[Juicy-Sweet]

Originally Posted by Alfirin

Actually, that might not be the case. Killing a Barrow-Wight is actually quite easy, provided you know it is there. A wight is deadly when you are in its barrow and under it's spell. However they do have one huge weakness, daylight. Daylight hits them, they dissolve into mist (this is basically what Tom did when he broke open the Barrows, he let the light in and killed the wight in each barrow he opened. The Hobbits got in trouble in no small parts because they were hobbits; untrained, unaware of the nature of the danger, and still not experienced enough to take appropriate care. In contrast a group of individuals who went there KNOWING was was wating for them might have a very different story. They could wait for a sunny day (the wights may have trouble calling up the fog if condtions aren't already inclined to be misty. Or if they are elves, who are good at seeing by very little light, fog may not impair them as much as hobbits) Instead of trying to enter each barrow and deal with the wight mano-a-mano you simply dig in from the top and let the light in, the light hits the wight dissolves and the barrows contents are free for the taking. Dealing with 393 wights one on one would indeed take years, having a small group chop holes in the top of each one, would only take a few weeks, possibly only a few days, depending on how fast you can dig (Tom did one in a few hours singlehandedly) .

I'm not convinced they are "easy". Not sure if theres any mention in LOTR or elsewhere about the strength of a barrow wight. I've got no idea how the wight defends itself - but I think if it was as easy as digging a whole on a sunny day, they would have been empty long ago. The book gives me no clear idea at all of what they can and cant do. I don't think normal people can open a barrow with a wight inside. I think they would use the sleep spell on anyone trying to dig and then kill them in the night. Or use the LOST iN THE FOG spell to make them loose their way.

I dont know this ... just deduce from the fact that everyone left them alone for centuries that they are quite dangerous.

If say a dwarf could kill one, they would have for sure, for the gold.

I like your thinking though I guess both options are possible that

a) they are so strong that only the really big good guys can kill them, but its two low priority for them
b) anyone with a shovel can kill them, but nobody knows so people leave them alone

I still think it likey that the rest of the Barrows were eventually exumed, probably by former Rangers under Now crowned Aragorn's orders as part of some sort of "make sure that, should we get into a situation similar to what we have just gone through, we have every advantage on our side"

That makes sense... also for Shelob, since ex-Mordor would become the New Gondor. And when Cirith Ungol got transformed into a historic tourist attraction, they would want to remove Shelob. Who they probably put in Minas Ithil Zoo

One final note, I'm not sure the brooches would neccecarily be all that useless. A culture who could weave spells into thier blades that would make them extra effective agaisnt Nazgul might have a few tricks they could work into cloak holds and things like that. Maybe a spell that provided protection against a wraiths ability to inspire fear

Yeah, there must be all sorts of stuff in those barrows.