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Summary
The Nazgul were a powerful force-out inThe Lord of the Rings , yet they were powerless against water . Though this was only briefly cite in theLord of the Ringsbooks , Tolkien ’s posthumously release industrial plant reveal that Sauron ’s Nazgul would not travel by through or enter into the water . He never cave in a reason for this . The fabled author ’s Word of God were always written as a real - reality history , so anything that would n’t have been eff to the Elf of Human historians of Middle - land would remain a mystery to audience . Still , one possibility would explain why pee was such a weakness to the evil Nazgul .
Peter Jackson’sLord of the Rings : The Fellowship of the Ringmovie included a scenery in which Arwen rushed Frodo on horseback to Rivendell , the Nazgul on their heels . Once she had crossed the River Bruinen , the Nazgul were hesitating to enter the body of water themselves . They tug their horses forward , only to be overwhelm by the magic waves Arwen called upon . This conniption went much the same in theLord of the Ringsbooks , though it was an elf make Glorfindel , not Arwen , who used the river to keep the Nazgul at bay , and he flooded the river to envelop them . This was necessary since the Nazgul would not have figure the urine themselves .
The Nazgul Could Not Cross Water In Lord Of The Rings
In Tolkien’sUnfinished Tales of Númenor and Middle - earthly concern , the author states that " All , again bring through the Witch - King , fear water system , and were unwilling , except in dire indigence , to enter it or get across streams unless dry - shod by a bridge . " This indicate that the Nazgul were deep averse to enter water rather than being whole ineffective to . This is why Glorfindel ( or Arwen in theLord of the Ringsmovie ) conduct this extra measure to insure that Frodo would not be abide by to Rivendell . Still , it ’s unclearwhythe Nazgul had such a fear , though it ’s possible it just come in down to their body ( or lack thereof ) .
In theLord of the Ringsbooks , it is mentioned that the Nazgul do not have typical strong-arm eubstance . Their cloaks give them a seeable shape , but they do not exist in the same plane of existence as Frodo and the rest . Therefore , after the River Bruinen sweep up them out , it took a long prison term for them to go forth and make their formless way back to Mordor , where they could regain strength . Still , this does n’t seem like enough reason to refuse to cross or enter the weewee . The truth may or else total down to the high-pitched mogul of center - solid ground .
Theory: The Nazgul Cannot Cross Water Because Of Ulmo The Vala
The Valar are the demi - gods of Middle - earth , each responsible for a different aspect of the realm . Ulmo was the Vala of body of water , and while other Valar lived in Valinor ( AKA the Undying Lands ) , he resided in every consistency of water in halfway - earth . This meant that Ulmo was among the most dynamic gods and passively offered the most assistance to the Elves and Men . His humour was as tumultuous as the ocean , and he despise the evil of Sauron . Therefore , it ’s not a stretch to think that the Dark Lord ’s Ringwraiths would be afraid to embark Ulmo ’s domain . certainly , such tool entering the piddle would have invite the Vala ’s wrath .
This could also explicate why , after being flushed off by the river , it take in so long for the Ringwraiths to escape back to Mordor . Their formless bodies might have been trapped by Ulmo , only able-bodied to run away ( and only some of them ) after calendar week of struggle . When they finally did recall to their overlord , they were given the fly fell beast to ride instead , thus eliminating the want ever to enter Ulmo ’s territory again .
The Lord Of The Rings' Nazgul Water Theory Has 1 Problem
The idea that the Nazgul could n’t enter water because of Ulmo has a problem . Since the Vala subsist ineverybody of water in Middle - worldly concern , the Nazgul being ineffective to frustrate any stream or river would have made maneuvering Middle - worldly concern impossible . Especially on their way of life to the Shire , the nine creatures would have needed to cross several body of body of water , something that Tolkien himself even acknowledged .
InUnfinished Tales , Christopher Tolkien , son of theLord of the Ringsauthor , articulate , " My father did indeed note that the melodic theme [ of Nazgul being afraid of water supply , but still crossing Middle - earth]was hard to prolong . " In all , this suggests that the Nazgul might have simply detect water an worriment ( perhaps due to their fluent forms ) rather than a force of Ulmo that they must avoid . Ultimately , like so many aspects of Tolkien lore , audiences will never have a authoritative reply . What truly matters is that the Nazgul were finally powerless to discontinue Frodo from travelingfrom the Shire to Mordor inThe Lord of the Rings , regardless of the reason .
