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Originally Posted by Mansun
The fact that the Witch King withdrew at the gate as Gandalf challenged him means that Gandalf did win. The Witch King effectively threw in the towel as though this battle was no longer for him
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No it doesn't. The Witch-King had to leave because his army was going to get owned by Rohan, and Gandalf had to put off the fight to save Faramir. Gandalf didn't win squat, and neither did the Witch-King. The fight was put off. Nobody overpowered the other.
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Originally Posted by Mansun
I don't remember the Balrog withdrawing when confronted by the entire Company - it knew it could defeat any of them with it's power. That's how it is as the books are concerned.
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The Witch-King withdrew to save his army, not because Gandalf was stronger. It's present in the text.
And obloquy, The Witch-King
most certainly does not obey. He was about to attack Gandalf with his sword or a spell. When Gandalf tells the Witch-King he cannot enter, the Witch-King just laughs in his face and tells him off. Also, it states that "There, put in command by Sauron, he is given an added demonic force." The wording of this statement implies that the Witch-King was
given an "added demonic force." Being chosen to lead the army would in no way give him an added demonic force: it would just mean that he was leading the army, and he had led other armies in his time. The professor specifically wrote that the Witch-King had been given extra power in this encounter.
Obloquy, step down from your perch for a second and realize that your "proof" is not really solid proof. It's just your interpretation of the writings. Heck, even your statement of Gandalf and Sauron having equal power came as a sudden jump in the link you posted. At Minas Tirith, Gandalf and the Witch-King were apparently equal. Gandalf having an advantage would just make Gandalf a safety-blanket who would handle Gondor's problems. The Witch-King having the advantage would make Rohan's arrival seem more like a writer's trick to save Gandalf. It was an equal stand-off, and it was by chance that the two did not have the fight they were prepared for.