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#1 |
King's Writer
Join Date: Jul 2002
Posts: 1,721
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Don't forgett that we talk about a Númenorean Prince. The Númenoreans had developt the art of precerving the flash for long times in Númenore and the Exiles brought that art to Middle-Earth.
Respectfully Findegil |
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#2 | |
Laconic Loreman
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![]() 'dark figure' is a generic descriptor that was used for lots of things in LOTR. "the shadow" and "dark figure" were interchanged for the Balrog. Sauron was a "dark figure" taking the shape of a man...'"yet greater." (Letter 246) The beasts that attacked the company were first described as "dark wolf-shapes." And I'm sure the Ringwraiths were referred to as "dark figures" more than once. A few paragraphs before the dark was described as "near and thick," Frodo is terrifed, fell on the ground, and seconds away from conking out. We have no clue about the details of the Barrow-wight, because Frodo has no clue. It's tall, dark, a figure, and cold. It could be a spirit inhabitting some guys bones, or it could have been a nargle for all Frodo knew. You expect Frodo (and Tolkien) to give us a clear description of every evil creature, spirit, or thing out there that Frodo and our heroes encounter? Ha. ![]() ![]()
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Fenris Penguin
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#3 | |
Gruesome Spectre
Join Date: Dec 2000
Location: Heaven's doorstep
Posts: 8,039
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To be sure, there's still some ambiguity. That said, I don't see why the wight must possess no solid form of its own. As to the 'embalming' question, the Númenóreans certainly took actions to preserve the bodies of at least their kings and rulers after death. However, the death of that unnamed prince occurred during a time of desperate fighting, and I have to wonder whether taking the time to embalm him would have been wise or feasible at that time.
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#4 | |
Shade of Carn Dûm
Join Date: Jun 2007
Posts: 435
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#5 | |
Laconic Loreman
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The Balrog, Ringwraiths and such, we encounter more, and there is the chance for more description. Frodo doesn't get this with the Barrow-wight, just as Gandalf doesn't tell us anymore about the 'dark gnawing' creatures at the bottom of the bottomless pit. We don't get more from Gandalf, because he was having Balrog issues and probably didn't care to investigate into more detail about the Moria critters. I'm not saying you aren't correct, maybe there was more than just bones to the wight, but pointing out because you think Frodo would have described empty bones differently, if he had seen just empty bones, I don't agree with that type of argument. Because all Frodo described was a dark figure (not surprising in a dark, foggy area) and a cold hand grasped him tight.
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Fenris Penguin
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#6 |
Wight
Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: Southend,U.K
Posts: 113
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I doubt they would have seen him. Whereas the Ringwraiths were cunning enemies and the cream of Sauron's crop, the Barrow-Wights were merely puppets. Called up by the Witch-King if I am not mistaken.
And whilst the Nazgul were neither dead nor alive, the Barrow-Wights were most certainly dead. So, no ring-vision for them!
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Thanks for abandoning me for three years guys. I really enjoyed being a total outcast. |
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#7 | |||
Shade of Carn Dûm
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: Minas Morgul
Posts: 431
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Putting on the Ring, Frodo is transferred from the ordinary physical world into the Shadow/Spirit world and thus becomes invisible to mortal eyes, to all the eyes of the ordinary physical World. On the contrary, wearing the Ring he becomes fully visible to all the denizens of the Spirit world: ghosts, spirits, wraiths, ringwraiths etc. He would also still be visible to those "who dwell in both words": Calaquendi Elves (like Glorfindel or Galadriel) and Tom Bombadil. Barrow wights are in essence SPIRITS: Quote:
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It is to see things of the Ordinary physical World (and especially to interact with them) that the nazgul and other Spirit World dwellers needed extra-powers and extra-efforts. Last edited by Gordis; 07-21-2009 at 04:36 AM. |
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