Aragorn-King of the Dead/Paths of the Dead
 

Remember when Aragorn saved the day when he arrived at Minas Tirith (RotK) in the black ships of Umbar? Well, what happened to his Army of the Dead? Were they used to capture the ships from the corsairs and returned to the earth? Were they destroyed in that battle? I cannot recall reading anything directly pertaining to them after a few mentions of villagers fleeing before them in horror. Have I missed some crucial information on this? The concept of Aragorn leading an undead host was gripping, but it didn't go anywhere. Any thoughts on this would be greatly appreciated.

[ April 27, 2002: Message edited by: Wormtongue ]

The host of the Dead was made up of people cursed to be strained on Earth until someone pardons their sins. That someone was Aragorn. After the takeover of Pelargir, Aragorn set the host free and the spirits were free to finally depart Middle-Earth ('dying' peacefully). As they were Men, they went to a place unknown (see the Gift/Doom of Men)

This is the part which tells the answer (which Orodhromeus had already given) to your question.

5th&6th page of The Last Debate - RotK - LotR

Yeah, the whole episode with Aragorn and the Paths of the Dead is told (by Gimli and Legolas, to the Hobbits) in Return of the King.

Thanks for the info folks. It's been about eight years since I've read the series, and now I'm up to the point where Denethor sets himself aflame in RotK. Either I haven't reached the point of the tale being told, or I read that part right before falling asleep, and it didn't register. At any rate, thanks once again for clearing that up. Cheers. [img]smilies/cool.gif[/img]

I never was quite able to visualize the Paths of the Dead. Where were they, they don't show on the map?

Thanks lathspell, I was too bored to fetch my books! Wormtongue, you're just 1 or 2 chapters away.