The White Council

Integrated Theory of Wraithness

Tolkien and Inklings Discussion

Big snip:

: I think there is a weakness in the loss of cloak and touched by water theory.

: In The Hunt for the Ring in UT, tolkien tells us that after Osgiliath was taken, "The Lord of Murgul therefore led his companions over Anduin, unclad and unmounted, and invisible to eyes, and yet a terror to all living things that they passed near. It was, maybe, on the first day of July that they went forth. They passed slowly and in stealth, through Anorien, and over the Entwade, and so into Wold, and rumor of darkness and a dread of men knew not what went before them. They reached the west-shores of Anduin a little north of Sarn Gebir, as they had trysted; and there received horses and raiment that were secretly ferried over the River. That was (it is thought) about the seventeenth of July."

: Thus, the went unclad, day and night, for 16 days from July 1 to the 17th. They also crossed the Entwade on foot, thus obviously getting wet. Thus the mere fact that they lost their robes and were touched by the waters of the Bruinen could not have caused their impotence. It could only have been the physical injuries they sustained by the flood.

This does seem to close the case for the water theory. It does not do the same for the cloak theory. At the time they were going about unclad they were intent on merely travelling, they could obviously travel unclad in daylight. However, without their robes could they do ought except inspire an unreasoning fear in those they encountered? Once they were within the area where they wished to operate with maximum effectiveness they had to robe themselves - this is one valid interpretation of the passage you quoted.

: : : : Thus, it appears that while the Nazgul could be rendered temporarily impotent by regular physical injury, such could not kill them once and for all. This discussion has raised some thoughts in my mind concerning the death of the WK at Pellennor and the general vulnerabilty of the wraiths. Clearly, physical injury could do something to the Nazgul - the physical injury they sustained at the Ford rendered them "unmasked" and "empty and shapeless". But it did not kill them.

: : For the reasons I have given above I do not think that mere physical injury could have rendered them shapeless.

: Fir the reasons I have given above I think that the physical injuries were the only reason they were rendered shapeless.

: :

: Russ

Here goes my "Integrated Theory of Wraithness."

In Tolkien's cosmos song and music are the forces which control and create existence. The Ainur sang to create the physical universe, Tom Bombadil sings to dispel wights open willows etc., Tinuviel sang a song of power before Morgoth. The exact nature of this creative or controlling song is debatable, perhaps as music is related to mathematics the Song affects some fundamental parameters in this particular cosmos.

To paraphrase The Bible "In the beginning was The Song and The Song was with Eru, and the Song was Eru." This is the bedrock of Tolkien's sub-creation.

I would propose that one of the effects of the Rings of Power, which were recorded as being made by the elves with the aim of halting the mutability and decay found in ME, was to form a sort of "standing wave" in the Song of Creation. This standing wave would encompass those who were in close contact with the Rings. Thus the fundamental natures of the Ringwraiths would be held as a sort of changeless pattern. If the physical body of the Ringwraith were destroyed the pattern would survive, and given time would attract solid material back into itself to recreate a physical presence. This would also account for Sauron's indestructability, though this may have more to do with his Ainu nature.

So, although the physical bodies of the Ringeraiths could be damaged I think their powers of recuperation would be very fast. To do them lasting harm the "standing wave" (which could also be thought of as a spell - the basic meaning of incantation is "to make into song") would have to be destroyed or perturbed. This could be brought about by the destruction or damage of their individual rings or of the One Ring. Apparently Sauron's loss of the One Ring to Isildur was a sufficient disruption to de-materialise both Sauron and his Nazgul for a very long time. Also damage by certain "magical" weapons such as Merry's blade could also perturb the "standing wave" or in other words, at least for a consderable time, "Break the spell which bound the unseen sinews to his will."

For the sake of my theory about the cloaks, I would propose that daylight had some level of perturbatory effect on the "standing wave" at least for mortals who had worn their rings for a long time. This would account for Gollum's dislike for light.

Thus knowing that they had, when they lost their cloaks, become impotent in daylight the Nazgul had little choice but to return to Mordor where their raiment could be replaced.