The terrifying empty power of the Witch-king of Angmar
In short: He was once a mortal king, but a Ring of Power transformed him into something far more unsettling. As the Lord of the Nazgûl, he embodies a unique kind of evil: a powerful, active force that is simultaneously hollow, invisible, and profoundly empty.
In J.R.R. Tolkien's legendarium, the Witch-king of Angmar—also known as the Black Captain or the Pale King—began as a powerful man of Númenórean origin. After receiving a Ring of Power from the Dark Lord Sauron during the Second Age, he became one of the Nine, or Nazgûl, becoming invisible and enslaved to Sauron's will. In early drafts, Tolkien even considered making him a renegade wizard or an immortal Maia, but ultimately settled on a mortal man corrupted by greed and the lust for dominance.
His presence in the Third Age was marked by the destruction of the northern kingdoms of Arnor, including Rhudaur, Cardolan, and Arthedain. He is often described by scholars as a figure of mythic proportions. At the gates of Minas Tirith, he famously identifies himself as 'Death' while wielding the battering ram Grond.
Theologians have noted that this character reflects Karl Barth's concept of *das Nichtige*—an active, sinister power of negation and ruin that is both terrifying and essentially empty. Despite a prophecy from the Elf-lord Glorfindel stating he would not fall by the hand of Man, the Witch-king met his end during the Battle of the Pelennor Fields. The prophecy's ambiguity allowed for his defeat by a combination of the Hobbit Merry Brandybuck, using an enchanted blade, and the noblewoman Éowyn, who delivered the final blow. His death left nothing behind but an empty, hollow mantle and hauberk, reinforcing the image of evil as a powerful yet hollow force.
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Sources
- Summary by Intellect · source: Witch-king of Angmar
- Also: Wikidata — Witch-king of Angmar · CC0
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