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How did 👁️Sauron's armies avoid being scared off by the 💀Nazgul?

Joined
Feb 19, 2018
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It was said that the Nazgul, or at least the Witch King for sure, were able to inspire terror that would frighten off all but the bravest of men. And we know that Sauron's human armies weren't immune to being terrified, as Aragorn was able to get the Oathbreakers to scare off Sauron's goons so that he could nab the Corsairs. So what kept the Easterlings, Haradarum, and Rhun people from running off in fright when put in an army with the Nazgul?
 
I guess the terror is way less upon you, if you fight on the side of the Witch King, as opposed to be his enemy... there is also a will of Sauron that is upon you, and push you forward.
 
It was said that the Nazgul, or at least the Witch King for sure, were able to inspire terror that would frighten off all but the bravest of men. And we know that Sauron's human armies weren't immune to being terrified, as Aragorn was able to get the Oathbreakers to scare off Sauron's goons so that he could nab the Corsairs. So what kept the Easterlings, Haradarum, and Rhun people from running off in fright when put in an army with the Nazgul?
It is easy: they didn't. But where enemies of Mordor would fear fighting against the Nazgul, armies of Mordor would fear not obeying the Nazgul.

Same fear, but completely different context and thus the outcome.
 
I guess the terror is way less upon you, if you fight on the side of the Witch King, as opposed to be his enemy... there is also a will of Sauron that is upon you, and push you forward.
I think you nailed it right there.
Sauron's will was literally irresistible if he fully bent it your way and you were open (or exposed) to it.
When Frodo took physical possession of the Ring he opened (however unintentionally) his will to Sauron.
So did Bilbo and Smeagol, and Sam.
Pippin did the same when he gazed into the Palantir, as did Denethor, Saruman and Aragorn.

What made the difference in all these people was their character, that is their moral constitution.
Put somewhat simplistically: was the person a good sort, or a bad sort.
Smeagol was a bad 'un to begin with... he throttled Deagol prior to even touching the Ring (and Deagol never put it on) .
Bilbo began his possession of the Ring with an act of mercy: sparing Gollum who was intent on killing (and eating) him.
The moral constitutions of the other characters are evident in the story so I'll not go into each one (unless someone wants to discuss them).

So getting to Sauron's minions... all of them, orcs, Southrons, Haradrim willingly gave their full allegiance to Sauron, so right there we see that all those folks are "the bad sort".
And having for all intents and purposes sworn over their entire being to him, he (being no fool about the uneven loyalties of bad people) made certain they would stay his "loyal" subjects by totally enslaving their wills.
They had to fight, no matter how terrified they might have been, Sauron's will was more powerful than their terror and pushed them ever forward into battle. Retreat, or just hanging back, was not only unthinkable, it was impossible.

That is why at the Battle of the Morannon, at the instant Sauron was destroyed his armies and followers became disoriented and [mostly] ineffectual.
Once their wills were their own, they lost all direction and, consequent of that, their own terror mastered them and sent them running hither and yon.

The Captains bowed their heads; and when they looked up again, behold! their enemies were flying and the power of Mordor was scattering like dust in the wind. As when death smites the swollen brooding thing that inhabits their crawling hill and holds them all in sway, ants will wander witless and purposeless and then feebly die, so the creatures of Sauron, orc or troll or beast spell-enslaved, ran hither and thither mindless; and some slew themselves, or cast themselves in pits, or fled wailing back to hide in holes and dark lightless places far from hope. But the Men of Rhûn and of Harad, Easterling and Southron, saw the ruin of their war and the great majesty and glory of the Captains of the West. And those that were deepest and longest in evil servitude, hating the West, and yet were men proud and bold, in their turn now gathered themselves for a last stand of desperate battle. But the most part fled eastward as they could; and some cast their weapons down and sued for mercy. - ROTK Ch IV, The Field of Cormallen
 
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The Captains bowed their heads; and when they looked up again, behold! their enemies were flying and the power of Mordor was scattering like dust in the wind. As when death smites the swollen brooding thing that inhabits their crawling hill and holds them all in sway, ants will wander witless and purposeless and then feebly die, so the creatures of Sauron, orc or troll or beast spell-enslaved, ran hither and thither mindless; and some slew themselves, or cast themselves in pits, or fled wailing back to hide in holes and dark lightless places far from hope. But the Men of Rhûn and of Harad, Easterling and Southron, saw the ruin of their war and the great majesty and glory of the Captains of the West. And those that were deepest and longest in evil servitude, hating the West, and yet were men proud and bold, in their turn now gathered themselves for a last stand of desperate battle. But the most part fled eastward as they could; and some cast their weapons down and sued for mercy. - ROTK Ch IV, The Field of Cormallen
This quote shows a fundamental difference between Sauron's slaves, Orcs and Trolls, who were almost utterly under his control, and the Easterlings and Southrons, who were basically mercenaries. At least for the Easterlings, he may have had something of a "theocratic standing", possibly dating as far back as the First Age (I don't recall JRRT mentioning sojourns of his to the south of Middle-earth). Even in the Battle of the Pelennor Fields, IIRC, the vanguard directly attacking the Gates of Minas Tirith was composed of Orcs and Trolls. The Southrons, or at least their Mûmakil forces, only appear when they and the Rohirrim engage, IIRC. This makes sense, as all animals are terrified of fire, which the Witch-king's (solely Orc?) forces had lighted in trenches dug to encircle Minas Tirith. So possibly Sauron kept his human mercenary forces well enough away from the Nazgûl, and specifically the W-k, so that they did not panic, as they might have.
 
I think you nailed it right there.
Sauron's will was literally irresistible if he fully bent it your way and you were open (or exposed) to it.
When Frodo took physical possession of the Ring he opened (however unintentionally) his will to Sauron.
So did Bilbo and Smeagol, and Sam.
Pippin did the same when he gazed into the Palantir, as did Denethor, Saruman and Aragorn.

What made the difference in all these people was their character, that is their moral constitution.
Put somewhat simplistically: was the person a good sort, or a bad sort.
Smeagol was a bad 'un to begin with... he throttled Deagol prior to even touching the Ring (and Deagol never put it on) .
Bilbo began his possession of the Ring with an act of mercy: sparing Gollum who was intent on killing (and eating) him.
The moral constitutions of the other characters are evident in the story so I'll not go into each one (unless someone wants to discuss them).

So getting to Sauron's minions... all of them, orcs, Southrons, Haradrim willingly gave their full allegiance to Sauron, so right there we see that all those folks are "the bad sort".
And having for all intents and purposes sworn over their entire being to him, he (being no fool about the uneven loyalties of bad people) made certain they would stay his "loyal" subjects by totally enslaving their wills.
They had to fight, no matter how terrified they might have been, Sauron's will was more powerful than their terror and pushed them ever forward into battle. Retreat, or just hanging back, was not only unthinkable, it was impossible.

That is why at the Battle of the Morannon, at the instant Sauron was destroyed his armies and followers became disoriented and [mostly] ineffectual.
Once their wills were their own, they lost all direction and, consequent of that, their own terror mastered them and sent them running hither and yon.

The Captains bowed their heads; and when they looked up again, behold! their enemies were flying and the power of Mordor was scattering like dust in the wind. As when death smites the swollen brooding thing that inhabits their crawling hill and holds them all in sway, ants will wander witless and purposeless and then feebly die, so the creatures of Sauron, orc or troll or beast spell-enslaved, ran hither and thither mindless; and some slew themselves, or cast themselves in pits, or fled wailing back to hide in holes and dark lightless places far from hope. But the Men of Rhûn and of Harad, Easterling and Southron, saw the ruin of their war and the great majesty and glory of the Captains of the West. And those that were deepest and longest in evil servitude, hating the West, and yet were men proud and bold, in their turn now gathered themselves for a last stand of desperate battle. But the most part fled eastward as they could; and some cast their weapons down and sued for mercy. - ROTK Ch IV, The Field of Cormallen
You answered another question of mine, as to why the armies of Sauron didn't just puliverize the much smaller Western army, even without Sauron being there. The answer was, as I'd wondered, if a lot of them, while maybe not the best sort of people, were really more aligned with Sauron out of fear than fealty (i.e. they figured it would be better to be on his side than, as seemed most likely, not be on his side and suffer a terrible fate). Once Sauron was gone, they all just gave in, much like the Flying Monkeys in the Wizard of Oz, who greatly outnumbered Dorothy and her friends, yet weren't hostile once the Wicked Witch of the West was melted.
 
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