What?
Possibly he did, that's if he really knew who
Gandalf was at all, and I don't know if the
Nazgul would have understood just who they were fighting........
Are you saying that
Sauron didn't knew who Gandalf was?
‘Where such laws hold,’ said Gandalf, ‘it is also the custom for ambassadors to use less insolence. But no one has threatened you. You have naught to fear from us, until your errand is done. But unless your master has come to new wisdom, then with all his servants you will be in great peril.’
‘So!’ said the Messenger.
‘Then thou art the spokesman, old greybeard? Have we not heard of thee at whiles, and of thy wanderings, ever hatching plots and mischief at a safe distance? But this time thou hast stuck out thy nose too far, Master Gandalf; and thou shalt see what comes to him who sets his foolish webs before the feet of Sauron the Great. I have tokens that I was bidden to show to thee - to thee in especial, if thou shouldst dare to come.’ He signed to one of his guards, and he came forward bearing a bundle swathed in black cloths.
Besides Sauron and Gandalf were both
Maia; that is angelic beings of the same order so it is possible that they knew of eachother even before they came to
Middle-earth.
And If Sauron knew about Gandalf,
Witch-King definately knows about him too.
Nazgul know perfectly well who they were fighting, they were cunning and sly captains of
men of old and would have retained some of their more
evil qualities even in their as
ringwraiths in the servitude of Sauron.
They were his special servants and deadliest
weapons and also his messengers, and if he wanted them to be effective in the west, he needed them to be uptodate with the happenings of the West.
Also Nazgul chief talked with
Saruman and they also discussed Gandalf,[UT]
It is not a land that you look for," it said. "I know what you seek, though you do not name it. I have it not, as surely its servants perceive without telling; for if I had it, then you would bow before me and call me Lord. And if I knew where this thing was hid, I should not be here, but long gone before you take it. There is one only whom I guess to have this knowledge: Mithrandir, enemy of Sauron. And since it is but two days since he departed from Isengard, seek him nearby
so it is completely immposible if they didn't knew of Gandalf and his possibilities.
This also answers whether Sauron knew about Gandalf's connection with
Hobbits because evidently Sauron did knew due to the treachery of Saruman and the efficeny of Nazgul Lord.
Was he sure? I don't think he was, if this quote is anything to go by:
You are right
Frodo,' said Gandalf, 'to go back is to admit defeat, and face worse defeat to come. If we go back now, then
the Ring must remain there: we shall not be able to set out again. Then sooner or later
Rivendell will be besieged, and after a brief and bitter time it will be destroyed.
--- Gandalf, LotR, FotR, Chapter IV "A Journey in the Dark".
Obviously, this Quote isn't anything to go by. Because it is no where connected with Nazgul and doesn't even hint about any possible relation between Nazgul's and Rivendell. It only tells us that Rivendell will [Probably the last]
Elvish centre to be besieged and destroyed.
While on the other hand we get,
It is said that Angmar was for a time subdued by the Elvenfolk coming from Lindon; and from Rivendell, for Elrond brought help over the Mountains out of Lorien.
The King of Angmar was the Lord of the Nazgul. Do you think that he would forget Rivendell and its forces when it apparantly caused him humilation and defeat. Also Rhuduar was very near
Imladris and he had even besieged Imladris,
Rhudaur was in the North-east and lay between the Ettenmoors, and the Weather Hills, and the Misty Mountains, but included also the angle between the Hoarwell and the Loudwater.
The Area just above the hidden refuge of Imladris.
Now we know that Witch-king occupied Rhudaur.
it was in the begining of the reign of Malvegil of Arthedain that evil came to Arnor. For at that time the realm of Angmar arose in the North beyondf the Ettenmoors. Its lands lay on both sides of the Mountains, and there were gathered many evil men, and Orcs, and other creatures [The lord of that land was known as the Witch-king, but it was not known until later that he was indeed the chief of the Ringwraiths, who came north with the purpose of destroying the Dúnedain in Arnor, seeing hope in their disunion, while Gondor was strong.]’
In the days of Argeleb son of Malvegil, since no descendants of
Isildur remained in the other
kingdoms, the
kings of Arthedain again claimed the lordship of all Arnor.
The claim was resisted by Rhudaur. There the Dúnedain were few, and power had been seized by an evil lord of the Hill-men, who was in secret league with Angmar. Argeleb therefore fortified the Weather Hills; but he was slain in battle with Rhudaur and Angmar.
Arveleg son of Argeleb, with the help of Cardolan and Lindon, drove back his enemies from the Hills; and for many years Arthedain and Cardolan held in force a frontier along the Weather Hills, the Great Road, and the lower Hoarwell. It is said that at this time Rivendell was besieged.
it proves that the Ringwraiths knew very well where atleast Rivendell lay.
I think that this means that first Rivendell would be discovered, and once it was, it would be besieged. It is also described by
Boromir as being a 'hidden vale', and that 'few knew where it lay'. I do not think, that if the Men of
Gondor did not know where Rivendell was, that the Witch-King would have known.
Even if he had once besieged it?
Besides, Rivendell was still a long long way from
Weathertop, and I'm sure they believed that they could have got the Ring by then, as there were still 'many long miles of
Eriador', or something like that.
But why give him more time and prolong their journey and increase the chances of any sortee or aid from Rivendell finding them?
The Nazgul didn't even know that
Aragorn and the Hobbits were headed for Rivendell, and I especially doubt that they could have guessed who Aragorn was, so they didn't know there was a connection between him and Rivendell.
They didn't, but they could effectively guess. They didn't knew who Aragon was, only that he was working in connection with Gandalf. That they would have found out because it was Aragon who handed
Gollum to the
Elves of
Mirkwood and Sauron learnt that it was a man [Aragon at that time of little importance for Sauron knew nothing of his lineage] who captured him.
Perhaps the Witch-King knew the approximate location of Rivendell, but if so, he knew it was reasonably far away.
He knew the exact location or he wouldn't have been able to besiege it. It was faraway but still why give them more time?
I still believe that if the Ringwraiths had been able to acquire the ring, they would have taken it from Frodo, but they weren't allowed to do it, because of the trick of Aragon and they had to back away.
Well, I don't think that Sauron or the Witch-King would have been worried about the Lorien of Mirkwood Elves at this stage. He did not suppose that the Elves were looking for the Ring, at least not in the way that he was, because he believed that at the end of the
second age, the Elves had destroyed the Ring, so he knew that they could resist its power.
Not worried about the Lorien or Mirkwood elves?
It is thus most likely that the first news of Gollum would be learned by the servants of Dol Guldur after Aragorn entered the Forest; for though the power of Dol Guldur was supposed to come to an end at the Old Forest Road, its spies were many in the wood... ...This might mean little. Neither Sauron nor any of his servants yet knew of Aragorn or who he was. But evidently later (since the lands of Thranduil would now be closely watched), possibly a month later, Sauron heard the disquieting news that the Wise were aware of Gollum, and that Gandalf had passed into Thranduil's realm.
Sauron must then have been filled with anger and alarm. He resolved to use the Ringwraiths as soon as he could, for speed rather than secrecy was now important. Hoping to alarm his enemies and disturb their counsels with the fear of war (which he did not intend to make for some time), he attacked Thranduil and Gondor at about the same time. 7 He had these two additional objects: to capture or kill Gollum, or at least to deprive his enemies of him; and to force the passage of the bridge of Osgiliath, so that the Nazgûl could cross, while testing the strength of Gondor
I am not sure what you are getting at?
Destroyed the ring? If it had been destroyed he would never have arisen! but he had coaxed it out from Gollum that '
Baggins' possessed the ring. And not being effected by it? I am not sure what you base this upon because all
events show that Elves were indeed effected by it and Sauron also believed that everyone who could get their hands on it and were powerful enough to use it and manipulate it [For the time being] would try to use it to overthrow him. He precieved that the Elves would try to do the same, and since Gollum had been captured by Mirkwood elves and they might have coaxed out the story from him also and then transmitted it to Rivendell and Lorien.
There was every chance the Rivendell elves might send a sortee down towards
the shire so the best ploy would have been to strip Frodo of his treasure or carry him and then bolt because nearence to Rivendell meant more and quicker chance of help.
