“What of the Wizard?” Witch King: “I will break him”. Gives me chills every time.

The Witch King, leader of the Nazgûl. I would love to see a mini-series on how the nine men became the Nazgûl.

I like the theory that Sauron was capable of infusing the Witch-King with his own power, since it makes sense lorewise. Morgoth was capable of such, as he did it with the Balrogs, the Dragons and most of his servants (and possibly even Sauron), so Sauron, as Morgoth's greatest servant and successor, probably could do the same.

I suspect the answer in part is simple and tragic. That the man that became the witch-king was the not merely the greatest of the nine in life. But also the best. The strongest will, the purest spirit, perhaps even one of old believers during the darkening of Numenor. The purest heart that is finally corrupted often becomes the most vile.

The Witch-king of Angmar in the hunt for Frodo was not the same in power level in the siege of Minas Tirith. His tactical defeat at Weathertop, for example, was not Aragorn's action (as shown in the film), but Frodo's sudden attack and a "prayer for Elbereth/Varda" repudiating Sauron's ghosts, and that gave strength: "At that moment Frodo threw himself forward on the ground, and he heard himself crying aloud: O Elbereth! Gilthoniel! At the same time he struck at the feet of his enemy. (...) More deadly to him was the name of Elbereth." So much so that the Witch King avoided (I think) such an assertion at the Fords: "By Elbereth and Lúthien the Fair,’ said Frodo with a lasteffort, lifting up his sword, ‘you shall have neither the Ring nor me!’ Then the leader, who was now half across the Ford, stood up menacing in his stirrups, and raised up his hand. Frodo was stricken dumb. He felt his tongue cleave to his mouth, and his heart labouring. His sword broke and fell out of his shaking hand." Here we already have the use of a spell rarely remembered in the book: in addition to having given a "silence" lv 2, it still made Frodo lose consciousness. For those who play D&D 5e, we can make a list of some of the Witch King's abilities: A) Black breath: "He seemed to be asleep. ‘‘I thought I had fallen into deep water,’’ he says to me, when I shook him. Very queer he was, and as soon as I had roused him, he got up and ran back here like a hare.’ ‘I am afraid that’s true,’ said Merry, ‘though I don’t know what I said. I had an ugly dream, which I can’t remember. I went to pieces. I don’t know what came over me.’ ‘I do,’ said Strider. ‘The Black Breath" B) An aura of Inexplicable Terror to the point of driving the armies of Gondor and generating a fighting frenzy for the allied forces: "Some said that it could be seen, like a great black horseman, a dark shadow under the moon. Wherever he came a madness filled our foes, but fear fell on our boldest, so that horse and man gave way and fled." C) Control of the weather to the point of generating a windstorm and a blizzard: "Do not mount on this sea-monster! If they have them, let the seamen bring us food and other things that we need, and you may stay here till the Witch-king goes home. For in summer his power wanes; but now his breath is deadly, and his cold arm is long." (...) "But Arvedui did not take his counsel. He thanked him, and at parting gave him his ring [the Ring of Barahir], saying: 'This is a ring of worth beyond your reckoning. For its ancientry alone. It has no power, save the esteem in which those hold it who love my house. It will not help you, but if ever you are in need, my kin will ransom it with great store of all that you desire." And a lightning storm in Minas Morgul: "And Minas Morgul answered. There was a flare of livid lightnings: forks of blue flame springing up from the tower and from the encircling hills into the sullen clouds." D) A certain ability of necromancy to imprison evil spirits for the creation of Barrow Wight. E) Control over fire - to trigger an explosion spell on Grond: "Then the Black Captain rose in his stirrups and cried aloud in a dreadful voice, speaking in some forgotten tongue words of power and terror to rend both heart and stone. Thrice he cried. Thrice the great ram boomed. And suddenly upon the last stroke the Gate of Gondor broke. As if stricken by some blasting spell it burst asunder: there was a flash of searing lightning, and the doors tumbled in riven fragments to the ground. " And create a flame-sword (Azor Ahai): "Old fool!' he said. 'Old fool! This is my hour. Do you not know Death when you see it? Die now and curse in vain!' And with that he lifted high his sword and flames ran down the blade." There is a writing by Tolkien that speaks (in letter 210) of the "Demonics force" that anabolized the witch king, to the point of making him an active weapon in addition to the innate fear he generated in opponents, so much so that he managed to approach a region "on fire" (fire being a weapon against the Nazgûl) in the siege of Minas Tirith, but continued anyway. In my opinion, the Witch-king only had one chance against Gandalf: if the Morgoth Ingredient nullified Gandalf's powers and the Witch-king could make use of this ability.

I think it was a combination of factors. He was of Numenorian descent so that would have had given him more powers of strength and mind. According to legend he most likely, along with the other Nazgul, practiced sorcery when he was a mortal Man. He was a powerful king among Men, a Black Numenorian. Another factor is he might have received the most powerful of the rings that were given to the 9 by Sauron. Thus the Witch King was able to perceive and understand his designs much more than the others. The WK you could say filled the same role for Sauron that Sauron himself had with Melkor-Morgoth.

I imagine that Sauron looked upon The Witch King in a relation that resembled his own relationship with Morgoth. He was a Protege, Apprentice, Pupil, Student and etc. What I love about your content is how you delve deep into the Lore and present it in a way that adds so much depth and further questions to ponder. Really a fresh breath of soul air that is greatly appreciated. Thank you so much! Cheers!

In the History of Middle earth Volume 8, there was an early version of the Witch King, who was a numenorean wizard who accepted a ring of power. Although no longer canon due to the fallen wizard character was changed into Saruman, and the wizard king changed into the witch king, it still, in my mind at least, gives us an idea of where the witch king was from in the mind of Tolkien.

Whether on the page or on the screen, I always get chills when the Witch-king swoops in to kill Theoden at Pelennor Fields.

Got a witch king action figure last month and it's exactly as cool as I thought it was going to be

"Do you not know death when you see it, old man?!? This is my hour!!!" One of my favorite bad guys ever 😍 The more u want to know his past the less u find out. Even if it's not cannon I'd like to see an interpretation of his origins. I imagine his fall to darkness was slow and methodical, like with Smeagol. I always found it odd that he wasn't named, like with Khamul If he's the most powerful why no name? *cue mysterious music*

I personally think it might have been something inherently within the Witch-king even before he received his Ring of Power. Maybe he was a king who always had an appetite for conquest, and thusly was the first to succumb to the Dark Lords influence. However, unlike his fellow Nazgul, the Witch-King needed no persuading but rather choosing to serve Sauron willingly, and as such was in fact the first of the nine, and the most favored by his Master. That is my theory, but as for what truly was the reasons for the Greatest of the Nines higher status, there’s no way of knowing. Perhaps it is better left that way.

The armor at 8:13 is sick. So cool.

The Witch King might have been loyal and/or more aligned in thinking to Sauron before his descent into a ring wraith. Might have been more successful with victories. Sauron might have given him more power to show his favour.

Gosh man I can’t get enough of your videos.

I do like the idea of the Witch King's power stemming from a number of factors. He was a Numenorean King, which was powerful in itself, then his socery, likely coming from his worship of Melkor, and then power he drew from Sauron when being enlisted into his service. I think it's definitely a combination of all these factors that made him so powerful.

I just want to add that I am in love with your videos and channel. You do your homework and it shows. You love to make these videos and it shows. But also, at the end of each video, you’ll tell the viewers the lesson that each character has and I love it

Interesting description of ‘spiritual magic’ - thank-you.

Thanks for making this content and having such an inviting narrative.. these videos make me feel like idk beyond home like I'm in Middle Earth and it's amazing thank you so so much Keep it up. Much Love

Hello Men of the West, interesting video as always! I made an hour long music summary from the three melodies to the end of the war of Wrath. And your video's really inspired me and were quite helpful. So thank you very much.

If you have read the books, specifically The Two Towers, Chapter 5 - The White Rider, Gandalf himself explains that: "Dangerous!' cried Gandalf. 'And so am I, very dangerous: more dangerous than anything you will ever meet, unless you are brought alive before the seat of the Dark Lord.' So, no matter how powerful the Witch King might have been, he wasn't as powerful as Gandalf, especially as Gandalf the White, (at least in the books, which are canon.) This is why I hate that extended scene in the movie where the Witch King knocked Gandalf from Shadowfax and burst his staff.

Tolkien actually had the idea of making the Witch-King originally part of the Istari who would have been mortal men from Numenor, given a ring by Sauron some way or another and eventually abandoning the Istari to serve Sauron alike to Saruman. I guess that would have diminished that sense of mystery.

In my world Sauron saw his nazgul as puppets. He can manipulate and control men but his chief was the last werewolf of Tol-in-Gaurhoth. He protects a secret power of Melkors. The last werewolf taught and twisted the Witchking into the Chief of the Nazgul. This werewolf is the alpha of the North pack of wargs. His name is Bubhoshum Gaurhoth and he can take the shape of a man.

So glad for another video always makes my week

A friend of mine has theorized that the Witch King was not just any Numenorian, but the son of King Ar-Pharazon himself as a potential contributor to his great power.

He did 100 situps, pushups, and squats followed by a run of 6.2-mile (10-km) everyday

You’re a beautiful person. I love this channel. And I love that you care enough about this to make videos. I watched the movies as a kid yea But have read all the books as an adult. For years. It’s hard to get out of this universe for me. I listen to the audio books every day at work. And I read after work. Can’t seem to get away from it. It’s like history, it’s fantasy, it’s an incredible story. I’m hooked man. And your channel keeps me going. You’re a hero. Just know that.

I started drawing to your videos, your narration is really well spoken :3

A few ideas: What if the witch king were the only one of the Nazgul to still retain his ring while Sauron held the other eight? Would this make him more powerful? Maybe Sauron simply wanted to impart some of his power to the witch king so as to have a pupil. Similar to how Sauron served Morgoth in the early ages. Great video as always, Yoystan!

these weekly sunday vids are always a nice routine for my lunch break at work

Power is such a beautifuly vague concept in Middle Earth, for we see with the Nazgul that fear is power, and with Gandalf that inspiring others is power. The two are often set against one another in fan theories (and a much-maligned deleted scene). Seeing the Witch-king as an extension of his master (powerful on his own, but waxing and waning with the Lord of the Ring) I wonder what the apex of his power was. Close to Modor, with Sauron rising, a black fume strangling the dawn, and perhaps sent out with yet more power gifted by the Dark Lord when he set out from Minas Morgul... was he Gandalf the White's match in the power to dominate and destroy others? Maybe he was, or at least close enough that with Sauron behind him he believed he could. The Witch-king had skirmished with Gandalf the Grey before at Weathertop, and even at night with the other Nazgul was driven back (though clearly still a threat to one another). I suspect at their second meeting, BOTH were much more powerful than their first. Perhaps Gandalf the White might have easily defeated the Nazgul outright at Weathertop (instead of only driving then off), and the Witch-king at Pelennor Fields might have easily broken Gandalf the Grey's power at Weathertop. I'd like to think that in that moment, besides Sauron himself (and perhaps Galadriel), the Witch-king and Gandalf the White were the two most indomitable beings in Middle Earth. I suspect if they had directly fought (instead of the Witch-king's fated end) it would not have been as simple as Gandalf breaking Saruman's staff (or as easy for the Nazgul captain as the deleted movie scene). It might have been a more terrible battle, as Gandalf had with Durin's Bane: long and exhausting. But, in the end, no matter how a battle might have gone, Gandalf was more "powerful" in the way that counted. The Witch-king could not inspire others and draw out their courage, only drive them with fear. He was felled by two mere mortals with the courage to face him despite that fear. He is an enduring reminder that no matter how terrible a force, it can be overcome so long as good people have the courage to face it. It did not take a great king of Numenorian descent, or angelic Istari, or an Eagle sent by the Lord of the Valar -- just a human and a hobbit.

Here we go one of the most metal villains ever

I think the Witch King was a Ninja Wizard. Gandalf was only a Wizard and not a Ninja.

Great video! The witch king is hands down my favorite lotr villain. He is one of if not the most diverse character in Tolkien's universe and his back story is as mysterious as it is intriguing.

Thanks wonderful subject.

Excellent video and a very good theory.

I read some of the comments on the facebook page, especially the one who decided to leave a negative comment saying he cancelled the facebook page and the youtube page. Though I understand where he is coming from, I do not agree with the way he went about doing what he did. I enjoy your content, do not worry about the negative comments people leave. Excellent content as always, keep up the good work.

Nice work dude

I love your videos please never stop they are amazing

Great video!!!

Most of the Witch-kings exceptional powers stem from the fact that Tolkien conceived of him as an evil wizard when writing most of LotR. Before Tolkien determined wizards were embodied Maiar and not just old men with magical powers, the leader of the Nazgul was named the Wizard-king in his drafts of LotR - which includes relatively close to final versions of the chapters involving the siege of Minas Tirith.

I think it's important to acknowledge that the scene in the films where the Witch King has a showdown with Gandalf is lifted almost entirely from the book, The Witch King faced down Gandalf at the gates of Minas Tirith and laughed in the face of Gandalf forbidding him entry, doing very much what is shown in the films, raising his sword and imbuing it with a terrible fire: "Old fool! This is my hour. Do you not know Death when you see it? Die now and curse in vain!", dude was pretty confident in confronting Gandalf The White, an Istari, after fleeing from Glorfindel many long years earlier. Clearly his power must have grown by the time of the War of the Ring.

I just watched the Dork Lords channel make a case that the Witch-King of Angmar is Tar-Atanamir, the 13th king of Numenor, and I have to say it's pretty much a rock solid case. God I wish Tolkien got to see the Silmarillion published to we could have some more clear questions answered by him.

Love the new title sequence!

The witch king’s screeches always use to scare the crap out of me! Love this video! Thank you 💛

The Witch King of Angmar is my favorite Nazgûl out of the nine and to hear more about him in how he’s more powerful than the other Nazgûl makes him all the more fascinating and interesting great video! 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

Great video. I think the Witch King was one of those Black Numenoreans who conquered lands in middle earth and established kingdoms. I think he might have delved into forbidden magic before Sauron got to him and Sauron augmented his abilities.

Murazor, the second son of the 12th king of Numenor was certainly a powerful sorcerer.

Great topic and video! You’ve inspired my thoughts: the bad guys like to have lieutenants and the Witch King is Sauron’s lieutenant. An extension of himself strengthen by his own infernal power. Sauron saw a capable Númenóreans sorcerer who would make a perfect extension of his hand…

Love your content

When we were kids one of my brothers had an action figure of the twilight-witch king (the ghost form Frodo sees them as when wearing the ring), it was one of the collest most detailed action figures I had ever seen at the time.

Man I fucking love your channel, please don’t stop

I mean the dude has spent thousands of years serving Sauron. He’s obviously had a lot of time to learn and master black sorcery

The thumbnail is gorgeous

That opening quote on the breaking of the Gates of Minas Tirith calls me back to LOTRO's big battle, defending the gate. It's amazing how well represented that scene is in-game.

one thing the Jackson trilogy left out (and maybe for good reason) is how many actions have magic attached to them. and how subtle it sometimes is. the swords literally glowing in fire in the heat of battle, riders on their mounts appearing as vengeful valar in the charge...would make a good anime I think

I also thought they were more powerful when nearer to Sauron, perhaps especially while beneath the shade belched forth by Orodruin. Wre they not weak while Sauron was also weak for centuries? This seems to demonstrate that the Nazgûl are mostly extensions of Sauron so if one is more powerful than the rest it is likely due to a stronger link with Sauron. Perhaps he was the first to be turned and Sauron was unable or unwilling to tie up as much of his being in later creations, having a finite will. It is made clear that he put much of himself into the creation of the one ring so there may have been a similar cleaving of his power to the lesser rings or their thralls.

I LOVE the idea that he could somehow draw power from his master for me it would have to be at least part that in order for him to stand against a powerful Maiar spirit such as Gandalf!

Great video but one thing a lot of people forget is that the Witch king never skip leg day and thats where his power really comes from. True story. But really good video liked and subed

Mae govannen Yoystan. Keep up the good work. :)

Clicked play as fast as I could!

"I speak with the witch kings voice!" -thrallmaster

In all honesty, I can't come across your videos without thinking of some incredibly bad "Southwest" pun. Still, love your videos. 👍🏻

'Soft' magic systems are a dying art. Still love hard magic (of Sanderson and the like) but the mystery of Tolkien (and Jordan's ideas beyond the One Power) have a special narrative tone/style

I like to think the witch king was a avatar of sorts of sauron. Sauron gave him a great deal of his own power while trying to rebuild his own power back.

I think it's an interesting progression as we watch Melkor corrupt Sauron and in turn Sauron corrupt the Witch King. It is as if they are of a succession of evil.

I always believed anything closest to Sauron, or any powerful Maiar/Valar, would exude traits, power or even become physical influenced by their very appearance. It would explain why his face was that of hellfire with glowing red eyes...almost an Ethereal form similar to Sauron. Even just Saurons Ring can greatly influence anyone snd had dramatic effects upon them.

I've sometimes mused that the Witch King might be a descendent of Aragorn? A great great great great great great grandfather or the like... However, whatever theory is thrown up, I suspect Tolkien would have addressed it at some point had he lived a little longer... though with that said, it is also a good thing to leave some things left unexplained in a story. After all, the best writers leave the reader to dream and make up their own stories within their own!

Yoystan, I think I have a perfect idea for a "What if" video. "What if Thorin took the Ring from Bilbo?". I really hope you see this and consider, it wouod be an amazing video.

For those in the comments below pointing out the unseemliness of the Witch-King knocking Gandalf down and breaking his staff in the film; I agree...I remember thinking when I first saw it that it was a pretty stupid gambit on the WK's part, since he was perfectly aware of the prophecy. You'd think he'd always keep a healthy distance between himself and any powerful elves and fricking _Maiar_ that might be in the vicinity. Heck, just riding up to the Ford of Bruinen was a pretty risky move, being that he's on Elrond's doorstep and all, and he's aware of a certain Glorfindel fellow in the vicinity, possibly galloping right up his backtrail.

I have always enjoyed theorizing wether the Witch-king was originally the most evil of the Nine, and thus the quickest to fall, or wether he was the most principled one, and thus fought the influence of his ring the hardest and longest. In any case, it seems clear that the Nazgûl draw most if not all of their power from Sauron himself, and that's what makes the Nine, but the Witch-king specifically, so powerful.

As Sauron's power grows, so does the power of the Nazgûl, since they're all connected and bound to Sauron. And with that I believe the Nazgûl can draw their power from the Dark Lord, as someone in the comments had already mentioned. Can't wait for your 'The Rings of Power' videos, once the series are out!! Sending much love, @Men of the West 🙏

Just as Sauron poured his power into the One Ring, Morgoth poured his into Arda itself. I would surmise that the "sorcerors" probably gained their strength through the power of Morgoth's corruption, and the Witch King's ability to do so was enhanced by his Ring of Power.

Well i think its a combination, of him being very powerful before having the ring, the ring enhansing his powers while "alive" and ones getting under Sauron having both teaching and power from Sauron. He is most likly a numenorean that took controll over some land in the south since he clearly never was a king over numenor. Him named as a sorcerer basicly tells that he was into dark magic even when alive and i think that is what differs him from the other nazguls. The other nazguls was most likly "just" kings and leaders from the beggining. Its alos possible that the witchking came into service of Sauron earlier than the others. Gandalf says that one by one they were drawn under the power of Sauron according to their natural goodness and intention from the beggining, meaning if you were evil and had bad intentions you became a wraith quicker, and that seems very likly for the witch-king being pointed out as a sorcerer even when alive. Also the witch-king was Saurons main instrument of operation while he himself was hidding for long long years, regaining his strength. During this time he could surly not have had the strength to teach them all or give power to, so he probably choose the witchking and concentrated on him. Although he wouldnt go so far as to say that the witchking could have achieved anything against Gandalf at the gates, they couldnt bring him down all of them at weathertop...him throwing down Gandalf is mostly in the deluded mind of Peter Jaksson.

He's such a cool character! I Really like the guy.

It’s possible that Sauron infused the Witch-King with extra powers for the War of the Ring, but, without the One, didn’t have the strength to enhance the power of the other Nazgul.

He was so powerful to make the good side seem not over powered

I have long loved LOTRO because of how much they delve into and sometimes tastefully expand on the lore of places like Angmar.

I still want to know the name of the rooster. Also, you added stickers!!! I ordered stickers!!!

thanks

I'm curious what that "forgotten language" was. 3:04 maybe he was related to Elros ?

First, thanks for another great one

Here’s a thought- and I’ll draw on a bit of D&D lore for this: The Witch King was a numenorean warlock. Warlocks gain their power through binding themselves to a supernatural spirit (usually a demon or evil god.) I bet one of two things happened: 1. Before the Fall of anime or, the Witch King was a warlock that tried to bind himself to Morgoth. When Sauron approached him, he still retained that binding to his old Master and Sauron recognized his intelligence and power. 2. The Witch King wasn’t bound to Morgoth, but when Sauron offered him his ring, the warlock had the intelligence and will to make it a binding and essentially bargained for Sauron to give him power as *his* warlock rather than a slave like the other Nazgûl. Sauron accepted, recognizing he’d need an able lieutenant he could still keep on a strong leash.

Because the Witch King is Sigma Red pill. He is on another level than everyone in the story.

What I really love about the nazgul is that they are shrouded in almost complete mystery, that element makes us search for answers that will never be provided and creates this awesome down the rabbit hole chase that we love as humans. We will never get the answers to most of the questions and the mystery just makes the nazgul even more amazing and scary, that sauron could just take 9 powerful kings and.make them his slaves and erase their identities. Gives that scary it could you idea that makes them truly terrifying

I like your discussion of magin in LOTR. A friend who knows far more about Tolkien than I do gave an explanation that might cast additional light on "magic" in Tolkien. He said that Tolkien, a devout and orthodox Catholic, believed that all creation is the result of the will of God--Eru Illuvatar. Even "natural" processes like plants growing are in fact the results of will. Tolkien held the view that everything--EVERYTHING--every object that exists, every event, is the result of Will. Human live and faculties are the result of the will of God. We then have a certain amount of power to do things with that will. We are pretty feeble compared to other sentient beings. One example I like is the Mirror of Galadriel. In the book, Galadriel asks Sam if he would like to see it too. She then said, "I believe this is what you call 'magic', though I have never understood what you mortals mean by that word. You seem to use the same word for the deceits of the Enemy." Notice that Galadriel, the great and powerful Elf Queen, has no idea what "magic" is. I like to think that if, during the Goblin Wars of Gondolin, a Man who was given an Elven sword, might ask the Elf who forged it how he made it glow blue when Orcs are near, and, like Galadriel, the Elf would not understand the question. What else would it do? he would ask. It seems to me that Sam and others, when they saw or heard of someone yielding mysterious powers beyond their own abilities or understanding, came up with the term "magic" to explain it, for it seemed like something mysterious and existing on its own, rather than a natural power like speech but far greater than their own. So, according to my friend, all the "magic" in LOTR is in fact due to the direct power of someone's will; and a measure of the greter power--Elf over Man; Maiar over Elf--is simply a manifestation of that person's supernatural--yes--status, and the powers it gave to what their will could accomplish. This helps explain a lot about the Rings of Power. In order for them to have power their wielders can use, the power of the makers has to irrevocably pass into them. Tolkien said that the Three Rings of the Elves were in fact an error. They succeeded in delaying the natural process of decay, but in the process expended the power inherent in the Elves themselves. Not just the individual Elves who kept each Ring, but all the Elves of their peoples. Eventually the power of the Rings inevitably faded, leaving the Elves diminished. They had expended much of their power irrevocably; of their own free will. Tolkien's doctrine of "will" clarifies a lot about the One Ring, too. The process of forging the One Ring gave its keeper the power to control all the other Rings of Power. But at a price. They were so great that Sauron had to put nearly all his own power into the One Ring to be able to control them. And in order to make this work, he had to make an irrevocable choice of will to put most of his power into the One Ring permanently. This was why, if it was destroyed, he would be so weakened that he would remain a powerless spirit, gnawing itself in the shadows, but never again able to grow or take shape. I imagine the spirit of Sauron still being around, and trying and failing to give a baby mouse a nightmare. The doctrine of "will" also explains how someone powerful enough to master the Ruling Ring might start out will good intentions, but would inevitably become another Dark Lord (or evel Bright Lady, as Galadriel foresaw). I think of it this way: The One Ring has no power at all to do something for the sake of benevolence but only to enhance and exercise its bearers power over others. But if someone with the strength to master it took it, they could start out doing a lot of good things. But it would work like this. Suppose Aragorn became Lord of the Ring. He might start out galvanizing all the Free Peoples of Middle Earth--the men, the elves, even the Hobbits and Dwarves, to unite to oppose Sauron. He would even be able to get many Southrons to switch sides. Those who still followed Sauron would find themselves cowed and weakened before Aragorn and his followers. He would defeat Sauron. He could imprison him until the end of time. Then, say, he would make peace between peoples; make everybody prosperous and safe. But the good would not last. Imagine Aragorn confronting an alcoholic. Aragorn could command them never, ever to drink again. They would not be able to refuse. Suppose they got a net benefit, and were able to return to a productive life, being a good friend and parent, etc. But the Ring has no interest in helping anyone but the ego of its keeper. Therefore the only way Aragorn could use it to stop the alcoholic from drinking was to use his own desire to control others simply for the sake of controlling them. We all have this dark side. In a good person like Aragorn, without the Ring, he would have this dark side fully caged. But all he did with the Ring would HAVE TO be through his dark side. The Ring would do nothing for the part of him that wanted to help others and do good. For a while, the net effect would be good. But the One Ring would necessarily strengthen the evil part of Aragorn's character at the expense of the good parts. If he kept the ring long enough, he himself would become entirely evil. It is questionable how culpable he himself would be, for as the new Dark Lord, the evil would utimately come from Sauron's will. This would explain why, in the Council of Elrond, neither Elrond nor Gandalf would take the ring to wield it. No amount of danger from Sauron would outweigh the danger of using the Ring itself. BTW, in another letter, Tolkien remarked that he thought there were only three beings around during the Wark of the Ring, besides Sauron himself, who could have mastered the One Ring: Aragorn, Galadriel, and Gandalf. I note that he excludes Saruman and even Elrond and Glorfindel from this list. If someone without the power to master the One Ring tried to use it against Sauron, he would simply control them and take it away from them. I hope you find these ideas interesting. I do not vouch for the full accuracy of them; I am not the Tolkien scholar my friend is. But I think you may find that Tolkien's doctrine of "will" explains all the "magic" in LOTR; and also explains why it's mysterious to us. We are Men; what do we know of the details of power of greater beings? Of course we would find them beyond our understanding. "Magic" is not like some cookbook that simply depends on the right spells or possessing the right magical object.

You mentioned that possibly the Witch-King had drawn power from Morgoth. I think it's quite possible that Morgoth could be the source of much evil magic (especially among mortals) since Morgoth spent his power buffing his servants, and much of his essence (ingredient) is still an innate part of nature. Sauron may have known how to harness Morgoth's evil energy from nature. On Numenor Sauron was essentially a priest for Morgoth, and although his devotion was probably insincere, his teachings probably had a pay-off for his followers who may have including the future Witch-King. Furthermore, there is evidence that subtly hints that Sauron was making use of Morgoth's leavings. For instance, Mordor itself was created by Morgoth. Mount Doom in particular seems to be supernatural as it's where the One was created/destroyed. The One itself is made of gold, which is said to house more of Morgoth's essence (as opposed to silver). Anyway, the Witch-King's an enigma wrapped in a riddle.

He was one of Sauron's rings too, as well as wearing one.

If I'm not mistaken Sauron cursed the Witch-King by not allowing him to be slain by any man in battle. And if he is a sorcerer by most fantasy definitions then he would be able to cast any spell that Sauron knows because it's Sauron casting it through the Witch-King. The Witch-King says the incantation and such and then Sauron releases the power for the spell through the Witch-King. But just an hypothesis. It maybe like a sorcerer in Dungeons and Dragons where Sauron would act his patron and grant him spells and other powers as he needs them due to faith or loyalty. But we will never truly be sure I guess unless we can find ourselves a necromancer to ask J.R.R Tolkien himself to explain it for us. Anyway a great video.

If no one has mentioned it already, he might not have simply been a plain old Numenorian, but one of the "royal" line of Elros...and as such had a strain of "divine" running through his veins. It seems to be a strength that appears in very exceptional descendants of that line...hence Elendil being able to stand toe to toe with Sauron, Aragorn being able to fight off the Nazgul on Weathertop (even without Anduril), and the reason Sauron was so worried about Aragorn. He knew that - like his Morgul Lord and the kings of old - Aragorn had that same strength within him. Add to that the skills of a sorcerer and the greatest "sullied" ring, you would have a truly powerful being. As for the folks questioning how Eowyn could have killed him, remember that Merry's blade was crafted specifically to be able to break the spell that kept the Witch King from harm...allowing her to fulfill the prophecy of Glorfindel.

The Witch-King is truly unique, here's a theory; he was a king of Numenor with the human-sacrifices granting Sauron considerable power which he fed into the Witch-King in order to beef up his champion whilst he, Sauron was in Numenor, so that the WK could pursue his missions with greater ease. Have always thought of the WK as partially an avatar of Sauron and partially an independent agent. Must confess to liking the WK a bit more than Sauron himself as a villain, due to his murky and menacing nature. This was a great video, bravo Yoystan and can't wait for the love story of Sam & Rosie.

My personal headcanon is that magic in Tolkien's work is a lesser version of the song of creation. The Witch King and Numenoreans, I believe, learned from Morgoth how to corrupt the song of Eru in a lesser way, while the good magic of Gandalf and co is an ability to tap into the Pure Song, which is why its use is so sparing: it can only be used at times and in ways ordained at the beginning of time.

Nice work dude thanks

I am just a regular fan of LotR even so I really like the Witch King. He is by far my favorite character. I rather like the idea that Sauron mentored him which allowed him to be an absolute menace and go toe to toe with Gandalf.

The Witch King is like that one Sub Boss in a game that could have been a main villain in any other story.

Interesting! Your comments brought to mind Anne Rice‘s books and the vampire Lestat. He was far and away the most powerful of any of the vampires, in part because of the strength of his will, but also because he had risked much, suffered much, and survived it all. A key element was that he became the chosen one of the Queen, the first vampire. They shared blood on numerous occasions, increasing his strength each time. He was eventually even able to tolerate sunlight, something that destroyed vampires as a rule. Perhaps the relationship between Sauron and the Witch-King is similar. As an especially powerful king and sorcerer to begin with, then (perhaps) Sauron‘s favorite, he was given strength far beyond that of the others.

"In rode the Lord of the Nazgûl." For a moment when I heard, "Hey everyone!" I thought that was supposed to be the Witch-king as he rode in.

Maybe the Witch-King was Numenorean sorcerer who was a cultist of Morgoth, who was proficient enough in magic to not only attract Sauron's attention, but also make him think that the Witch-King could be a useful servants to him.

What occurs to me is that Sauron must have made the Witch-king's ring differently from the others, with the intention that it s wearer should have more independence of thought and action the the others in order to lead in his stead and make decisions unaided. Therefore, I can only find myself thinking that, in the same way that Morgoth chose Sauron carefully as his lieutenant, Sauron picked out his own "right arm" with the same care, specifically seeking out the most qualified (and corruptible) candidate for the role he'd envisioned. If I may make a comparison to another franchise, I'm reminded of how the "hive" mind of the Borg (something like which may have described the Nazgul's situation) still allowed for a "queen bee," perhaps in the form of Sauron or the Witch-King, or at least for an independent "spokesperson" to represent them from time to time. This could be a glimpse into how the arrangement worked for the Nine.

Make a video on Eonwe herald of manwe