Frodo's Barrow Dilemma

[Inziladun]

Originally Posted by Boromir88

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.

I don't expect all to be crystal clear; indeed that takes some of the magic away from the story. But I can't help thinking that a skeleton and a more solid form are different enough in appearance that Frodo would have used different wording if what he was seeing was empty bones. He was not viewing the wight in total darkness, but against the stars.
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.

[Alfirin]

Originally Posted by Inziladun

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.

Well, there is my theory that the Downs are in fact a peat bog (or at least were when the bodies were buried)and that, when the water table is high the insides of the barrows are filled with peat juice effectively pickling the bodies naturally. The only catch I can think of is that the swords would still need some sort of preserving enchantment, since acidic peat juice would pit the hell out of iron and steel.

[Boromir88]

I don't expect all to be crystal clear; indeed that takes some of the magic away from the story. But I can't help thinking that a skeleton and a more solid form are different enough in appearance that Frodo would have used different wording if what he was seeing was empty bones.~Inziladun

But that's my point Frodo didn't describe empty bones, because he didn't know what he saw other than an ambigious 'dark figure' which has been used to describe many things veiled in darkness or shadow. Could have been a spirit animating a skeleton, or a nemotoad, or any thing you could call a 'dark figure' (so...virtually anything).

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.

[Gothbogg the Ripper]

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!

[Gordis]

Originally Posted by Gothbogg the Ripper

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!

I disagree. It is not a question of Power, it is a question of access to the Spirit World.

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:

It was at this time that an end came of the Dúnedain of Cardolan, and evil spirits out of Angmar and Rhudaur entered into the deserted mounds and dwelt there.- LOTR, App A.

It is not important that the spirits animated the dead bodies in the Barrows, still all spirits exist primarily in the Spirit World. They would see Frodo with the Ring clearly.

The Nazgûl found one another easily, since they were quickly aware of a companion presence, and could hear the cries over great distances. They could see one another also from far away, even by day when to them a Nazgûl was the one clearly visible thing in a mist. Reader's Companion p. 164

The denizens of the Spirit World had no problems seeing each other, by day or by night. The wielder of the One Ring or a ghost of Dunharrow, or a Barrow-Wight would be as easily detectable to a nazgul as another nazgul: they all share the same World.

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.

[Inziladun]

Originally Posted by Gordis

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.

Oddly, Gandalf apparently could not see someone wearing the One. He certainly was from the Blessed Realm.
I would say that his being clothed in a real body may have been a factor, but why should that be an impediment to him and not Bombadil?

[Gordis]

Originally Posted by Inziladun

Oddly, Gandalf apparently could not see someone wearing the One. He certainly was from the Blessed Realm.

In LOTR there are no cases of Gandalf not seeing the wearer of the One.

In "the Hobbit" the evidence is controversial IIRC: maybe he did, maybe he did not.

Note also that at the time of writing of "the Hobbit", Tolkien has not yet developed the conception of the Spirit /Shadow World versus the World of Light, had no idea about the nature of Bilbo's Ring and had Gandalf as a Man, not a Maia. "The Hobbit" is not a good source of evidence for such things.