The King's Witch

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wicche had no gender distinction; the preference of witch for female persons (the males referred more usually as wizzards) evolved later through the centuries. Tolkien uses the archaic, gender-unspecific meaning of the term, which was "a man who practises witchcraft or magic; a magician, sorcerer or wizard". [42] Other names [ edit | edit source ]

Wayne G. Hammond and Christina Scull (eds), The Lord of the Rings: A Reader's Companion, p. 20 citing from J.R.R. Tolkien's manuscript of Nomenclature "he was probably (like the Lieutenant of Barad-dur [the Mouth of Sauron]) of Numenorean descent" The first sighting of the Nazgûl in Middle-earth was reported in SA 2251. For the next 1200 years the greatest among them, known simply as the Lord of the Nazgûl, would serve Sauron as one of the commanders of his armies. He fought in the Age's climactic war against the Last Alliance of Elves and Men between SA 3434 and SA 3441, when the Dark Lord was eventually defeated and the One Ring taken from him. With Sauron's spirit and power dissipated, the nine Nazgûl were no longer able to maintain their physical presence and they too disappeared – at least temporarily – from Middle-earth. The Fellowship of the Ring ( extended edition)· The Two Towers ( extended edition) · The Return of the King ( extended edition) More than a thousand years later, in c. 1050 of the Third Age, Sauron began to rebuild his power in Dol Guldur. In c. 1300 his Nazgûl also reappeared and the Witch-king established his realm, Angmar, in the north. [7] His capital was Carn Dûm, on the northernmost peak of the Misty Mountains. He summoned men, orcs and other creatures of evil inclination to his banner. No one knew that he was actually a servant of the long-dormant Sauron and few that he was a wraith. [8]The Return of the King (1980 film): The Witch-king is portrayed as a humanoid figure with no head. Red eyes glare under a golden crown. His dialogue is more or less as in the books, albeit in a strange and somewhat unfitting electronic voice. After a stab from behind by Merry, Éowyn beheads him. It is worthy of note that the Witch-king is seen with the Red Eye of Barad-dûr as his emblem and faction, rather than the grim moon of Minas Morgul.

The Witch-king also appears in the The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, briefly fighting Radagast. The Witch-king's portrayal in the film is also different from in the book. In the film he is said to have been killed after the fall of Angmar and buried, prior to his revival by the Necromancer; in the books, however, the Witch-king does not die following the fall of Angmar, and instead goes to Mordor. The Witch-king does not in fact appear in The Hobbit at all. It is only in The Return of the King that the "Witch-king" is identified by this name and becomes an antagonist separate from the other Nazgûl. He is now identifiable by a distinctive helmet and armour, and wields a giant flail and flaming sword in battle. The Witch-king first appears in an introductory scene voiced over by Gandalf's description of him, and is later seen by Frodo, Sam and Gollum leaving Minas Morgul with a massive army.J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), The Peoples of Middle-earth, "VII. The Heirs of Elendil", entry for Argeleb I, p. 194 J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, Appendix B, "The Second Age", entry for the year 3441, p. 1084 The prophecy that the Witch-king would fall "not by the hand of man" and the fulfillment of the prophecy occurring as a technicality (being slain by a hobbit and a woman) bears a striking resemblance to the prophecy regarding the title character's death in Shakespeare's Macbeth, where it was foretold that Macbeth will be slain "not by man born of woman" and is then killed by Macduff, born by caesarian section. Tolkien was familiar with the play, having reputedly taken inspiration for the Last March of the Ents from the same source (See article Ents for details). J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, Appendix A, "The Númenorean Kings", "Gondor and the Heirs of Anárion", "The Stewards", entry for Steward Boromir, p. 1053 Games Workshop has released several miniatures of the Witch-king based on his appearances in the movies. He is depicted on foot, as riding a Nazgûl-bird and as riding a horse. He is also included in a mini diorama depicting his last moments in The Return of the King.

The Witch-king appears as a boss in the Wii and PS3 versions of The Lord of the Rings: Aragorn's Quest, which depict Aragorn directly confronting this powerful foe. However, to stay true to the source material, Aragorn is unable to actually kill the Witch-king. Brent McIntyre is officially credited as the Witch-king in The Fellowship of the Ring. He stabbed Frodo. The Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle-earth II: In addition to his appearance from the first game, the Witch-King can now also dismount and become a landscape unit armed with a mace. According to the Oxford English Dictionary the oldest meaning of witch is "a man who practices witchcraft or magic; a magician, sorcerer, wizard" As a Nazgûl, the Witch-king had a wide arsenal of powers. He was surrounded by an aura of fear, enough to make trained soldiers and horses run in terror.The Witch-king escaped to Mordor, and gathered the other Ringwraiths about him in 1980. Angmar and Carn Dûm were lost, and so in 2000 the Ringwraiths began a two-year siege of Minas Ithil, eventually capturing the place and turning it into his residence. The wraiths sent an aura of fear in Gondor, and much of Ithilien was deserted. [20] The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (video game): The Witch-king is shown without distinction of the other Nazgûl. Eärnur succeeded his father as King of Gondor, and still held the Witch-king in especial hostility due to his humiliation at the Battle of Fornost. The year of his coronation the Witch-king sent him a taunting challenge, but Mardil the steward restrained Eärnur from rash action. Seven years later the challenge was repeated, and Eärnur rode with a small escort to Minas Morgul; none ever returned, and there was no longer a King in Gondor. [20]