Lord of the Rings: The Animated Musical | Characters: Ringwraiths

The Ringwraiths, also known as the Black Riders or the Nazgûl in Black Speech, were nine mortal Men transformed into evil, undead horrors due to their rings of power addiction. Sauron used them as his top servants, ordering them to track down the One Ring and terrorize the Free People. Despite their power, they were not particularly effective in much of what they did, to be seen in future chapters. In this week’s essay, I will explore the folkloric motifs that may have inspired Tolkien and explain the etymological differences between different categories of undead people appearing in The Lord of the Rings. I will also present a brief literature review on what other experts say about the Ringwraiths, along with sharing portrayals by other illustrators.

Etymology & Motifs

Tolkien was highly specific in defining undead people as appearing in his works. The Nazgûl are wraiths, a word appearing in English from Scottish around 1510. For related words, vorðr means “guardian angel” in Old Norse, while arrach means “specter” in Gaelic and Irish. In several chapters, Frodo will encounter a barrow-wight, another undead person who remains in its earthen tomb. While the term “wraith” is relatively new to English, “wight” is much older, appearing in Old English from Proto-Germanic and possibly descending from Proto-Indo-European. The term has a dual meaning: a living person or an uncanny creature. This suggests that the barrow-wight was in some way resurrected by an evil power.

Finally, the term ghost appeared in Old English from Proto-West Germanic and also seems to have come from a Proto-Indo European word. It originally represented any type of spirit: good or evil, living or dead. In Book I, “Chapter 2 The Shadow of the Past”, Gandalf told Frodo that the Woodmen who lived south of the Shire believed there was “a ghost that drank blood”, who was suspected but never confirmed to be Gollum. Much later, during Book V “Chapter 2, The Passing of the Grey Company”, the “ghosts of Men” haunted the Paths of the Dead.

Wraiths, wights, and ghosts are all found throughout folklore. In Hawaii, the traditional legend of the night marchers, or spirits of deities and the dead who cross their land after dark, has transformed into a legend about a deity as a ghostly rider (E332.3.3.2) perhaps due to the introduction of horses or modern transportation. The story bears resemblance to those found throughout northwestern Europe, where a black horse is ridden by a specter during a wild hunt (E501.4.2.2), much like the horses of the Ringwraiths once stolen from Rohan. The wild huntsmen dressed in black (E501.8.1) to match their horses. Similar, the Devil rides on a black horse according to some English romances (G303.7.1.1) while in Scotland, a wraith rides a horse (E723.7.7).

Overall, the color black has been viewed as magic, especially in Celtic mythology (D1293.4), just like white (D129.3.3), green (D1293.2), and red (D1293.1). This set of four colors creates the balance of darkness, light, nature, and blood. As for other actions of a wraith (E723.7), the most common seem to be speaking, at least in England and Wales (E723.7.1). While not exactly chatty, the Ringwraiths speak to several characters throughout the text. During their search for Frodo, they interrogated Hamfast Gamgee, Farmer Maggot, and Nob of Breeland. They argued with Frodo at the Ford, ordering him to return the Ring or be taken to Mordor. The Witch-king even dared to mock Gandalf just before Rohan came to aid Gondor, and Éowyn before she stabbed him in the face. As powerful as the Ringwraiths might have been, they had poor timing and judgement.

Ringwraith Literature Review

Tolkien scholars enjoy talking about Ringwraiths, since these are aesthetically pleasing and morally uncomplicated bad guys. Scholars are particularly interested in understanding how Ringwraiths resemble other famous bad guys. In 2020, Josh Wood noted the similarity between the Ringwraiths and the book version of Count Dracula. Both were weakened by the sun but not burned to death by it, as movie versions of Dracula often are. In 2025, Amy Amendt-Raduege described other undead entities found around the world, including jiang shi of China, vryklakas in Greece, and vetala in India.

Noelia Ramos-Soria argued in 2024 that the Ringwraiths were similar to banshees of Celtic mythology, especially in the Peter Jackson adaption, as both wore dark robes and relentlessly pursued their prey. The major difference, of course, is that the Ringwraiths are implied to be all male, while banshees are all female. An additional issue with this interpretation comes from Tolkien’s own “distaste” for Celtic things, even though Ñoldor Elves act like the magical Tuatha Dé Danann of Irish folklore while many places in the Shire and Bree-land have Celtic names.

Part of the scariness of Ringwraiths comes from their familiarity. In 2023, three film study students in Indonesia noted the resemblance between Ringwraiths and the Grim Reaper, which has become recognizable worldwide due to global Americanization and the proliferation of Halloween. Several years earlier, a 2007 article by R.D. Hall also connected the Grim Reaper to the film portrayal when noting Jackson’s skill at making horror films. The Ringwraith has become a reference point used in tandem with the Grim Reaper when critics describe new bad guys in media, called “daemonic forces” in more scholarly terms, especially the Dementors from J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series. It will be interesting to see how this character archetype continues to evolve.

Other Portrayals

Because of the great popularity of Ringwraiths, many artists have taken their shot at illustration and animation. Ralph Bakshi added eerie glowing red eyes to his 1978 animated version, a creative liberty that really works, particularly when it is the only spot of red in a scene of earthly colors. However, these Ringwraiths appear to wear full black body suits, including gloves and trousers, which I found a little odd.

Álvaro Fernández González draws Ringwraiths with skeleton hands similar to the Grim Reaper, the rings of power glowing on their index fingers as they carry long swords. Anna Lee or ilxwing on Deviant Art gives the red eyes to the Ringwraiths’ horses while the Ringwraiths appear to wear gray riding gloves. Their size and ferocity contrasts with cute little Frodo, who in this portrayal looks to be in better shape than I would imagine for someone dying of a cursed knife wound.

Perhaps my favorite portrayal featured Farmer Maggot telling the Ringwraith to go away. It was painted by Lissanne Lake as part of the Middle-earth Collectible Card Game expansion pack Against the Shadow. The head and body of the Ringwraith’s horse are rounded, almost like a pony, while it has the same red eyes as appearing in Anna Lee’s version. The Ringwraith is clad in a scale-like cloak with red gems around the hood. Tiny Farmer Maggot wears a blue and green waistcoat, holds his pitchfork, and points angrily at the Ringwraith while ordering him off the property. Instead of being terrifying, the scene looks cute to me.

My own version of the Ringwraiths reflects my attempts at anatomical precision and period-accurate clothing despite a visually simple style. The nine Ringwraiths wear identical cloaks and stand in a v-formation as if advancing towards the viewer. I slightly varied the proportions of the Ringwraiths, making some appear slightly taller or wider than others. I also added layers of a dark red shadow as if emerging from smog or a night mist. I chose not to add red eyes, as these seemed to be visible only when they removed their hoods, or any pops of color, keeping the cloak as simple as possible. I wanted them to appear devoid of personality or individuation, as their wills have been subsumed by the power of Sauron. While fairly straightforward to create, this was not my happiest project. I look forward to showing a more fun character design next week.