium who has direct access to both
3718-512: Is a recurring theme in the stories. The First Age is dominated by the doomed quest of the elf Fëanor and most of his Noldorin clan to recover three precious jewels called the Silmarils that Morgoth stole from them (hence the title The Silmarillion ). The Second and Third Age are dominated by the forging of the Rings of Power , and the fate of the One Ring forged by Sauron, which gives its wearer
3861-533: Is called Khuzdul , and was kept largely as a secret language for their own use. Like Hobbits, Dwarves live exclusively in Middle-earth. They generally reside under mountains, where they are specialists in mining and metalwork. Tolkien identified Hobbits as an offshoot of the race of Men. Another name for Hobbit is 'Halfling', as they were generally only half the size of Men. In their lifestyle and habits they closely resemble Men, and in particular Englishmen, except for their preference for living in holes underground. By
4004-407: Is described as: a winged creature: if bird, then greater than all other birds, and it was naked, and neither quill nor feather did it bear, and its vast pinions were as webs of hide between horned fingers; and it stank. A creature of an older world maybe it was ... It is said to attack with "beak and claw". Tolkien wrote that he "did not intend the steed of the Witch-king to be what is now called
4147-562: Is greatly enhanced, almost an equal of the Maiar. Tolkien considered having Glorfindel as a companion to Gandalf during the latter's travel to Middle-earth in the Third Age, but changed his mind as breaching the divide between Valinor and the "Circles of the World" would make him "of greater power and importance than seems fitting". He proposed that Glorfindel is sent back to Middle-earth by the Valar during
4290-701: Is recorded in Samuel Johnson 's 1755 A Dictionary of the English Language . Fisher writes that this may have come to Tolkien by way of his time with the Lancashire Fusiliers in the First World War , with Lancashire dialect words like caimt , crooked or bad-tempered. In short, Tolkien may have felt many philological associations between his "Nazgûl" and "Ringwraith" with the meanings of being bent and twisted as well as ghoulish. Shippey writes that
4433-571: Is taken by his lieutenant Sauron , a Maia . The Valar withdrew from direct involvement in the affairs of Middle-earth after the defeat of Morgoth, but in later years they sent the wizards or Istari to help in the struggle against Sauron. The most important wizards were Gandalf the Grey and Saruman the White . Gandalf remained true to his mission and proved crucial in the fight against Sauron. Saruman, however, became corrupted and sought to establish himself as
Glorfindel - Misplaced Pages Continue
4576-486: Is terror, though in their pursuit of the Ring-bearer Frodo Baggins , their leader uses a Morgul-knife which would reduce its victim to a wraith, and they carry ordinary swords. In his final battle, the Lord of the Nazgûl attacks Éowyn with a mace . The hobbit Merry Brandybuck stabs him with an ancient enchanted Númenórean blade, allowing Éowyn to kill him with her sword. Commentators have written that
4719-568: Is the setting of much of the English writer J. R. R. Tolkien 's fantasy. The term is equivalent to the Miðgarðr of Norse mythology and Middangeard in Old English works, including Beowulf . Middle-earth is the oecumene (i.e. the human-inhabited world, or the central continent of Earth ) in Tolkien's imagined mythological past . Tolkien's most widely read works, The Hobbit and The Lord of
4862-469: Is the known world, "recalling the Norse Midgard and the equivalent words in early English", noting that Tolkien made it clear that this was " our world ... in a purely imaginary ... period of antiquity". Tolkien explained in a letter to his publisher that it "is just a use of Middle English middle-erde (or erthe ), altered from Old English Middangeard : the name for the inhabited lands of men 'between
5005-532: Is used as a gender-neutral racial description, to distinguish humans from the other human-like races of Middle-earth. In appearance they are much like Elves, but on average less beautiful. Unlike Elves, Men are mortal, ageing and dying quickly, usually living 40–80 years. However the Númenóreans could live several centuries, and their descendants the Dúnedain also tended to live longer than regular humans. This tendency
5148-717: The Ainur entered Arda, following the creation events in the Ainulindalë and long ages of labour throughout Eä , the fictional universe . Time from that point was measured using Valian Years , though the subsequent history of Arda was divided into three time periods using different years, known as the Years of the Lamps , the Years of the Trees and the Years of the Sun . A separate, overlapping chronology divides
5291-638: The Black Speech (Burzum) for his slaves (such as Orcs ) to speak. In the Third Age , five of the Maiar were embodied and sent to Middle-earth to help the free peoples to overthrow Sauron. These are the Istari or Wizards , including Gandalf , Saruman , and Radagast . The Elves are known as "the Firstborn" of Ilúvatar: intelligent beings created by Ilúvatar alone, with many different clans . Originally Elves all spoke
5434-561: The Council of Elrond state that Glorfindel "tells of his ancestry in Gondolin". In the final published version of The Fellowship of the Ring , Legolas is the representative of the Elven people, though the power that Tolkien attributed to Glorfindel remains as he is depicted as being strong enough to stand against the Nazgûl , and so he is chosen to guide Frodo to safety from them. Towards the end of his life, Tolkien would devote his last writings to
5577-456: The Nine Rings became mighty in their day, kings, sorcerers, and warriors of old. They obtained glory and great wealth, yet it turned to their downfall. They had, as it seemed, unending life, yet life became unendurable to them. They could walk, if they would, unseen by all eyes in this world beneath the sun, and they could see things in worlds invisible to mortal men; but too often they beheld only
5720-576: The Rankin-Bass adaptation of The Return of the King , the Nazgûl are robed skeletons with white hair. They ride winged horses, although the Witch-king rides a creature more in line with the book when he confronts Éowyn. The 1981 BBC Radio serial of The Lord of the Rings has the Nazgûl chant the Ring-inscription in the Black Speech of Mordor. The 1991 Russian television play Khraniteli features
5863-567: The Second Age c. 1600 , when Barad-dûr was completed and Sauron forged the One Ring , and while Númenor was still friendly with the Elves under Tar-Minastir. In one version he is sent as a predecessor to the Istari (Wizards); in a different version, he arrived in Middle-earth together with the Blue Wizards . At one point he was even considered as a possibility for the identity of one of
Glorfindel - Misplaced Pages Continue
6006-581: The Witch-king of Angmar during the Third Age, instrumental in the destruction of the North-kingdom of Arnor . In Unfinished Tales , his second-in-command is named as Khamûl , the "Black Easterling" or the "Shadow of the East". Three of the Nazgûl were great Númenórean lords; in his notes for translators, Tolkien speculated that the Witch-king of Angmar, ruler of a northern kingdom with its capital at Carn Dûm,
6149-463: The "Nine Riders". The Nazgûl came again ... like vultures that expect their fill of doomed men's flesh. Out of sight and shot they flew, and yet were ever present, and their deadly voices rent the air. More unbearable they became, not less, at each new cry. At length even the stout-hearted would fling themselves to the ground as the hidden menace passed over them, or they would stand, letting their weapons fall from nerveless hands while into their minds
6292-589: The "loud" riders to come up with the "thundering hooves" and "piercing cry" of the Nine Riders. The supernatural beings mentioned in the charm – gods, elves, witches – may naturally have suggested the Nazgûl's magical power; in particular, the "work of a witch" may have resulted in the Witch-King of Angmar. Finally, the Morgul-knife that breaks off in the victim's body, and which Elrond has to destroy by melting, matches
6435-577: The "piece of iron ... in here... heat shall melt it!" Tolkien was a philologist . Jason Fisher , writing that "all stories begin with words", takes up Edmund Wilson 's "denigrating dismissal" of The Lord of the Rings as "a philological curiosity", replying that to him this is "precisely one of its greatest strengths". Fisher explores in detail the connotations of Tolkien's use of "Ringwraith" and its Black Speech translation "Nazgûl", both in languages that Tolkien knew and those that he invented . "Wraith" in modern English means 'spectre'. Fisher notes that
6578-481: The 2015 film The Martian , NASA Director Teddy Sanders asks to be called Glorfindel during the discussion of Project Elrond , a secret meeting about plans to rescue stranded astronaut Mark Watney . The film's writer Drew Goddard claimed that the reference was his proudest moment in the film. Glorfindel appears as a non player character in the 2002 video game The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of
6721-718: The Ainur entered Eä, and the greatest of these were called the Valar . Melkor , the chief agent of evil in Eä, and later called Morgoth , was initially one of the Valar. With the Valar came lesser spirits of the Ainur, called the Maiar . Melian, the wife of the Elven King Thingol in the First Age , was a Maia. There were also evil Maiar, including the Balrogs and the second Dark Lord, Sauron . Sauron devised
6864-495: The Black Breath, contracted by "excessive proximity" to a Nazgûl, seems to be a "spiritual malady" combined with "fear, confusion, reduced levels of consciousness, hypothermia, weakness and death." Faramir, on the other hand, who was thought to be suffering from the Black Breath, she diagnoses as most likely exhaustion with heat stroke , combined with "psychological distress" and pain, as his symptoms were quite different. Judy Ann Ford and Robin Anne Reid note that Aragorn 's use of
7007-419: The Company as they travel together; Little notes that Frodo says that "Strider" (Aragorn), viewed initially with suspicion, is "dear to me". He comments that "the deep affection of the Fellowship breaks down racial and cultural barriers" as all its members drop their initial reserve and come to an "appreciation for the cultural distinctiveness" of their companions. A case in point is the strong friendship between
7150-417: The Company, "no one acts alone without dependence on the deeds of others". The Nazgûl are featured in adaptations of The Lord of the Rings on radio, film, and stage. In Ralph Bakshi 's 1978 animated film version of The Lord of the Rings , the Nazgûl "shamble and limp like zombies". They hack and slash the Hobbits' beds at The Prancing Pony inn, whereas Tolkien does not identify the assailants. In
7293-403: The Crebain, evil crows who become spies for Saruman , and the Ravens of Erebor , who brought news to the Dwarves. The horse-line of the Mearas of Rohan, especially Gandalf's mount, Shadowfax, also appear to be intelligent and understand human speech. The bear-man Beorn had a number of animal friends about his house. The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings , both set in Middle-earth, have been
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#17330853865077436-529: The Dark Lord Sauron , Morgoth's successor. As his ideas changed and evolved over the years, Tolkien wrote about Glorfindel's backstory at various times. In the very first draft of the " Council of Elrond ", which was to become The Fellowship of the Ring , the members of the Fellowship were to be Frodo, Gandalf , Trotter (later Strider/ Aragorn ), Glorfindel, Durin son of Balin (who became Gimli son of Glóin ), Sam , Merry and Pippin ; Boromir and Legolas did not come in until much later. Early notes for
7579-523: The Dwarf Gimli and the Elf Legolas, members of two races with radically dissimilar cultures, and which had often clashed in the past; Little notes that even the other members of the Company, in Tolkien's words, "wonder ... at this change". He writes that even when the Company splits up into smaller groups, it is not destroyed: far from it, Frodo and Sam sustain each other through their arduous journey, their friendship deepening with time; Merry and Pippin supporting each other; Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli acting as
7722-399: The Elven-wise, lords of the Eldar from beyond the furthest seas. They do not fear the Ringwraiths, for those who have dwelt in the Blessed Realm live at once in both worlds, and against both the Seen and the Unseen they have great power. When Elrond seeks to fill the last two spots in the Fellowship to destroy the One Ring with folk of his own house, Gandalf mentioned Glorfindel. He justified
7865-433: The Fall of Barad-dûr and our Days is sufficient for 'literary credibility', even for readers acquainted with what is known as 'pre-history'. I have, I suppose, constructed an imaginary time, but kept my feet on my own mother-earth for place. I prefer that to the contemporary mode of seeking remote globes in 'space'. In another letter, Tolkien made correspondences in latitude between Europe and Middle-earth: The action of
8008-455: The First Age, Glorfindel's spirit passed to the halls of Mandos in Valinor. The Valar eventually sent him back to Middle-Earth on a similar mission to that of the Istari , who appeared several thousand years later. In The Fellowship of the Ring , Glorfindel was sent by Elrond of Rivendell in the direction that the Nazgûl were most likely to come from, to help the hobbit Frodo reach Rivendell. He set Frodo on his horse, Asfaloth, and has
8151-401: The First Age. On Glorfindel's status as a Noldor Exile, Tolkien noted that Glorfindel left Valinor reluctantly and is blameless in the Kinslaying, and since his sacrifice in defeating the Balrog was deemed to be "of vital importance to the designs of the Valar", he is granted an exemption to the Exiles' ban and purged of any guilt. Once restored and allowed to dwell in Valinor, his spiritual power
8294-418: The King , relates that earlier in the Third Age , Glorfindel led the Elvish forces of Rivendell, the Grey Havens, and Lothlórien against Angmar in the Battle of Fornost. There he fought alongside Eärnur, the future king of Gondor , along with the remnants of Gondor's sister kingdom Arnor. When the Witch-king of Angmar , Lord of the Nazgûl and chief servant of Sauron, rode out to defend his ruling seat at
8437-466: The Kinslaying at Alqualondë, but followed the rest of the Noldor host in their exile. Glorfindel later appears as a noble lord, one of King Turgon's chief lieutenants who oversees his retreat during the Battle of Unnumbered Tears . After fighting in the city's defence, Glorfindel escaped together with Tuor , Idril , Eärendil and others. The survivors passed through the Encircling Mountains above Gondolin . However, they were ambushed by enemies, including
8580-404: The Nazgûl function at different stylistic levels or modes (as categorised by Northrop Frye in his Anatomy of Criticism ) in the story. At one level, they serve simply as story elements, dangerous opponents. But, Shippey notes, the level rises from the romantic, with heroes taking on the Black Riders, to the mythic, giving as example the assault of Minas Tirith. The leader of the Nazgûl directs
8723-501: The Nazgûl serve on the ordinary level of story as dangerous opponents of the Company of the Ring ; at the romantic level as the enemies of the heroic protagonists; and finally at the mythic level. Tolkien knew the Lacnunga , the Old English book of spells; it may have suggested multiple features of the Nazgûl, the Witch-King, and the Morgul-knife. The Nazgûl appear in numerous adaptations of Tolkien's writings, including animated and live-action films and computer games. Those who used
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#17330853865078866-477: The Nazgûl were contaminated and enslaved by a monstrous form of radioactivity which transformed "the very cells of their protoplasm". They thereby became radioactive and "immune to radiation poisoning, as is shown by their dwelling in the blasted tower of Minas Ithil [which glowed in the dark]." Further, Bradley writes, the Nazgûl gave off "radioactive contamination", causing the Black Breath. The Inklings scholar Ariel Little writes that Tolkien explicitly opposes
9009-441: The Nazgûl's mount actually flies but is a "negative image" of Odin's steed; and, she notes, both Odin and the Nazgûl can cause blindness. Tolkien began writing The Lord of the Rings with no conception of Black Riders at all. The horseman in dark clothes in the early chapter "Three is Company" was originally Gandalf; in 1938, Tolkien called the figure's transformation into a Black Rider "an unpremeditated turn". Frodo's ring, too,
9152-407: The Nazgûl's stronghold, and the valley is known as Morgul Vale ( Imlad Morgul ). Sauron returns from Dol Guldur to Mordor and declares himself openly. He sent two or three of the Nazgûl, led by Khamul, to garrison Dol Guldur. Sauron learns from Gollum that a hobbit , Bilbo Baggins of the Shire , has acquired the One Ring. Sauron entrusts its recovery to the Nazgûl. They reappear "west of
9295-491: The One Ring. He showed unusual wisdom by voicing caution about sending the Ring to the enigmatic Tom Bombadil , and suggested that the Ring be destroyed and that the Three Rings of the Elves be sacrifice to accomplish this quest. Gandalf described Glorfindel as "one of the mighty of the Firstborn" and "an Elf-lord of a house of princes." When Frodo asks about the protection of Rivendell from Sauron's forces, Gandalf explains: In Rivendell there live still some of his chief foes:
9438-412: The Orcs, lack of harmony, and "hate-filled discord", forming an "anti-community". Little contrasts this disharmony with the Company of the Ring, which is "diverse, bound by friendship, relying on each other's strengths". The Company is joined by its common purpose, and by "devoted love". There are strong bonds of friendship, seen initially between all the Hobbits. Further friendships develop throughout
9581-443: The Past " as "Mortal Men, proud and great [who] fell under the dominion of the One, and they became Ringwraiths, shadows under his great Shadow, his most terrible servants". They had thus, Little writes, lost their identities as humans, even losing their substance and becoming what Tolkien calls "nothingness" under their black clothing. He adds that the evil characters in The Lord of the Rings are characterised by infighting, as among
9724-469: The Riders with the Elf Gildor, later in the same chapter. Over the next three years, Tolkien gradually developed the connections between the Nazgûl, the One Ring, Sauron, and all the other Rings of Power. The pieces finally all came together when Tolkien wrote "The Mirror of Galadriel", some hundreds of pages later, around the autumn of 1941. The number of the Nazgûl, nine, may be derived from medieval folklore. Edward Pettit, in Mallorn , states that nine
9867-410: The Ring . He is voiced by Steve Staley . In the 2006 real-time strategy game, The Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle-earth II , Glorfindel's hair is silver-blond as opposed to his trademark golden-blond colour. He is featured on the game's box art, and is one of the playable hero units of the Elvish faction who rides his steed Asfaloth. In the Lord of the Rings Online , Glorfindel appeared as
10010-530: The Ring for his own in Mount Doom , Sauron, finally realizing his peril, orders the remaining eight Nazgûl to fly to intercept him. They arrive too late: Gollum seizes the Ring and falls into the Cracks of Doom, destroying the Ring. That ends Sauron's power and everything he had brought into being using it, including the Nazgûl. The Nazgûl's flying steeds are given various descriptions but no name. The soldier of Gondor Beregond calls them "Hell Hawks". Tolkien describes them as " fell beasts", though he also applies
10153-405: The Rings , are set entirely in Middle-earth. "Middle-earth" has also become a short-hand term for Tolkien's legendarium , his large body of fantasy writings, and for the entirety of his fictional world. Middle-earth is the main continent of Earth (Arda) in an imaginary period of the past, ending with Tolkien's Third Age , about 6,000 years ago. Tolkien's tales of Middle-earth mostly focus on
10296-514: The Rings , Tolkien writes: "Those days, the Third Age of Middle-earth, are now long past, and the shape of all lands has been changed..." The Appendices make several references in both history and etymology of topics "now" (in modern English languages) and "then" (ancient languages); The year no doubt was of the same length,¹ [ the footnote here reads : 365 days, 5 hours, 48 minutes, 46 seconds.] for long ago as those times are now reckoned in years and lives of men, they were not very remote according to
10439-596: The Rings , citing The Complete Guide to Middle-earth: from The Hobbit to The Silmarillion as an example. The theme of reincarnation and the concept of Elves being divinely empowered is explored in its fullest extent within Tolkien's legendarium through the character Glorfindel. Edmund Wainwright noted that Glorfindel is the best example of a male Elf in The Lord of the Rings who embodies his people's aspect as semi-divine beings, given his immense power. Verlyn Flieger noted that
10582-730: The Rings" especially interesting for its rendering of two of the Dark Lord Sauron 's epithets, Thû meaning "horrible darkness, black mist" and Gorthu meaning "mist of fear". Garth comments that these names "anchor him in the primal night" of Tolkien's giant spiders , the Black Breath, the fog on the Barrow-downs , and the terror of the Paths of the Dead . He adds that this fog of terror may ultimately derive from Tolkien's First World War experience "of smoke barrages, gas attacks and 'animal horror' on
10725-634: The Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring , his role is given to Arwen , who takes Frodo to the Ford and summons the floodwaters to disperse the Nazgûl through an incantation. In the British musical stage adaptation of The Lord of the Rings , which ran from June 2007 to July 2008 at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane in London's West End, the character was reimagined as a dark-haired elf-woman, played by Alma Ferović. In
10868-1068: The Rings: The Return of the King received 11 Academy Award nominations and won all of them, matching the totals awarded to Ben-Hur and Titanic . Two well-made fan films of Middle-earth, The Hunt for Gollum and Born of Hope , were uploaded to YouTube on 8 May 2009 and 11 December 2009 respectively. Numerous computer and video games have been inspired by J. R. R. Tolkien 's works set in Middle-earth. Titles have been produced by studios such as Electronic Arts , Vivendi Games , Melbourne House , and Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment . Aside from officially licensed games, many Tolkien-inspired mods , custom maps and total conversions have been made for many games, such as Warcraft III , Minecraft , Rome: Total War , Medieval II: Total War , The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion and The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim . In addition, there are many text-based MMORPGs (known as MU*s ) based on Middle-earth. The oldest of these dates back to 1991, and
11011-414: The Ringwraiths have done, living "in another mode of reality". She writes, too, that Merry's sword, with the special power to sever the Witch-king's "undead flesh" and in particular to overcome the "spell that knit his unseen sinews to his will", has in fact to cut through real, but invisible, sinews and flesh. Steve Walker, a Tolkien scholar, writes that the story gives the Ringwraiths credibility through
11154-499: The Ringwraiths, the Úlairi, the Enemy's most terrible servants; darkness went with them, and they cried with the voices of death. The Nazgûl or Ringwraiths ( Quenya plural: Úlairi ) first appeared in the Second Age . The Dark Lord Sauron gave nine Rings of Power to powerful mortal men, including three lords of the once-powerful island realm of Númenor , along with kings of countries in Middle-earth. The rings enslaved their bearers to
11297-451: The Ringwraiths. Five of the Nazgûl corner Frodo and his company at Weathertop, where the Witch-king stabs Frodo in the shoulder with the Morgul-knife, breaking off a piece of it in the Hobbit 's flesh. During their assault, they mentally command Frodo to put on the One Ring; while wearing it, he sees them as pale figures robed in white, with "haggard hands", helmets and swords. The Witch-king
11440-621: The River", riding black horses that were bred or trained in Mordor to endure their terror. They learn that the Ring has passed to Bilbo's heir, Frodo , and hunt him and his companions across the Shire; the hobbits hear snuffling, and sometimes see them crawling. The hobbits escape, via Tom Bombadil 's realm where they are not pursued, to Bree . A Ranger of the North , Aragorn , arrives ahead of them and for some days leads them on paths not closely followed by
11583-576: The Somme." Earlier, in his 2003 book Tolkien and the Great War , on the other hand, Garth merely notes the "Black Breath of despair that brings down even the bravest" as one of several elements of The Lord of the Rings which "suggest[s] the influence of 1914–18". In her Tolkienesque 1961 short story "The Jewel of Arwen", the fantasy and science fiction writer Marion Zimmer Bradley provides "Translator's Notes" which assert as part of her frame story that
11726-480: The Witch-king during the Battle of Pelennor Fields , assisted by Meriadoc Brandybuck (a hobbit ). Before Éowyn's slaying of the Witch-king, the reference to "man" in the prophecy had been interpreted to mean that no human at all would slay him, rather than that no male human would do so. Alexander Lewis and Elizabeth Currie wrote that Glorfindel was a "chance reuse of no significance", and argued that Tolkien "tied himself, as well as readers and critics, in knots over
11869-460: The Wizards, but Tolkien abandoned the idea since the Elves were not initially conceived as possibilities for the Wizards, and he had come to the conclusion that they were exclusively Maiar . According to The Silmarillion , Glorfindel was born around the time of the Years of the Trees in Valinor . He was part of the host of Turgon, but only followed Turgon because of their kinship. He took no part in
12012-588: The ability to give conscious life to things. The precise origins of Orcs and Trolls are unclear, as Tolkien considered various possibilities and sometimes changed his mind, leaving several inconsistent accounts. Late in the Third Age, the Uruks or Uruk-hai appeared: a race of Orcs of great size and strength that tolerate sunlight better than ordinary Orcs. Tolkien also mentions "Men-orcs" and "Orc-men"; or "half-orcs" or "goblin-men". They share some characteristics with Orcs (like "slanty eyes") but look more like men. Tolkien,
12155-492: The adjective fell ("fierce, cruel") to other creatures throughout The Lord of the Rings – even at one point to the wizard Gandalf . In a letter, he calls the winged mounts "Nazgûl-birds". In the absence of a proper name, derivative works sometimes press "fellbeast" or "fell-beast" into service. In the Battle of the Pelennor Fields, where the Lord of the Nazgûl rode one of the flying beasts against King Théoden of Rohan, his mount
12298-520: The attack on the Great Gate; he bursts the gate using both the battering-ram Grond, written with " spells of ruin ", and with "words of power and terror to rend both heart and stone". Despite his shadowiness and invisibility, Shippey writes, the Nazgûl on the Pelennor Fields also comes as close as he ever does to seeming human, having human form inside his black robes, carrying a sword, and laughing to reveal his power when he throws back his hood, revealing
12441-418: The book for the benefit of readers, despite the expense involved. The definitive and iconic map of Middle-earth was published in The Lord of the Rings . It was refined with Tolkien's approval by the illustrator Pauline Baynes , using Tolkien's detailed annotations, with vignette images and larger paintings at top and bottom, into a stand-alone poster, " A Map of Middle-earth ". In Tolkien's conception, Arda
12584-440: The book. In the film the Witch-king's mount is largely responsible for the death of Théoden and his horse Snowmane, a departure from the book. As confirmed in the films' audio commentary , the design of the monsters was based largely on illustrations by John Howe. The fan-made 2009 film The Hunt for Gollum features Aragorn fighting a Ringwraith on the borders of Mirkwood. In Jackson's 2012–2014 The Hobbit film trilogy ,
12727-459: The captured Fornost, his presence frightened Eärnur's horse and sent the prince flying backwards, and the Witch-king mocked him. Glorfindel confronted the Witch-king, who fled into the night. Eärnur wished to pursue him, but Glorfindel bade him not to and prophesied the Witch-king would fall in the far future, but not by "the hand of man". Many years later, during the War of the Ring , Éowyn (a woman) slays
12870-413: The character is called "yellow-haired Glorfindel". According to Tolkien's son, Christopher Tolkien , "this was from the beginning the meaning of his name". An Elf of the same name appears in The Lord of the Rings , written many years after the original draft of The Fall of Gondolin : in The Fellowship of the Ring , he appears to assist the hobbit Frodo Baggins in his attempt to escape the servants of
13013-455: The character was only "possibly realized" with the complete publication of the 12-volume book series The History of Middle-earth by 1996. He explained that as much of the background material for Glorfindel was unpublished when The Silmarillion was posthumously released, various Tolkien compendiums were forced into speculation to sate the curiosity of readers concerning the mystery of the character's death and sudden reappearance in The Lord of
13156-581: The concept of Elven incarnation had been considered by the time of the publication of The Lord of the Rings . She suggested that being a devout Catholic , Tolkien initially found the idea to be theologically problematic and biologically difficult; he eventually reached the conclusion that "it is a biological dictum" in his imaginary world, and its purpose "largely literary". The Tolkien scholar Elizabeth Whittingham cited correspondence from readers, particularly Catholics like Father Murray and Peter Hastings. This raised questions that ultimately prompted changes to
13299-596: The conquest of the Elven city Gondolin by the Dark Lord Morgoth , Tolkien writes that Glorfindel's name "meaneth Goldtress for his hair was golden". It was the first part of The Book of Lost Tales to be written, circa 1916–17, and the story was read aloud by Tolkien to the Exeter College Essay Club in the spring of 1920. The Fall of Gondolin appears in compressed form in The Silmarillion , where
13442-630: The crown worn underneath his hood in the book. Their shrieks are distorted recordings of producer and screenwriter Fran Walsh 's scream. Minas Morgul is shown first in The Fellowship of the Ring , when the Nazgûl leave the city and ride towards the Shire to pursue the One Ring. It features again when Frodo and Sam make their way towards Cirith Ungol. These sets were designed by the illustrator John Howe . All nine Nazgûl are shown riding winged monsters. Jackson's monsters explicitly differ from Tolkien's description in that they have teeth instead of beaks. The Nazgûl use them in battle more extensively than in
13585-428: The enslaved Nine Riders with the Nine Walkers, the free Company of the Ring. In " The Council of Elrond ", Elrond announces that "The Company of the Ring shall be Nine; and the Nine Walkers shall be set against the Nine Riders that are evil". Little describes the Nazgûl as "homogeneous, discordant, intensely individualistic", a group bound and trapped by Sauron, noting also Gandalf's description of them in " The Shadow of
13728-567: The events in Tolkien's stories take place in the north-west of Middle-earth. In the First Age , further to the north-west was the subcontinent Beleriand ; it was engulfed by the ocean at the end of the First Age. Tolkien prepared several maps of Middle-earth. Some were published in his lifetime. The main maps are those published in The Hobbit , The Lord of the Rings , The Silmarillion , and Unfinished Tales , and appear as foldouts or illustrations. Tolkien insisted that maps be included in
13871-472: The first big screen adaptation of the fictional setting was introduced in Ralph Bakshi 's animated The Lord of the Rings . New Line Cinema released the first part of director Peter Jackson 's The Lord of the Rings film series in 2001 as part of a trilogy; it was followed by a prequel trilogy in The Hobbit film series with several of the same actors playing their old roles. In 2003, The Lord of
14014-454: The gift of life but under the condition that they be taken and put to sleep in widely separated locations in Middle-earth and not to awaken until after the Firstborn were upon the Earth. They are mortal like Men, but live much longer, usually several hundred years. A peculiarity of Dwarves is that both males and females are bearded, and thus appear identical to outsiders. The language spoken by Dwarves
14157-446: The herb athelas to heal Faramir and others of the Black Breath, a condition "which harms the spirit more than the body", identifies him to his people as the true King. Michael and Victoria Wodzak discuss how the hobbit Merry Brandybuck can be affected by the Black Breath when the Witch-King has not noticed him, pointing out that Tolkien nowhere says that the Nazgûl breathes on him or on Éowyn. Instead Éowyn "raised her shield against
14300-525: The history into 'Ages of the Children of Ilúvatar'. The first such Age began with the Awakening of the Elves during the Years of the Trees (by which time the Ainur had already long inhabited Arda) and continued for the first six centuries of the Years of the Sun. All the subsequent Ages took place during the Years of the Sun. Arda is, as critics have noted, "our own green and solid Earth at some quite remote epoch in
14443-483: The hobbit riding ahead to the other side of the Ford of Bruinen , where he defies his pursuers. During his confrontation with Nazgûl at the Bridge of Mitheithel, Glorfindel reveals himself as a mighty Elf-lord terrible in his wrath; Frodo saw him as a shining figure. He is nearly captured, but manages to drive the Nazgûl into the nearby river with the aid of Strider and Frodo's hobbit companions, where they were swept away by
14586-531: The horror of her enemy's eye", and the Wodzaks comment that the Nazgûl uses his eyes "to overwhelm". In their view, the seeming inconsistency is resolved by identifying the Black Breath with his " pneuma ", his evil spirit, and assuming that it is this which causes the harm all around him. Tolkien's biographer John Garth finds Christopher Gilson's Words, Phrases and Passages in Various Tongues in "The Lord of
14729-631: The imagined history, the peoples other than Men dwindle, leave or fade, until, after the period described in the books, only Men are left on the planet. Tolkien's stories chronicle the struggle to control the world (called Arda ) and the continent of Middle-earth between, on one side, the angelic Valar , the Elves and their allies among Men ; and, on the other, the demonic Melkor or Morgoth (a Vala fallen into evil), his followers, and their subjects, mostly Orcs , Dragons and enslaved Men. In later ages, after Morgoth's defeat and expulsion from Arda, his place
14872-607: The inclusion of Merry Brandybuck and Pippin Took by saying: I think, Elrond, that in this matter it would be well to trust rather to their friendship than to great wisdom. Even if you chose for us an elf-lord, such as Glorfindel, he could not storm the Dark Tower , nor open the road to the Fire by the power that is in him. One of the Appendices usually published with the third volume, The Return of
15015-454: The introduction of the theme of reincarnation , as part of the ongoing development of Tolkien's legendarium have been analysed by scholars. In Peter Jackson 's 2001 live-action film The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring , Glorfindel's role of rescuing Frodo from the pursuing Nazgûl by lending his horse is given to the elf-woman Arwen . He has also featured in various video games. In The Fall of Gondolin , which details
15158-413: The invisibility is just "a trick of sight". When Frodo, wearing the Ring, saw the Nazgûl in the "twilight world", they appeared solid, not shadowy. He also saw Glorfindel in that world, as a figure of white flame; and Gandalf explains later that the Ringwraiths were "dismayed" to see "an Elf-lord revealed in his wrath". Frodo is in danger of "fading" permanently into invisibility and the twilight world, as
15301-522: The issue of Glorfindel and some related topics, as detailed in The Peoples of Middle-earth . Christopher Tolkien stated that his father had not conceived the Glorfindel of The Lord of the Rings as the same person as the similarly named Elf of Gondolin, but had simply reused the name. The issue lay in Tolkien's original conception of the spirits of dead Elves as being re-embodied in their old bodies after
15444-630: The latitude of ancient Troy . In another letter he stated: ...Thank you very much for your letter. ... It came while I was away, in Gondor ( sc. Venice ), as a change from the North Kingdom, or I would have answered before. He did confirm, however, that the Shire , the land of his Hobbit heroes, was based on England , in particular the West Midlands of his childhood. In the Prologue to The Lord of
15587-591: The memory of the Earth. Both the Appendices and The Silmarillion mention constellations, stars and planets that correspond to those seen in the northern hemisphere of Earth, including the Sun, the Moon, Orion (and his belt), Ursa Major and Mars . A map annotated by Tolkien places Hobbiton on the same latitude as Oxford , and Minas Tirith at the latitude of Ravenna , Italy. He used Belgrade , Cyprus , and Jerusalem as further reference points. The history of Middle-earth, as described in The Silmarillion , began when
15730-515: The men who became the Nazgûl are said to have been buried and sealed within the invented High Fells of Rhudaur. In the first film, Radagast briefly encounters the Witch-king while investigating Dol Guldur, and gives the Nazgûl's Morgul dagger to Gandalf to present at the White Council as proof of their return. In the second film, at Galadriel's behest, Gandalf heads to the High Fells and finds that all
15873-538: The middle-earth sent unto men. This is from the Crist 1 poem by Cynewulf . The name Éarendel was the inspiration for Tolkien's mariner Eärendil , who set sail from the lands of Middle-earth to ask for aid from the angelic powers, the Valar . Tolkien's earliest poem about Eärendil, from 1914, the same year he read the Crist poem, refers to "the mid-world's rim". Tolkien considered middangeard to be "the abiding place of men",
16016-413: The mythology of Middle-earth, as acknowledged by Tolkien and his son Christopher. Whittingham noted that Tolkien sought to make his "secondary world" compatible with his "primary world", reconsidering his focus on metaphysical and philosophical explorations from the 1950s onwards. His revisions gradually moved the texts of his legendarium into closer alignment with Christianity . She observed that Glorfindel
16159-510: The north-west of the continent. This region is suggestive of Europe, the north-west of the Old World , with the environs of the Shire reminiscent of England , but, more specifically, the West Midlands , with the town at its centre, Hobbiton , at the same latitude as Oxford . Tolkien's Middle-earth is peopled not only by Men , but by Elves , Dwarves , Ents , and Hobbits , and by monsters including Dragons, Trolls , and Orcs . Through
16302-461: The past." As such, it has not only an immediate story but a history, and the whole thing is an "imagined prehistory" of the Earth as it is now. The Ainur were angelic beings created by the one god of Eä, Eru Ilúvatar . The cosmological myth called the Ainulindalë , or "Music of the Ainur", describes how the Ainur sang for Ilúvatar, who then created Eä to give material form to their music. Many of
16445-510: The phantoms and delusions of Sauron. And one by one, sooner or later, according to their native strength and to the good or evil of their wills in the beginning, they fell under the thraldom of the ring that they bore and of the domination of the One which was Sauron's. And they became forever invisible save to him that wore the Ruling Ring, and they entered into the realm of shadows. The Nazgûl were they,
16588-490: The physical reality of creation as a whole. In careful geographical terms, Middle-earth is a continent on Arda, excluding regions such as Aman and the isle of Númenor. The alternative wider use is reflected in book titles such as The Complete Guide to Middle-earth , The Road to Middle-earth , The Atlas of Middle-earth , and Christopher Tolkien 's 12-volume series The History of Middle-earth . Tolkien's biographer Humphrey Carpenter states that Tolkien's Middle-earth
16731-428: The physical world in which Man lives out his life and destiny, as opposed to the unseen worlds above and below it, namely Heaven and Hell . He states that it is "my own mother-earth for place ", but in an imaginary past time, not some other planet. He began to use the term "Middle-earth" in the late 1930s, in place of the earlier terms "Great Lands", "Outer Lands", and "Hither Lands". The first published appearance of
16874-497: The power of Sauron's One Ring , into which he had put much of his own power. The corrupting effect of the Rings greatly extended the bearers' lives. The Nazgûl had a sharp sense of smell. Their sight worked differently, too: "They themselves do not see the world of light as we do, but our shapes cast shadows in their minds, which only the noon sun destroys; and in the dark they perceive many signs and forms that are hidden from us: then they are most to be feared." Their chief weapon
17017-647: The power of the One Ring and completely under Sauron's control. The Lord of the Rings calls them Sauron's "most terrible servants". Their leader, known as the Witch-king of Angmar , the Lord of the Nazgûl, or the Black Captain, was Sauron's chief agent for most of the Third Age. At the end of the Third Age, their main stronghold was the city of Minas Morgul at the entrance to Sauron's realm, Mordor . They dress entirely in black. In their early forays, they ride on black horses; later they ride flying monsters, which Tolkien described as " pterodactylic ". Their main weapon
17160-490: The power to control or influence those wearing the other Rings of Power. In ancient Germanic mythology , the world of Men is known by several names. The Old English middangeard descends from an earlier Germanic word and so has cognates such as the Old Norse Miðgarðr from Norse mythology , transliterated to modern English as Midgard . The original meaning of the second element, from proto-Germanic gardaz ,
17303-495: The question of whether there were one or two characters of the name". Don Anger speculated that Glorfindel's unequivocal death in The Fall of Gondolin may have prevented Tolkien from making an explicit connection between this Silmarillion character and the Elf with the same name in the published version of The Lord of the Rings . Anger took the view that Tolkien's idea of a resolved story for
17446-460: The reader's mind an "increasingly infernal vision". The Nazgûl spread terror and despair among their enemies, and discomfit those on their own side. The Black Breath is stated to have afflicted many during the Battle of the Pelennor Fields. Dr Jennifer Urquart, writing in Mallorn , describes its normal course as "progressive loss of consciousness and hypothermia , leading to death". She comments that
17589-622: The rest of the physical world), which itself was part of the wider creation he called Eä. Aman and Middle-earth are separated from each other by the Great Sea Belegaer , though they make contact in the far north at the Grinding Ice or Helcaraxë. The western continent, Aman, was the home of the Valar , and the Elves called the Eldar . On the eastern side of Middle-earth was the Eastern Sea. Most of
17732-550: The road / And flung his cobweb cloak on me..." C. S. Lewis 's 1938–1945 Space Trilogy calls the home planet "Middle-earth" and specifically references Tolkien's unpublished legendarium; both men were members of the Inklings literary discussion group. Within the overall context of his legendarium , Tolkien's Middle-earth was part of his created world of Arda (which includes the Undying Lands of Aman and Eressëa , removed from
17875-529: The same Common Eldarin ancestral tongue, but over thousands of years it diverged into different languages. The two main Elven languages were Quenya , spoken by the Light Elves, and Sindarin , spoken by the Dark Elves. Physically the Elves resemble humans; indeed, they can marry and have children with them, as shown by the few Half-elven in the legendarium. The Elves are agile and quick footed, being able to walk
18018-512: The seas'." There are allusions to a similarly- or identically-named world in the work of other writers both before and after him. William Morris 's 1870 translation of the Volsung Saga calls the world "Midgard". Margaret Widdemer 's 1918 poem "The Gray Magician" contains the lines: "I was living very merrily on Middle Earth / As merry as a maid may be / Till the Gray Magician came down along
18161-502: The spiritual (Valinor) and physical (Middle-earth) worlds, and that his purpose is to protect those who are threatened by the powers of the Shadow. She noted that his previous battle with the Balrog in the First Age essentially serves as an "initiation" to a shamanic trial and journey. In Ralph Bakshi 's 1978 animated version , his role and lines from the narrative are given to Legolas . In Peter Jackson 's 2001 live-action film The Lord of
18304-509: The story takes place in the North-west of 'Middle-earth', equivalent in latitude to the coastlands of Europe and the north shores of the Mediterranean. ... If Hobbiton and Rivendell are taken (as intended) to be at about the latitude of Oxford , then Minas Tirith , 600 miles south, is at about the latitude of Florence . The Mouths of Anduin and the ancient city of Pelargir are at about
18447-487: The subject of a variety of film adaptations. There were many early failed attempts to bring the fictional universe to life on screen, some even rejected by the author himself, who was skeptical of the prospects of an adaptation. While animated and live-action shorts were made of Tolkien's books in 1967 and 1971, the first commercial depiction of The Hobbit onscreen was the Rankin/Bass animated TV special in 1977 . In 1978
18590-613: The successor kingdoms of Arnor: Rhudaur, Cardolan, and Arthedain. He destroys all three but is defeated by the armies of Gondor and the Elf-lord Glorfindel , who prophesies that "not by the hand of man will he fall". He escapes, and returns to Mordor . There, he gathers the other Nazgûl to prepare for the return of Sauron. The Nazgûl besiege Minas Ithil , a Gondorian fortress in the Ephel Duath , capture it, and acquire its palantír for Sauron. The city becomes Minas Morgul ,
18733-440: The time of The Hobbit , most of them lived in the Shire , a region of the northwest of Middle-earth, having migrated there from further east. The Ents were treelike shepherds of trees, their name coming from an Old English word for giant. Orcs and Trolls (made of stone) were evil creatures bred by Morgoth . They were not original creations but rather "mockeries" of the Children of Ilúvatar and Ents, since only Ilúvatar has
18876-428: The word "Middle-earth" in Tolkien's works is in the prologue to The Lord of the Rings : "Hobbits had, in fact, lived quietly in Middle-earth for many long years before other folk even became aware of them". The term Middle-earth has come to be applied as a short-hand for the entirety of Tolkien's legendarium, instead of the technically more appropriate, but lesser known terms "Arda" for the physical world and " Eä " for
19019-456: The word has a history in folktale and fantasy including usage by the Brothers Grimm , William Morris , and George MacDonald . The word "wraith" can be connected, Fisher writes, to English " writhe ", Old English wrīþan , to bend or twist, and in turn to Gothic wraiqs , curved, crooked, or winding, and wraks , a persecutor. There is also English "wreath", from Old English wrida , meaning
19162-574: Was "enclosure", cognate with English "yard"; middangeard was assimilated by folk etymology to "middle earth". Middle-earth was at the centre of nine worlds in Norse mythology, and of three worlds (with heaven above, hell below) in some later Christian versions . Tolkien's first encounter with the term middangeard , as he stated in a letter, was in an Old English fragment he studied in 1913–1914: Éala éarendel engla beorhtast / ofer middangeard monnum sended. Hail Earendel, brightest of angels / above
19305-644: Was Glaurung the Golden, bred by Morgoth in Angband , and called "The Great Worm", "The Worm of Morgoth", and "The Father of Dragons". Middle-earth contains sapient animals including the Eagles , Huan the Great Hound from Valinor and the wolf-like Wargs . In general the origins and nature of these animals are unclear. Giant spiders such as Shelob descended from Ungoliant , of unknown origin. Other sapient species include
19448-506: Was created specifically as "the Habitation" ( Imbar or Ambar ) for the Children of Ilúvatar ( Elves and Men ). It is envisaged in a flat Earth cosmology, with the stars, and later also the sun and moon, revolving around it. Tolkien's sketches show a disc-like face for the world which looked up to the stars. However, Tolkien's legendarium addresses the spherical Earth paradigm by depicting
19591-770: Was known as Middle-earth MUD , run by using LPMUD . After the Middle-earth MUD ended in 1992, it was followed by Elendor and MUME . Nazg%C3%BBl The Nazgûl (from Black Speech nazg , "ring", and gûl , "wraith, spirit"), introduced as Black Riders and also called Ringwraiths , Dark Riders , the Nine Riders , or simply the Nine , are fictional characters in J. R. R. Tolkien 's Middle-earth . They were nine Men who had succumbed to Sauron 's power through wearing Rings of Power , which gave them immortality but reduced them to invisible wraiths , servants bound to
19734-512: Was of Númenórean origin. The Nine soon became Sauron's principal servants. They were dispersed after the first overthrow of Sauron late in the Second Age at the hands of the Last Alliance of Elves and Men, but their survival was assured by the power of the One Ring . The Nazgûl re-emerge over a thousand years later in the Third Age , when the Lord of the Nazgûl leads Sauron's forces against
19877-535: Was simply a magic ring conferring invisibility, both in The Hobbit and early drafts of The Lord of the Rings , with no link to Sauron. However, Tolkien was at the time starting to consider the true nature of the Ring, and the idea that it had been made by the Necromancer, and drew itself or its bearer back to him. The Black Riders became Ringwraiths when the hobbit, at that time called Bingo rather than Frodo, discussed
20020-450: Was taller than the others, with "long and gleaming" hair and a crown on his helmet. When all Nine are swept away by the waters of the river Bruinen , their horses are drowned, and the Ringwraiths are forced to return to Mordor to regroup. The nine members of the Company of the Ring , tasked with the destruction of the Ring, leave Rivendell as the "Nine Walkers", in opposition to the Nazgûl,
20163-403: Was terror; it was so powerful that Sauron faced one disadvantage when using them: they could not easily travel in secret. The terror they spread was greater when they were unclad and invisible; and when they were gathered together. Only two of the Nazgûl are named or identified individually in Tolkien's works. Their chief, also known as the Lord of the Nazgûl and the Black Captain, appears as
20306-472: Was weakened both by time and by intermingling with lesser peoples. The Dwarves are a race of humanoids who are shorter than Men but larger than Hobbits. The Dwarves were created by the Vala Aulë, before the Firstborn awoke due to his impatience for the arrival of the children of Ilúvatar to teach and to cherish. When confronted and shamed for his presumption by Ilúvatar, Eru took pity on Aulë and gave his creation
20449-478: Was writing: As for the shape of the world of the Third Age , I am afraid that was devised 'dramatically' rather than geologically , or paleontologically . I am historically minded. Middle-earth is not an imaginary world. ... The theatre of my tale is this earth, the one in which we now live, but the historical period is imaginary. The essentials of that abiding place are all there (at any rate for inhabitants of N.W. Europe), so naturally it feels familiar, even if
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