Who was the 💀witch king of Angmar?

[ArwenStar]

Who was the witch king of Angmar before becoming a ringwraith? And where is Angmar anyway?

 

[Alcuin]

Angmar is at the north end of the Misty Mountains. I believe at its maximum it was on both sides of the mountains, and might have been associated with the Orcs’ takeover of Mount Gundabad, a place of considerable importance to the Dwarves as it was supposed to be the place where Durin the Deathless first awoke. The map shows it primarily in the northwest of the Misty Mountains north of Rivendell and Rhudaur, the eastern breakaway daughter kingdom of Arnor.

Tolkien does not tell us who the Witch-king was before he became a Nazgûl. We do know that three of the Ringwraiths were Númenóreans. We also know that the second most powerful Ringwraith was called Khamûl the Black Easterling, the only one for whom we have a name, so that Ringwraith wasn’t a Númenórean.

For myself, I believe the Witch-king was a Númenórean prince, a contemporary of Tar-Ciryatan, twelfth king of Númenor, and his son Tar-Atanamir, who rejected an ambassador of the Valar and refused to lay down his life. I wrote an essay on this, Origins of the Nazgûl and the Downfall of Númenor.

Other people have other theories, but mine is that this prince was a close relative of Tar-Ciryatan’s, his advisor, and quite possibly (likely, in my view) the first viceroy of Umbar, Númenor’s principle colony and most important military base in Middle-earth. His apparent long life and considerable persuasive skills (as a result of his Ring of Power) strongly influenced Tar-Ciryatan and corrupted Tar-Atanamir. If he was in the order of succession to the crown of Númenor, then he might have been motivated by jealousy of the kings, offering Sauron a weakness toward his downfall.

The Witch-king was almost without doubt a good person in his beginning: Gandalf tells Frodo,

sooner or later – later, if he is strong or well-meaning to begin with, but neither strength nor good purpose will last – sooner or later the dark power will devour him.

And if Glorfindel returned to Middle-earth in the Second Age to help in the war against Sauron, it is quite possible that both Glorfindel and Elrond knew him personally before his fall, making Glorfindel’s prophecy about his end all the more poignant.

 

[Olorgando]

Just a tip, ArwenStar: when Alcuin deigns to post, speculation severely goes down the tubes. 😬

 

[Alcuin]

Just a tip, ArwenStar: when Alcuin deigns to post, speculation severely goes down the tubes. 😬

That bad? Sorry...

 

[Squint-eyed Southerner]

That good!

 

[ArwenStar]

thanks for the quick responses (based on your time zone)
and i will watch out for Alcuin

 

[Alcuin]

and i will watch out for Alcuin

I’m in so much trouble…

 

[ArwenStar]

Correct 🙂