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Originally Posted by Boromir88
Tolkien tells us that the Nazgul's primary weapon is fear, they have no great physical power over the fearless (like Gandalf, Glorfindel, Aragorn...etc) They thrive off of fear, and that's why they can be so powerful, but those who are fearless the Nazgul don't have too much power over. Even when the W-K is granted extra demonic force from Sauron during the Siege of Gondor I still think the WK fled from the gate because Gandalf stood strong at the gate and showed no fear.
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Originally Posted by drigel
especially for us mortal readers. I would lower the WK even further down than Boro. To the undying, the fear would be from the various poisonous weaponry the WK wielded, and the flying creature that gave an obvious advantage. Also, perhaps, the legions that were usually at his command.
So that leads me to think about something that is not a single person, but an "entity" of one: the Army of the Dead. would that be considered on the list? Big fear factor on that one (at least for mortals).
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Both great points. I've thought for a long time now that some if not most of the power of the Nazgul resides in their ability to foster fear - especially considering the 'death of the WK prophecy' which helped ensure his scary, untouchable 'power' went before him. And thinking about it, many of the powers of Sauron, from Nazgul to Ruling Rings, are based upon sheer fear.
But if we think about it, fear should actually place the Nazgul and the Ring and other such entities
high on a list of 'power', instead of low. Power isn't just about the ability to wield a sword or cast a spell, it's also about the ability to control, and fear is a
major weapon in achieving this end - otherwise how could a man who is allegedly hiding in a primitive cave somewhere be causing so many things to happen in the world right now?
