Lexi, this was simply brilliant! My head was spinning so much, I had to rewind several times to make sure I took in all you had to say. Your take on the Barrow Wights is something I have never heard or read before, but the way you explained it took us all on that magical road to get to your conclusion. I still have reservations, but your take 110% possible to be what Tolkien intended us to think. Thanks for the incredible content!!😁👍
It hits very different when you realize Legendarium is not just about pipeweeds and second breakfast but there is also a way darker layer. Gollum and Grima eating humanoids, evil demons possesing people, Saruman forcefully mating orcs and men to create new races, getting regretted by your own folk just because you were a prisoner of Angband and finally every kind of Feanorian stuff.
Fantastic video, very well researched! This is one of my favorite topics from the Legendarium… One of my favorite parts of fantasy series with “softer magic systems”, is trying to identify guiding principles (rather than hard rules) for how the world’s magic and metaphysics work 🙂
The phenomenon of fading is, in a way, similar to the One Ring's passing of the material body to the realm of the unseen. While the phenomenon of fading is an irreversible process spread over time, this situation occurs suddenly, reversibly up to a certain point, in the use of the One Ring. This is why I think the teaching of the creation of the One Ring (Sauron's knowledge) is connected with the phenomenon of fading.
In case of their death, elves spirits who do not accept the call of Mandos and prefer to stay in Middle-earth, or who have faded, are captured and corrupted by Melkor or Sauron (due to the Necromancer personality) and reincarnated into orc bodies (I think it is a kind of sub-creation of Melkor and Sauron's spiritual incarnations) for the continuity of the orc population can be put forward as a theory.
Ooooh I've never seen those quotes about Men in Aman before, they're so interesting! Good thing I just got Morgoth's Ring so I can dive in for myself! 😀
Great job, everything from the art to your comprehensive summary of a extensive topic made this a solid video. I had never seen the art of Finrod and Bëor's people, it's beautiful.
Sauron is called the Necromancer because people believe( incorrectly) that he was bringing the dead back to life. It would have been impossible to either confirm or debunk any of this as he was in disguise and hiding and this was a myth that kept the average folks far away. There was no actual necromancy in the entire story. The Nazgul never actually died. That whole line of thinking where the Witch King had a grave or was buried was created only for the PJ Movie it was not in the books in any way. There was necessarily alot of what we would think of as magic either in the sense that most of those doing things we think of as magic were supernatural Angelic beings that themselves had a part in the creation of the world and thus had power over the world because they were in a very real sense a part of it. Though the Elves were much lesser in such abilities they to were attached to the bounds of the world.
The Nazgul and Barrow Wights as well as the Dead Mashes were inhabited by disembodied spirits. The Ainur to include Miar and Elves all had what's know as Feah( might have misspelled that) or a Spirit that once they were slain would return to the halls of Mandy's in Valinor where in time they could be reembodied so like the Ainur they were immortal. Sauron and Morgoth were also Ainur and the same applies to them. They were not bringing anything back to life seeing as one of Tolkeins guiding principles in his ledgendarium is that NONE of even the most powerful of the Valar that included Manwe and Melkor( Morgoth) DID NOT EVER POSSESS THE POWER TO EITHER CREATE or RESTORE LIFE TO THE DEAD). Only Illuvitar( God) could do so. The Nazgul were Mortal men who had been turned into Raiths by Saurons craft but they were not ghosts or dead corpses they were kept alive only through Saurons will power. Once separated from Saurons will they could be killed as easy as any other Mortal Man and if they remained separated from that will even if they had not been slain they would grow old rapidly and die much like Bilbo did. He and Frodo didn't go to Valinor to become immortal they went so they could live the rest of the mortal lives they had left healed of their hurts. The Barrow Wights were much the same as the Witch King. The Swords that Merry and Pippen carried were designed by the Dunadain to seperate a wraith from the will power that held them inside that body so they could be killed and that is how Eowin killed the Witch King. Merry stabbed him from behind separating him from Sauron s will power and then Eowin could( and did) kill him like any Mortal Man. So nope no actual necromancy is going on in the story.Tolkein was a devout Catholic and the entire stories main theme is the supremacy and Oneness of God so he would be horrified at even the suggestion.
The army of the dead Aragorn commands isn’t from necromancy. In Tolkiens universe oaths aren’t just words they have great power. We see that with both Gollum and the army of the dead. By breaking their oaths they were both punished in kind for breaking them. The reason Aragorn can control and release the army isn’t because he is the king it is because he is the blood of Isildur whom the oath was sworn. Great video though on a topic that very few have dove deep into. Thoroughly enjoyed it
You are amazing, I can't believe how you can explore so much and so deeply in every video you make, not only I love your videos (specially this one) but I also love Tolkien's work even more thanks to people like you and Stephen
Enjoyed, im for ever your animated slave!
Great video. I love comparing wizards, necromancers, and sorcerers.
I loved your commentary…new sub…
Wow…where did you find the art? I know , I know, it’s like asking a chef for his/her recipe lol, but the art was well done….
Lexi, this was simply brilliant! My head was spinning so much, I had to rewind several times to make sure I took in all you had to say. Your take on the Barrow Wights is something I have never heard or read before, but the way you explained it took us all on that magical road to get to your conclusion. I still have reservations, but your take 110% possible to be what Tolkien intended us to think. Thanks for the incredible content!!😁👍
It hits very different when you realize Legendarium is not just about pipeweeds and second breakfast but there is also a way darker layer. Gollum and Grima eating humanoids, evil demons possesing people, Saruman forcefully mating orcs and men to create new races, getting regretted by your own folk just because you were a prisoner of Angband and finally every kind of Feanorian stuff.
Fantastic video, very well researched! This is one of my favorite topics from the Legendarium… One of my favorite parts of fantasy series with “softer magic systems”, is trying to identify guiding principles (rather than hard rules) for how the world’s magic and metaphysics work 🙂
The phenomenon of fading is, in a way, similar to the One Ring's passing of the material body to the realm of the unseen. While the phenomenon of fading is an irreversible process spread over time, this situation occurs suddenly, reversibly up to a certain point, in the use of the One Ring. This is why I think the teaching of the creation of the One Ring (Sauron's knowledge) is connected with the phenomenon of fading.
In case of their death, elves spirits who do not accept the call of Mandos and prefer to stay in Middle-earth, or who have faded, are captured and corrupted by Melkor or Sauron (due to the Necromancer personality) and reincarnated into orc bodies (I think it is a kind of sub-creation of Melkor and Sauron's spiritual incarnations) for the continuity of the orc population can be put forward as a theory.
Ooooh I've never seen those quotes about Men in Aman before, they're so interesting! Good thing I just got Morgoth's Ring so I can dive in for myself! 😀
This is an incredible video!! Thank you so much.
Most amazing video! Best. Birthday present. Ever!! 🥰🥰🥰
Great job, everything from the art to your comprehensive summary of a extensive topic made this a solid video. I had never seen the art of Finrod and Bëor's people, it's beautiful.
Sauron is called the Necromancer because people believe( incorrectly) that he was bringing the dead back to life. It would have been impossible to either confirm or debunk any of this as he was in disguise and hiding and this was a myth that kept the average folks far away. There was no actual necromancy in the entire story. The Nazgul never actually died. That whole line of thinking where the Witch King had a grave or was buried was created only for the PJ Movie it was not in the books in any way. There was necessarily alot of what we would think of as magic either in the sense that most of those doing things we think of as magic were supernatural Angelic beings that themselves had a part in the creation of the world and thus had power over the world because they were in a very real sense a part of it. Though the Elves were much lesser in such abilities they to were attached to the bounds of the world.
The Nazgul and Barrow Wights as well as the Dead Mashes were inhabited by disembodied spirits. The Ainur to include Miar and Elves all had what's know as Feah( might have misspelled that) or a Spirit that once they were slain would return to the halls of Mandy's in Valinor where in time they could be reembodied so like the Ainur they were immortal. Sauron and Morgoth were also Ainur and the same applies to them. They were not bringing anything back to life seeing as one of Tolkeins guiding principles in his ledgendarium is that NONE of even the most powerful of the Valar that included Manwe and Melkor( Morgoth) DID NOT EVER POSSESS THE POWER TO EITHER CREATE or RESTORE LIFE TO THE DEAD). Only Illuvitar( God) could do so. The Nazgul were Mortal men who had been turned into Raiths by Saurons craft but they were not ghosts or dead corpses they were kept alive only through Saurons will power. Once separated from Saurons will they could be killed as easy as any other Mortal Man and if they remained separated from that will even if they had not been slain they would grow old rapidly and die much like Bilbo did. He and Frodo didn't go to Valinor to become immortal they went so they could live the rest of the mortal lives they had left healed of their hurts. The Barrow Wights were much the same as the Witch King. The Swords that Merry and Pippen carried were designed by the Dunadain to seperate a wraith from the will power that held them inside that body so they could be killed and that is how Eowin killed the Witch King. Merry stabbed him from behind separating him from Sauron s will power and then Eowin could( and did) kill him like any Mortal Man. So nope no actual necromancy is going on in the story.Tolkein was a devout Catholic and the entire stories main theme is the supremacy and Oneness of God so he would be horrified at even the suggestion.
When I say he ( Tolkein) was a devoted Catholic he was was quite litteraly raised by the Church.
You get a like and a sub.
The army of the dead Aragorn commands isn’t from necromancy. In Tolkiens universe oaths aren’t just words they have great power. We see that with both Gollum and the army of the dead. By breaking their oaths they were both punished in kind for breaking them. The reason Aragorn can control and release the army isn’t because he is the king it is because he is the blood of Isildur whom the oath was sworn. Great video though on a topic that very few have dove deep into. Thoroughly enjoyed it
I can't be down with the wight being a cardolan man wanting a body. The wights sing a song about the dark lord returning.
You are amazing, I can't believe how you can explore so much and so deeply in every video you make, not only I love your videos (specially this one) but I also love Tolkien's work even more thanks to people like you and Stephen
Wow, excellent theory of death in middle-earth! Subscribed.
What an awesome video!
No dead just means dead. Not alive.
… Lol 😉