The Barrow-wights were supernatural beings with the ability to shapeshift, like Wraiths. They lived in dark places of Eriador, similar to the Barrow-downs.
Description
The Barrow-wights who attacked the four Hobbits reanimated the dead bodies of the Kings of the Barrows. In most instances, the Barrow-wights appeared on the unwary traveler disguised as a dark phantom with cold and luminous eyes. The voice of the character was at once terrible and hypnotic. It had a touch that was as cold as ice, and a grip as strong as iron's jaws. Once the Barrow-wights put a spell on a person, they could not have control over their will.
This was the way that the wights drew the living into the graves of the Barrow-downs. During this time, a disappointed choir of tortured souls could be heard inside the Barrow in the green half-light. The Barrow-wights put his victim on a stone altar and restrained him using golden chains. He then draped him with a pale cloth and covered him with precious jewelry belonging to the dead and used a sacrificial sword to kill him for good.
The Barrow-downs lived at the East of the Brandywine River beyond the Old River. This was the burial ground for the men living in Middle-earth. The palace had no trees or water; instead, it had a lot of grass and turf next to dome-shaped hills with monoliths and rings of white stone. The hills were the burial sites for the Kings of Men constructed in the First Age of the Sun. Many years, the Barrow-downs were deemed as sacred until tortured spirits fled across the Middle-earth in an attempt to hide from the sun’s ravening light. Demons who had been killed previously were looking for people where their spirits could dwell.
For this reason, the region occupied by the Barrow-downs became untenable to live in. The demons transformed into the Barrow-wights, the undead who used the armor used from the Kings of men to make jewelry. In the darkness, the Barrow-wights could only get held by strong incarnations, like the song by Tom Bombadil. However, these beings were susceptible to light, and this was the thing that they hated and feared the most. Since the be Barrow-wights had tortured spirits, their only chance to remain existent on earth was to run away to the burial vaults. Once the stone chamber opened, the Barrow-wights would run away, never to be seen again.
This was the way that the wights drew the living into the graves of the Barrow-downs. During this time, a disappointed choir of tortured souls could be heard inside the Barrow in the green half-light. The Barrow-wights put his victim on a stone altar and restrained him using golden chains. He then draped him with a pale cloth and covered him with precious jewelry belonging to the dead and used a sacrificial sword to kill him for good.
The Barrow-downs lived at the East of the Brandywine River beyond the Old River. This was the burial ground for the men living in Middle-earth. The palace had no trees or water; instead, it had a lot of grass and turf next to dome-shaped hills with monoliths and rings of white stone. The hills were the burial sites for the Kings of Men constructed in the First Age of the Sun. Many years, the Barrow-downs were deemed as sacred until tortured spirits fled across the Middle-earth in an attempt to hide from the sun’s ravening light. Demons who had been killed previously were looking for people where their spirits could dwell.
For this reason, the region occupied by the Barrow-downs became untenable to live in. The demons transformed into the Barrow-wights, the undead who used the armor used from the Kings of men to make jewelry. In the darkness, the Barrow-wights could only get held by strong incarnations, like the song by Tom Bombadil. However, these beings were susceptible to light, and this was the thing that they hated and feared the most. Since the be Barrow-wights had tortured spirits, their only chance to remain existent on earth was to run away to the burial vaults. Once the stone chamber opened, the Barrow-wights would run away, never to be seen again.
History
The first appearance of the Barrow-wights was after the Dúnedain of Cardolan [1] died as a result of the effects of the Great Plague. The reason behind this act was corruption if the minds of people of Barrow-downs by the sorcerers of Angmar. The sorcerers were sent by the King of Angmar, whose intention was to keep away the Dúnedain. At the onset of the Third Age, Frodo Baggins and his friends Pippin, Merry, and Samwise Gamgee were captured by the Barrow-wights [2] while walking through the Barrow-downs. A substantial number of people believe that this was ambush was a deed by the cairn of the last prince of Cardolan. During the capture, the captives were almost killed by a Wight.
Three Hobbits, dressed in white robes with golden jewels, had swords placed on their necks. Amazingly, the Barrow had an unfamiliar green light. The Wight was preparing to kill the Hobbits until Frodo showed up and cut off its hand. Frodo then called Tom Bombadil for help when the Wight switched off the light in the cavern. Using the rare power in his singing, Bombadil performed a form of exorcism that caused the Wight to run away. After doing away with the Wight, Bombadil shared out the properties owned by the Barrows. This dorky the end of the spell as well as the last day of inhabitation by the Barrow-wights.
Three Hobbits, dressed in white robes with golden jewels, had swords placed on their necks. Amazingly, the Barrow had an unfamiliar green light. The Wight was preparing to kill the Hobbits until Frodo showed up and cut off its hand. Frodo then called Tom Bombadil for help when the Wight switched off the light in the cavern. Using the rare power in his singing, Bombadil performed a form of exorcism that caused the Wight to run away. After doing away with the Wight, Bombadil shared out the properties owned by the Barrows. This dorky the end of the spell as well as the last day of inhabitation by the Barrow-wights.
Behind the Scenes
Nobody knows if the Witch-king ever visited the Barrow-downs when the Wraiths were searching for Frodo and that it was him that caused the Barrow-wights to search for trespassers on their land.
Alternate Versions of the Legendarium
Drawing inspiration from the Hrómundar saga Gripssonar, Tolkien discovered that the Wraiths and the Wights were linked. At first, he described the Blacked Riders as Wights with horses, but this suggestion never appeared in the published works.
Inspiration
Tolkien was not the first person to create the concept of burial sites with evil spirits. The Barrow-wights are based on German mythology called Draugar. These were the evil spirits living in the bodies of dead kings and heroes, and they were immune from the harm caused by conventional weapons. The defeat of the Draugar was not permanent; they could regain their original form if particular actions did not occur when they died. The only way to prevent such a situation was to cut off its head and burn the body. In the Germanic and Slavic cultures, there was a similar creature known as the Mahr or the Alp. It was a creature that looked like a vampire that drank blood off people. The only way to kill them was to expose them to the sun directly. The same was also present in Japanese mythology. According to them, they were spirits of the undead women who came to disturb the peace of the living.
Etymology
The word Barrow-wights is a portmanteau of two words, Barrow and Wight. Barrow refers to burial sites, while Wights means living beings.
