Hello all! I have received a number of comments stating that, as the Nazgul were once living men, they would have passed to the Halls of Mandos for judgement and not into The Void. The following is an excerpt from the Return of the King: ‘You cannot enter here,’ said Gandalf, and the huge shadow halted. ‘Go back to the abyss prepared for you! Go back! Fall into the nothingness that awaits you and your Master. Go!’ This piece of dialogue led me to the conclusion in this video. I now realise that I should have included this in the video but as this was only my 2nd upload I am still learning! Thanks for all of your comments, I am already putting a lot of constructive criticism to good use in the future videos that I am currently working on!

Tolkien spoke of the gift of death given to men. I think no one ever saw that gift so inviting and releasing as the Nazgul did.

Tolkien specifically states that, caught up in the ruin of Orodruin, the Nazgul "crackled, withered and went out" like lights ! Where does a candle flame go when it is blown out ? Well that's where the Nazgul went !

They bummed around for a few millennia then got hired by Warner Bros to act as the Dementors in Harry Potter!

"They crackled, withered and went out". I think that pretty much says it all.

You got me thinking. If the Valar once forgave Sauron for his alliance with Melkor, why not also extend the mercy to the ringwraiths, whose transgressions where minor compared to Sauron's. Also considering that Sauron's allegiance to Melkor was willing, but the Nazgul were decieved and bound unwillingly to Sauron.Very nice channel BTW.

I think Tolkien left an air of mystery about the Nazgûl to fire the imagination in readers. Reading The Fall of Gondolin left me in awe of his writing.

I heard one of them opened a successful chain of ethnic fast food outlets for orcs. Surprisingly popular with rich human and elf kids who are 'slumming it' while backpacking in Mordor during their gap year.

This is fantastic. Not just your theory, but the eloquence with which you expressed it. Beautiful writing and orating. Thank you.

They were unnaturally bound to the world through the Ring's power...but they were men. When the ring went into the fire that power ended..they were freed from it and would have done as any other human..their spirits would have sought the halls of Mandos and from there would have passed beyond the circles of the world. What happened then?

I sense that your channel will be big pretty fast. Amazing content so far, and very well illustrated! I'll be coming back for more

For once I have to praise the algorithm for bringing me here. Excellent videos and presentation, instant sub here.

It doesn't seem all that mysterious if you read the Return of the King: "And into the heart of the storm, with a cry that pierced all other sounds, tearing the clouds asunder, the Nazgûl came, shooting like flaming bolts, as caught in the fiery ruin of hill and sky they crackled, withered, and went out." I don't think they had a lot of time for reflection before going to the fate prepared for them.

I really wish that Tolkien had gone into detail about the Ringwraiths, who they were before they got their rings, their changes after receiving their rings and afterwards. Not all of the men who received their rings were good either.

You’ve got a great voice for narration. Thank you.

What a phenomenal presentation. I dare say that this is quite an underrated video, if not one of the most underrated videos regarding Tolkien's work. From the illustrations to the eloquent presentation and the comprehensive content, I enjoyed every single bit of it. An absolute masterpiece overall.

Another great video! And again such beautiful artwork! The details in these pictures are such a fantastic talent!

Sauron still exists, permanently weakened, blown to the east by Iluvatar to wander powerless as a shadow with no ability to affect the world. I'd like to think the Nazgul, now released from Sauron's grasp, continued to hunt, but this time they hunted their former master.

Excellent video, questions, theories. I have subscribed! Brilliant!

It's hard to imagine such tormented, ruthless and probably in some ways dependent and addicted beings feeling joy in the redemptive way you are describing. Maybe perhaps they felt some sense of relief from the release of Sauron's oppressive influence

The illustrations are amazing, kudos to whoever generated them! I also doubt that any redemption was sought or received. If Saruman’s spirit was wafted away by a West wind, the Ring Wraiths stand little chance of forgiveness. Being so completely dependant on Sauron’s will for every action, it makes sense to me that they dissipated into nothingness just as he did.

Once the One ring was destroyed the other rings became little more than decorations. So the rings power that was keeping the wraiths corporeal ended immediately. The wraiths would have faded away rapidly after that going on to the after life in short order.

Very well done and interesting, keep up the good work!

That was a surprisingly positive view of their end.

They would have been given the gift of men as promised. They desired power and likely acted unscrupulously, but their complete turn to evil was designed by Sauron. Like a master that beats his dogs into killers, they had no other option, they know of no other choice to survive. Sauron who repented briefly, once freed of Morgoth, yet then went back to serving evil is the one that faces the final destruction. The wraiths had no option to repent once tricked into addiction by Sauron.

Wouldnt the oldest living Elves have know who they where as human kings?

Thank you for pointing out that the Nazgul may have been tempted by Sauron through a desire to do good.

From what I've heard, one of the Nazgul became an Uber driver and another one opened a small bakery in the East Village. I've tried the bakery. They make really good croissants.

Love the way the 'history' is delivered. Cheers ❤

really enjoyed this :)

Beautifully done. Great voice ! Congratulations.

Art & presentation are brilliant!

Loved the video, great work! Some images are increadible, could you please share the credits?

Stunningly beautiful artwork.

Awesome video dude 😎 subbed

In their lives, their deeds were legendary. In my life, they were nothing more then my enemies. But now that they have gone. I find I pity them. They were once great kings of men.

Thank you! I enjoyed this

Amazing video. Beautiful images, very nice to listen to narration. Subbed

I had a similar thought. With the power that kept them 'alive' and enslaved removed, There would be a sense of relief/release and then... the end and on to whatever eternity awaits all men.

I know it isn’t canon. But I love the ending that talion eventually got. From man to wraith to Nazgûl. Finally getting peace in the end.

Since the Ringwraiths Fea's were bound to the Ruling Ring once it was destroyed along with their bodies (Hroa) their fears would gone to the Halls of Mandos for a brief stay before on to wherever a fea of a man went to.

Great stuff ❤

Good video. Thanks.

When Sauron was at his weakest, therefore, the Nazgûl became inactive, but when Sauron's power began to gather again, the Nazgûl rise with him. Naturally, this means that after the One Ring is finally destroyed by Frodo and Sam, the Nazgûl are no more. There is nothing to bind their wraith-like souls to the mortal realm - the magic is broken.

So glad you do this without bad background music. It ruins so many videos.

At 4:20 - that's a lot of fingers!

When Meriadoc and Eowyn slays the Witch King, i distintively remember that is writen "And no more was he seen in that age of the world" i think is implied that HE indeed returned at one point.

Your voice is fantastic. Very soothing.

A cool video, thanks

Well done!

My favourite new LOTR channel, bravo sir.

The power that sustained them was gone, thus they just passed away just like their master.

Your description of their fate is a symphony of words! It flowed like the river Anduin.

Honestly, I hope their end is as you described. That is the best one can hope for those poor men. Merry Christmas and lots of love for everyone. ❤

Somebody in the near future may be able to make this become like the Conjuring Universe. I'll watch for sure.

This was a wonderfully made video.

you do a great job.

Thank you for sharing this information about this Movie's back ground though I seen all the Movie's. Lord of The Rings and The Hobbit. I Dig It 🤙🌋🏖️

Well written. Good sound.

What happened to the Ringwraiths was sad. I saw one just the other day - "would you like fries with that burger?"

I like how you talk, scholar

Your Thoughts on the fate of the Ringwraiths line up with what i have considered. They were once mortal men but i feel what was left of them after being freed from the yoke of the One Ring, would have been judged to be beyond redemption and thus at least sent to some place, perhaps the void to spend eternity far from the souls of those they once tormented.

The remaining Nazgul were all flying for Mount Doom as fast they could on their winged steeds. At the moment the ring was destroyed, they all burst into flame and were consumed in midair. I'm not sure where all of this poetry about them standing around having all these emotional epiphanies comes from, but it doesn't come from Tolkien.

Excellent video... and speaking voice

The story in the second half is really rather sweet.

With the Ring gone and a good blast from Orodruin, they finally bit the dust.

very well done

Sorry but this is way off, at least as regards to the fan theories. Return of the King text clearly states right after the Ring's destruction, "... tearing the clouds asunder the Nazgûl came, shooting like flaming bolts, as caught in the fiery ruin of hill and sky they crackled, withered, and went out." Crackled and went out evokes the image of a candle flame sputtering out at the end of its fuel. Withered can also evoke rapid shriveling and disintegration, perhaps like the Indiana Jones guy when he drinks the wrong chalice. As a young reader of the books, the final complete destruction of these Riders felt like an immense relief and vindication, after they had cast a terrifying pall over the whole story, always hunting, from whom the characters were never safe. Additionally, on the slopes of the Mountain Gollum predicts, probably truly, that when the Ring is destroyed he will perish into dust. The Nazgûl most likely suffered a similar though perhaps more dramatic fate.

Topic question: what would Sauron (or Morgoth) have DONE with middle earth? What would either of their victories have looked like to Middle Earth and to what purpose would they drive it?

Angmar was able to think and make decisions on his own. The Nazgul were slaves to the ring, so they had to do, what the ring-bearer told them. But they still had the ability to think and act (remember that part in the Appendices about the movements of the Nazgul? It clearly states that Angmar had to make plans and decide what to do). Like Sauron said: "Get me the ring" and the Nazgul planned and acted by themselves how to achieve that goal. Another point: Angmar was the leader of Sauron's army. How would he be able to do that, if he wasn't able to think, plan and act/give orders on his own. A mere puppet wouldn't have been able to do that. So, I'd say that after the Sauron's death and the destruction of the ring, they weren't disorientated and they surely weren't left without a purpose. The real question is: When the One Ring was destroyed, all other rings lost their power. How strong were the Nazgul bound to their ring? Did it gave them life and powers or did it just make sure that they did what Sauron asked them? If it gave them their powers and life, they would have just vanished/died. If it was just a means of controling them, they now would be free. But, as we all know just from reading LotR, they were destroyed/died from the explosion of Mount Doom.

I would have thought they just kind of evaporated and blew away. That's what happened to Saruman.

I always just figured that with the destruction of the one ring the Nazgul just faded away quickly.

Well said. Who did the artwork?

A speculative approach can be taken to this situation, since the status of their spiritual structure and destiny is uncertain at the end of the metaphysical transformation process into the ring-wraith. If it is assumed that the rings of power were made to prevent the elves from fading (due to their main purpose), the transformation into a wraith can be read as a side effect of these rings on humans. Depending on whether the soul is connected to Arda or not, if the soul-body (fëa-hröa) relationship is inherently opposite between elves and humans, the factor (rings of power) that prevents elves from fading may cause humans to fade. The fading of the human being as an incarnated being can be considered as the wraith form of existence. Since the factor causing this is a ring of power, the ring-wraith description seems appropriate. This is a theory. If this is the case, how can the phenomenon of death be defined for a ring-wraith? What will be their fate? When the One Ring is destroyed, do their souls go to the Halls of Mandos? These types of questions still remain unclear. Despite this uncertainty, my thoughts are as follows: It is out of the question for the soul of a being whose soul is created from the Secret Fire to perish. At best, they can continue their existence as an ineffective spiritual being like Sauron. Since the soul-body bond did not end (they did not die), it is possible that their souls did not go to the Halls of Mandos. It is possible that they fell into a psychological void when Sauron's influence on their will disappeared. I don't think they will remember their memories due to their mental deterioration.

The end of the Ringwraiths is described near the end of the chapter "mount doom" in the Return of the King. Sam watches the end of all of Sauron's works created with aid of the one ring, Mt. Doom reels and splits open, the Dark Tower collapses, and the last sentence says "And into the heart of the storm, with a cry that pierced all other sounds, tearing the clouds asunder, the Nazgul came, shooting like flaming bolts, as caught in the fiery ruin of hill and sky they crackled, withered, and went out". As for the Witch King who died at the hands of a hobbit and a woman, ( and thus the prophesy of Glorfindel came true because no man's hand had brought about his end), it was a blade that was crafted by the Dunedain to deal him "a wound so bitter, cleaving the undead flesh, breaking the spell that knit his unseen sinews to his will" that caused him to release a cry that "went up into the shuddering air, and faded to a to a shrill wailing, passing with the wind, a voice bodiless and thin, that died, and was swallowed up, and was never heard again in that age of this world". I think if their spirits somehow survived they ended up in the void with Morgoth.

Damn, where'd you find these paintings? They're fantastic.

Subbed!

I don't understand the references to the Halls of Mandos. I thought they were the preserve of elves. It is stated that without the sustenance of their rings they flickered and went out. It had never occurred to me that that might have been a blessed relief. Thank you for that. I would have liked to have known more of them before they faded into wraiths. I should imagine their ultimate fate was the same as that of other men, whatever that is.

It's ironic the Ring poem says the Nine were doomed to die, thought actually dying was the very thing they were never able to do...

You have a truly wonderful voice

My speculation always was, that with the destruction of the master ring the "nine for mortal men, doomed to die" lost all power and the Nine finally could die , or - considering that their corporal forms had withered away millenia ago, they simply withered into nothingness.

Indeed they inspired the Night's Cavalry from Elden Ring

I would have imagined that the Nine, being more connected to the One than the others, were broken when the One Ring was destroyed.

I know it's not considered "canon", but I like to think that at least one of the Nazgul aka the fallen ranger Talion from the Shadow of Mordor/War videogames finally got to pass into the afterlife and see his wife and son.

Honestly this would make a phenomenal addition to the LotR series to have a canon series of books that culminate in several of the Ring Wraiths saving Middle Earth from something. Unfortunately, with the owners of the IP being insane and the original author dead, it would only be offensive to fans.

I personally imagine that everything that made them human was devoured and replaced by darkness and evil. They were no more those kings of old than a fossil is the living bone of a dinosaur. Those kings ceased to be a long time ago, their souls slowly consumed, piece by piece until there was nothing left, their personality, motives, and desires erased. Any memories they retained of who they once were, were little more than vestige traces like fossilized remains. But instead of being fossilized by sediment, they were replaced by darkness and shadow. So when Sauron was defeated and the ring's power ended, they fizzled away completely with no trace, like a shadow disappearing in the light.

I think the physical bodies of the Ringwraiths were returned to be entombed once more in the high Fells of Rhudaur. However, their ability to take physical forms was dependent on the power of the One Ring; once the One Ring was unmade, their re-entombment was permanent, as nobody except Gandalf the White knew where and how they were buried, and that secret went back to the Undying Lands with him.

The Ringwraiths were destroyed when Sauron was killed. The rings "Forged" (actually cast- one forges blades not rings) by Sauron lost there power and were unable to keep the undead Ringwraiths undead. Tolkien mentioned that they flickered out of existence.

Hola, subscribed and enjoyed, however, what is your source for your assertions, Take Care and Good luck

The picture at 0:28 where did you find that?? My wife desperately wants a print of it framed. Edit: I read the description that answered my question. For the record, people (including us) would pay good money for your art. It’s stunning.

Honestly the witch kings passing leaves the possibility of his return he is set out to let out a cry that is not heard again in that age. It would have been fun to see him trying to survive in the theoretical sequel by devouring the lesser rings witch likely retained their power.

I imagine it would be similar to the Ghost Army being released

I see you you listen to your peers I also like your content you get my follow and like

1- Their powers lie in their rings, and by extension, the One Ring. When the RIng was destroyed, their rings lost their powers, and whatever kept them tethered to the plane ceased. 2- Being undead and empowered by their rings, they now no longer had anything keeping them on this plane. 3- Being formerly men, they would presumably go to join in on the Gift of Men, with all the rest of Mankind's dead. 4- Unlikely, but perhaps, being undead and creatures of shadow now, they may have been sent to the Void. But this isn't really supported by the next, no matter how logical it might seem. 5- Per your comment, this seems to be a reference to the prison where Morgoth was kept after being imprisoned. Perhaps it is the same place, or some similar place. Tolkien never really elaborated on it, but the text and mythos implies it is probably something like Hell. Which is interesting because the text otherwise implies that ALL men and elves go each to their own separate places, and there is really no mention of other options being available to them (dwarves may or may not rest in the Earth... never really explained either. Nor are other races and creatures).

Speaking of the Ring Wraiths I have a quick question. After the kings turned into ring wraiths what happened to their rings, did Sauron take them back, did the rings merge with the kings as they morphed into these husks of their former selves?

Only one being is ever said to have been completely "perished", and that is from the second prophecy of Mandos, Where Eru Illuvatar once and for all steps in and removes Melkor completely, then sing anew with all the ainur and elves an unbroken, healed Arda. In short; the ring-wraiths where not gone, their souls would have lingered, perhaps finally ended up in the Halls of Mandos as would any elven soul after death, even the souls of mortal men did go to the halls of Mandos before passing on.

I love a happy ending! At the end of their torturously extended lives these shadow figures recovered their humanity.

in all the stories ever told, never was there any info on the rings of the dwarfs. i would be really interested to know more about that.

One can only delay, but not thwart the will of Eru Illuvitar. They share the Gift of Men.

Great story and nice speculation, but we all know that the Ring Wraiths were exiled from Middle Earth where they morphed into Dementors, forever bound to guard the island prison of Azkaban.