The White Council

Re: Nazgul Pondries

Tolkien and Inklings Discussion

: : : The Nazgul could be injured and they could be driven off. I : : : always saw the scene such that the Nazgul were gravely : : : injured by Elrond's "attack" at the ford. Any regular being : : : would have been killed.

: : I take your point about physical injury, the Nazgul are : : recorded as fleeing on a number of occasions when pursued by : : soldiery (rather than sorcery), so their constitutions were not : : impervious to physical harm. However, physical injury does not : : result in a being becoming "empty and shapeless." Broken bones : : and battered flesh still has form. Something other than : : physical damage was inflicted on the Nine in the flood.

: I think Russ may be on to something, however. In the Nazgul's case, "physical injury" may be more equivalent to popping a balloon. The weapons of mortals could "hurt" them by stripping them of the shape they had taken, but not inflict wounds such as bleeding or organ-damaging injuries.

: : : Gandalf first tells Frodo one of the Nazgul's main problem: : : : they have no mounts. "Their horses must have perished, and : : : without them they are crippled". That is because the Nazgul : : : cannot just steal new horses; they would be too frightened : : : and useless. Thus, the Nazgul were now on "foot"

: : Yes, but the Nazgul were on foot but they were still close to : : their quarry. Instead of going after the Ring again, they had : : to make the long journey back to Mordor (on foot). The mere : : loss of a horse when so near your goal would not have such a : : debilitating effect.

: Maybe they went on foot, maybe not. As "empty and shapeless" wraiths they should not have been constrained to walk. At the very least, they should have been capable of running tirelessly. :)

: But I note that though their passing through Rohan led some of its people to flee north in 3018, there doesn't seem to be any mention of their presence being felt there when they returned to Mordor. Did they pass over the mountains and go down through the Vales of Anduin?

There is a basic inconsistency in Tolkien's presentation of the Nazgul. At various times he implies that they were somehow immaterial, as in the case of the classical ghost walking through walls, though at other times they appear to be solid and physical, they need (and are able) to ride horses and at times wield apparently quite solid weapons. It is difficult to come up with theories which reconcile these two views.