Army of the Dead

The army of the dead were men of the White Mountains. They were cursed by Isildur to stay in Middle-earth after they broke their oath of loyalty to him during the War of the Last Alliance. Since it was Isildur who cursed them, they could only answer to an heir of Isildur. The army of the dead was known to haunt the caves below the Dwimorberg. They also haunt the valley of Harrowdale, also known as Paths of the Dead. It is said that if the army of the dead is seen in the valley, or in the Paths of the Dead, this is a warning that death or trouble is on the way. The army of the dead was led by the king of the dead, considered to be the most terrifying among them all. The army of the dead was known by many names, such as the Oathbreakers, the Dead of Dunharrow, the Grey Host, the Sleepless Dead, the Shadow-men, the Shadow host, and the Shadows. Note that the term “army of the dead” was only used in Peter Jackson’s portrayal of the Lord of the Rings.

The men of the White Mountains were of pre-Númenórean descent. It was believed that these men were related to the Dunlendings and that they have reached their peak during the Second Age. In the Dark Years, before Gondor was built, they worshipped Sauron. Isildur had the stone of Erech with him, a black stone sphere that he was able to save from Númenor. Isildur placed the sphere on top of the Hill of Erech. Thus the stone was known to be the Stone of Erech. The Hill of Erech was located by the entrance of the Blackroot Vale. It was there when Isildur encountered the king of the Mountains. Seeing that Isildur had founded the great city of Gondor, the king of the Mountains pledged his allegiance to Isildur upon the stone of Erech.

When Isildur came to ask for their aid in the battle against their ancient master, Sauron, the men of the White Mountains refused and broke their oath. Because of this, Isildur was angered and put a curse on them. He swore that the men will never be able to rest until they fulfilled their oath. The men of the White Mountains felt Isildur’s wrath, and because of this, they did not go to war to help Sauron either. Instead, they hid in the mountains and refused to interact with other men. They slowly faded one by one, and their souls, who could find no rest because of Isildur’s curse, lingered and haunted the valley and the caverns that hid them. There, they waited for an heir of Isildur to summon them and grant them the chance to fulfill their oath and be free.

It was Malbeth the Seer who predicted that the day would come when one of Isildur’s heirs would take the road under the mountain to summon the army of the dead out of a great need. This prophecy came true during the War of the Ring. King Theoden feared that the soldiers they have left are not enough to help defend Minas Tirith. Aragorn knew that this was true. Elrond, who came to visit, reminded Aragorn of the Paths of the Death, where a part of his destiny awaits. Aragorn knew that the army of the dead would be a great advantage for them on the battlefield.

He summoned the courage to go through the Paths of the Dead. As Isildur’s heir, Aragorn summoned the army of the dead to the Stone of Erech. There, he gave a passionate speech and commanded them to fulfill their oath by fighting with him against Sauron. It is only in this way that their souls could be finally released from Isildur’s curse. The king of the dead, along with his army, followed Aragorn’s lead through Ciril and Lamedon. Word had spread about the king of the dead marching to war with Aragorn. When they approached the lands going to Gondor, most of them were already deserted in fear of the army of the dead. When they reached the fords at Linhir near the Gilrain River, the men of Harad and Umbar stopped fighting. They ran away in terror.

Angbor, the Lord of Lamedon, was the only one who dared to stay and face Aragorn and the army of the dead. Aragorn told him to gather his men and follow the Grey Company to Pelargir, where Umbar’s main fleet was assembled. Upon arriving in Pelargir, most of the ships had already sailed towards Minas Tirith after hearing rumors of the armor of the dead. The Haradrim and some of the Corsairs were the only ones left behind to fight off the Grey Company, who were guarding the shores of Gondor. When Aragorn arrived, they only saw a few Dunedain warriors and laughed.

Little did they know that the army of the dead was hanging back to surprise them. The army of the dead dealt with the ships that were still anchored, killing those on board. They then walked over the water to reach the ships that had started to set sail. The corsairs were terrified at the sight of the ghosts walking on water and heading towards them. They started jumping overboard. Most of them drowned while some died in the hands of the undead. After defeating the Corsairs and the Haradrim, Aragorn sounded the trumpets to assemble the army of the dead. He told them that their oath had been fulfilled and gave the army of the dead their freedom. With this, the king took a step forward, shattered his spear, and discarded it. He then bowed to Aragorn before he and the rest of the army vanished for good.

The restless dead is very popular in Northern Europe’s folklore. These restless spirits were usually fell riders, hounds, horses, and knights that wandered in lonely places and preyed on lone travelers. It is believed that Aragorn daring to summon the army of the dead is the final act of his acceptance as the rightful king of Gondor.

In the Peter Jackson adaptation, Aragorn does not confront the army of the dead in the Stone of Erech. Instead, the Paths of the Dead lead them into what seems to be a hidden city of dead men. Here, the army of the dead mocked Aragorn, and the king of the dead also tries to attack Aragorn. The books do not mention that the dead can be harmed. However, in the film, it was shown that Andúril, Aragon’s sword, can inflict harm on the king of the dead. However, in the movie, they showed reluctance to join Aragorn before relenting. The army of the dead can be seen glowing in a pale green color. [1]

The dead were supposed to be looking like walking skeletons. However, the Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl came out. Peter Jackson did not want anything similar to the skeletal pirates. So instead, the dead men were glowing green. The battle of the corsairs was not shown (this scene is included in the extended edition of the film). In the book, this was where the army of the dead was most significant as they were able to beat Sauron’s forces at sea. This gave way for the men of Gondor, who were guarding the shores, to join the Battle in Pelennor Field.

Supposedly, the role of the army of the dead ends in Pilargir. In the film, they went with Aragorn all the way to Minas Tirith (instead of the Grey Company) to triumph over Sauron’s orcs. After the battle in Minas Tirith, Aragorn frees the army of the dead from the curse of Isildur. It was said that Peter Jackson did not agree with the army of the Dead angle of the story because it seemed so “unrealistic” at this point. However, he chose to include it in the film, knowing that Tolkien fans will be looking for it.

In this video game, the dead army glows in a pale blue color. There are two levels where you can encounter the army of the dead. One is “Paths of the dead” where Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli have to battle their way through the paths of the dead. The other is “King of the dead” where Aragorn has to fight the king. Once defeated, Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli must once again fight their way out of the paths of the dead. The army of the dead will appear again close to the Battle of the Pelennor Fields’ culmination to fight against Sauron’s forces. This will happen near the end of the game. There is also a bonus level called the “Palantir of Saruman” where the player should face 20 waves of enemies in the arena to get the bonus. Some of these enemies are soldiers from the army of the dead.

In this online game, the oathbreakers have evolved storylines. The king of the dead was given a name, which was Rioc. Some of the dead men refused to follow Aragorn into battle. These men reaffirmed their alliance with Sauron instead. The dead men who refused to fight for Aragorn were known as the “Ruthless Dead.” Another faction similar to the army of the dead’s story is the former soldiers of Arthedain who joined the forces of Angmar. Just like the army of the dead, they were cursed for their betrayal. [2]

In these video games, the player can summon the army of the dead. It is considered to be the costliest power for Rohan and Gondor in Battle for Middle-earth I. Once summoned, they can destroy a large army, but they only can battle for two minutes. Because of this, the timing of when to summon the army of the dead is vital for one’s victory. The army of the dead is only available for fights in the evil campaign for Battle for Middle-earth II. When Aragorn reaches level 10, he will have the power to summon a temporary horde of dead soldiers that will attack nearby enemies for a limited time. [3]

Aragorn can summon the army of the dead in the later stages of the game. [4] You have to reach the final location on the map, Pelennor Fields, to unlock this skill. When Aragorn activates this power, the army of the dead assembles behind him. The army then charges forward when there is an enemy.

In this video game, Aragorn has a special attack called the “wave of undead.” When activated, a few dead soldiers are summoned for a very brief time. These dead soldiers will attack any enemy nearby.

In this card game, there is an army of the dead card. The player who draws it gains control of the dead. The undead is immune to player card effects. If the army of the dead leaves Play, the card will have to be removed from the game.

1. ^The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003).
2. ^The Lord of the Rings Online™.
3. ^The Lord of the Rings, The Battle for Middle-earth II.
4. ^The Lord of the Rings™, The Third Age™.