The Nazgûl's State

The Nazgûl, also known as the Ringwraiths, the Black Riders, or simply the Nine, are the most terrible and enduring servants of Sauron in The Lord of the Rings. They are the ghosts of nine mortal kings who were given Rings of Power and thereby enslaved to the will of the Dark Lord, becoming his most feared agents. Their state is not static; it evolves from a shadowy, unseen menace into a physical threat, then into a winged terror of the skies, before their final, absolute destruction. Their existence is a direct consequence of the One Ring, and their fate is inextricably bound to its own.

Origins and Nature

The Nazgûl were created when Sauron gave nine Rings of Power to mortal men, who were 'proud and great' and thus easily ensnared. As Gandalf explains to Frodo, these men 'fell under the dominion of the One, and they became Ringwraiths, shadows under his great Shadow, his most terrible servants.' Their mortality was not extended but corrupted; they did not die but merely continued, fading into a state of permanent invisibility in the world of light. They walk in the twilight under the eye of the Dark Power that rules the Rings, and their power is one of terror and despair rather than physical might. Their chief, the Witch-king of Angmar, was a great king and sorcerer of old, and he wields a deadly fear. They are bound to Sauron, and their power and existence are tied to his; they 'stand or fall by him.'

The Hunt for the Ring

In the early part of the story, the Nazgûl are a terrifying, unseen presence. They appear as Black Riders on black horses, their faces hidden, their senses attuned to the Ring. They are described as having a terrible power of smell and a keen awareness of the Ring's presence, which draws them to it. Their first appearance in the Shire is as a menacing, silent figure that frightens the hobbits. They are not merely physical pursuers; their presence instills a profound dread, and their cry is a piercing, chilling sound that freezes the blood. They are also able to use other creatures as spies, and their power is greatest in darkness and loneliness. Their attack on Frodo at Weathertop reveals their nature as more than just men in black cloaks; when Frodo puts on the Ring, he sees them as they truly are: tall figures with white faces, burning eyes, grey robes, and helms of silver, wielding swords of steel. The Witch-king himself is taller, with a crown, and he uses a Morgul-knife to wound Frodo, a weapon that would have turned him into a wraith under their command.

Defeat and Transformation

The Nazgûl are temporarily defeated at the Ford of Bruinen, where they are swept away by a flood summoned by Elrond. Their horses are destroyed, and they are 'unhorsed and unmasked, and so made for a while less dangerous.' However, they are not destroyed, as Gandalf notes that 'you cannot destroy Ringwraiths like that.' They return to their master in Mordor, and their state changes. They are given new, winged steeds, described as 'a great winged creature, blacker than the pits in the night.' This transforms them into the Winged Nazgûl, a new and more terrible form of terror. They now fly through the air, casting a shadow of fear over entire armies and cities. Their cries become even more dreadful, and they are used as instruments of psychological warfare, as seen during the Siege of Gondor, where their presence alone causes men to despair and lose the will to fight. The Witch-king, now mounted on a fell beast, is the most powerful of them, and he is able to break the gates of Minas Tirith with a spell.

The Final Fall

The Nazgûl's state reaches its ultimate end with the destruction of the One Ring. When Frodo claims the Ring in the Sammath Naur, Sauron's power is shaken, and he summons the Nazgûl to Mount Doom. They fly with a 'storm of wings' in a last desperate race, but as the Ring is destroyed and Barad-dûr falls, they are caught in the fiery ruin. They are described as 'shooting like flaming bolts, as caught in the fiery ruin of hill and sky they crackled, withered, and went out.' Their existence, which was sustained by the Ring's power, is utterly extinguished. The Witch-king himself is slain earlier by Éowyn and Merry on the Pelennor Fields, fulfilling the prophecy that he would not fall by the hand of man. With the Ring's destruction, the remaining Nazgûl are annihilated, and their reign of terror ends forever.