Aragorn's mistake concerning the army raised from the Paths of the Dead

[Mister Underhill]

Good points Lego. Here's some more backup:

After redemption, it seems certain they wouldn't have been able to continue with Aragorn even if they desired to.

Which it seems highly unlikely that they would. Consulting HoME, with all the usual caveats, disclaimers, and cautions, may yield some clues to the professor’s thoughts on these matters.

In one version of Gimli and Legolas’s account of the events at Pelargir, Gimli claims, “...the Shadow Host halted and wavered, unwilling at the last, as it seemed, to make war on Sauron.” This was softened in the final text, where the Shadow Host “hung back at the last” without any explanation for their reluctance.

It’s reasonable to conclude that the Dead were bitter about having been cursed for centuries, and in any case they were cursed in the first place because they were faithless allies.

On their effectiveness, I'm very sceptical about the "scare factor."

Also from HoME: “But there were among them [the Haradrim] captains sent by Mordor, and orc-chieftains, and they were not so easily dismayed, and they endeavoured to hold their men to a defence.” These were removed from the final version, where there was no fight and the Dead ruled the field by fear, yet the reference supports the notion that the scare tactics of the Shadow Host would be much less effective against Sauron’s more hardened, non-human troops.

P.S. - Sauce, I forgot to congratulate you on the "fudging" of your earlier post. Drafted with the canniness of a true loyer!

[ September 25, 2003: Message edited by: Mister Underhill ]