Character Analysis Thread

[Bêthberry]

Sorry to interrupt this Boromir-love-in, but I've had a chance to read this thread from the start and have a few questions about the Nazzies.

Originally Posted by Nazgûl-king

This week: The Nazgûl

Know by many other names, the nine servants of Sauron use fear as their greatest weapon. They are completely loyal to Sauron, though I wonder what their loyalties were before they were given the nine rings. We know that at least three of the nine were Black Númenóreans and that one of the nine was an Easterling.

In the book Fellowship of the Ring it is said that "at all times they can smell the blood of living things, and they desire and hate it." I find this interesting, and I suppose their hatred for the smell of the blood of living beings could come from the fact that they themselves are not living but are in a state between life and death and thus the smell of the blood of the living torments them. Any thoughts on this?

Okay, other than having to fight desperately against remembering that it was the Spanish Inquisition who used fear as their greatest weapon, or as one of their greatest weapons, or as among their greatest weapons, I find this trait bloody interesting. It reminds me of course of vampires, who are also trapped between life and death and whose taste for blood is a torment. And I cannot recall there being any discussion here on the Downs of the Wraiths as in any way similar to vampires. (Of course, I haven't read all the threads and so I could have missed it!) The only specific vampire reference I can recall is that of Luthien.

Anyhow, Nazgûl-king, can you give us a more precise reference for this quotation? Much as I love FotR, I don't have time to reread all of it searching for this quotation. And I really would like to see how far to extend this similarity.