Tolkien Gateway - User contributions [en]

Karsh

2026-03-04T22:31:32Z

Phaedrus: Rewritten for clarity.

{{adaptation}}
{{infobox character
| name=Karsh
| image=
| caption=
| pronun=
| othernames=Carthean
| titles=The Whisperer
| position=[[Dúnedain of Arnor|Arnorian general]] Hero of the [[Angmar|Angmar faction]]
| location=[[Barrow-downs]]
| affiliation=[[Arnorians|Dúnedain of Cardolan]] (formerly) [[Angmar|Iron Crown of Angmar]]
| language=[[Westron]]
| birth=
| birthlocation=
| rule=
| death=
| deathlocation=
| age=
| notablefor=
| house=
| parentage=
| siblings=
| spouse=
| children=
| people=[[Men|Man]] (formerly) [[Wraiths|Wraith]]
| gender=Male
| height=
| hair=
| eyes=
| clothing=
| weapons=
| steed=
}}

'''Karsh''' is an original character in the ''[[The Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle-earth Anthology|Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle-earth]]'' video game series, developed by [[Electronic Arts]]. He is a playable hero belonging to the [[Angmar]] faction, where he is voiced by [[Jason Connery]].

==History==
Karsh was born under the name '''Carthean''' in the kingdom of [[Cardolan]]. In life, he was a celebrated general and fought against the [[Witch-king|Witch-king of Angmar]].

At some point, he was made into a wraith by [[Morgomir]], and became known thereafter as Karsh. He serves the Iron Crown of [[Angmar]].
[[Category:Men from adaptations]]
[[Category:Undead from adaptations]]
[[Category:The Battle for Middle-earth (video game series) characters]]

[[fi:Karsh (pelihahmo)]]

Index:Locations

2026-02-27T17:50:52Z

Phaedrus: Deleted double entry of Hithlum

==A==
{| class="tg-timeline citizen-overflow"
|-
!
!
!
|-
|
*[[Abyss]]
*[[Tarlang's Neck|Achad Tarlang]] (Tarlang's Neck)
*[[Adorn]]
*[[Adurant]]
*[[Aelin-uial]]
*[[Tarn Aeluin|Aeluin]]
*[[Afros]]
*[[Agar]]
*[[Gwathló|Agathurush]] (River Greyflood)
*[[Glittering Caves|Aglarond]]
*[[Pass of Aglon|Aglon]], Pass of
*[[Ailin (lake in Valinor)]]
*[[Aiwenórë]]
*[[Akallabêth]] (Atlantë)
*[[Alalminórë]]
*[[Alcarinquë]]
*[[Aldalómë]]
*[[Aldburg]]
*[[Alley of Roses]]
*[[Almaida]]
*[[Almaren]]
*[[Alqualondë]]
*[[Aman]]
*[[Fangorn Forest|Ambaróna]] (Fangorn)
*[[Mount Doom|Amon Amarth]] (Mount Doom)
*[[Amon Anwar]] (Halifirien)
*[[Amon Darthir]]
*[[Amon Dîn]]
*[[Amon Ereb]]
*[[Amon Ethir]]
*[[Amon Gwareth]]
*[[Amon Hen]]
*[[Amon Lanc]] (Dol Guldur)
|
*[[Amon Lhaw]]
*[[Amon Obel]]
*[[Amon Rûdh]]
*[[Weathertop|Amon Sûl]] (Weathertop)
*[[Taniquetil|Amon Uilos]] (Taniquentil)
*[[Anach]]
*[[Númenor|Anadûnê]] (Númenor)
*[[Sun|Anar]]
*[[Anarríma]]
*[[Aman|Ancient West]] (Aman)
*[[Anfalas|Andafalassë]] (Langstrand or Anfalas)
*[[Númenor|Andor]] (Númenor)
*[[Andram]]
*[[Andrast]]
*[[Andrath]]
*[[Androth]]
*[[Anduin]]
*[[Andúnië]]
*[[Andustar]]
*[[Anfalas]]
*[[Anfauglith]]
*[[Angband|Angamando]] (Angband)
*[[Angband]]
*[[Anghabar]]
*[[Angle]]
*[[Angmar]], Realm of
*[[Isen|Angren]] (River Isen)
*[[Isengard|Angrenost]]
*[[Gate of the Noldor|Annon-in-Gelydh]]
|
*[[Annúminas]]
*[[Anórien]]
*[[Antaro]]
*[[Araman]]
*[[Arandor]] (Kingsland)
*[[Archet]]
*[[Arch of Inwë]]
*[[Arda]]
*[[Ard-galen]]
*[[Argonath]]
*[[Armenelos]]
*[[Arnach]] (Lossarnach)
*[[Arnor]]
*[[Aros]], River of
*[[Arossiach]]
*[[Arthedain]]
*[[Gondor|Arthor na Challonnas]] (Gondor)
*[[Arnor|Arthor na Forlonnas]] (Arnor)
*[[Arthórien]]
*[[Arvernien]]
*[[Ascar]], River of
*[[Ered Lithui|Ash Mountains]] (Ered Lithui)
*[[Astulat]]
*[[Númenor|Atalantë]] (Númenor)
*[[Fords of Isen|Athrad Angren]] (Fords of Isen)
*[[Atyamar]]
*[[Avallónë]]
*[[Tower of Avallónë|Avallónë]], Tower of
*[[Avathar]]
*[[Dimrill Dale|Azanulbizar]] (Dimrill Dale)
|}{{Timeline page styles}}

==B==
{| width=100%
|- valign=top
| width=33.33% |
*[[Bag End]]
*[[Bagshot Row]]
*[[Isle of Balar|Balar]]
*[[Balin's Tomb]]
*[[Bamfurlong]] (Maggot's Farm)
*[[House of Ransom|Bar-en-Danwedh]] (House of Ransom)
*[[House of Ransom|Bar-en-Nibin-noeg]] (House of Ransom)
*[[Ras Mewrim|Bar-in-Mŷl‎]]
*[[Bar-erib]]
*[[Barad-dûr]]
*[[Barad Eithel]]
*[[Barad Nimras]]
*[[Baranduin]] (Brandywine River)
*[[Caradhras|Barazinbar]] (Caradhras or Redhorn)
*[[Barrow-downs]]
*[[Barrowfield]]
*[[Battle Pit]]
*[[Dagorlad|Battle Plain]]
*[[Bay of Balar]]
*[[Bay of Belfalas]]
*[[Bay of Andúnië]]
*[[Bay of Eldamar]]
*[[Bay of Eldanna]]
*[[Bay of Rómenna]]
*[[Belegaer]]
| width=33.33% style="border-left: 1px solid #9999FF; padding-left:1em;"|
*[[Belegost]]
*[[Beleriand]]
*[[Belfalas]]
*[[Bent Seas]]
*[[Beorn's Hall|Beorn's House]]
*[[Bindbole Wood|Bindbale Wood]]
*[[Nimbrethil|Birchwoods of Nimbrethil]]
*[[Black Gate]] (Morannon)
*[[Mordor|Black Land]] (Mordor)
*[[Moria|Black Pit]] (Moria)
*[[Black Pits]]
*[[Morthond|Blackroot]] (Morthond River)
*[[Aman|Blessed Realm]] (Aman)
*[[Blue Mountains]]
*[[Underhill (house)|Bombadil's House]]
*[[Bonfire Glade]]
*[[Astulat|Bony ridge]] (Astulat)
*[[Borgil]]
*[[Branda-nîn]] (Brandywine River)
*[[Brandywine Bridge]] (Bridge of Stonebows)
*[[Bree]]
*[[Bree-hill|Bree Hill]]
*[[Bree-land]]
*[[Breredon]]
*[[Brethil]]
| width=33.33% style="border-left: 1px solid #9999FF; padding-left:1em;"|
*[[Bridge of Esgalduin]]
*[[Last Bridge|Bridge of Mitheithel]] (Last Bridge)
*[[Bridge of Khazad-dûm]]
*[[Bridge of Nargothrond]]
*[[Brandywine Bridge|Bridge of Stonebows]] (Brandywine Bridge)
*[[Bridgefields]]
*[[Brilthor]] (River)
*[[Ford of Brithiach|Brithiach]]
*[[Brithombar]]
*[[Brithon]] (River)
*[[Brockenbores]]
*[[Brodda's hall]]
*[[Brook of Glass]]
*[[Brown Lands]]
*[[Bruinen]] (River Loudwater)
*[[Buck Hill]]
*[[Buckland]]
*[[Buckland Gate]]
*[[Bucklebury]]
*[[Bucklebury Ferry]]
*[[Budgeford]] (Village)
*[[Fanuidhol|Bundushathûr]] (Cloudyhead or Fanuidhol)
*[[Bywater]]
*[[Bywater Pool]]
*[[Bywater Road]]
|}

==C==
{| width=100%
|- valign=top
| width=33.33% |
*[[Cabed-en-Aras]] ([[Cabed Naeramarth]])
*[[Cair Andros]]
*[[Calacirya]]
*[[Calacirian]]
*[[Calembel]]
*[[Calenardhon]]
*[[Calenhad]]
*[[Calmindon]]
*[[Cape Andras]]
*[[Cape Balar]]
*[[Cape of Andrast]]
*[[Cape of Forochel]]
*[[Carach Angren]] (Isenmouthe)
*[[Caradhras]] (Redhorn)
*[[Caragdûr]]
*[[Caras Galadhon]]
*[[Carchost]]
*[[Cardolan]]
*[[Carn Dûm]]
*[[Carnil]]
*[[Carnen]] (River Redwater)
*[[Carrock]]
*[[Causeway Forts]]
*[[Causeway (Gondor)]]
*[[Glittering Caves|Caverns of Helm's Deep]] (Aglarond or the Glittering Caves)
| width=33.33% style="border-left: 1px solid #9999FF; padding-left:1em;"|
*[[Nargothrond|Caverns of Narog]] (Nargothrond)
*[[Caves of the Forgotten]]
*[[River Running|Celduin]] (River Running)
*[[Celbaros]]
*[[Celebdil]] (Silvertine)
*[[Celebrant]] (River Silverlode)
*[[Celebros]] (River)
*[[Celon]] (River)
*[[Celos]] (River)
*[[Cerin Amroth]]
*[[Chamber of Mazarbul]] (Chamber of Records)
*[[Cracks of Doom|Chambers of Fire]] (Sammath Naur or the Cracks of Doom)
*[[Chasm of Ilmen]]
*[[Chetwood]]
*[[Qerkaringa|Chill Gulf]]
*[[Circles of the World]]
*[[Ciril]] (River)
*[[Cirith Dúath]]
*[[High Pass|Cirith Forn en Andrath]] (High Pass)
*[[Cirith Gorgor]]
*[[Cirith Ninniach]] (Rainbow Cleft)
*[[Cirith Thoronath]]
| width=33.33% style="border-left: 1px solid #9999FF; padding-left:1em;"|
*[[Cirith Ungol]]
*[[Citadel of Gondor]]
*[[Osgiliath|Citadel of Stars]] (Osgiliath)
*[[Umbar|City of the Corsairs]]
*[[City Wall]] (Minas Tirith)
*[[Ruamórë|Cleft of the mountains]] (Ungoliant's lair)
*[[Fanuidhol|Cloudyhead]] (Fanuidhol)
*[[Cobas Haven]]
*[[Bay of Belfalas#Other names|Côf Belfalas]] (Bay of Belfalas)
*[[Coldfells]]
*[[Combe]]
*[[Field of Cormallen|Cormallen]] (Field)
*[[Ezellohar|Corollairë]] (Ezellohar)
*[[Ezellohar|Coron Oiolairë]] (Ezellohar)
*[[Cottage of Lost Play]]
*[[Court of the Fountain (Minas Tirith)|Court of the Fountain]]
*[[Cracks of Doom]]
*[[Crickhollow]]
*[[Crissaegrim]]
*[[Cirith Thoronath|Cristhorn]]
*[[Crossings of Erui]]
*[[Crossings of Poros]]
*[[Crossings of the Taeglin|Crossings of Teiglin]] (Crossings of the Taeglin)
*[[Cross-roads]] (Cross Roads of the Fallen King)
*[[Crown of the Hidden Kingdom]]
*[[Cuiviénen]]
*[[Cûl Bîn]]
*[[Cûl Veleg]]
*[[Cûm-nan-Arasaith]] (Mound of Avarice)
*[[Cú nan Eilch]]
|}

==D==
{| width=100%
|- valign=top
| width=33.33% |
* [[Dagorlad]]
* [[Dáin's hall]]
* [[Dale]]
* [[Dale (Kingdom)]]
* [[Dark Door]]
* [[Gate of Wood|Dark Gate]]
* [[Dark Land]] (South Land)
* [[Middle-earth#Names|Dark Lands]] (Middle-earth)
* [[Dark Mountains]] (Mountains of Mirkwood)
* [[Dark Tower]] (Barad-dûr)
* [[Dead Marshes]]
* [[Fornost Erain|Deadmen's Dike]] (Fornost)
* [[Death Down]]
* [[Aman|Deathless Lands]] (Aman, Eressëa)
* [[Helm's Deep|Deeping]] (Helms Deep)
* [[Deephallow]]
* [[Deeping-coomb|Deeping Coomb]]
* [[Deeping-road]]
* [[Deeping-stream|Deeping Stream]]
* [[Deeping Wall]]
* [[Cabed-en-Aras|Deer's Leap]] (Cabed-en-Aras)
* [[Taur-nu-Fuin (Dorthonion)|Deldúwath]] (Taur-nu-Fuin)
* [[Derndingle]]
* [[Desert of Lostladen]]
* [[Desolation of the Dragon|Desolation of Smaug]] (Desolation of the Dragon)
* [[Desolation of the Morannon]]
* [[Dimbar]]
| width=33.33% style="border-left: 1px solid #9999FF; padding-left:1em;"|
* [[Dimholt]]
* [[Dimrill Dale]]
* [[Great Gates|Dimrill Gate]] (Great Gates)
* [[Dimrill Stair]]
* [[Dimrost]]
* [[Dol Amroth]]
* [[Dol Baran]]
* [[Dol Guldur]]
* [[Dol Tarlang]]
* [[Dome of Stars]] (Tower of the Stone)
* [[Dome of Varda]]
* [[Door of Night]]
* [[Doors of Durin]] (Hollin Gate)
* [[Dor Caranthir]] (Thargelion)
* [[Dor-Cúarthol]]
* [[Dor Daedeloth]]
* [[Dor Dínen]]
* [[Dor-en-Ernil]]
* [[Dor Firn-i-Guinar]] (Land of the Dead that Live)
* [[Dor-lómin]]
* [[Anfauglith|Dor-Nu-Fauglith]]
| width=33.33% style="border-left: 1px solid #9999FF; padding-left:1em;"|
* [[Doriath]]
* [[Dorthonion]]
* [[Dorwinion]]
* [[Barrow-downs|Downlands]] (Barrow-downs)
* [[Drengist]]
* [[Drúadan Forest]]
* [[Drûn]]
* [[Drúwaith Iaur]]
* [[Dry River]]
* [[Duilwen]]
* [[Nan Dungortheb|Dungortheb]] (Nan Dungortheb)
* [[Dunharrow]]
* [[Dúnharg]]
* [[Dunland]]
* [[Durin's Bridge]]
* [[Durin's Crown]]
* [[Durin's Tower]]
* [[Durthang]]
* [[Dwaling]]
* [[Dwarf-road of Beleriand]]
* [[Dwarrowdelf]] (Khazad-dûm)
* [[Dwimorberg]]
* [[Dwimorberg glen]]
* [[Dwimordene]] (Lórien)
|}

==E==
{| width=100%
|- valign=top
| width=33.33% |
* [[Eä]]
* [[Eagle's Eyrie]]
*[[Eärendil]], Star of
* [[East Beleriand]]
* [[East Bight]]
* [[Eastemnet]]
* [[Eastemnet Downs]]
* [[Eastern Eriador]]
* [[Eastfarthing|East Farthing]]
* [[Eastfold]]
* [[Great Gates|East-gate]] (Great Gates)
* [[East Lórien]]
* [[Buckland|East March]] (Buckland)
* [[East-mark]]
* [[East Road]]
* [[East Sea]]
* [[East Wall of Rohan]]
* [[Fangorn Forest|Eastwood]] (Fangorn)
* [[Echad i Sedryn]] (Bar-en-Dunwedh)
* [[Ered Lómin|Echoing Hills]] (Ered Lómin)
* [[Echoriad]]
* [[Edge of the Wild]]
* [[Edhellond]]
* [[Edoras]]
* [[Egladil]]
* [[Eglador]] (Doriath)
* [[Eglamar (Falas)]]
* [[Eglarest]]
* [[Eilenach]]
* [[Eilenaer]] (Halifirien)
* [[Eithel Ivrin]]
* [[Eithel Nínui]]
* [[Eithel Sirion]]
* [[Ekkaia]]
* [[Eldalondë|Eldalondë the Green]]
* [[Eldamar]]
| width=33.33% style="border-left: 1px solid #9999FF; padding-left:1em;"|
* [[Elemmírë]]
* [[Elendë]]
* [[Elenna]]
* [[Númenor|Elennanórê]] (Númenor)
* [[Elerrína]] (Taniquetil)
* [[Elf-path]]
* [[Ellor Eshúrizel]]
* [[Elostirion]]
* [[Elvenhome]] (Calacirian, Eressêa)
* [[Elvenking's Halls]]
* [[Elvet-isle]]
* [[Elwing's tower]]
* [[Emerië]]
* [[Empty Lands]]
* [[Emyn Arnen]]
* [[Emyn Beraid]] (Tower Hills)
* [[Emyn Duir]] (Mountains of Mirkwood)
* [[Emyn Eglain]]
* [[Emyn Muil]]
* [[Emyn-nu-Fuin]] (Mountains of Mirkwood)
* [[Emyn Uial]] (Hills of Evendim)
* [[Enchanted Isles]]
* [[Enchanted River]]
* [[Encircling Mountains]] (Echoriath)
* [[Ekkaia|Encircling Sea]] (Ekkaia)
* [[Endless Stair]]
* [[Endor]] (Middle-earth)
* [[Ened]]
* [[Enedwaith]]
* [[Entwade]]
* [[Entwash]] (river)
* [[Entwash Vale]]
* [[Entwood]] (Fangorn)
* [[Ephel Brandir]]
* [[Ephel Dúath]]
* [[Lonely Mountain|Erebor]] (Lonely Mountain)
* [[Erech]]
| width=33.33% style="border-left: 1px solid #9999FF; padding-left:1em;"|
* [[Iron Mountains|Ered Engrin]] (Iron Mountains)
* [[Ered Gorgoroth]]
* [[Ered Lindon]] (Ered Luin)
* [[Ered Lithui]]
* [[Ered Lómin]]
* [[Grey Mountains|Ered Mithrin]] (Grey Mountains)
* [[White Mountains|Ered Nimrais]] (White Mountains)
* [[Ered Wethrin]]
* [[Eregion]]
* [[Erelas]]
* [[White House of Erendis|Erendis]] (White House of Erendis)
* [[Tol Eressëa|Eressëa]], Tol
* [[Eriador]]
* [[Erui]]
* [[Firienholt|Eryn Fuir]]
* [[Mirkwood|Eryn Galen]] (Greenwood the Great)
* [[Mirkwood|Eryn Vorn]] (Greenwood the Great)
* [[Esgalduin]]
* [[Lake-town|Esgaroth]] (Lake-town)
* [[Estirin]]
* [[Estolad]]
* [[Ethir Anduin]]
* [[Ethraid Engrin]] (Fords of Isen)
* [[Ethring]]
* [[Ettendales]]
* [[Ettenmoors]]
* [[Evadrien]]
* [[Evereven]] (Valinor)
* [[Everholt]] (Firien Wood)
* [[Evernight]] (Shadowy Seas)
* [[Ezellohar]]
|}

==F==
{| width=100%
|- valign=top
| width=33.33% |
* [[Faerie]]
* [[Falas]]
* [[Falassë Númëa]]
* [[Falls of Esgalduin]]
* [[Falls of Gelion]]
* [[Eithel Ivrin|Falls of Irvin]] (Eithel Ivrin)
* [[Rauros|Falls of Rauros]]
* [[Falls of Sirion]]
* [[Fangorn Forest]]
* [[Fanuidhol]] (Cloudyhead)
* [[Fanyamar]]
* [[Far Downs]]
* [[Far Harad]]
* [[Haerast|Far Shore]] (Haerast)
* [[Aman|Far West]] (Aman)
* [[Fôs' Almir|Faskalan]] (Fôs' Almir)
* [[Fôs' Almir|Faskala-númen]] (Fôs' Almir)
* [[Fen Hollen]]
* [[Fen of Serech]]
* [[Fenmarch]]
* [[Fens of Sirion]] (Aeluin-uial)
* [[Ferry Lane]]
* [[Field of Celebrant]]
| width=33.33% style="border-left: 1px solid #9999FF; padding-left:1em;"|
* [[Field of Cormallen]]
* [[Fingolfin's Cairn]]
* [[Firienfeld]]
* [[Firienholt]]
* [[Firienholt|Firien Wood]]
* [[Firmament]]
* [[First Deep]]
* [[First Hall]]
* [[Firth of Drengist]]
* [[Firth of Rómenna]]
* [[Fladweth Amrod]]
* [[Foen]]
* [[Folde]]
* [[Folkmoot for Judgement]]
* [[Forannest]]
* [[Forbidden Pool]]
* [[Ford of Brithiach]] (Brithiach)
* [[Ford of Bruinen]]
* [[Sarn Athrad|Ford of Stones]] (Sarn Athrad)
* [[Fords of Isen]]
* [[Forest Gate]]
* [[Brethil|Forest of Brethil]]
* [[Forest of Neldoreth]]
* [[Forest of Region]]
| width=33.33% style="border-left: 1px solid #9999FF; padding-left:1em;"|
* [[Forest River]]
* [[Forest Road]]
* [[Forfalas]]
* [[Forgotten Villages]]
* [[Forlindon]]
* [[Forlond]]
* [[Formenos]]
* [[Amon Anwar|Fornarthan]]
* [[Fornost Erain]]
* [[Forochel]]
* [[Forodwaith (lands)|Forodwaith]]
* [[Forostar]]
* [[The Forsaken Inn|Forsaken Inn]]
* [[Fôs' Almir]]
* [[Eithel Nínui|Fountain of Tinúviel]]
* [[Fox Downs]]
* [[Framsburg]]
* [[Frogmorton]]
* [[Front Gate]]
* [[Front Porch]]
|}

==G==
{| width=100%
|- valign=top
| width=33.33% |
* [[Belegost|Gabilgathod]] (Belegost)
* [[Gamwich]]
* [[Gap of Calenardhon]]
* [[Gap of Rohan]]
* [[Gardens of Lórien]]
* [[Garth of the Graves]]
* [[Gate of Gold]]
* [[Gate of Isengard]]
* [[Dark Door|Gate of the Dead]]
* [[Gate of the Noldor]] (Annon-In-Gadydh)
* [[Gate Stream]] (Sirannon)
* [[Gates of Morning]]
* [[Gates of Sirion]]
* [[Gateway]]
* [[Gelion]]
* [[Gelion-Ascar Stockade]]
* [[Gilrain]]
* [[Ginglith]]
* [[Girdle of Arda]]
* [[Girdle of Melian]]
* [[Girdley Island]]
* [[Gladden Fields]]
* [[Gladden River]]
* [[Glanduin]]
* [[Mering Stream|Glanhír]] (Mering Stream)
* [[Gliding Water]]
* [[Glithui]]
* [[Glittering Caves]] (Aglarond)
* [[Goblin-gate]] (Back-door)
| width=33.33% style="border-left: 1px solid #9999FF; padding-left:1em;"|
* [[Goblin-town]]
* [[Golden gates of Valmar]]
* [[Golden Hill]]
* [[Golden Wood]] (Lórien)
* [[Gollum's lake]]
* [[Gondolin]]
* [[Gondor]]
* [[Swans of Gorbelgod|Gorbelgod]]
* [[Pass of Aglon|Gorge of Aglon]]
* [[Ered Gorgoroth|Gorgoroth]], Ered
* [[Plateau of Gorgoroth|Gorgoroth]], Plateau of
* great [[East Road]]
* [[Great Chamber of Thrór]]
* [[Swanfleet|Great Fens]] (Swanfleet)
* [[Great Gates]]
* [[Great Gulf]]
* [[Great Hall of Feasts]]
* [[Great Hall of Osgiliath]]
* [[Hall of the Chieftains]]
* [[Great Hall of Thráin]]
* [[Great House]]
* [[Great Lake]]
* [[Great Lands]] (Middle-earth)
* [[Great Market]]
* [[Great Mound]] (Haudh-en-Ndengin)
* [[Great Plains]]
* [[Great rift]]
* [[Anduin|Great River]] (Anduin)
* [[Great Shelf]] (Eagles' Eyrie)
* [[Great Smials]]
* [[Great Southern Forests]]
* [[Great Square]]
| width=33.33% style="border-left: 1px solid #9999FF; padding-left:1em;"|
* [[Great West Road]]
* [[Old Man Willow|Great Willow]]
* [[Greater Gelion]]
* [[Green Dragon]]
* [[Green Emberü]]
* [[Green Hill Country]]
* [[Green Hills]]
* [[Pinnath Gelin|Green Hills]] (Pinnath Gelin)
* [[Greenfields]]
* [[Greenholm]]
* [[Greenway]]
* [[Mirkwood|Greenwood the Great]]
* [[Grey Havens]] (Mithlond)
* [[Grey Mountains]]
* [[Grey Mountains (ancient)]]
* [[Grey Wood]]
* [[Greyflood]] (River Gwathlo)
* [[Greylin]]
* [[Grimslade]]
* [[Grinding Ice]] (Helcaraxë)
* [[Grindwall]]
* [[Gruir]]
* [[Talath Dirnen|Guarded Plain]] (Talath Dirnen)
* [[Gulf of Lune|Gulf of Lhûn]]
* [[Gundabad]]
* [[Gwathló]], River (Gwathir, Greywood)
|}

==H==
{| width=100%
|- valign=top
| width=33.33% |
*[[Hadhodrond]]
*[[Haeren]]
*[[Haerast]]
*[[Amon Anwar|Halifirien]] (Amon Anwar)
*[[Brodda's hall|Hall of Brodda]]
*[[Hall of Fire]]
*[[Hallows]]
*[[Mansions of Aulë|Halls of Aulë]]
*[[Khazad-dûm|Halls of Durin]] (Khazad-dûm)
*[[Halls of Mandos]]
*[[Halls of Nienna]]
*[[Hanstovánen]]
*[[Harad]]
*[[Harad Road]]
*[[Hardbottle]]
*[[Harfalas]]
*[[Harlindon]]
*[[Harlond (Gondor)]], Gondor
*[[Harlond (Lindon)]], Gondor
*[[Harnen]], River
*[[South Gondor|Harondor]] (South Gondor)
*[[Harrowdale]]
*[[Haudh-en-Elleth]]
*[[Hill of the Slain|Haudh-en-Ndengin]] (Hill of the Slain)
*[[Hill of the Slain|Haudh-en-Nirnaeth]] (Hill of the Slain)
*[[Haudh in Gwanûr]]
*[[Dwimorberg|Haunted Mountain]] (Dwimorberg)
*[[Cirith Gorgor|Haunted Pass]] (Cirith Gorgor)
*[[Avallónë|Haven of the Eldar]] (Avallónë)
*[[Haven of the Swans]] (Alqualondë)
*[[Grey Havens|Havens of Mithlond]] (Grey Havens)
*[[Mouths of Sirion|Havens of Sirion]]
*[[Havens of the Falas]]
*[[Umbar|Haven of Umbar]]
*[[Buckland Gate|Hay Gate]] (Buckland Gate)
| width=33.33% style="border-left: 1px solid #9999FF; padding-left:1em;"|
*[[Haysend]]
*[[Heath of the Sky-roof]]
*[[High Hay|Hedge]], the
*[[Sea of Helcar|Helcar]], Sea of
*[[Helcaraxë]]
*[[Helevorn]]
*[[Helluin]]
*[[Helm's Deep]]
*[[Helm's Dike]]
*[[Helm's Gate]]
*[[Henneth Annûn]]
*[[Hidden ferries]]
*[[Hidden Way]]
*[[Court of the Fountain (Minas Tirith)|High Court]] (Court of the Fountain)
*[[Taur-en-Faroth|High Faroth]] (Taur-en-Faroth)
*[[High Hay]] (The Hedge)
*[[High Pass]]
*[[Hildórien]]
*[[Amon Anwar|Hill of Awe]] (Halifirien, Amon Anwar)
*[[Hill of Erech]]
*[[Hill of Guard]]
*[[Amon Lhaw|Hill of Hearing]] (Amon Lhaw)
*[[Hill of Himring]]
*[[Taniquetil|Hill of Ilmarin]] (Taniquetil)
*[[Hill of Oromet]]
*[[Amon Hen|Hill of Seeing]] (Amon Hen)
*[[Amon Ethir|Hill of Spies]] (Amon Ethir)
*[[Amon Lhaw|Hill of the Ear]] (Amon Lhaw)
*[[Amon Hen|Hill of the Eye]] (Amon Hen)
*[[The Hill|Hill]], the
*[[Hills of Agar]] (Pinnath Gelin)
*[[Emyn Eglain|Hills of Eglamar]]
| width=33.33% style="border-left: 1px solid #9999FF; padding-left:1em;"|
*[[Hills of Evendim]] (Emyn Uial)
*[[Hills of Scary]]
*[[Hill of the Slain]]
*[[Himlad]]
*[[Himring]]
*[[Hírilorn]]
*[[Misty Mountains|Hithaeglir]] (Misty Mountains)
*[[Hither Lands]]
*[[Hither Shore]] (Nevrast)
*[[Hithlum]]
*[[Hoarwell]] (River Mitheithel)
*[[Hobbiton]]
*[[Hobbiton Hill]] (The Hill)
*[[Hobbiton Road]]
*[[Hollin]] (Eregion)
*[[Doors of Durin|Hollin Gate]] (Doors of Durin, West-door)
*[[Hollin ridge]]
*[[Hornburg]]
*[[Hornrock]]
*[[House of Oromë]]
*[[House of the Hundred Chimneys]]
*[[House of the Kings]]
*[[House of the Mírdain]]
*[[House of the Stewards]]
*[[House of Ransom]]
*[[House of Tulkas]]
*[[Houses of Healing]]
*[[Halls of Mandos|House of the Dead]] (Halls of Mandos)
*[[Houses of the Dead]]
*[[Huts of the raft-elves]]
*[[Hyarastorni]]
*[[Hyarmentir]]
*[[Hyarnustar]]
*[[Hyarrostar]]
|}

==I==
{| width=100%
|- valign=top
| width=33.33% |
* [[Iant Iaur]]
* [[Icebay of Forochel]]
* [[Ice of the North]] (Helcaraxë)
* [[Idril's secret way]]
* [[Trann|i Drann]] (the Shire)
* [[Illuin]]
* [[Ilmarin]]
* [[Ilmen]], Chasm of
* [[Ilmen]]
* [[Ilu]]
* [[Ilurambar]]
* [[Imlad Morgul]] (Morgul Vale)
* [[Rivendell|Imladris]] (Rivendell)
* [[Imloth Melui]]
* [[Imrath Gondraith]] (Stonewain Valley)
| width=33.33% style="border-left: 1px solid #9999FF; padding-left:1em;"|
* [[Inner Seas]]
* [[Sea of Rhûn|Inland Sea]] (Sea of Rhûn)
* [[Sea of Helcar|Inland Sea of Helcar]]
* [[Írensaga]]
* [[Angband|Iron Fortress]] (Angband)
* [[Iron Hills]]
* [[Iron Mountains]]
* [[Irtinsa]]
* [[Isen]]
* [[Isengard]]
* [[Isenmouthe]]
* [[Ishmalog]]
* [[Almaren|Isle of Almaren]]
| width=33.33% style="border-left: 1px solid #9999FF; padding-left:1em;"|
* [[Isle of Balar]]
* [[Isle of Elenna]]
* [[Tol Eressëa|Isle of Eressëa]] (Tol Eressëa)
* [[Meneltarma|Isle of Meneltarma]]
* [[Tol-in-Gaurhoth|Isle of Werewolves]] (Tol-in-Gaurhoth)
* [[Isles of the West]] (Aman)
* [[Ithilien]]
* [[Pools of Ivrin|Ivrin]] (Eithel Irvin)
* [[Ivrin's Well]]
* [[Ivy Bush]]
|}

==J==
*N/A

==K==
{| width=100%
|- valign=top
| width=33.33% |
* [[Kalormë]]
* [[Kapalinda]]
* [[Rivendell#Etymology|Karningul]] (Rivendell)
* [[Celos|Kelos]]
* [[Kelusindi]]
* [[Khand]]
* [[Moria|Khazad-dûm]]
* [[Kheled-zâram]]
| width=33.33% style="border-left: 1px solid #9999FF; padding-left:1em;"|
* [[Kibil-nâla]] (Spring of Silverlode)
* [[Kingdom of the South]] (Gondor)
* [[Kingdom under the Mountain]] (Erebor)
* [[King's Court]]
* [[King's House]] (in [[Gondor]])
* [[King's house]] (in [[Númenor]])
* [[King's house|King's palace]] (in [[Númenor]])
* [[Kingsland]] (Arandor [in Númenor])
| width=33.33% style="border-left: 1px solid #9999FF; padding-left:1em;"|
* [[Arnor#Etymology|Kingsland]] (Arnor)
* [[Fornost Erain|Kings' Norbury]] (Fornost Erain)
* [[Ciril|Kiril]]
* [[Cirith Ungol|Kirith Ungol]]
* [[Kôr]]
* [[Kortirion]]
|}

==L==
{| width=100%
|- valign=top
| width=33.33% |
*[[Ladros]]
*[[Helevorn|Lake Helevorn]]
*[[Lake Mithrim]]
*[[Lake Evendim|Lake Nenuial]]
*[[Lake-town]] (Esgaroth)
*[[Lamedon]]
*[[Lammoth]]
*[[Lampwrights' Street]] (Rath Celerdain)
*[[Dor-Cúarthol|Land of Bow and Helm]]
*[[Númenor|Land of Gift]]
*[[Dor Firn-i-Guinar|Land of the Dead that Live]] (Dor Firn-i-Guinar)
*[[Land of the Sun]]
*[[Middle-earth#Names|Lands Without]] (Middle-earth)
*[[Anduin|Langflood]] (River Anduin)
*[[Langstrand]] (Anfalas)
*[[Langwell]], River
*[[Lanthir Lamath]]
*[[Last Bridge]] (Bridge of Mitheithel)
*[[last Desert]]
*[[Rivendell|Last Homely House]]
*[[Methedras|Last Mountain]] (Methedras)
*[[Last Shore]] (Eressëa, Calacirian)
| width=33.33% style="border-left: 1px solid #9999FF; padding-left:1em;"|
*[[Laurelin]]
*[[Lothlórien|Laurelindórenan]] (Lórien)
*[[Lebennin]]
*[[Lefnui]], River
*[[Legolin]], River
*[[Lesser Market]]
*[[Lhûn]] (River Lune)
*[[Limlight]]
*[[Linaewen]]
*[[Lindon]]
*[[Lothlórien|Lindórinan]] (Lórien)
*[[Linhir]]
*[[Lisgardh]]
*[[Lithir]], River
*[[Lithlad]]
*[[Little Delving]]
*[[Little Gelion]], River
*[[Little Lune]]
*[[Lockholes]] (at Michael Delving)
*[[Loeg Ningloron]] (Gladden Fields)
*[[Lond Daer|Lond Daer Enedh]] (Lond Daer)
*[[Lone-lands]]
*[[Tol Eressëa|Lonely Isle]] (Tol Eressëa)
*[[Lonely Mountain]] (Erebor)
| width=33.33% style="border-left: 1px solid #9999FF; padding-left:1em;"|
*[[Longbottom]]
*[[Long Cleeve]]
*[[Long Lake]]
*[[Long Marshes]]
*[[Andram|Long Wall]], the (Andram)
*[[Lórellin]]
*[[Lothlórien|Lórien]]
*[[Lórinand]] (Lórien)
*[[Losgar]]
*[[Lossarnach]]
*[[Eressêa|Lost Isle]] (Eressêa)
*[[Desert of Lostladen|Lostladen, Desert of]]
*[[Lothlann]]
*[[Lothlórien]]
*[[Loudwater]] (River Bruinen)
*[[Lower Halls]]
*[[Barad-dûr|Lugbúrz]] (Barad-dûr)
*[[Lhûn|Lune]] (River Lhûn)
*[[Luinil]]
*[[Lumbar]]
*[[Luthany]]
*[[Luvailin]] (Shadowmere)
|}

==M==
{| width=100%
|- valign=top
| width=33.33% |
*[[Bamfurlong|Maggot's Farm]] (Bamfurlong)
*[[Maggot's Lane]]
*[[Maglor's Gap]]
*[[Máhanaxar]] (Ring of Doom)
*[[Malduin]], River
*[[Halls of Mandos|Mandos]], Halls of
*[[Mansions of Aulë]]
*[[March of Maedhros]]
*[[Marish]], The
*[[Riddermark|Mark]], The (Riddermark)
*[[Mar-nu-Falmar]] (Atalantë)
*[[Marshes in the south]]
*[[Marshes of Nevrast]]
*[[Meduseld]]
*[[Men-i-Naugrim]] (Forest Road)
*[[Menegroth]]
*[[Menelrond]]
*[[Menelmacar]]
*[[Menelmakil]]
*[[Meneltarma]]
*[[Menelvagor]]
*[[Mere of Dead Faces]]
*[[Meres of Twilight]] (Aelin-uial)
*[[Great Hall of Feasts|Merethrond]] (Hall of Feasts)
*[[Mering Stream]]
*[[Methed-en-glad]]
*[[Methedras]]
*[[Methiriad]]
*[[Michel Delving]]
*[[Middle-earth]]
*[[Midgewater Marshes]]
*[[Old Mill|Mill]], Sandyman's (Old Mill)
*[[Minas Anor]]
*[[Minas Morgul|Minas Ithil]]
*[[Minas Morgul]]
| width=33.33% style="border-left: 1px solid #9999FF; padding-left:1em;"|
*[[Minas Tirith]] (Gondor)
*[[Minas Tirith (Beleriand)|Minas Tirith]] (Tol Sirion)
*[[Mindeb]], River
*[[Mindolluin]], Mount
*[[Mindon Eldaliéva]]
*[[Minhiriath]]
*[[Min-Rimmon]]
*[[Mirkwood]]
*[[Mirrormere]]
*[[Misty Mountains]] (Hithaeglir)
*[[Mithe]]
*[[Mithe Steps]]
*[[Mitheithel]] (River Hoarwell)
*[[Grey Havens|Mithlond]] (Grey Havens)
*[[Mithrim]]
*[[Mittalmar]]
*[[Moors of the Nibin-noeg|Moors of the Neweglu]]
*[[Moors of the Nibin-noeg]]
*[[Folkmoot for Judgement|Moot of Brethil]]
*[[Moot-ring]]
*[[Black Gate|Morannon]]
*[[Mordor]]
*[[Morgai]]
*[[Morgul Pass]]
*[[Morgul-road]]
*[[Morgulduin]], River
*[[Moria]] (Khazad-dûm)
*[[Moria]], Mountains of
*[[Moriondë]]
*[[Mornan]]
*[[Morthond]], River
| width=33.33% style="border-left: 1px solid #9999FF; padding-left:1em;"|
*[[Mound of the Riders]]
*[[Mounds of Mundburg]]
*[[Mountains of Moria]]
*[[Dolmed|Mount Dolmed]]
*[[Mount Doom]]
*[[Taniquetil|Mount Everwhite]] (Taniquentil)
*[[Mount Fang]] (Orthanc)
*[[Mount Gram]]
*[[Gundabad|Mount Gundabad]]
*[[Mindolluin|Mount Mindolluin]]
*[[Orod-na-Thôn|Mount of the Pine Tree(s)]] (Orod-na-Thôn)
*[[Rerir|Mount Rerir]]
*[[Taras|Mount Taras]]
*[[Mountain of Fire]]
*[[Pelóri|Mountains of Aman]] (The Pelóri)
*[[Mountains of Angmar]]
*[[Blue Mountains|Mountains of Lune]] (Ered Luin, Blue Mountains)
*[[Mountains of Mirkwood]]
*[[Mountains of Mithrim]]
*[[Ered Wethrin|Mountains of Shadow]] (Ered Wethrin)
*[[Ephel Dúath|Mountains of Shadow]] (Ephel Dúath)
*[[Mountains of Terror]] (Ered Gorgoroth)
*[[Ered Gorgoroth|Mountains of the East]] (Orocarni)
*[[Mountain Wall]]
*[[Ethir Anduin|Mouths of Anduin]]
*[[Mouths of Entwash]]
*[[Mouths of Sirion]]
*[[Mundburg]] (Minas Tirith of Gondor)
|}

==N==
{| width=100%
|- valign=top
| width=33.33% |
*[[Naith]], the
*[[Mordor|Nameless Land]] (Mordor)
*[[Nan Curunír]]
*[[Nan Dungortheb]]
*[[Nan Elmoth]]
*[[Nan-tathren]] (Tasarinan)
*[[Nanduhirion]]
*[[Narchost]]
*[[Nardol]]
*[[Nargil Pass]]
*[[Nargothrond]]
*[[Narog]], River
*[[Narrows of the Forest]]
*[[Near Harad]]
*[[Needlehole]]
*[[Forest of Neldoreth|Neldoreth]], Forest of
*[[Neldoreth (Rhûn)]]
*[[Nen (river in Valinor)|Nen]]
*[[Nénar]]
*[[Cuiviénen|Nen Echui]] (Cuiviénen)
*[[Nen Girith]] (Dimrost)
*[[Nen Hithoel]]
*[[Nen Lalaith]]
*[[Nenning]], River
*[[Nenuial]] (Lake Evendim)
| width=33.33% style="border-left: 1px solid #9999FF; padding-left:1em;"|
*[[Nether Darkness]]
*[[Nevrast]] (Hither Shore)
*[[Nevrast]]
*[[Lond Daer Enedh|New Haven]] (Lond Daer Enedh)
*[[New lands]]
*[[Newbury]]
*[[Nimbrethil]]
*[[Nimrodel]], River
*[[Nindalf]]
*[[Nindamos]]
*[[Gladden River|Ninglor]] (River Gladden)
*[[Nîn-in-Eilph]] (Swanfleet)
*[[Nísimaldar]]
*[[Nísinen]], Lake
*[[Nivrim]]
*[[Nobottle]]
*[[Nogrod]]
*[[Noirinan]]
*[[Noman-lands]]
*[[Fornost|Norbury]] (Fornost)
| width=33.33% style="border-left: 1px solid #9999FF; padding-left:1em;"|
*[[Nornhabar]]
*[[North Cape]]
*[[North Downs]]
*[[North End]] (Moria)
*[[North Farthing]]
*[[Buckland Gate|North Gate]] (Buckland Gate)
*[[North Ithilien]]
*[[Arnor|North Kingdom]] (Arnor)
*[[Northlands]]
*[[North March]] (Gondor)
*[[North Marches of Beleriand]]
*[[North-march]] (Brethil)
*[[North Moors]]
*[[North Road]]
*[[North Road of Ithilien]] (Southward Road)
*[[North-South Road]]
*[[North Stair]]
*[[North Undeep]]
*[[North-way]]
*[[Eriador|Northerland]] (Eriador)
*[[darkness of the North|Northern dark]]
*[[Northern Waste]]
*[[Novrod]] (Nogrod)
*[[Woods of Núath|Núath]] , Woods of
*[[Númenor|Númendor]] (Númenor)
*[[Númenor]]
*[[Nunduinë]]
*[[Nurn]]
|}

==O==
{| width=100%
|- valign=top
| width=33.33% |
* [[Oatbarton]]
* [[Obel Halad]]
* [[Ocean]]
* [[Taniquetil|Oiolossë]] (Taniquetil)
* [[Oiomúrë]]
* [[Iant Iaur|Old Bridge]] (Iant Iaur)
* [[Old Ford]]
* [[Old Forest]]
* [[Old Forest Road]]
* [[Old Grange]]
* [[Old Guesthouse]] (Sennas Iaur)
* [[Old Mill]]
* [[Drúwaith Iaur|Old Púkel land]] (Drúwaith Iaur)
* [[Old Road]]
* [[Old South Road (Beleriand)]]
| width=33.33% style="border-left: 1px solid #9999FF; padding-left:1em;"|
* [[Old South Road]] (Middle-earth)
* [[Old Winyards]]
* [[Old World]]
* [[Ondolindë]] (Gondolin)
* [[Ondoluncanando]] (Stonewain Valley)
* [[Gondor|Ondonórë]] (Gondor)
* [[Ondosto]]
* [[Onodló]] (Entwash)
* [[Orc-holds]]
* [[Orfalch Echor]]
* [[Ormal]]
* [[Orocarni]] (Red Mountains)
* [[Orod-na-Thôn]] (Pine-mountain)
* [[Mount Doom|Orodruin]] (Mount Doom)
| width=33.33% style="border-left: 1px solid #9999FF; padding-left:1em;"|
* [[Oromet]]
* [[Orrostar]]
* [[Orthanc]]
* [[Osgiliath]]
* [[Ossiriand]]
* [[Ost-in-Edhil]]
* [[Valinor|Otherworld]] (Valinor, in the ''[[Eärendillinwë]]'')
* [[Void|Outer Dark]] or [[Void|Outer Darkness]]
* [[Outer Lands]]
* [[Outer Sea]]
* [[Outlands]]
* [[Overbourn]]
* [[Overbourn Marshes]]
* [[Overhill]]
|}

==P==
{| width=100%
|- valign=top
| width=33.33% |
*[[Palisor]]
*[[Field of Celebrant|Parth Celebrant]] (Field of Celebrant)
*[[Parth Galen]]
*[[Party Field]]
*[[Pass of Aglon]]
*[[Anach|Pass of Anach]]
*[[Pastures of Yavanna]]
*[[Paths of the Dead]]
| width=33.33% style="border-left: 1px solid #9999FF; padding-left:1em;"|
*[[Pelargir]]
*[[Pelennor Fields]]
*[[Pelóri]]
*[[Pen-arduin]]
*[[Phûrunargian]] (Khazad-dûm)
*[[Argonath|Pillars of the King]] (Argonath)
*[[Pincup]]
*[[Orod-na-Thôn|Pine-mountain]] (Orod-na-Thôn)
| width=33.33% style="border-left: 1px solid #9999FF; padding-left:1em;"|
*[[Pine of Tavrobel]]
*[[Pinnath Gelin]]
*[[Place of the Fountain]]
*[[Place of the Well]]
*[[Pool of Bywater]]
*[[Pool-side]]
*[[Pools of Ivrin]] (Eithel Ivrin)
*[[Poros]], River
*[[The Prancing Pony|Prancing Pony]], the
|}

==Q==
*[[Qerkaringa]]
*[[Quarry]]

==R==
{| width=100%
|- valign=top
| width=33.33% |
*[[Radhrim]]
*[[Rainbow Cleft]] (Cirith Ninniach)
*[[Ramdal]]
*[[Rammas Echor]]
*[[Ras Mewrim]]
*[[Ras Morthil]] (Andrast)
*[[Rath Celerdain]]
*[[Rath Dínen]]
*[[Rathlóriel]]
*[[Rauros]]
*[[Ravenhill]]
*[[Ravines of Taeglin|Ravines of Teiglin]] (Cabed-en-Aras)
*[[Caradhras|Redhorn]] (Caradhras)
| width=33.33% style="border-left: 1px solid #9999FF; padding-left:1em;"|
*[[Caradhras|Redhorn Gate]], Pass
*[[Redwater]] (River Carnen)
*[[Forest of Region|Region]]
*[[Region of Everlasting Cold]]
*[[Remmirath]]
*[[Reunited Kingdom]]
*[[Rhimdath]]
*[[Rhosgobel]]
*[[Rhovanion]]
*[[Rhudaur]]
*[[Rhûn]]
*[[Min-Rimmon]] (Min-Rimmon)
*[[Máhanaxar|Ring of Doom]] (Máhanaxar)
*[[Ring of Isengard]]
| width=33.33% style="border-left: 1px solid #9999FF; padding-left:1em;"|
*[[Ringil (tower)|Ringil]] (tower)
*[[Sea of Ringil|Ringil, Sea of]]
*[[Ringló]], River
*[[Ringló Vale]]
*[[Ringwil]], River
*[[Rivendell]] (Imladris)
*[[River Running]]
*[[Rivil]]
*[[Rivil's Well]]
*[[Road of Arches]]
*[[Road of Pomps]]
*[[Rohan|Rochand]] (Rohan)
*[[Rómenna]]
*[[Rôs]]
*[[Ruamórë]]
*[[Rhûn#Other versions of the Legendarium|Rûnaer]]
*[[Rushdown]]
*[[Rushock Bog]]
*[[Rushey|Rushy]] (Rushey)
|}

==S==
{| width=100%
|- valign=top
| width=33.33% |
*[[Sammath Naur]]
*[[Old Mill|Sandyman's Mill]] (Old Mill)
*[[Sarn Athrad]]
*[[Sarn Ford]] (Sarn Athrad of Eriador)
*[[Sarn Gebir]]
*[[Sauron's Isle]] (Tol Sirion)
*[[Sauron's Road]]
*[[Sauron's Temple]]
*[[Scary]]
*[[The Sea|Sea]], the
*[[Sea of Helcar]]
*[[Sea of Núrnen]]
*[[Sea of Rhûn]]
*[[Sea of Ringil]]
*[[Seat of Hearing]]
*[[Seat of Seeing]]
*[[Sea-ward Tower]]
*[[Second Hall]]
*[[Serni]] (River Sernui)
*[[Seven Gates of Gondolin]]
*[[Seventh Level]]
*[[Seven Stars]]
*[[Luvailin|Shadowmere]] (Luvailin)
*[[Enchanted Isles|Shadowy Isles]] (Enchanted Isles)
*[[Ered Wethrin|Shadowy Mountains]] (Ered Wethrin)
*[[Ephel Dúath|Shadowy Mountains]] (Ephel Dúath)
| width=33.33% style="border-left: 1px solid #9999FF; padding-left:1em;"|
*[[Shadowy Seas]]
*[[Shadowy Spring]]
*[[Amon Rûdh|Sharabhund]] (Amon Rûdh)
*[[Shathûr]] (Cloudyhead)
*[[Shelob's Lair]]
*[[The Shire|Shire]], the
*[[Shirebourn]], River
*[[Back Door|Side-door]]
*[[Celebrant|Silverlode]], River (Celebrant)
*[[Celebdil|Silvertine]] (Celebdil)
*[[Sindanórie]]
*[[Sirannon]]
*[[Siril]], River
*[[Sirion]], River
*[[Sirith]], River
*[[Sirnúmen]]
*[[Gladden River|Sîr Ninglor]]
*[[Slag-hills]]
*[[Snowbourn]], River
*[[Snowmane's Howe]]
*[[Sorontil]]
*[[Soronúmë]]
*[[South Downs]]
*[[Southern Fiefs]]
*[[Southfarthing|South Farthing]]
*[[South Gondor]]
*[[South Ithilien]]
*[[Gondor|South Kingdom]] (Gondor)
*[[South Lane]]
| width=33.33% style="border-left: 1px solid #9999FF; padding-left:1em;"|
*[[Old South Road|South Road]], Eriador
*[[South Road]], Gondor
*[[South Undeep]]
*[[Southward Road]]
*[[Spider-colony]]
*[[Staddle]]
*[[Stair Falls]]
*[[Stair of the Hold]]
*[[Stairs of Cirith Ungol]]
*[[Standelf]]
*[[Starkhorn]]
*[[Star of Eärendil]]
*[[Fen Hollen|Steward's Door]] (Fen Hollen)
*[[Stock]]
*[[Stock Road]]
*[[Stock-brook|Stockbrook]]
*[[Stone-city]]
*[[Stone-houses]]
*[[Stonewain Valley]]
*[[Gondor|Stoningland]] (Gondor)
*[[Straight Road]]
*[[Straight Stair]]
*[[Straits of the World]]
*[[Sun]]
*[[Sundering Seas]] (Belegaer)
*[[Sunlands]] (Harad and beyond)
*[[Sunlendings]] (Anórien)
*[[Hornburg|Sûthburg]] (Hornburg)
*[[Sûza]] (The Shire)
*[[Swanfleet]]
|}

==T==
{| width=100%
|- valign=top
| width=33.33% |
*[[Taeglin]], River
*[[Talath Dirnen]]
*[[Taruithorn]]
*[[Thargelion|Talath Rhûnen]] (Thargelion)
*[[Taniquetil]]
*[[Fôs' Almir|Tanyasalpë]] (Fôs' Almir)
*[[Taras]]
*[[Taras-ness]]
*[[Tar-Minastir]]
*[[Tarlang's Neck]]
*[[Tarmasundar]]
*[[Tarn Aeluin]]
*[[Tarnost]]
*[[Tasarinan]] (Nan-tathren)
*[[Tauremorna]] (Fangorn)
*[[Fangorn Forest|Tauremornalómë]] (Fangorn)
*[[Mirkwood|Taur e-Ndaedelos]] (Mirkwood)
*[[Taur-en-Faroth]]
*[[Taur-im-Duinath]]
*[[Dorthonion#Etymology|Taur-na-Foen]] (Dorthonion)
*[[Forest of Neldoreth|Taur-Na-Neldor]] (Forest of Neldoreth)
*[[Taur-nu-Fuin (Dorthonion)|Taur-nu-Fuin]] (Dorthonion)
*[[Mirkwood|Taur-nu-Fuin]] (Mirkwood)
*[[Tavrobel]]
*[[Teeth of Mordor]]
*[[Tekel-Mirim]]
*[[Telperion]]
*[[Telumendil]]
*[[Temple of Sauron]]
*[[Thalos]], River
*[[Thangorodrim]]
| width=33.33% style="border-left: 1px solid #9999FF; padding-left:1em;"|
*[[Tharbad]]
*[[Thargelion]]
*[[The Wild]]
*[[Third Deep]] (Moria)
*[[Thistle Brook]]
*[[Thorin's Halls]]
*[[Thorn Sir]]
*[[Menegroth|Thousand Caves]] (Menegroth)
*[[Three-Farthing Stone]]
*[[Thrihyrne]]
*[[Tighfield]]
*[[Til (star)]]
*[[Timeless Halls]]
*[[Tindrock]] (Tol Brandir)
*[[Tirion]]
*[[Tirin na Gilweth]]
*[[Tirith Aear]]
*[[Tol Brandir]]
*[[Tol Eressëa]] (Eressëa)
*[[Tolfalas]]
*[[Tol Fuin]]
*[[Tol Galen]]
*[[Tol-in-Gaurhoth]] (Tol Sirion)
*[[Tol Morwen]]
*[[Tol Sirion]]
*[[Tol Uinen]]
*[[Tol Withernon]]
*[[Tomb of Elendil]]
*[[Tombs of the Kings]]
*[[Tongue]]
*[[Tookbank]]
*[[Tookland]]
*[[Tompollë]]
| width=33.33% style="border-left: 1px solid #9999FF; padding-left:1em;"|
*[[Shelob's Lair|Torech Ungol]] (Shelob's Lair)
*[[Tower Hall]]
*[[Tower Hills]]
*[[Tower of Avallónë]]
*[[Tower of Cirith Ungol]]
*[[Tower of Ecthelion]] (White Tower)
*[[Mindon Eldaliéva|Tower of Ingwë]] (Mindon Eldaliéva)
*[[Tower of the King]]
*[[Tower of Pearl]]
*[[Tower of the Stone]]
*[[Towers of the Teeth]] (Narchost, Carchost)
*[[Town Hole]]
*[[Tram Nybol]]
*[[Treebeard's Hill]]
*[[Treegarth of Orthanc]]
*[[Trolls' lair]]
*[[Trollshaws]]
*[[Troll Ridge]]
*[[Tuckborough]]
*[[Tumhalad]]
*[[Tumladen|Tumladen of Gondolin]]
*[[Tumladen (Gondor)|Tumladen of Gondor]]
*[[Tumunzahar]] (Nozgrod)
*[[Túna]]
*[[Twenty-First Hall]]
*[[Aelin-uial|Twilight Meres]] (Aelin-uial)
*[[Two Trees of Valinor]]
*[[Two Watchers]]
*[[Barrow-downs|Tyrn Gorthad]] (Barrow-downs)
|}

==U==
{| width=100%
|- valign=top
| width=33.33% |
*[[Udul]]
*[[Udûn (stronghold)|Udûn]] (Utumno)
*[[Udûn (valley)|Udûn of Mordor]]
*[[Umbar]]
*[[Aelin-uial|Umboth-muilin]] (Aelin-uial, Twilight Meres)
*[[Undeeps]] (North and South)
| width=33.33% style="border-left: 1px solid #9999FF; padding-left:1em;"|
*[[Undergate]]
*[[Underhill (house)|Underhill]] (house of Tom Bombadil)
*[[Underhill (village)|Underhill]]
*[[Under-way]]
*[[Underharrow]]
*[[Undertowers]]
*[[Undying Lands]] (Aman and Eressëa)
| width=33.33% style="border-left: 1px solid #9999FF; padding-left:1em;"|
*[[Ulmonan]]
*[[Upbourn]]
*[[Uttermost West]] (Aman and Eressëa)
*[[Utumno]]
|}

==V==
{| width=100%
|- valign=top
| width=33.33% |
*[[Vaiya]]
*[[Valacirca]]
*[[Vale of Sirion]]
*[[Vales of Anduin]]
*[[Valinor|Valandor]] (Valinor)
*[[Valimar]]
*[[Valmar]]
| width=33.33% style="border-left: 1px solid #9999FF; padding-left:1em;"|
*[[Valinor]]
*[[Veil of Arda]]
*[[Verna]]
*[[Vinyalondë]] (Lond Daer Enedh)
| width=33.33% style="border-left: 1px solid #9999FF; padding-left:1em;"|
*[[Vinyamar]]
*[[Vista]]
*[[Void]]
|}

==W==
{| width=100%
|- valign=top
| width=33.33% |
* [[Waking Water]] (Cuiviénen)
* [[Wall's End]] (Ramdal)
* [[Walls of Moria]]
* [[Walls of the Night]]
* [[Walls of the Sun]]
* [[Walls of the World]]
* [[Waste]]
* [[Treegarth of Orthanc|Watchwood]] (Treegarth of Orthanc)
* [[Water-valley]]
* [[Water of Awakening]] (Cuiviénen)
* [[Way of Escape]]
* [[Way of Running Waters]]
* [[Waymeet]]
* [[Weather Hills]]
* [[Weathertop]]
* [[Wellinghall]]
* [[Wells of Ivrin]] (Eithil Ivrin)
* [[Wells of Varda]]
* [[Doors of Durin|West-door]] (Hollin Gate)
* [[West-gate of Bree]]
* [[Doors of Durin|West-gate of Moria]] (Doors of Durin)
* [[West-march]]
* [[West-mark]]
| width=33.33% style="border-left: 1px solid #9999FF; padding-left:1em;"|
* [[West Beleriand]]
* [[Uttermost West|West of the World]]
* [[West Pass]] (Pass of Sirion)
* [[West Road]]
* [[Westemnet]]
* [[Annúminas|Westermanton]] (Annúminas)
* [[Western Sea]] (Belegaer)
* [[Western Shore]] (Falas)
* [[Westernesse]] (Númenor)
* [[Westfarthing]]
* [[Westfold]]
* [[Westfold Vale]]
* [[Westlands]]
* [[Westmarch]]
* [[Wetwang]] (Nindalf)
* [[Whispering Wood]] (Firien Wood)
* [[White Downs]]
* [[White House of Erendis]]
* [[White Mountain]] (Taniquetil)
* [[White Mountains]] (Ered Nimrais)
* [[White pillar]]
* [[Tower of Ecthelion|White Tower]] (Minas Tirith)
* [[White Towers]]
| width=33.33% style="border-left: 1px solid #9999FF; padding-left:1em;"|
* [[Whitfurrows]]
* [[Whitwell]]
* [[Wild Wood]]
* [[Rhovanion|Wilderland]]
* [[Willowbottom]]
* [[Wilwarin]]
* [[Windle-reach]]
* [[Winding Stair]]
* [[Window-curtain]] (Falls)
* [[Window of the Eye]]
* [[Window of the West]] (Henneth Annûn)
* [[Withered Heath]]
* [[Brown Lands|Withered Wold]]
* [[Withywindle|Withywindle River]]
* [[Withy-weir]]
* [[Wizard's Isle]] (Tol-in-Gaurhoth)
* [[Nan Curunír|Wizard's Vale]] (Nan Curunír)
* [[Wold]]
* [[Wood of Anwar]] (Firien Wood)
* [[Woods of Oromë]]
* [[Woodhall]]
* [[Woodland Realm]]
* [[Woody End]]
|}

==X==
*N/A

==Y==
{| width=100%
|- valign=top
| width=33.33% |
* [[The Yale]]
| width=33.33% style="border-left: 1px solid #9999FF; padding-left:1em;"|
* [[Yellow Mountains]]
| width=33.33% style="border-left: 1px solid #9999FF; padding-left:1em;"|
* [[Yôzâyan]] (Númenor)
|}
==Z==
* [[Celebdil|Zirakzigil]] (Celebdil or Silvertine)

{{DEFAULTSORT:{{PAGENAME}}}}
[[Category:Index]]
[[Category:Locations| ]]

Fell beasts

2026-02-26T20:51:53Z

Phaedrus: Hanging footnote citation correctly formatted

{{short description|Flying steeds of the Nazgûl}}
{{disambig-two|the winged steeds of the [[Nazgûl]]|vague term|[[Fell beasts (vague term)|fell beasts]]}}
{{race infobox
| name=Fell beasts
| image = John Howe - Nazgul 01.jpg
| caption="Nazgul" by [[John Howe]]
| pronun=
| othernames=Nazgûl-birds, Black Wings, hell-hawks
| origin=
| location=[[Mordor]]
| affiliation=[[Nazgûl]]
| rivalry=
| language=
| people=
| members=
| lifespan="Older world" - [[Third Age]]
| distinctions=A long neck and vast pinions
| height=
| hair=None
| skin=Webbed and plain
| clothing=
| weapons=Horned fingers, claws, and a beak
}}

'''[[Fell beasts (vague term)|Fell beasts]]'''<ref name="pelennor">{{RK|Battle}}</ref><ref>{{Cite DTP|LR 5.06.031}}</ref><ref>{{Cite DTP|LR 5.06.042}}</ref>, also called '''Nazgûl-birds'''<ref name="name">{{L|100}}</ref>, '''Black Wings'''<ref name="blackwing">{{TT|Gate}}</ref><ref>{{Cite DTP|LR 4.03.066}}</ref><ref>{{Cite DTP|LR 5.04.039}}</ref><ref>{{Cite DTP|LR 6.03.033}}</ref>, and '''hell-hawks'''<ref name="siege">{{RK|Siege}}</ref><ref>{{Cite DTP|LR 5.04.033}}</ref>, were huge pterodactylic<ref name="letter211">{{L|211}}</ref> flying creatures that served as steeds for the [[Nazgûl]].

==Description==
Fell beasts were great winged creatures with a beak and claws<ref>{{Cite DTP|LR 5.06.019}}</ref> and were described as similar to great carrion birds<ref name="blackwing" /><ref>{{Cite DTP|LR 4.03.064}}</ref>, but monstrous looking<ref name="harrowdale">{{RK|Muster}}</ref><ref>{{Cite DTP|LR 5.03.017}}</ref> and greater than all other birds<ref>{{Cite DTP|LR 5.06.006}}</ref>, including [[Eagles]]<ref name="siege" /><ref>{{Cite DTP|LR 5.04.030}}</ref>. They were dark and appeared shadow-like even at night.<ref name="dark">{{FR|River}}</ref><ref>{{Cite DTP|LR 2.09.055}}</ref> Their body was naked, lacking any quills or feathers. They had a long neck as well as vast pinions consisting of a web-like "hide between horned fingers".<ref name="pelennor" /><ref>{{Cite DTP|LR 5.06.006}}</ref> They possessed a "fell speed" which allowed them to fly faster than the wind.<ref name="deadmarshes">{{TT|Marshes}}</ref><ref>{{Cite DTP|LR 4.02.079}}</ref> Furthermore, fell beasts also gave off a stench. In battle they swooped upon prey with their feet to drop foes from the sky,<ref name="siege" /> crushed enemies under their sheer weight,<ref name="siege" /> and used their vast wings to blow foul gusts of wind.<ref name="pelennor" />

==History==
{{blockquote|A creature of an older world maybe it was, whose kind, lingering in forgotten mountains cold beneath the Moon, outstayed their day, and in hideous eyrie bred this last untimely brood, apt to evil. And the Dark Lord took it, and nursed it with fell meats, until it grew beyond the measure of all other things that fly; and he gave it to his servant to be his steed.|''[[The Return of the King]]'', "[[The Battle of the Pelennor Fields]]" <ref>{{Cite DTP|LR 5.06.006}}</ref>}}

While their origins are uncertain, the fell beasts may have hailed from an earlier age of the world,<ref name="letter211">{{L|211}}</ref> a diminishing number of which had clung to survival in the remote reaches of Middle-earth.<ref name="pelennor" /> Under Sauron's care, these creatures were prepared for the use of his Nazgûl, who employed them in travel and in the uses of war.<ref name="pelennor" />

Following the destruction of the black horses used by the [[Nazgûl]] in their pursuit of [[Frodo Baggins]], Sauron appointed his brood of fell beasts to serve as the [[Ringwraiths|Ringwraiths']] new steeds.<ref name="pelennor" /> These were glimpsed on several occasions before the [[Siege of Gondor]], where they bore the [[Nazgûl]] to war and plagued the armies of [[Gondor]] and [[Rohan]].<ref name="siege" /><ref name="pelennor" />

As the [[Fellowship of the Ring]] travelled down the [[Anduin]], a winged creature briefly attempted to assail the company before being driven off by an arrow from [[Legolas]]' bow.<ref name="dark" />

On Thursday [[1 March]], while Frodo, [[Samwise Gamgee]], and [[Gollum]] were crossing the [[Dead Marshes|Dead Marshes,]] a Nazgûl borne on a winged creature passed overhead at midnight at "the speed of the wrath of Sauron."<ref name="deadmarshes" /> On Sunday [[4 March]],<ref name="date">''[[The Chronology of The Lord of the Rings]]'', p. 62</ref> the party witnessed another Nazgûl, possibly "on some swift errand from Barad-dûr", pass overhead on a winged creature. On Monday [[5 March]],<ref name="date" /> an hour after midnight, a third winged creature flew overhead in the direction of Mordor.

Around dawn on Tuesday<ref name="tuesday">''[[The Chronology of The Lord of the Rings]]'', p. 64</ref> [[6 March]], "a flying darkness in the shape of a monstrous bird" swooped over the hall of [[Meduseld]] in [[Edoras|Edoras.]] To deter an attack, [[Gandalf]] counselled the [[Rohirrim]] to assemble at [[Dunharrow]], in the valley under the mountains, rather than in the fields outside Edoras. [[Théoden]] was told of the sighting after returning from the [[Hornburg]] three days later.<ref name="harrowdale" />

Five Nazgûl, aloft on winged creatures, assailed [[Faramir]] and his company as they retreated from [[Osgiliath]]. They were driven off by Gandalf, who caused a white light to be emitted from his hand, which the Nazgûl could not face.<ref name="siege" />

After the arrival of the Rohirrim to the [[Battle of the Pelennor Fields]], the [[Witch-king]] of [[Angmar]] abandoned his horse for a fell beast. Upon this steed he confronted the host of the Rohirrim, and slew Théoden's [[Snowmane|horse]] from underneath him. [[Éowyn]], casting away the guise of Dernhelm, leapt to the king's defense and killed the beast, and with the help of [[Meriadoc Brandybuck]] slew its rider.<ref name="pelennor" />

==Etymology==
As in the expression "fell things" occurring earlier in ''[[The Lord of the Rings]]'',<ref>{{FR|I3}}</ref> the word ''[[Wiktionary:fell#Etymology 4|fell]]'' in this sense is an archaic English word meaning "dreadful, terrible".<ref>{{HM|RC}}, p. 110</ref>

The term "[[Fell beasts (vague term)|fell beasts]]" is not used solely for the winged steeds of the Nazgûl: it was also used as a descriptor for various evil creatures of [[Mirkwood]],<ref>{{FR|Breaking}}</ref> and also a descriptor of a type of creature hunted by [[Oromë]] in addition to monsters.<ref name="valar">{{S|IIb}}</ref>

==Other versions of the legendarium==

==Inspiration==
In a reply to a letter, [[J.R.R. Tolkien]] wrote that he did not intend for the Nazgûl-bird<ref name="name" /> to be a [[Wikipedia:Pterosaur|pterodactyl]], though he acknowledged that it was "''pterodactylic''" and "owes much to" the "mythology of the 'Prehistoric'". He considered that its description left open the possibility for it to be "a last survivor of older geological eras".<ref name="letter211" />

==Portrayal in adaptations==
===Fell beasts in adaptations===
<gallery mode="traditional" widths="180px" heights="180px">
File:The Return of the King (1980 film) - Witch-king.png|[[The Return of the King (1980 film)|''The Return of the King'' (1980)]]
File:Liz Danforth - Fell beast.png|"Fell beast" in ''[[Middle-earth Role Playing]]''
File:Angus McBride - Wild Fell Beast.jpg|"Wild Fell Beast" in ''[[Middle-earth Collectible Card Game]]''
File:The Lord of the Rings - The Return of the King - Fell beast attacks Minas Tirith.jpg|Fell beast descending in [[The Lord of the Rings (film series)|''The Lord of the Rings'' (film series)]]
File:SBG - Fell beast.jpeg|''[[The Lord of the Rings Strategy Battle Game]]''
File:Mark Evans - Hell-hawk.png|"Hell-hawk" in ''[[The Lord of the Rings Roleplaying Game]]''
File:LOTR-WITN-Fell Beast-1.png|"Fell beast" in ''[[The Lord of the Rings: War in the North]]''
</gallery>

'''1978: ''[[The Lord of the Rings (1978 film)|The Lord of the Rings]]'':'''
:One of the Nazgûl (possibly the Witch-king, for he carries a mace) is shown riding on a winged creature. However, Bakshi's film only covers events up to the [[Battle of the Hornburg]], so that is the only appearance of a Nazgûl-bird<ref name="name" />.

'''1980: ''[[The Return of the King (1980 film)|The Return of the King]]'':'''
:The Nazgûl ride winged horses. In the [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hWjt6LGhHsI confrontation] between Éowyn and the Witch-king, the latter is seen riding a plump black-grey dragon-like animal. Gandalf had called it a '''Carrion-fowl'''.

'''1982-97: ''[[Middle-earth Role Playing]]'':'''
:The Fell Beasts are said to likely be "distant relatives of ancient [[Cold-drakes]]", and "grow to lengths of 30 feet (with 30-35-foot wingspans)". In the middle Third Age they live in [[Mountains of Mirkwood|mountainous]] areas of Mirkwood, presumably because of the [[Sauron#Sauron's Return|Necromancer]]'s presence at [[Dol Guldur]]. They are used as steeds by both the Nazgûl and a few [[Olog-hai]] warlords.<ref>{{ICE|2019}}</ref><ref group="note">In the supplement, ''[[Creatures of Middle-earth (2nd edition)|Creatures of Middle-earth]]'', the Fell beasts are said to be "presumably bred from Winged-drakes" and to have a body between 15-25 feet and a wingspan between 30-40 feet.</ref>

'''1995-8: ''[[Middle-earth Collectible Card Game]]'':'''
:'''Fell Beast''' increases the number of strikes of one Nazgûl hazard-creature. '''Wild Fell Beast''' is a Drake which attacks with three strikes. With the card "Fell Rider" the Ringwraith may move to a non-Darkhaven site, but without allies and followers.

'''2001-3: [[The Lord of the Rings (film series)|''The Lord of the Rings'' (film series)]]:'''
:The fell beasts are depicted as more [[Dragons|Dragon]]-like and serpentine. As opposed to having beaks, they have lipless mouths full of jagged teeth, fins running along their spine, long whip-like tails and dark gray scales. This depiction is heavily influenced by [[John Howe]], who was one of the concept artists for the films.

:In the films, the fell beasts are used for attack much more often than in the books, with the Nazgûl usually swooping down and screeching, making the defenders at the gate of Minas Tirith run away, leaving [[Gandalf]] alone to face the Witch-king as he enters.

:Although on screen the films never make this mistake, sometimes cast or crew members ([[Lawrence Makoare]] and [[Richard Taylor]] most notably) on the commentary tracks and the documentaries refer to the fell beasts as Nazgûl; this is incorrect. The fell beasts are the creature that the nine Nazgûl ride, and the mistake probably arose because fell beasts are always seen with a Nazgûl atop them.

'''2001-: ''[[The Lord of the Rings Strategy Battle Game]]'':'''
:The Fell Beasts are portrayed without beaks, reminiscent of the depiction in ''The Lord of the Rings: The Motion Picture Trilogy''.<ref>[http://www.games-workshop.com/gws/catalog/productDetail.jsp?prodId=prod480006a&_requestid=1321389 Winged Nazgûl] at [http://www.games-workshop.com/ Games-workshop.com] (accessed 10 June 2011)</ref>

'''2002: [[The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (video game)|''The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring'' (video game)]]:'''
:A Nazgûl mounted on a fell beast (depicted as a dragon-like creature) appears in the [[Amon Hen]] stage of the PC and console versions of the game, where it serves as the final boss. In the first phase of the battle, the beast crawls on the ground and fights Aragorn (armed with his sword). During the second and final phase, it flies into the sky and shoots green fireballs from its mouth down at Aragorn (who shoots back at it with his bow), until it is weakened and finally shot down by Legolas in the game's ending cutscene.

'''2002-5: ''[[The Lord of the Rings Roleplaying Game]]'':'''
:Hell-hawks, employed as mounts by the Ringwraiths and found wild in southern Mirkwood and (after the War of the Ring) in Gondor, resemble a "cross between lizards and featherless birds". They were bred by Sauron in mockery of the [[Eagles|Great Eagles]].<ref>{{D|Fell}}, pp. 30-31</ref>

'''2011: ''[[The Lord of the Rings: War in the North]]'':'''
:Agandaûr has several Fell beasts under his control. At the end of Chapter 1, Agandaûr flees on the back of one of them.<ref>[[The Lord of the Rings: War in the North]], Chapter 1: Fornost, ''Citadel Tower''</ref>

'''2023: ''[[The Lord of the Rings: Return to Moria]]'':'''
:Fell beasts are among the monsters infesting Moria. The female dragon Narag-Shazon claims that Sauron forcibly employed her to breed the creatures.

{{references|note}}

[[Category:Animals]]
[[Category:Nazgûl]]
[[Category:Other races]]
[[Category:Servants of Sauron]]

[[de:Reittiere der Nazgûl#Flugwesen]]
[[fi:Sormusaaveiden siivekkäät ratsut]]

User:Phaedrus

2026-02-26T20:24:01Z

Phaedrus:

{{Blockquote|And he sang to them, now in the elven-tongue, now in the speech of the West, until their hearts, wounded with sweet words, overflowed, and their joy was like swords, and they passed in thought out to regions where pain and delight flow together and tears are the very wine of blessedness.|''[[The Return of the King]]'', "[[The Field of Cormallen]]"}}

Fell beasts

2026-02-26T20:02:48Z

Phaedrus: Fixed awkward phrasing

{{short description|Flying steeds of the Nazgûl}}
{{disambig-two|the winged steeds of the [[Nazgûl]]|vague term|[[Fell beasts (vague term)|fell beasts]]}}
{{race infobox
| name=Fell beasts
| image = John Howe - Nazgul 01.jpg
| caption="Nazgul" by [[John Howe]]
| pronun=
| othernames=Nazgûl-birds, Black Wings, hell-hawks
| origin=
| location=[[Mordor]]
| affiliation=[[Nazgûl]]
| rivalry=
| language=
| people=
| members=
| lifespan="Older world" - [[Third Age]]
| distinctions=A long neck and vast pinions
| height=
| hair=None
| skin=Webbed and plain
| clothing=
| weapons=Horned fingers, claws, and a beak
}}

'''[[Fell beasts (vague term)|Fell beasts]]'''<ref name="pelennor">{{RK|Battle}}</ref><ref>{{Cite DTP|LR 5.06.031}}</ref><ref>{{Cite DTP|LR 5.06.042}}</ref>, also called '''Nazgûl-birds'''<ref name="name">{{L|100}}</ref>, '''Black Wings'''<ref name="blackwing">{{TT|Gate}}</ref><ref>{{Cite DTP|LR 4.03.066}}</ref><ref>{{Cite DTP|LR 5.04.039}}</ref><ref>{{Cite DTP|LR 6.03.033}}</ref>, and '''hell-hawks'''<ref name="siege">{{RK|Siege}}</ref><ref>{{Cite DTP|LR 5.04.033}}</ref>, were huge pterodactylic<ref name="letter211">{{L|211}}</ref> flying creatures that served as steeds for the [[Nazgûl]].

==Description==
Fell beasts were great winged creatures with a beak and claws<ref>{{Cite DTP|LR 5.06.019}}</ref> and were described as similar to great carrion birds<ref name="blackwing" /><ref>{{Cite DTP|LR 4.03.064}}</ref>, but monstrous looking<ref name="harrowdale">{{RK|Muster}}</ref><ref>{{Cite DTP|LR 5.03.017}}</ref> and greater than all other birds<ref>{{Cite DTP|LR 5.06.006}}</ref>, including [[Eagles]]<ref name="siege" /><ref>{{Cite DTP|LR 5.04.030}}</ref>. They were dark and appeared shadow-like even at night.<ref name="dark">{{FR|River}}</ref><ref>{{Cite DTP|LR 2.09.055}}</ref> Their body was naked, lacking any quills or feathers. They had a long neck as well as vast pinions consisting of a web-like "hide between horned fingers".<ref name="pelennor" /><ref>{{Cite DTP|LR 5.06.006}}</ref> They possessed a "fell speed" which allowed them to fly faster than the wind.<ref name="deadmarshes">{{TT|Marshes}}</ref><ref>{{Cite DTP|LR 4.02.079}}</ref> Furthermore, fell beasts also gave off a stench. In battle they swooped upon prey with their feet to drop foes from the sky,<ref name="siege" /> crushed enemies under their sheer weight,<ref name="siege" /> and used their vast wings to blow foul gusts of wind.<ref name="pelennor" />

==History==
{{blockquote|A creature of an older world maybe it was, whose kind, lingering in forgotten mountains cold beneath the Moon, outstayed their day, and in hideous eyrie bred this last untimely brood, apt to evil. And the Dark Lord took it, and nursed it with fell meats, until it grew beyond the measure of all other things that fly; and he gave it to his servant to be his steed.|''[[The Return of the King]]'', "[[The Battle of the Pelennor Fields]]"}}<ref>{{Cite DTP|LR 5.06.006}}</ref>

While their origins are uncertain, the fell beasts may have hailed from an earlier age of the world,<ref name="letter211">{{L|211}}</ref> a diminishing number of which had clung to survival in the remote reaches of Middle-earth.<ref name="pelennor" /> Under Sauron's care, these creatures were prepared for the use of his Nazgûl, who employed them in travel and in the uses of war.<ref name="pelennor" />

Following the destruction of the black horses used by the [[Nazgûl]] in their pursuit of [[Frodo Baggins]], Sauron appointed his brood of fell beasts to serve as the [[Ringwraiths|Ringwraiths']] new steeds.<ref name="pelennor" /> These were glimpsed on several occasions before the [[Siege of Gondor]], where they bore the [[Nazgûl]] to war and plagued the armies of [[Gondor]] and [[Rohan]].<ref name="siege" /><ref name="pelennor" />

As the [[Fellowship of the Ring]] travelled down the [[Anduin]], a winged creature briefly attempted to assail the company before being driven off by an arrow from [[Legolas]]' bow.<ref name="dark" />

On Thursday [[1 March]], while Frodo, [[Samwise Gamgee]], and [[Gollum]] were crossing the [[Dead Marshes|Dead Marshes,]] a Nazgûl borne on a winged creature passed overhead at midnight at "the speed of the wrath of Sauron."<ref name="deadmarshes" /> On Sunday [[4 March]],<ref name="date">''[[The Chronology of The Lord of the Rings]]'', p. 62</ref> the party witnessed another Nazgûl, possibly "on some swift errand from Barad-dûr", pass overhead on a winged creature. On Monday [[5 March]],<ref name="date" /> an hour after midnight, a third winged creature flew overhead in the direction of Mordor.

Around dawn on Tuesday<ref name="tuesday">''[[The Chronology of The Lord of the Rings]]'', p. 64</ref> [[6 March]], "a flying darkness in the shape of a monstrous bird" swooped over the hall of [[Meduseld]] in [[Edoras|Edoras.]] To deter an attack, [[Gandalf]] counselled the [[Rohirrim]] to assemble at [[Dunharrow]], in the valley under the mountains, rather than in the fields outside Edoras. [[Théoden]] was told of the sighting after returning from the [[Hornburg]] three days later.<ref name="harrowdale" />

Five Nazgûl, aloft on winged creatures, assailed [[Faramir]] and his company as they retreated from [[Osgiliath]]. They were driven off by Gandalf, who caused a white light to be emitted from his hand, which the Nazgûl could not face.<ref name="siege" />

After the arrival of the Rohirrim to the [[Battle of the Pelennor Fields]], the [[Witch-king]] of [[Angmar]] abandoned his horse for a fell beast. Upon this steed he confronted the host of the Rohirrim, and slew Théoden's [[Snowmane|horse]] from underneath him. [[Éowyn]], casting away the guise of Dernhelm, leapt to the king's defense and killed the beast, and with the help of [[Meriadoc Brandybuck]] slew its rider.<ref name="pelennor" />

==Etymology==
As in the expression "fell things" occurring earlier in ''[[The Lord of the Rings]]'',<ref>{{FR|I3}}</ref> the word ''[[Wiktionary:fell#Etymology 4|fell]]'' in this sense is an archaic English word meaning "dreadful, terrible".<ref>{{HM|RC}}, p. 110</ref>

The term "[[Fell beasts (vague term)|fell beasts]]" is not used solely for the winged steeds of the Nazgûl: it was also used as a descriptor for various evil creatures of [[Mirkwood]],<ref>{{FR|Breaking}}</ref> and also a descriptor of a type of creature hunted by [[Oromë]] in addition to monsters.<ref name="valar">{{S|IIb}}</ref>

==Other versions of the legendarium==

==Inspiration==
In a reply to a letter, [[J.R.R. Tolkien]] wrote that he did not intend for the Nazgûl-bird<ref name="name" /> to be a [[Wikipedia:Pterosaur|pterodactyl]], though he acknowledged that it was "''pterodactylic''" and "owes much to" the "mythology of the 'Prehistoric'". He considered that its description left open the possibility for it to be "a last survivor of older geological eras".<ref name="letter211" />

==Portrayal in adaptations==
===Fell beasts in adaptations===
<gallery mode="traditional" widths="180px" heights="180px">
File:The Return of the King (1980 film) - Witch-king.png|[[The Return of the King (1980 film)|''The Return of the King'' (1980)]]
File:Liz Danforth - Fell beast.png|"Fell beast" in ''[[Middle-earth Role Playing]]''
File:Angus McBride - Wild Fell Beast.jpg|"Wild Fell Beast" in ''[[Middle-earth Collectible Card Game]]''
File:The Lord of the Rings - The Return of the King - Fell beast attacks Minas Tirith.jpg|Fell beast descending in [[The Lord of the Rings (film series)|''The Lord of the Rings'' (film series)]]
File:SBG - Fell beast.jpeg|''[[The Lord of the Rings Strategy Battle Game]]''
File:Mark Evans - Hell-hawk.png|"Hell-hawk" in ''[[The Lord of the Rings Roleplaying Game]]''
File:LOTR-WITN-Fell Beast-1.png|"Fell beast" in ''[[The Lord of the Rings: War in the North]]''
</gallery>

'''1978: ''[[The Lord of the Rings (1978 film)|The Lord of the Rings]]'':'''
:One of the Nazgûl (possibly the Witch-king, for he carries a mace) is shown riding on a winged creature. However, Bakshi's film only covers events up to the [[Battle of the Hornburg]], so that is the only appearance of a Nazgûl-bird<ref name="name" />.

'''1980: ''[[The Return of the King (1980 film)|The Return of the King]]'':'''
:The Nazgûl ride winged horses. In the [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hWjt6LGhHsI confrontation] between Éowyn and the Witch-king, the latter is seen riding a plump black-grey dragon-like animal. Gandalf had called it a '''Carrion-fowl'''.

'''1982-97: ''[[Middle-earth Role Playing]]'':'''
:The Fell Beasts are said to likely be "distant relatives of ancient [[Cold-drakes]]", and "grow to lengths of 30 feet (with 30-35-foot wingspans)". In the middle Third Age they live in [[Mountains of Mirkwood|mountainous]] areas of Mirkwood, presumably because of the [[Sauron#Sauron's Return|Necromancer]]'s presence at [[Dol Guldur]]. They are used as steeds by both the Nazgûl and a few [[Olog-hai]] warlords.<ref>{{ICE|2019}}</ref><ref group="note">In the supplement, ''[[Creatures of Middle-earth (2nd edition)|Creatures of Middle-earth]]'', the Fell beasts are said to be "presumably bred from Winged-drakes" and to have a body between 15-25 feet and a wingspan between 30-40 feet.</ref>

'''1995-8: ''[[Middle-earth Collectible Card Game]]'':'''
:'''Fell Beast''' increases the number of strikes of one Nazgûl hazard-creature. '''Wild Fell Beast''' is a Drake which attacks with three strikes. With the card "Fell Rider" the Ringwraith may move to a non-Darkhaven site, but without allies and followers.

'''2001-3: [[The Lord of the Rings (film series)|''The Lord of the Rings'' (film series)]]:'''
:The fell beasts are depicted as more [[Dragons|Dragon]]-like and serpentine. As opposed to having beaks, they have lipless mouths full of jagged teeth, fins running along their spine, long whip-like tails and dark gray scales. This depiction is heavily influenced by [[John Howe]], who was one of the concept artists for the films.

:In the films, the fell beasts are used for attack much more often than in the books, with the Nazgûl usually swooping down and screeching, making the defenders at the gate of Minas Tirith run away, leaving [[Gandalf]] alone to face the Witch-king as he enters.

:Although on screen the films never make this mistake, sometimes cast or crew members ([[Lawrence Makoare]] and [[Richard Taylor]] most notably) on the commentary tracks and the documentaries refer to the fell beasts as Nazgûl; this is incorrect. The fell beasts are the creature that the nine Nazgûl ride, and the mistake probably arose because fell beasts are always seen with a Nazgûl atop them.

'''2001-: ''[[The Lord of the Rings Strategy Battle Game]]'':'''
:The Fell Beasts are portrayed without beaks, reminiscent of the depiction in ''The Lord of the Rings: The Motion Picture Trilogy''.<ref>[http://www.games-workshop.com/gws/catalog/productDetail.jsp?prodId=prod480006a&_requestid=1321389 Winged Nazgûl] at [http://www.games-workshop.com/ Games-workshop.com] (accessed 10 June 2011)</ref>

'''2002: [[The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (video game)|''The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring'' (video game)]]:'''
:A Nazgûl mounted on a fell beast (depicted as a dragon-like creature) appears in the [[Amon Hen]] stage of the PC and console versions of the game, where it serves as the final boss. In the first phase of the battle, the beast crawls on the ground and fights Aragorn (armed with his sword). During the second and final phase, it flies into the sky and shoots green fireballs from its mouth down at Aragorn (who shoots back at it with his bow), until it is weakened and finally shot down by Legolas in the game's ending cutscene.

'''2002-5: ''[[The Lord of the Rings Roleplaying Game]]'':'''
:Hell-hawks, employed as mounts by the Ringwraiths and found wild in southern Mirkwood and (after the War of the Ring) in Gondor, resemble a "cross between lizards and featherless birds". They were bred by Sauron in mockery of the [[Eagles|Great Eagles]].<ref>{{D|Fell}}, pp. 30-31</ref>

'''2011: ''[[The Lord of the Rings: War in the North]]'':'''
:Agandaûr has several Fell beasts under his control. At the end of Chapter 1, Agandaûr flees on the back of one of them.<ref>[[The Lord of the Rings: War in the North]], Chapter 1: Fornost, ''Citadel Tower''</ref>

'''2023: ''[[The Lord of the Rings: Return to Moria]]'':'''
:Fell beasts are among the monsters infesting Moria. The female dragon Narag-Shazon claims that Sauron forcibly employed her to breed the creatures.

{{references|note}}

[[Category:Animals]]
[[Category:Nazgûl]]
[[Category:Other races]]
[[Category:Servants of Sauron]]

[[de:Reittiere der Nazgûl#Flugwesen]]
[[fi:Sormusaaveiden siivekkäät ratsut]]

User:Phaedrus

2026-02-21T01:41:09Z

Phaedrus:

{{Blockquote|... to Sam’s final and complete satisfaction and pure joy, a minstrel of Gondor stood forth, and knelt, and begged leave to sing. And behold! he said:

‘Lo! lords and knights and men of valour unashamed, kings and princes, and fair people of Gondor, and Riders of Rohan, and ye sons of Elrond, and Du´nedain of the North, and Elf and Dwarf, and greathearts of the Shire, and all free folk of the West, now listen to my lay. For I will sing to you of Frodo of the Nine Fingers and the Ring of Doom.’

And when Sam heard that he laughed aloud for sheer delight, and he stood up and cried: ‘O great glory and splendour! And all my wishes have come true!’ And then he wept.

And all the host laughed and wept, and in the midst of their merriment and tears the clear voice of the minstrel rose like silver and gold, and all men were hushed. And he sang to them, now in the elven-tongue, now in the speech of the West, until their hearts, wounded with sweet words, overflowed, and their joy was like swords, and they passed in thought out to regions where pain and delight flow together and tears are the very wine of blessedness.|''[[The Return of the King]]'', "[[The Field of Cormallen]]"}}

User:Phaedrus

2026-02-21T01:32:10Z

Phaedrus: My bio

"... to Sam’s final and complete satisfaction and pure joy, a minstrel of Gondor stood forth, and knelt, and begged leave to sing. And behold! he said:

‘Lo! lords and knights and men of valour unashamed, kings and princes, and fair people of Gondor, and Riders of Rohan, and ye sons of Elrond, and Du´nedain of the North, and Elf and Dwarf, and greathearts of the Shire, and all free folk of the West, now listen to my lay. For I will sing to you of Frodo of the Nine Fingers and the Ring of Doom.’

And when Sam heard that he laughed aloud for sheer delight, and he stood up and cried: ‘O great glory and splendour! And all my wishes have come true!’ And then he wept.

And all the host laughed and wept, and in the midst of their merriment and tears the clear voice of the minstrel rose like silver and gold, and all men were hushed. And he sang to them, now in the elven-tongue, now in the speech of the West, until their hearts, wounded with sweet words, overflowed, and their joy was like swords, and they passed in thought out to regions where pain and delight flow together and tears are the very wine of blessedness."

Fell beasts

2026-02-20T04:28:50Z

Phaedrus: Deleted misplaced comma

{{short description|Flying steeds of the Nazgûl}}
{{disambig-two|the winged steeds of the [[Nazgûl]]|vague term|[[Fell beasts (vague term)|fell beasts]]}}
{{race infobox
| name=Fell beasts
| image = John Howe - Nazgul 01.jpg
| caption="Nazgul" by [[John Howe]]
| pronun=
| othernames=Nazgûl-birds, Black Wings, hell-hawks
| origin=
| location=[[Mordor]]
| affiliation=[[Nazgûl]]
| rivalry=
| language=
| people=
| members=
| lifespan="Older world" - [[Third Age]]
| distinctions=A long neck and vast pinions
| height=
| hair=None
| skin=Webbed and plain
| clothing=
| weapons=Horned fingers, claws, and a beak
}}

"'''[[Fell beasts (vague term)|Fell beasts]]'''"<ref name="pelennor">{{RK|Battle}}</ref>, also called '''Nazgûl-birds'''<ref name="name">{{L|100}}</ref>, '''Black Wings'''<ref name="blackwing">{{TT|Gate}}</ref>, and "'''hell-hawks'''"<ref name="siege">{{RK|Siege}}</ref>, were huge pterodactylic flying creatures that served as steeds for the [[Nazgûl]].

==Description==
Fell beasts were huge winged creatures with a beak and claws and were described as similar to carrion birds<ref name="blackwing" /> but much greater and more monstrous<ref name="harrowdale">{{RK|Muster}}</ref> than any kind of bird, including [[Eagles]].<ref name="siege" /> They were dark and appeared shadow-like even at night.<ref name="dark">{{FR|River}}</ref> Their body was plain and naked, lacking any quills or feathers. They had a long neck as well as vast pinions consisting of a web-like "hide between horned fingers". They possessed a "fell speed" which allowed them to fly faster than the wind.<ref name="deadmarshes">{{TT|Marshes}}</ref> Furthermore, fell beasts also gave off a stench. In battle they swooped upon prey with their feet to drop foes from the sky,<ref name="siege" /> crushed enemies under their sheer weight,<ref name="siege" /> and used their vast wings to blow foul gusts of wind.<ref name="pelennor" />

==History==
{{blockquote|A creature of an older world maybe it was, whose kind, lingering in forgotten mountains cold beneath the Moon, outstayed their day, and in hideous eyrie bred this last untimely brood, apt to evil. And the Dark Lord took it, and nursed it with fell meats, until it grew beyond the measure of all other things that fly; and he gave it to his servant to be his steed.|''[[The Return of the King]]'', "[[The Battle of the Pelennor Fields]]"}}

While their origins are uncertain, [[J.R.R. Tolkien]] speculated that fell beasts hailed from an earlier age of the world, a diminishing number of which had clung to survival in the remote reaches of Middle-earth.<ref name="letter211">{{L|211}}</ref> Under Sauron's care, these creatures were prepared for the use of his Nazgûl, who employed them in travel and in the uses of war.

Following the destruction of the black horses used by the [[Nazgûl]] in their pursuit of [[Frodo Baggins]], Sauron appointed his brood of fell beasts to serve as the [[Ringwraiths|Ringwraiths']] new steeds.<ref name="pelennor" /> These were glimpsed on several occasions before the [[Siege of Gondor]], where they bore the [[Nazgûl]] to war and plagued the armies of [[Gondor]] and [[Rohan]].<ref name="siege" /><ref name="pelennor" />

As the [[Fellowship of the Ring]] travelled down the [[Anduin]], a winged creature briefly attempted to assail the company before being driven off by an arrow from [[Legolas]]' bow.<ref name="dark" />

On Thursday [[1 March]], while Frodo, [[Samwise Gamgee]], and [[Gollum]] were crossing the [[Dead Marshes|Dead Marshes,]] a Nazgûl borne on a winged creature passed overhead at midnight at "the speed of the wrath of Sauron."<ref name="deadmarshes" /> On Sunday [[4 March]],<ref name="date">''[[The Chronology of The Lord of the Rings]]'', p. 62</ref> the party witnessed another Nazgûl, possibly "on some swift errand from Barad-dûr", pass overhead on a winged creature. On Monday [[5 March]],<ref name="date" /> an hour after midnight, a third winged creature flew overhead in the direction of Mordor.

Around dawn on Tuesday<ref name="tuesday">''[[The Chronology of The Lord of the Rings]]'', p. 64</ref> [[6 March]], "a flying darkness in the shape of a monstrous bird" swooped over the hall of [[Meduseld]] in [[Edoras|Edoras.]] To deter an attack, [[Gandalf]] counselled the [[Rohirrim]] to assemble at [[Dunharrow]], in the valley under the mountains, rather than in the fields outside Edoras. [[Théoden]] was told of the sighting after returning from the [[Hornburg]] three days later.<ref name="harrowdale" />

Five Nazgûl, aloft on winged creatures, assailed [[Faramir]] and his company as they retreated from [[Osgiliath]]. They were driven off by Gandalf, who caused a white light to be emitted from his hand, which the Nazgûl could not face.<ref name="siege" />

After the arrival of the Rohirrim to the [[Battle of the Pelennor Fields]], the [[Witch-king]] of [[Angmar]] abandoned his horse for a fell beast. Upon this steed he confronted the host of the Rohirrim, and slew Théoden's [[Snowmane|horse]] from underneath him. [[Éowyn]], casting away the guise of Dernhelm, leapt to the king's defense and killed the beast, and with the help of [[Meriadoc Brandybuck]] slew its rider.<ref name="pelennor" />

==Etymology==
As in the expression "fell things" occurring earlier in ''[[The Lord of the Rings]]'',<ref>{{FR|I3}}</ref> the word ''[[Wiktionary:fell#Etymology 4|fell]]'' in this sense is an archaic English word meaning "dreadful, terrible".<ref>{{HM|RC}}, p. 110</ref>

The term "[[Fell beasts (vague term)|fell beasts]]" is not used solely for the winged steeds of the Nazgûl: it was also used as a descriptor for various evil creatures of [[Mirkwood]],<ref>{{FR|Breaking}}</ref> and also a descriptor of a type of creature hunted by [[Oromë]] in addition to monsters.<ref name="valar">{{S|IIb}}</ref>

==Other versions of the legendarium==

==Inspiration==
In a reply to a letter, [[J.R.R. Tolkien]] wrote that he did not intend for the Nazgûl-bird<ref name="name" /> to be a [[Wikipedia:Pterosaur|pterodactyl]], though he acknowledged that it was "''pterodactylic''" and "owes much to" the "mythology of the 'Prehistoric'". He considered that its description left open the possibility for it to be "a last survivor of older geological eras".<ref name="letter211" />

==Portrayal in adaptations==
===Fell beasts in adaptations===
<gallery mode="traditional" widths="180px" heights="180px">
File:The Return of the King (1980 film) - Witch-king.png|[[The Return of the King (1980 film)|''The Return of the King'' (1980)]]
File:Liz Danforth - Fell beast.png|"Fell beast" in ''[[Middle-earth Role Playing]]''
File:Angus McBride - Wild Fell Beast.jpg|"Wild Fell Beast" in ''[[Middle-earth Collectible Card Game]]''
File:The Lord of the Rings - The Return of the King - Fell beast attacks Minas Tirith.jpg|Fell beast descending in [[The Lord of the Rings (film series)|''The Lord of the Rings'' (film series)]]
File:SBG - Fell beast.jpeg|''[[The Lord of the Rings Strategy Battle Game]]''
File:Mark Evans - Hell-hawk.png|"Hell-hawk" in ''[[The Lord of the Rings Roleplaying Game]]''
File:LOTR-WITN-Fell Beast-1.png|"Fell beast" in ''[[The Lord of the Rings: War in the North]]''
</gallery>

'''1978: ''[[The Lord of the Rings (1978 film)|The Lord of the Rings]]'':'''
:One of the Nazgûl (possibly the Witch-king, for he carries a mace) is shown riding on a winged creature. However, Bakshi's film only covers events up to the [[Battle of the Hornburg]], so that is the only appearance of a Nazgûl-bird<ref name="name" />.

'''1980: ''[[The Return of the King (1980 film)|The Return of the King]]'':'''
:The Nazgûl ride winged horses. In the [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hWjt6LGhHsI confrontation] between Éowyn and the Witch-king, the latter is seen riding a plump black-grey dragon-like animal. Gandalf had called it a '''Carrion-fowl'''.

'''1982-97: ''[[Middle-earth Role Playing]]'':'''
:The Fell Beasts are said to likely be "distant relatives of ancient [[Cold-drakes]]", and "grow to lengths of 30 feet (with 30-35-foot wingspans)". In the middle Third Age they live in [[Mountains of Mirkwood|mountainous]] areas of Mirkwood, presumably because of the [[Sauron#Sauron's Return|Necromancer]]'s presence at [[Dol Guldur]]. They are used as steeds by both the Nazgûl and a few [[Olog-hai]] warlords.<ref>{{ICE|2019}}</ref><ref group="note">In the supplement, ''[[Creatures of Middle-earth (2nd edition)|Creatures of Middle-earth]]'', the Fell beasts are said to be "presumably bred from Winged-drakes" and to have a body between 15-25 feet and a wingspan between 30-40 feet.</ref>

'''1995-8: ''[[Middle-earth Collectible Card Game]]'':'''
:'''Fell Beast''' increases the number of strikes of one Nazgûl hazard-creature. '''Wild Fell Beast''' is a Drake which attacks with three strikes. With the card "Fell Rider" the Ringwraith may move to a non-Darkhaven site, but without allies and followers.

'''2001-3: [[The Lord of the Rings (film series)|''The Lord of the Rings'' (film series)]]:'''
:The fell beasts are depicted as more [[Dragons|Dragon]]-like and serpentine. As opposed to having beaks, they have lipless mouths full of jagged teeth, fins running along their spine, long whip-like tails and dark gray scales. This depiction is heavily influenced by [[John Howe]], who was one of the concept artists for the films.

:In the films, the fell beasts are used for attack much more often than in the books, with the Nazgûl usually swooping down and screeching, making the defenders at the gate of Minas Tirith run away, leaving [[Gandalf]] alone to face the Witch-king as he enters.

:Although on screen the films never make this mistake, sometimes cast or crew members ([[Lawrence Makoare]] and [[Richard Taylor]] most notably) on the commentary tracks and the documentaries refer to the fell beasts as Nazgûl; this is incorrect. The fell beasts are the creature that the nine Nazgûl ride, and the mistake probably arose because fell beasts are always seen with a Nazgûl atop them.

'''2001-: ''[[The Lord of the Rings Strategy Battle Game]]'':'''
:The Fell Beasts are portrayed without beaks, reminiscent of the depiction in ''The Lord of the Rings: The Motion Picture Trilogy''.<ref>[http://www.games-workshop.com/gws/catalog/productDetail.jsp?prodId=prod480006a&_requestid=1321389 Winged Nazgûl] at [http://www.games-workshop.com/ Games-workshop.com] (accessed 10 June 2011)</ref>

'''2002: [[The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (video game)|''The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring'' (video game)]]:'''
:A Nazgûl mounted on a fell beast (depicted as a dragon-like creature) appears in the [[Amon Hen]] stage of the PC and console versions of the game, where it serves as the final boss. In the first phase of the battle, the beast crawls on the ground and fights Aragorn (armed with his sword). During the second and final phase, it flies into the sky and shoots green fireballs from its mouth down at Aragorn (who shoots back at it with his bow), until it is weakened and finally shot down by Legolas in the game's ending cutscene.

'''2002-5: ''[[The Lord of the Rings Roleplaying Game]]'':'''
:Hell-hawks, employed as mounts by the Ringwraiths and found wild in southern Mirkwood and (after the War of the Ring) in Gondor, resemble a "cross between lizards and featherless birds". They were bred by Sauron in mockery of the [[Eagles|Great Eagles]].<ref>{{D|Fell}}, pp. 30-31</ref>

'''2011: ''[[The Lord of the Rings: War in the North]]'':'''
:Agandaûr has several Fell beasts under his control. At the end of Chapter 1, Agandaûr flees on the back of one of them.<ref>[[The Lord of the Rings: War in the North]], Chapter 1: Fornost, ''Citadel Tower''</ref>

'''2023: ''[[The Lord of the Rings: Return to Moria]]'':'''
:Fell beasts are among the monsters infesting Moria. The female dragon Narag-Shazon claims that Sauron forcibly employed her to breed the creatures.

{{references|note}}

[[Category:Animals]]
[[Category:Nazgûl]]
[[Category:Other races]]
[[Category:Servants of Sauron]]

[[de:Reittiere der Nazgûl#Flugwesen]]
[[fi:Sormusaaveiden siivekkäät ratsut]]

Fell beasts

2026-02-20T02:45:44Z

Phaedrus: Added a û to Nazgûl, corrected 'Battle of the Pelennor' to 'Siege of Gondor.'

{{short description|Flying steeds of the Nazgûl}}
{{disambig-two|the winged steeds of the [[Nazgûl]]|vague term|[[Fell beasts (vague term)|fell beasts]]}}
{{race infobox
| name=Fell beasts
| image = John Howe - Nazgul 01.jpg
| caption="Nazgul" by [[John Howe]]
| pronun=
| othernames=Nazgûl-birds, Black Wings, hell-hawks
| origin=
| location=[[Mordor]]
| affiliation=[[Nazgûl]]
| rivalry=
| language=
| people=
| members=
| lifespan="Older world" - [[Third Age]]
| distinctions=A long neck and vast pinions
| height=
| hair=None
| skin=Webbed and plain
| clothing=
| weapons=Horned fingers, claws, and a beak
}}

"'''[[Fell beasts (vague term)|Fell beasts]]'''"<ref name="pelennor">{{RK|Battle}}</ref>, also called '''Nazgûl-birds'''<ref name="name">{{L|100}}</ref>, '''Black Wings'''<ref name="blackwing">{{TT|Gate}}</ref>, and "'''hell-hawks'''"<ref name="siege">{{RK|Siege}}</ref>, were huge pterodactylic flying creatures that served as steeds for the [[Nazgûl]].

==Description==
Fell beasts were huge winged creatures with a beak and claws and were described as similar to carrion birds<ref name="blackwing" /> but much greater and more monstrous<ref name="harrowdale">{{RK|Muster}}</ref> than any kind of bird, including [[Eagles]].<ref name="siege" /> They were dark and appeared shadow-like even at night.<ref name="dark">{{FR|River}}</ref> Their body was plain and naked, lacking any quills or feathers. They had a long neck as well as vast pinions consisting of a web-like "hide between horned fingers". They possessed a "fell speed" which allowed them to fly faster than the wind.<ref name="deadmarshes">{{TT|Marshes}}</ref> Furthermore, fell beasts also gave off a stench. In battle they swooped upon prey with their feet to drop foes from the sky,<ref name="siege" /> crushed enemies under their sheer weight,<ref name="siege" /> and used their vast wings to blow foul gusts of wind.<ref name="pelennor" />

==History==
{{blockquote|A creature of an older world maybe it was, whose kind, lingering in forgotten mountains cold beneath the Moon, outstayed their day, and in hideous eyrie bred this last untimely brood, apt to evil. And the Dark Lord took it, and nursed it with fell meats, until it grew beyond the measure of all other things that fly; and he gave it to his servant to be his steed.|''[[The Return of the King]]'', "[[The Battle of the Pelennor Fields]]"}}

While their origins are uncertain, [[J.R.R. Tolkien]] speculated that fell beasts hailed from an earlier age of the world, a diminishing number of which had clung to survival in the remote reaches of Middle-earth.<ref name="letter211">{{L|211}}</ref> Under Sauron's care, these creatures were prepared for the use of his Nazgûl, who employed them in travel and in the uses of war.

Following the destruction of the black horses used by the [[Nazgûl]] in their pursuit of [[Frodo Baggins]], Sauron appointed his brood of fell beasts to serve as the [[Ringwraiths|Ringwraiths']] new steeds.<ref name="pelennor" /> These were glimpsed on several occasions before the [[Siege of Gondor]], where they bore the [[Nazgûl]] to war and plagued the armies of [[Gondor]] and [[Rohan]].<ref name="siege" /><ref name="pelennor" />

As the [[Fellowship of the Ring]] travelled down the [[Anduin]], a winged creature briefly attempted to assail the company before being driven off by an arrow from [[Legolas]]' bow.<ref name="dark" />

On Thursday [[1 March]], while Frodo, [[Samwise Gamgee]], and [[Gollum]] were crossing the [[Dead Marshes|Dead Marshes,]] a Nazgûl borne on a winged creature passed overhead at midnight at "the speed of the wrath of Sauron."<ref name="deadmarshes" /> On Sunday [[4 March]],<ref name="date">''[[The Chronology of The Lord of the Rings]]'', p. 62</ref> the party witnessed another Nazgûl, possibly "on some swift errand from Barad-dûr", pass overhead on a winged creature. On Monday [[5 March]],<ref name="date" />, an hour after midnight, a third winged creature flew overhead in the direction of Mordor.

Around dawn on Tuesday<ref name="tuesday">''[[The Chronology of The Lord of the Rings]]'', p. 64</ref> [[6 March]], "a flying darkness in the shape of a monstrous bird" swooped over the hall of [[Meduseld]] in [[Edoras|Edoras.]] To deter an attack, [[Gandalf]] counselled the [[Rohirrim]] to assemble at [[Dunharrow]], in the valley under the mountains, rather than in the fields outside Edoras. [[Théoden]] was told of the sighting after returning from the [[Hornburg]] three days later.<ref name="harrowdale" />

Five Nazgûl, aloft on winged creatures, assailed [[Faramir]] and his company as they retreated from [[Osgiliath]]. They were driven off by Gandalf, who caused a white light to be emitted from his hand, which the Nazgûl could not face.<ref name="siege" />

After the arrival of the Rohirrim to the [[Battle of the Pelennor Fields]], the [[Witch-king]] of [[Angmar]] abandoned his horse for a fell beast. Upon this steed he confronted the host of the Rohirrim, and slew Théoden's [[Snowmane|horse]] from underneath him. [[Éowyn]], casting away the guise of Dernhelm, leapt to the king's defense and killed the beast, and with the help of [[Meriadoc Brandybuck]] slew its rider.<ref name="pelennor" />

==Etymology==
As in the expression "fell things" occurring earlier in ''[[The Lord of the Rings]]'',<ref>{{FR|I3}}</ref> the word ''[[Wiktionary:fell#Etymology 4|fell]]'' in this sense is an archaic English word meaning "dreadful, terrible".<ref>{{HM|RC}}, p. 110</ref>

The term "[[Fell beasts (vague term)|fell beasts]]" is not used solely for the winged steeds of the Nazgûl: it was also used as a descriptor for various evil creatures of [[Mirkwood]],<ref>{{FR|Breaking}}</ref> and also a descriptor of a type of creature hunted by [[Oromë]] in addition to monsters.<ref name="valar">{{S|IIb}}</ref>

==Other versions of the legendarium==

==Inspiration==
In a reply to a letter, [[J.R.R. Tolkien]] wrote that he did not intend for the Nazgûl-bird<ref name="name" /> to be a [[Wikipedia:Pterosaur|pterodactyl]], though he acknowledged that it was "''pterodactylic''" and "owes much to" the "mythology of the 'Prehistoric'". He considered that its description left open the possibility for it to be "a last survivor of older geological eras".<ref name="letter211" />

==Portrayal in adaptations==
===Fell beasts in adaptations===
<gallery mode="traditional" widths="180px" heights="180px">
File:The Return of the King (1980 film) - Witch-king.png|[[The Return of the King (1980 film)|''The Return of the King'' (1980)]]
File:Liz Danforth - Fell beast.png|"Fell beast" in ''[[Middle-earth Role Playing]]''
File:Angus McBride - Wild Fell Beast.jpg|"Wild Fell Beast" in ''[[Middle-earth Collectible Card Game]]''
File:The Lord of the Rings - The Return of the King - Fell beast attacks Minas Tirith.jpg|Fell beast descending in [[The Lord of the Rings (film series)|''The Lord of the Rings'' (film series)]]
File:SBG - Fell beast.jpeg|''[[The Lord of the Rings Strategy Battle Game]]''
File:Mark Evans - Hell-hawk.png|"Hell-hawk" in ''[[The Lord of the Rings Roleplaying Game]]''
File:LOTR-WITN-Fell Beast-1.png|"Fell beast" in ''[[The Lord of the Rings: War in the North]]''
</gallery>

'''1978: ''[[The Lord of the Rings (1978 film)|The Lord of the Rings]]'':'''
:One of the Nazgûl (possibly the Witch-king, for he carries a mace) is shown riding on a winged creature. However, Bakshi's film only covers events up to the [[Battle of the Hornburg]], so that is the only appearance of a Nazgûl-bird<ref name="name" />.

'''1980: ''[[The Return of the King (1980 film)|The Return of the King]]'':'''
:The Nazgûl ride winged horses. In the [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hWjt6LGhHsI confrontation] between Éowyn and the Witch-king, the latter is seen riding a plump black-grey dragon-like animal. Gandalf had called it a '''Carrion-fowl'''.

'''1982-97: ''[[Middle-earth Role Playing]]'':'''
:The Fell Beasts are said to likely be "distant relatives of ancient [[Cold-drakes]]", and "grow to lengths of 30 feet (with 30-35-foot wingspans)". In the middle Third Age they live in [[Mountains of Mirkwood|mountainous]] areas of Mirkwood, presumably because of the [[Sauron#Sauron's Return|Necromancer]]'s presence at [[Dol Guldur]]. They are used as steeds by both the Nazgûl and a few [[Olog-hai]] warlords.<ref>{{ICE|2019}}</ref><ref group="note">In the supplement, ''[[Creatures of Middle-earth (2nd edition)|Creatures of Middle-earth]]'', the Fell beasts are said to be "presumably bred from Winged-drakes" and to have a body between 15-25 feet and a wingspan between 30-40 feet.</ref>

'''1995-8: ''[[Middle-earth Collectible Card Game]]'':'''
:'''Fell Beast''' increases the number of strikes of one Nazgûl hazard-creature. '''Wild Fell Beast''' is a Drake which attacks with three strikes. With the card "Fell Rider" the Ringwraith may move to a non-Darkhaven site, but without allies and followers.

'''2001-3: [[The Lord of the Rings (film series)|''The Lord of the Rings'' (film series)]]:'''
:The fell beasts are depicted as more [[Dragons|Dragon]]-like and serpentine. As opposed to having beaks, they have lipless mouths full of jagged teeth, fins running along their spine, long whip-like tails and dark gray scales. This depiction is heavily influenced by [[John Howe]], who was one of the concept artists for the films.

:In the films, the fell beasts are used for attack much more often than in the books, with the Nazgûl usually swooping down and screeching, making the defenders at the gate of Minas Tirith run away, leaving [[Gandalf]] alone to face the Witch-king as he enters.

:Although on screen the films never make this mistake, sometimes cast or crew members ([[Lawrence Makoare]] and [[Richard Taylor]] most notably) on the commentary tracks and the documentaries refer to the fell beasts as Nazgûl; this is incorrect. The fell beasts are the creature that the nine Nazgûl ride, and the mistake probably arose because fell beasts are always seen with a Nazgûl atop them.

'''2001-: ''[[The Lord of the Rings Strategy Battle Game]]'':'''
:The Fell Beasts are portrayed without beaks, reminiscent of the depiction in ''The Lord of the Rings: The Motion Picture Trilogy''.<ref>[http://www.games-workshop.com/gws/catalog/productDetail.jsp?prodId=prod480006a&_requestid=1321389 Winged Nazgûl] at [http://www.games-workshop.com/ Games-workshop.com] (accessed 10 June 2011)</ref>

'''2002: [[The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (video game)|''The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring'' (video game)]]:'''
:A Nazgûl mounted on a fell beast (depicted as a dragon-like creature) appears in the [[Amon Hen]] stage of the PC and console versions of the game, where it serves as the final boss. In the first phase of the battle, the beast crawls on the ground and fights Aragorn (armed with his sword). During the second and final phase, it flies into the sky and shoots green fireballs from its mouth down at Aragorn (who shoots back at it with his bow), until it is weakened and finally shot down by Legolas in the game's ending cutscene.

'''2002-5: ''[[The Lord of the Rings Roleplaying Game]]'':'''
:Hell-hawks, employed as mounts by the Ringwraiths and found wild in southern Mirkwood and (after the War of the Ring) in Gondor, resemble a "cross between lizards and featherless birds". They were bred by Sauron in mockery of the [[Eagles|Great Eagles]].<ref>{{D|Fell}}, pp. 30-31</ref>

'''2011: ''[[The Lord of the Rings: War in the North]]'':'''
:Agandaûr has several Fell beasts under his control. At the end of Chapter 1, Agandaûr flees on the back of one of them.<ref>[[The Lord of the Rings: War in the North]], Chapter 1: Fornost, ''Citadel Tower''</ref>

'''2023: ''[[The Lord of the Rings: Return to Moria]]'':'''
:Fell beasts are among the monsters infesting Moria. The female dragon Narag-Shazon claims that Sauron forcibly employed her to breed the creatures.

{{references|note}}

[[Category:Animals]]
[[Category:Nazgûl]]
[[Category:Other races]]
[[Category:Servants of Sauron]]

[[de:Reittiere der Nazgûl#Flugwesen]]
[[fi:Sormusaaveiden siivekkäät ratsut]]

Fell beasts

2026-02-20T02:41:17Z

Phaedrus:

{{short description|Flying steeds of the Nazgûl}}
{{disambig-two|the winged steeds of the [[Nazgûl]]|vague term|[[Fell beasts (vague term)|fell beasts]]}}
{{race infobox
| name=Fell beasts
| image = John Howe - Nazgul 01.jpg
| caption="Nazgul" by [[John Howe]]
| pronun=
| othernames=Nazgûl-birds, Black Wings, hell-hawks
| origin=
| location=[[Mordor]]
| affiliation=[[Nazgûl]]
| rivalry=
| language=
| people=
| members=
| lifespan="Older world" - [[Third Age]]
| distinctions=A long neck and vast pinions
| height=
| hair=None
| skin=Webbed and plain
| clothing=
| weapons=Horned fingers, claws, and a beak
}}

"'''[[Fell beasts (vague term)|Fell beasts]]'''"<ref name="pelennor">{{RK|Battle}}</ref>, also called '''Nazgûl-birds'''<ref name="name">{{L|100}}</ref>, '''Black Wings'''<ref name="blackwing">{{TT|Gate}}</ref>, and "'''hell-hawks'''"<ref name="siege">{{RK|Siege}}</ref>, were huge pterodactylic flying creatures that served as steeds for the [[Nazgûl]].

==Description==
Fell beasts were huge winged creatures with a beak and claws and were described as similar to carrion birds<ref name="blackwing" /> but much greater and more monstrous<ref name="harrowdale">{{RK|Muster}}</ref> than any kind of bird, including [[Eagles]].<ref name="siege" /> They were dark and appeared shadow-like even at night.<ref name="dark">{{FR|River}}</ref> Their body was plain and naked, lacking any quills or feathers. They had a long neck as well as vast pinions consisting of a web-like "hide between horned fingers". They possessed a "fell speed" which allowed them to fly faster than the wind.<ref name="deadmarshes">{{TT|Marshes}}</ref> Furthermore, fell beasts also gave off a stench. In battle they swooped upon prey with their feet to drop foes from the sky,<ref name="siege" /> crushed enemies under their sheer weight,<ref name="siege" /> and used their vast wings to blow foul gusts of wind.<ref name="pelennor" />

==History==
{{blockquote|A creature of an older world maybe it was, whose kind, lingering in forgotten mountains cold beneath the Moon, outstayed their day, and in hideous eyrie bred this last untimely brood, apt to evil. And the Dark Lord took it, and nursed it with fell meats, until it grew beyond the measure of all other things that fly; and he gave it to his servant to be his steed.|''[[The Return of the King]]'', "[[The Battle of the Pelennor Fields]]"}}

While their origins are uncertain, [[J.R.R. Tolkien]] speculated that fell beasts hailed from an earlier age of the world, a diminishing number of which had clung to survival in the remote reaches of Middle-earth.<ref name="letter211">{{L|211}}</ref> Under Sauron's care, these creatures were prepared for the use of his Nazgûl, who employed them in travel and in the uses of war.

Following the destruction of the black horses used by the [[Nazgûl]] in their pursuit of [[Frodo Baggins]], Sauron appointed his brood of fell beasts to serve as the [[Ringwraiths|Ringwraiths']] new steeds.<ref name="pelennor" /> These were glimpsed on several occasions before the [[Battle of the Pelennor Fields]], where they bore the [[Nazgûl]] to war and plagued the armies of [[Gondor]] and [[Rohan]].<ref name="siege" /><ref name="pelennor" />

As the [[Fellowship of the Ring]] travelled down the [[Anduin]], a winged creature briefly attempted to assail the company before being driven off by an arrow from [[Legolas]]' bow.<ref name="dark" />

On Thursday [[1 March]], while Frodo, [[Samwise Gamgee]], and [[Gollum]] were crossing the [[Dead Marshes|Dead Marshes,]] a Nazgul borne on a winged creature passed overhead at midnight at "the speed of the wrath of Sauron."<ref name="deadmarshes" /> On Sunday [[4 March]],<ref name="date">''[[The Chronology of The Lord of the Rings]]'', p. 62</ref> the party witnessed another Nazgûl, possibly "on some swift errand from Barad-dûr", pass overhead on a winged creature. On Monday [[5 March]],<ref name="date" />, an hour after midnight, a third winged creature flew overhead in the direction of Mordor.

Around dawn on Tuesday<ref name="tuesday">''[[The Chronology of The Lord of the Rings]]'', p. 64</ref> [[6 March]], "a flying darkness in the shape of a monstrous bird" swooped over the hall of [[Meduseld]] in [[Edoras|Edoras.]] To deter an attack, [[Gandalf]] counselled the [[Rohirrim]] to assemble at [[Dunharrow]], in the valley under the mountains, rather than in the fields outside Edoras. [[Théoden]] was told of the sighting after returning from the [[Hornburg]] three days later.<ref name="harrowdale" />

Five Nazgûl, aloft on winged creatures, assailed [[Faramir]] and his company as they retreated from [[Osgiliath]]. They were driven off by Gandalf, who caused a white light to be emitted from his hand, which the Nazgûl could not face.<ref name="siege" />

After the arrival of the Rohirrim to the [[Battle of the Pelennor Fields]], the [[Witch-king]] of [[Angmar]] abandoned his horse for a fell beast. Upon this steed he confronted the host of the Rohirrim, and slew Théoden's [[Snowmane|horse]] from underneath him. [[Éowyn]], casting away the guise of Dernhelm, leapt to the king's defense and killed the beast, and with the help of [[Meriadoc Brandybuck]] slew its rider.<ref name="pelennor" />

==Etymology==
As in the expression "fell things" occurring earlier in ''[[The Lord of the Rings]]'',<ref>{{FR|I3}}</ref> the word ''[[Wiktionary:fell#Etymology 4|fell]]'' in this sense is an archaic English word meaning "dreadful, terrible".<ref>{{HM|RC}}, p. 110</ref>

The term "[[Fell beasts (vague term)|fell beasts]]" is not used solely for the winged steeds of the Nazgûl: it was also used as a descriptor for various evil creatures of [[Mirkwood]],<ref>{{FR|Breaking}}</ref> and also a descriptor of a type of creature hunted by [[Oromë]] in addition to monsters.<ref name="valar">{{S|IIb}}</ref>

==Other versions of the legendarium==

==Inspiration==
In a reply to a letter, [[J.R.R. Tolkien]] wrote that he did not intend for the Nazgûl-bird<ref name="name" /> to be a [[Wikipedia:Pterosaur|pterodactyl]], though he acknowledged that it was "''pterodactylic''" and "owes much to" the "mythology of the 'Prehistoric'". He considered that its description left open the possibility for it to be "a last survivor of older geological eras".<ref name="letter211" />

==Portrayal in adaptations==
===Fell beasts in adaptations===
<gallery mode="traditional" widths="180px" heights="180px">
File:The Return of the King (1980 film) - Witch-king.png|[[The Return of the King (1980 film)|''The Return of the King'' (1980)]]
File:Liz Danforth - Fell beast.png|"Fell beast" in ''[[Middle-earth Role Playing]]''
File:Angus McBride - Wild Fell Beast.jpg|"Wild Fell Beast" in ''[[Middle-earth Collectible Card Game]]''
File:The Lord of the Rings - The Return of the King - Fell beast attacks Minas Tirith.jpg|Fell beast descending in [[The Lord of the Rings (film series)|''The Lord of the Rings'' (film series)]]
File:SBG - Fell beast.jpeg|''[[The Lord of the Rings Strategy Battle Game]]''
File:Mark Evans - Hell-hawk.png|"Hell-hawk" in ''[[The Lord of the Rings Roleplaying Game]]''
File:LOTR-WITN-Fell Beast-1.png|"Fell beast" in ''[[The Lord of the Rings: War in the North]]''
</gallery>

'''1978: ''[[The Lord of the Rings (1978 film)|The Lord of the Rings]]'':'''
:One of the Nazgûl (possibly the Witch-king, for he carries a mace) is shown riding on a winged creature. However, Bakshi's film only covers events up to the [[Battle of the Hornburg]], so that is the only appearance of a Nazgûl-bird<ref name="name" />.

'''1980: ''[[The Return of the King (1980 film)|The Return of the King]]'':'''
:The Nazgûl ride winged horses. In the [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hWjt6LGhHsI confrontation] between Éowyn and the Witch-king, the latter is seen riding a plump black-grey dragon-like animal. Gandalf had called it a '''Carrion-fowl'''.

'''1982-97: ''[[Middle-earth Role Playing]]'':'''
:The Fell Beasts are said to likely be "distant relatives of ancient [[Cold-drakes]]", and "grow to lengths of 30 feet (with 30-35-foot wingspans)". In the middle Third Age they live in [[Mountains of Mirkwood|mountainous]] areas of Mirkwood, presumably because of the [[Sauron#Sauron's Return|Necromancer]]'s presence at [[Dol Guldur]]. They are used as steeds by both the Nazgûl and a few [[Olog-hai]] warlords.<ref>{{ICE|2019}}</ref><ref group="note">In the supplement, ''[[Creatures of Middle-earth (2nd edition)|Creatures of Middle-earth]]'', the Fell beasts are said to be "presumably bred from Winged-drakes" and to have a body between 15-25 feet and a wingspan between 30-40 feet.</ref>

'''1995-8: ''[[Middle-earth Collectible Card Game]]'':'''
:'''Fell Beast''' increases the number of strikes of one Nazgûl hazard-creature. '''Wild Fell Beast''' is a Drake which attacks with three strikes. With the card "Fell Rider" the Ringwraith may move to a non-Darkhaven site, but without allies and followers.

'''2001-3: [[The Lord of the Rings (film series)|''The Lord of the Rings'' (film series)]]:'''
:The fell beasts are depicted as more [[Dragons|Dragon]]-like and serpentine. As opposed to having beaks, they have lipless mouths full of jagged teeth, fins running along their spine, long whip-like tails and dark gray scales. This depiction is heavily influenced by [[John Howe]], who was one of the concept artists for the films.

:In the films, the fell beasts are used for attack much more often than in the books, with the Nazgûl usually swooping down and screeching, making the defenders at the gate of Minas Tirith run away, leaving [[Gandalf]] alone to face the Witch-king as he enters.

:Although on screen the films never make this mistake, sometimes cast or crew members ([[Lawrence Makoare]] and [[Richard Taylor]] most notably) on the commentary tracks and the documentaries refer to the fell beasts as Nazgûl; this is incorrect. The fell beasts are the creature that the nine Nazgûl ride, and the mistake probably arose because fell beasts are always seen with a Nazgûl atop them.

'''2001-: ''[[The Lord of the Rings Strategy Battle Game]]'':'''
:The Fell Beasts are portrayed without beaks, reminiscent of the depiction in ''The Lord of the Rings: The Motion Picture Trilogy''.<ref>[http://www.games-workshop.com/gws/catalog/productDetail.jsp?prodId=prod480006a&_requestid=1321389 Winged Nazgûl] at [http://www.games-workshop.com/ Games-workshop.com] (accessed 10 June 2011)</ref>

'''2002: [[The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (video game)|''The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring'' (video game)]]:'''
:A Nazgûl mounted on a fell beast (depicted as a dragon-like creature) appears in the [[Amon Hen]] stage of the PC and console versions of the game, where it serves as the final boss. In the first phase of the battle, the beast crawls on the ground and fights Aragorn (armed with his sword). During the second and final phase, it flies into the sky and shoots green fireballs from its mouth down at Aragorn (who shoots back at it with his bow), until it is weakened and finally shot down by Legolas in the game's ending cutscene.

'''2002-5: ''[[The Lord of the Rings Roleplaying Game]]'':'''
:Hell-hawks, employed as mounts by the Ringwraiths and found wild in southern Mirkwood and (after the War of the Ring) in Gondor, resemble a "cross between lizards and featherless birds". They were bred by Sauron in mockery of the [[Eagles|Great Eagles]].<ref>{{D|Fell}}, pp. 30-31</ref>

'''2011: ''[[The Lord of the Rings: War in the North]]'':'''
:Agandaûr has several Fell beasts under his control. At the end of Chapter 1, Agandaûr flees on the back of one of them.<ref>[[The Lord of the Rings: War in the North]], Chapter 1: Fornost, ''Citadel Tower''</ref>

'''2023: ''[[The Lord of the Rings: Return to Moria]]'':'''
:Fell beasts are among the monsters infesting Moria. The female dragon Narag-Shazon claims that Sauron forcibly employed her to breed the creatures.

{{references|note}}

[[Category:Animals]]
[[Category:Nazgûl]]
[[Category:Other races]]
[[Category:Servants of Sauron]]

[[de:Reittiere der Nazgûl#Flugwesen]]
[[fi:Sormusaaveiden siivekkäät ratsut]]

Fell beasts

2026-02-20T02:38:55Z

Phaedrus: Rewritten largely for concision, clarity, and consistency. Imprecise language cleaned up, sentence structure improved, a factual error corrected.

{{short description|Flying steeds of the Nazgûl}}
{{disambig-two|the winged steeds of the [[Nazgûl]]|vague term|[[Fell beasts (vague term)|fell beasts]]}}
{{race infobox
| name=Fell beasts
| image = John Howe - Nazgul 01.jpg
| caption="Nazgul" by [[John Howe]]
| pronun=
| othernames=Nazgûl-birds, Black Wings, hell-hawks
| origin=
| location=[[Mordor]]
| affiliation=[[Nazgûl]]
| rivalry=
| language=
| people=
| members=
| lifespan="Older world" - [[Third Age]]
| distinctions=A long neck and vast pinions
| height=
| hair=None
| skin=Webbed and plain
| clothing=
| weapons=Horned fingers, claws, and a beak
}}

"'''[[Fell beasts (vague term)|Fell beasts]]'''"<ref name="pelennor">{{RK|Battle}}</ref>, also called '''Nazgûl-birds'''<ref name="name">{{L|100}}</ref>, '''Black Wings'''<ref name="blackwing">{{TT|Gate}}</ref>, and "'''hell-hawks'''"<ref name="siege">{{RK|Siege}}</ref>, were huge pterodactylic flying creatures that served as steeds for the [[Nazgûl]].

==Description==
Fell beasts were huge winged creatures with a beak and claws and were described as similar to carrion birds<ref name="blackwing" /> but much greater and more monstrous<ref name="harrowdale">{{RK|Muster}}</ref> than any kind of bird, including [[Eagles]].<ref name="siege" /> They were dark and appeared shadow-like even at night.<ref name="dark">{{FR|River}}</ref> Their body was plain and naked, lacking any quills or feathers. They had a long neck as well as vast pinions consisting of a web-like "hide between horned fingers". They possessed a "fell speed" which allowed them to fly faster than the wind.<ref name="deadmarshes">{{TT|Marshes}}</ref> Furthermore, fell beasts also gave off a stench. In battle they swooped upon prey with their feet to drop foes from the sky,<ref name="siege" /> crushed enemies under their sheer weight,<ref name="siege" /> and used their vast wings to blow foul gusts of wind.<ref name="pelennor" />

==History==
{{blockquote|A creature of an older world maybe it was, whose kind, lingering in forgotten mountains cold beneath the Moon, outstayed their day, and in hideous eyrie bred this last untimely brood, apt to evil. And the Dark Lord took it, and nursed it with fell meats, until it grew beyond the measure of all other things that fly; and he gave it to his servant to be his steed.|''[[The Return of the King]]'', "[[The Battle of the Pelennor Fields]]"}}

While their origins are uncertain, [[J.R.R. Tolkien]] speculated that fell beasts hailed from an earlier age of the world, a diminishing number of which had clung to survival in the remote reaches of Middle-earth.<ref name="letter211">{{L|211}}</ref> Under Sauron's care, these creatures were prepared for the use of his Nazgûl, who employed them in travel and in the uses of war.

In the year {{TA|3018}} of the late [[Third Age]], the [[Nazgûl]] rode black [[horses]] in their pursuit of [[Frodo Baggins]]. These horses were killed when they and their riders were washed away by [[Elrond]]'s flood at the [[Ford of Bruinen]].<ref>{{FR|Flight}}</ref> However, the Nazgûl survived; over the next few months made their way unseen to [[Mordor]], where [[Sauron]] gave them fell beasts to serve as new steeds.<ref name="pelennor" />

When the [[Fellowship of the Ring]] had left [[Lothlórien]] and were camped on the western shore of the river [[Anduin]] near [[Sarn Gebir]], a winged creature tried to approach them at night. However, it vanished "into the gloom of the eastern shore" with "a harsh croaking scream" after [[Legolas]] shot it with an arrow.<ref name="dark" />

On Thursday [[1 March]],<ref name="thursday">''[[The Chronology of The Lord of the Rings]]'', p. 60</ref> a Nazgûl was sent from Mordor to the [[Dead Marshes]]. As Frodo, [[Samwise Gamgee]], and [[Gollum]] traveled through the marshes, the Nazgûl passed overhead on a winged creature at midnight<ref name="thursday" /> at "the speed of the wrath of Sauron" back to Mordor.<ref name="deadmarshes" />

In the evening of Sunday [[4 March]],<ref name="date">''[[The Chronology of The Lord of the Rings]]'', p. 62</ref> Frodo, Sam, and Gollum witness another Nazgûl, possibly "on some swift errand from Barad-dûr", pass overhead on a winged creature. On Monday [[5 March]],<ref name="date" /> a third winged creature flew overhead towards Mordor "an hour after midnight" which Gollum claimed was a very bad omen.<ref name="deadmarshes" />

In the dawn of Tuesday<ref name="tuesday">''[[The Chronology of The Lord of the Rings]]'', p. 64</ref> [[6 March]], a winged creature flew over [[Edoras]] in [[Rohan]] and stooped just over [[Meduseld]]. They described it as being a darkness in the shape of a monstrous bird. After this, [[Gandalf]] told the [[Rohirrim]] to assemble at [[Dunharrow]] rather than outside Edoras to prevent any attack. Three days later in the evening of [[9 March]], [[Dúnhere]], the lord of [[Harrowdale]], reported the incident to [[King of Rohan|King]] [[Théoden]], who had just returned from the [[Hornburg]].<ref name="harrowdale" />

When [[Faramir]], captain of [[Gondor]], was fleeing from the besieged city of [[Osgiliath]] on his way to [[Minas Tirith]], he and his men were beset many times by five winged creatures ridden by Nazgûl until Gandalf rode out and drove them away with a shaft of white light from his raised hand.<ref name="siege" />

During the [[Battle of the Pelennor Fields]], the [[Witch-king]] of [[Angmar]] rode his winged steed in battle against King Théoden; the Witch-king shot a dart which killed Théoden's [[Snowmane|horse]], who fell upon him, mortally wounding him. [[Éowyn]] removed her guise as Dernhelm and defended the dying Théoden, challenging and decapitating the winged creature. She then confronted and slew the Nazgûl, with the aid of [[Meriadoc Brandybuck]].<ref name="pelennor" />

==Etymology==
As in the expression "fell things" occurring earlier in ''[[The Lord of the Rings]]'',<ref>{{FR|I3}}</ref> the word ''[[Wiktionary:fell#Etymology 4|fell]]'' in this sense is an archaic English word meaning "dreadful, terrible".<ref>{{HM|RC}}, p. 110</ref>

The term "[[Fell beasts (vague term)|fell beasts]]" is not used solely for the winged steeds of the Nazgûl: it was also used as a descriptor for various evil creatures of [[Mirkwood]],<ref>{{FR|Breaking}}</ref> and also a descriptor of a type of creature hunted by [[Oromë]] in addition to monsters.<ref name="valar">{{S|IIb}}</ref>

==Other versions of the legendarium==

==Inspiration==
In a reply to a letter, [[J.R.R. Tolkien]] wrote that he did not intend for the Nazgûl-bird<ref name="name" /> to be a [[Wikipedia:Pterosaur|pterodactyl]], though he acknowledged that it was "''pterodactylic''" and "owes much to" the "mythology of the 'Prehistoric'". He considered that its description left open the possibility for it to be "a last survivor of older geological eras".<ref name="letter211" />

==Portrayal in adaptations==
===Fell beasts in adaptations===
<gallery mode="traditional" widths="180px" heights="180px">
File:The Return of the King (1980 film) - Witch-king.png|[[The Return of the King (1980 film)|''The Return of the King'' (1980)]]
File:Liz Danforth - Fell beast.png|"Fell beast" in ''[[Middle-earth Role Playing]]''
File:Angus McBride - Wild Fell Beast.jpg|"Wild Fell Beast" in ''[[Middle-earth Collectible Card Game]]''
File:The Lord of the Rings - The Return of the King - Fell beast attacks Minas Tirith.jpg|Fell beast descending in [[The Lord of the Rings (film series)|''The Lord of the Rings'' (film series)]]
File:SBG - Fell beast.jpeg|''[[The Lord of the Rings Strategy Battle Game]]''
File:Mark Evans - Hell-hawk.png|"Hell-hawk" in ''[[The Lord of the Rings Roleplaying Game]]''
File:LOTR-WITN-Fell Beast-1.png|"Fell beast" in ''[[The Lord of the Rings: War in the North]]''
</gallery>

'''1978: ''[[The Lord of the Rings (1978 film)|The Lord of the Rings]]'':'''
:One of the Nazgûl (possibly the Witch-king, for he carries a mace) is shown riding on a winged creature. However, Bakshi's film only covers events up to the [[Battle of the Hornburg]], so that is the only appearance of a Nazgûl-bird<ref name="name" />.

'''1980: ''[[The Return of the King (1980 film)|The Return of the King]]'':'''
:The Nazgûl ride winged horses. In the [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hWjt6LGhHsI confrontation] between Éowyn and the Witch-king, the latter is seen riding a plump black-grey dragon-like animal. Gandalf had called it a '''Carrion-fowl'''.

'''1982-97: ''[[Middle-earth Role Playing]]'':'''
:The Fell Beasts are said to likely be "distant relatives of ancient [[Cold-drakes]]", and "grow to lengths of 30 feet (with 30-35-foot wingspans)". In the middle Third Age they live in [[Mountains of Mirkwood|mountainous]] areas of Mirkwood, presumably because of the [[Sauron#Sauron's Return|Necromancer]]'s presence at [[Dol Guldur]]. They are used as steeds by both the Nazgûl and a few [[Olog-hai]] warlords.<ref>{{ICE|2019}}</ref><ref group="note">In the supplement, ''[[Creatures of Middle-earth (2nd edition)|Creatures of Middle-earth]]'', the Fell beasts are said to be "presumably bred from Winged-drakes" and to have a body between 15-25 feet and a wingspan between 30-40 feet.</ref>

'''1995-8: ''[[Middle-earth Collectible Card Game]]'':'''
:'''Fell Beast''' increases the number of strikes of one Nazgûl hazard-creature. '''Wild Fell Beast''' is a Drake which attacks with three strikes. With the card "Fell Rider" the Ringwraith may move to a non-Darkhaven site, but without allies and followers.

'''2001-3: [[The Lord of the Rings (film series)|''The Lord of the Rings'' (film series)]]:'''
:The fell beasts are depicted as more [[Dragons|Dragon]]-like and serpentine. As opposed to having beaks, they have lipless mouths full of jagged teeth, fins running along their spine, long whip-like tails and dark gray scales. This depiction is heavily influenced by [[John Howe]], who was one of the concept artists for the films.

:In the films, the fell beasts are used for attack much more often than in the books, with the Nazgûl usually swooping down and screeching, making the defenders at the gate of Minas Tirith run away, leaving [[Gandalf]] alone to face the Witch-king as he enters.

:Although on screen the films never make this mistake, sometimes cast or crew members ([[Lawrence Makoare]] and [[Richard Taylor]] most notably) on the commentary tracks and the documentaries refer to the fell beasts as Nazgûl; this is incorrect. The fell beasts are the creature that the nine Nazgûl ride, and the mistake probably arose because fell beasts are always seen with a Nazgûl atop them.

'''2001-: ''[[The Lord of the Rings Strategy Battle Game]]'':'''
:The Fell Beasts are portrayed without beaks, reminiscent of the depiction in ''The Lord of the Rings: The Motion Picture Trilogy''.<ref>[http://www.games-workshop.com/gws/catalog/productDetail.jsp?prodId=prod480006a&_requestid=1321389 Winged Nazgûl] at [http://www.games-workshop.com/ Games-workshop.com] (accessed 10 June 2011)</ref>

'''2002: [[The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (video game)|''The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring'' (video game)]]:'''
:A Nazgûl mounted on a fell beast (depicted as a dragon-like creature) appears in the [[Amon Hen]] stage of the PC and console versions of the game, where it serves as the final boss. In the first phase of the battle, the beast crawls on the ground and fights Aragorn (armed with his sword). During the second and final phase, it flies into the sky and shoots green fireballs from its mouth down at Aragorn (who shoots back at it with his bow), until it is weakened and finally shot down by Legolas in the game's ending cutscene.

'''2002-5: ''[[The Lord of the Rings Roleplaying Game]]'':'''
:Hell-hawks, employed as mounts by the Ringwraiths and found wild in southern Mirkwood and (after the War of the Ring) in Gondor, resemble a "cross between lizards and featherless birds". They were bred by Sauron in mockery of the [[Eagles|Great Eagles]].<ref>{{D|Fell}}, pp. 30-31</ref>

'''2011: ''[[The Lord of the Rings: War in the North]]'':'''
:Agandaûr has several Fell beasts under his control. At the end of Chapter 1, Agandaûr flees on the back of one of them.<ref>[[The Lord of the Rings: War in the North]], Chapter 1: Fornost, ''Citadel Tower''</ref>

'''2023: ''[[The Lord of the Rings: Return to Moria]]'':'''
:Fell beasts are among the monsters infesting Moria. The female dragon Narag-Shazon claims that Sauron forcibly employed her to breed the creatures.

{{references|note}}

[[Category:Animals]]
[[Category:Nazgûl]]
[[Category:Other races]]
[[Category:Servants of Sauron]]

[[de:Reittiere der Nazgûl#Flugwesen]]
[[fi:Sormusaaveiden siivekkäät ratsut]]

Fell beasts

2026-02-20T02:38:11Z

Phaedrus: Rewritten largely for concision, clarity, and consistency. Imprecise language cleaned up, sentence structure improved, a factual error corrected.

{{short description|Flying steeds of the Nazgûl}}
{{disambig-two|the winged steeds of the [[Nazgûl]]|vague term|[[Fell beasts (vague term)|fell beasts]]}}
{{race infobox
| name=Fell beasts
| image = John Howe - Nazgul 01.jpg
| caption="Nazgul" by [[John Howe]]
| pronun=
| othernames=Nazgûl-birds, Black Wings, hell-hawks
| origin=
| location=[[Mordor]]
| affiliation=[[Nazgûl]]
| rivalry=
| language=
| people=
| members=
| lifespan="Older world" - [[Third Age]]
| distinctions=A long neck and vast pinions
| height=
| hair=None
| skin=Webbed and plain
| clothing=
| weapons=Horned fingers, claws, and a beak
}}

"'''[[Fell beasts (vague term)|Fell beasts]]'''"<ref name="pelennor">{{RK|Battle}}</ref>, also called '''Nazgûl-birds'''<ref name="name">{{L|100}}</ref>, '''Black Wings'''<ref name="blackwing">{{TT|Gate}}</ref>, and "'''hell-hawks'''"<ref name="siege">{{RK|Siege}}</ref>, were huge pterodactylic flying creatures that served as steeds for the [[Nazgûl]].

==Description==
Fell beasts were huge winged creatures with a beak and claws and were described as similar to carrion birds<ref name="blackwing" /> but much greater and more monstrous<ref name="harrowdale">{{RK|Muster}}</ref> than any kind of bird, including [[Eagles]].<ref name="siege" /> They were dark and appeared shadow-like even at night.<ref name="dark">{{FR|River}}</ref> Their body was plain and naked, lacking any quills or feathers. They had a long neck as well as vast pinions consisting of a web-like "hide between horned fingers". They possessed a "fell speed" which allowed them to fly faster than the wind.<ref name="deadmarshes">{{TT|Marshes}}</ref> Furthermore, fell beasts also gave off a stench. In battle they swooped upon prey with their feet to drop foes from the sky,<ref name="siege" /> crushed enemies under their sheer weight,<ref name="siege" /> and used their vast wings to blow foul gusts of wind.<ref name="pelennor" />

==History==
{{blockquote|A creature of an older world maybe it was, whose kind, lingering in forgotten mountains cold beneath the Moon, outstayed their day, and in hideous eyrie bred this last untimely brood, apt to evil. And the Dark Lord took it, and nursed it with fell meats, until it grew beyond the measure of all other things that fly; and he gave it to his servant to be his steed.|''[[The Return of the King]]'', "[[The Battle of the Pelennor Fields]]"}}

While their origins are uncertain, [[J.R.R. Tolkien]] speculated that fell beasts hailed from an earlier age of the world, a diminishing number of which had clung to survival in the remote reaches of Middle-earth.<ref name="letter211">{{L|211}}</ref> Under Sauron's care, these creatures were prepared for the use of his Nazgûl, who employed them in travel and in the uses of war.

Following the destruction of the black horses used by the [[Nazgûl]] in their pursuit of [[Frodo Baggins]], Sauron appointed his brood of fell beasts to serve as the [[Ringwraiths|Ringwraiths']] new steeds.<ref name="pelennor" /> These were glimpsed on several occasions before the [[Siege of Gondor]], where they bore the [[Nazgûl]] to war and plagued the armies of [[Gondor]] and [[Rohan]].<ref name="siege" /><ref name="pelennor" />

As the [[Fellowship of the Ring]] travelled down the [[Anduin]], a winged creature briefly attempted to assail the company before being driven off by an arrow from [[Legolas]]' bow.<ref name="dark" />

On Thursday [[1 March]], while Frodo, [[Samwise Gamgee]], and [[Gollum]] were crossing the [[Dead Marshes|Dead Marshes,]] a Nazgul borne on a winged creature passed overhead at midnight at "the speed of the wrath of Sauron."<ref name="deadmarshes" /> On Sunday [[4 March]],<ref name="date">''[[The Chronology of The Lord of the Rings]]'', p. 62</ref> the party witnessed another Nazgûl, possibly "on some swift errand from Barad-dûr", pass overhead on a winged creature. On Monday [[5 March]],<ref name="date" />, an hour after midnight, a third winged creature flew overhead in the direction of Mordor.

Around dawn on Tuesday<ref name="tuesday">''[[The Chronology of The Lord of the Rings]]'', p. 64</ref> [[6 March]], "a flying darkness in the shape of a monstrous bird" swooped over the hall of [[Meduseld]] in [[Edoras|Edoras.]] To deter an attack, [[Gandalf]] counselled the [[Rohirrim]] to assemble at [[Dunharrow]], in the valley under the mountains, rather than in the fields outside Edoras. [[Théoden]] was told of the sighting after returning from the [[Hornburg]] three days later.<ref name="harrowdale" />

Five Nazgûl, aloft on winged creatures, assailed [[Faramir]] and his company as they retreated from [[Osgiliath]]. They were driven off by Gandalf, who caused a white light to be emitted from his hand, which the Nazgûl could not face.<ref name="siege" />

After the arrival of the Rohirrim to the [[Battle of the Pelennor Fields]], the [[Witch-king]] of [[Angmar]] abandoned his horse for a fell beast. Upon this steed he confronted the host of the Rohirrim, and slew Théoden's [[Snowmane|horse]] from underneath him. [[Éowyn]], casting away the guise of Dernhelm, leapt to the king's defense and killed the beast, and with the help of [[Meriadoc Brandybuck]] slew its rider.<ref name="pelennor" />

==Etymology==
As in the expression "fell things" occurring earlier in ''[[The Lord of the Rings]]'',<ref>{{FR|I3}}</ref> the word ''[[Wiktionary:fell#Etymology 4|fell]]'' in this sense is an archaic English word meaning "dreadful, terrible".<ref>{{HM|RC}}, p. 110</ref>

The term "[[Fell beasts (vague term)|fell beasts]]" is not used solely for the winged steeds of the Nazgûl: it was also used as a descriptor for various evil creatures of [[Mirkwood]],<ref>{{FR|Breaking}}</ref> and also a descriptor of a type of creature hunted by [[Oromë]] in addition to monsters.<ref name="valar">{{S|IIb}}</ref>

==Other versions of the legendarium==

==Inspiration==
In a reply to a letter, [[J.R.R. Tolkien]] wrote that he did not intend for the Nazgûl-bird<ref name="name" /> to be a [[Wikipedia:Pterosaur|pterodactyl]], though he acknowledged that it was "''pterodactylic''" and "owes much to" the "mythology of the 'Prehistoric'". He considered that its description left open the possibility for it to be "a last survivor of older geological eras".<ref name="letter211" />

==Portrayal in adaptations==
===Fell beasts in adaptations===
<gallery mode="traditional" widths="180px" heights="180px">
File:The Return of the King (1980 film) - Witch-king.png|[[The Return of the King (1980 film)|''The Return of the King'' (1980)]]
File:Liz Danforth - Fell beast.png|"Fell beast" in ''[[Middle-earth Role Playing]]''
File:Angus McBride - Wild Fell Beast.jpg|"Wild Fell Beast" in ''[[Middle-earth Collectible Card Game]]''
File:The Lord of the Rings - The Return of the King - Fell beast attacks Minas Tirith.jpg|Fell beast descending in [[The Lord of the Rings (film series)|''The Lord of the Rings'' (film series)]]
File:SBG - Fell beast.jpeg|''[[The Lord of the Rings Strategy Battle Game]]''
File:Mark Evans - Hell-hawk.png|"Hell-hawk" in ''[[The Lord of the Rings Roleplaying Game]]''
File:LOTR-WITN-Fell Beast-1.png|"Fell beast" in ''[[The Lord of the Rings: War in the North]]''
</gallery>

'''1978: ''[[The Lord of the Rings (1978 film)|The Lord of the Rings]]'':'''
:One of the Nazgûl (possibly the Witch-king, for he carries a mace) is shown riding on a winged creature. However, Bakshi's film only covers events up to the [[Battle of the Hornburg]], so that is the only appearance of a Nazgûl-bird<ref name="name" />.

'''1980: ''[[The Return of the King (1980 film)|The Return of the King]]'':'''
:The Nazgûl ride winged horses. In the [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hWjt6LGhHsI confrontation] between Éowyn and the Witch-king, the latter is seen riding a plump black-grey dragon-like animal. Gandalf had called it a '''Carrion-fowl'''.

'''1982-97: ''[[Middle-earth Role Playing]]'':'''
:The Fell Beasts are said to likely be "distant relatives of ancient [[Cold-drakes]]", and "grow to lengths of 30 feet (with 30-35-foot wingspans)". In the middle Third Age they live in [[Mountains of Mirkwood|mountainous]] areas of Mirkwood, presumably because of the [[Sauron#Sauron's Return|Necromancer]]'s presence at [[Dol Guldur]]. They are used as steeds by both the Nazgûl and a few [[Olog-hai]] warlords.<ref>{{ICE|2019}}</ref><ref group="note">In the supplement, ''[[Creatures of Middle-earth (2nd edition)|Creatures of Middle-earth]]'', the Fell beasts are said to be "presumably bred from Winged-drakes" and to have a body between 15-25 feet and a wingspan between 30-40 feet.</ref>

'''1995-8: ''[[Middle-earth Collectible Card Game]]'':'''
:'''Fell Beast''' increases the number of strikes of one Nazgûl hazard-creature. '''Wild Fell Beast''' is a Drake which attacks with three strikes. With the card "Fell Rider" the Ringwraith may move to a non-Darkhaven site, but without allies and followers.

'''2001-3: [[The Lord of the Rings (film series)|''The Lord of the Rings'' (film series)]]:'''
:The fell beasts are depicted as more [[Dragons|Dragon]]-like and serpentine. As opposed to having beaks, they have lipless mouths full of jagged teeth, fins running along their spine, long whip-like tails and dark gray scales. This depiction is heavily influenced by [[John Howe]], who was one of the concept artists for the films.

:In the films, the fell beasts are used for attack much more often than in the books, with the Nazgûl usually swooping down and screeching, making the defenders at the gate of Minas Tirith run away, leaving [[Gandalf]] alone to face the Witch-king as he enters.

:Although on screen the films never make this mistake, sometimes cast or crew members ([[Lawrence Makoare]] and [[Richard Taylor]] most notably) on the commentary tracks and the documentaries refer to the fell beasts as Nazgûl; this is incorrect. The fell beasts are the creature that the nine Nazgûl ride, and the mistake probably arose because fell beasts are always seen with a Nazgûl atop them.

'''2001-: ''[[The Lord of the Rings Strategy Battle Game]]'':'''
:The Fell Beasts are portrayed without beaks, reminiscent of the depiction in ''The Lord of the Rings: The Motion Picture Trilogy''.<ref>[http://www.games-workshop.com/gws/catalog/productDetail.jsp?prodId=prod480006a&_requestid=1321389 Winged Nazgûl] at [http://www.games-workshop.com/ Games-workshop.com] (accessed 10 June 2011)</ref>

'''2002: [[The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (video game)|''The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring'' (video game)]]:'''
:A Nazgûl mounted on a fell beast (depicted as a dragon-like creature) appears in the [[Amon Hen]] stage of the PC and console versions of the game, where it serves as the final boss. In the first phase of the battle, the beast crawls on the ground and fights Aragorn (armed with his sword). During the second and final phase, it flies into the sky and shoots green fireballs from its mouth down at Aragorn (who shoots back at it with his bow), until it is weakened and finally shot down by Legolas in the game's ending cutscene.

'''2002-5: ''[[The Lord of the Rings Roleplaying Game]]'':'''
:Hell-hawks, employed as mounts by the Ringwraiths and found wild in southern Mirkwood and (after the War of the Ring) in Gondor, resemble a "cross between lizards and featherless birds". They were bred by Sauron in mockery of the [[Eagles|Great Eagles]].<ref>{{D|Fell}}, pp. 30-31</ref>

'''2011: ''[[The Lord of the Rings: War in the North]]'':'''
:Agandaûr has several Fell beasts under his control. At the end of Chapter 1, Agandaûr flees on the back of one of them.<ref>[[The Lord of the Rings: War in the North]], Chapter 1: Fornost, ''Citadel Tower''</ref>

'''2023: ''[[The Lord of the Rings: Return to Moria]]'':'''
:Fell beasts are among the monsters infesting Moria. The female dragon Narag-Shazon claims that Sauron forcibly employed her to breed the creatures.

{{references|note}}

[[Category:Animals]]
[[Category:Nazgûl]]
[[Category:Other races]]
[[Category:Servants of Sauron]]

[[de:Reittiere der Nazgûl#Flugwesen]]
[[fi:Sormusaaveiden siivekkäät ratsut]]

Fell beasts

2026-02-20T01:18:36Z

Phaedrus: Add missing references, plus a sentence revision

{{short description|Flying steeds of the Nazgûl}}
{{disambig-two|the winged steeds of the [[Nazgûl]]|vague term|[[Fell beasts (vague term)|fell beasts]]}}
{{race infobox
| name=Fell beasts
| image = John Howe - Nazgul 01.jpg
| caption="Nazgul" by [[John Howe]]
| pronun=
| othernames=Nazgûl-birds, Black Wings, hell-hawks
| origin=
| location=[[Mordor]]
| affiliation=[[Nazgûl]]
| rivalry=
| language=
| people=
| members=
| lifespan="Older world" - [[Third Age]]
| distinctions=A long neck and vast pinions
| height=
| hair=None
| skin=Webbed and plain
| clothing=
| weapons=Horned fingers, claws, and a beak
}}

"'''[[Fell beasts (vague term)|Fell beasts]]'''"<ref name="pelennor">{{RK|Battle}}</ref>, also called '''Nazgûl-birds'''<ref name="name">{{L|100}}</ref>, '''Black Wings'''<ref name="blackwing">{{TT|Gate}}</ref>, and "'''hell-hawks'''"<ref name="siege">{{RK|Siege}}</ref>, were huge pterodactylic flying creatures that served as steeds for the [[Nazgûl]].

==Description==
Fell beasts were huge winged creatures with a beak and claws and were described as similar to carrion birds<ref name="blackwing" /> but much greater and more monstrous<ref name="harrowdale">{{RK|Muster}}</ref> than any kind of bird, including [[Eagles]].<ref name="siege" /> They were dark and appeared shadow-like even at night.<ref name="dark">{{FR|River}}</ref> Their body was plain and naked, lacking any quills or feathers. They had a long neck as well as vast pinions consisting of a web-like "hide between horned fingers". They possessed a "fell speed" which allowed them to fly faster than the wind.<ref name="deadmarshes">{{TT|Marshes}}</ref> Furthermore, fell beasts also gave off a stench. In battle they swooped upon prey with their feet to drop foes from the sky,<ref name="siege" /> crushed enemies under their sheer weight,<ref name="siege" /> and used their vast wings to blow foul gusts of wind.<ref name="pelennor" />

==History==
{{blockquote|A creature of an older world maybe it was, whose kind, lingering in forgotten mountains cold beneath the Moon, outstayed their day, and in hideous eyrie bred this last untimely brood, apt to evil. And the Dark Lord took it, and nursed it with fell meats, until it grew beyond the measure of all other things that fly; and he gave it to his servant to be his steed.|''[[The Return of the King]]'', "[[The Battle of the Pelennor Fields]]"}}

While their origins are uncertain, [[J.R.R. Tolkien]] speculated that fell beasts hailed from an earlier age of the world, a diminishing number of which had clung to survival in the remote reaches of Middle-earth.<ref name="letter211">{{L|211}}</ref> Under Sauron's care, these creatures were prepared for the use of his Nazgûl, who employed them in travel and in the uses of war.

In the year {{TA|3018}} of the late [[Third Age]], the [[Nazgûl]] rode black [[horses]] in their pursuit of [[Frodo Baggins]]. These horses were killed when they and their riders were washed away by [[Elrond]]'s flood at the [[Ford of Bruinen]].<ref>{{FR|Flight}}</ref> However, the Nazgûl survived; over the next few months made their way unseen to [[Mordor]], where [[Sauron]] gave them fell beasts to serve as new steeds.<ref name="pelennor" />

When the [[Fellowship of the Ring]] had left [[Lothlórien]] and were camped on the western shore of the river [[Anduin]] near [[Sarn Gebir]], a winged creature tried to approach them at night. However, it vanished "into the gloom of the eastern shore" with "a harsh croaking scream" after [[Legolas]] shot it with an arrow.<ref name="dark" />

On Thursday [[1 March]],<ref name="thursday">''[[The Chronology of The Lord of the Rings]]'', p. 60</ref> a Nazgûl was sent from Mordor to the [[Dead Marshes]]. As Frodo, [[Samwise Gamgee]], and [[Gollum]] traveled through the marshes, the Nazgûl passed overhead on a winged creature at midnight<ref name="thursday" /> at "the speed of the wrath of Sauron" back to Mordor.<ref name="deadmarshes" />

In the evening of Sunday [[4 March]],<ref name="date">''[[The Chronology of The Lord of the Rings]]'', p. 62</ref> Frodo, Sam, and Gollum witness another Nazgûl, possibly "on some swift errand from Barad-dûr", pass overhead on a winged creature. On Monday [[5 March]],<ref name="date" /> a third winged creature flew overhead towards Mordor "an hour after midnight" which Gollum claimed was a very bad omen.<ref name="deadmarshes" />

In the dawn of Tuesday<ref name="tuesday">''[[The Chronology of The Lord of the Rings]]'', p. 64</ref> [[6 March]], a winged creature flew over [[Edoras]] in [[Rohan]] and stooped just over [[Meduseld]]. They described it as being a darkness in the shape of a monstrous bird. After this, [[Gandalf]] told the [[Rohirrim]] to assemble at [[Dunharrow]] rather than outside Edoras to prevent any attack. Three days later in the evening of [[9 March]], [[Dúnhere]], the lord of [[Harrowdale]], reported the incident to [[King of Rohan|King]] [[Théoden]], who had just returned from the [[Hornburg]].<ref name="harrowdale" />

When [[Faramir]], captain of [[Gondor]], was fleeing from the besieged city of [[Osgiliath]] on his way to [[Minas Tirith]], he and his men were beset many times by five winged creatures ridden by Nazgûl until Gandalf rode out and drove them away with a shaft of white light from his raised hand.<ref name="siege" />

During the [[Battle of the Pelennor Fields]], the [[Witch-king]] of [[Angmar]] rode his winged steed in battle against King Théoden; the Witch-king shot a dart which killed Théoden's [[Snowmane|horse]], who fell upon him, mortally wounding him. [[Éowyn]] removed her guise as Dernhelm and defended the dying Théoden, challenging and decapitating the winged creature. She then confronted and slew the Nazgûl, with the aid of [[Meriadoc Brandybuck]].<ref name="pelennor" />

==Etymology==
As in the expression "fell things" occurring earlier in ''[[The Lord of the Rings]]'',<ref>{{FR|I3}}</ref> the word ''[[Wiktionary:fell#Etymology 4|fell]]'' in this sense is an archaic English word meaning "dreadful, terrible".<ref>{{HM|RC}}, p. 110</ref>

The term "[[Fell beasts (vague term)|fell beasts]]" is not used solely for the winged steeds of the Nazgûl: it was also used as a descriptor for various evil creatures of [[Mirkwood]],<ref>{{FR|Breaking}}</ref> and also a descriptor of a type of creature hunted by [[Oromë]] in addition to monsters.<ref name="valar">{{S|IIb}}</ref>

==Other versions of the legendarium==

==Inspiration==
In a reply to a letter, [[J.R.R. Tolkien]] wrote that he did not intend for the Nazgûl-bird<ref name="name" /> to be a [[Wikipedia:Pterosaur|pterodactyl]], though he acknowledged that it was "''pterodactylic''" and "owes much to" the "mythology of the 'Prehistoric'". He considered that its description left open the possibility for it to be "a last survivor of older geological eras".<ref name="letter211" />

==Portrayal in adaptations==
===Fell beasts in adaptations===
<gallery mode="traditional" widths="180px" heights="180px">
File:The Return of the King (1980 film) - Witch-king.png|[[The Return of the King (1980 film)|''The Return of the King'' (1980)]]
File:Liz Danforth - Fell beast.png|"Fell beast" in ''[[Middle-earth Role Playing]]''
File:Angus McBride - Wild Fell Beast.jpg|"Wild Fell Beast" in ''[[Middle-earth Collectible Card Game]]''
File:The Lord of the Rings - The Return of the King - Fell beast attacks Minas Tirith.jpg|Fell beast descending in [[The Lord of the Rings (film series)|''The Lord of the Rings'' (film series)]]
File:SBG - Fell beast.jpeg|''[[The Lord of the Rings Strategy Battle Game]]''
File:Mark Evans - Hell-hawk.png|"Hell-hawk" in ''[[The Lord of the Rings Roleplaying Game]]''
File:LOTR-WITN-Fell Beast-1.png|"Fell beast" in ''[[The Lord of the Rings: War in the North]]''
</gallery>

'''1978: ''[[The Lord of the Rings (1978 film)|The Lord of the Rings]]'':'''
:One of the Nazgûl (possibly the Witch-king, for he carries a mace) is shown riding on a winged creature. However, Bakshi's film only covers events up to the [[Battle of the Hornburg]], so that is the only appearance of a Nazgûl-bird<ref name="name" />.

'''1980: ''[[The Return of the King (1980 film)|The Return of the King]]'':'''
:The Nazgûl ride winged horses. In the [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hWjt6LGhHsI confrontation] between Éowyn and the Witch-king, the latter is seen riding a plump black-grey dragon-like animal. Gandalf had called it a '''Carrion-fowl'''.

'''1982-97: ''[[Middle-earth Role Playing]]'':'''
:The Fell Beasts are said to likely be "distant relatives of ancient [[Cold-drakes]]", and "grow to lengths of 30 feet (with 30-35-foot wingspans)". In the middle Third Age they live in [[Mountains of Mirkwood|mountainous]] areas of Mirkwood, presumably because of the [[Sauron#Sauron's Return|Necromancer]]'s presence at [[Dol Guldur]]. They are used as steeds by both the Nazgûl and a few [[Olog-hai]] warlords.<ref>{{ICE|2019}}</ref><ref group="note">In the supplement, ''[[Creatures of Middle-earth (2nd edition)|Creatures of Middle-earth]]'', the Fell beasts are said to be "presumably bred from Winged-drakes" and to have a body between 15-25 feet and a wingspan between 30-40 feet.</ref>

'''1995-8: ''[[Middle-earth Collectible Card Game]]'':'''
:'''Fell Beast''' increases the number of strikes of one Nazgûl hazard-creature. '''Wild Fell Beast''' is a Drake which attacks with three strikes. With the card "Fell Rider" the Ringwraith may move to a non-Darkhaven site, but without allies and followers.

'''2001-3: [[The Lord of the Rings (film series)|''The Lord of the Rings'' (film series)]]:'''
:The fell beasts are depicted as more [[Dragons|Dragon]]-like and serpentine. As opposed to having beaks, they have lipless mouths full of jagged teeth, fins running along their spine, long whip-like tails and dark gray scales. This depiction is heavily influenced by [[John Howe]], who was one of the concept artists for the films.

:In the films, the fell beasts are used for attack much more often than in the books, with the Nazgûl usually swooping down and screeching, making the defenders at the gate of Minas Tirith run away, leaving [[Gandalf]] alone to face the Witch-king as he enters.

:Although on screen the films never make this mistake, sometimes cast or crew members ([[Lawrence Makoare]] and [[Richard Taylor]] most notably) on the commentary tracks and the documentaries refer to the fell beasts as Nazgûl; this is incorrect. The fell beasts are the creature that the nine Nazgûl ride, and the mistake probably arose because fell beasts are always seen with a Nazgûl atop them.

'''2001-: ''[[The Lord of the Rings Strategy Battle Game]]'':'''
:The Fell Beasts are portrayed without beaks, reminiscent of the depiction in ''The Lord of the Rings: The Motion Picture Trilogy''.<ref>[http://www.games-workshop.com/gws/catalog/productDetail.jsp?prodId=prod480006a&_requestid=1321389 Winged Nazgûl] at [http://www.games-workshop.com/ Games-workshop.com] (accessed 10 June 2011)</ref>

'''2002: [[The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (video game)|''The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring'' (video game)]]:'''
:A Nazgûl mounted on a fell beast (depicted as a dragon-like creature) appears in the [[Amon Hen]] stage of the PC and console versions of the game, where it serves as the final boss. In the first phase of the battle, the beast crawls on the ground and fights Aragorn (armed with his sword). During the second and final phase, it flies into the sky and shoots green fireballs from its mouth down at Aragorn (who shoots back at it with his bow), until it is weakened and finally shot down by Legolas in the game's ending cutscene.

'''2002-5: ''[[The Lord of the Rings Roleplaying Game]]'':'''
:Hell-hawks, employed as mounts by the Ringwraiths and found wild in southern Mirkwood and (after the War of the Ring) in Gondor, resemble a "cross between lizards and featherless birds". They were bred by Sauron in mockery of the [[Eagles|Great Eagles]].<ref>{{D|Fell}}, pp. 30-31</ref>

'''2011: ''[[The Lord of the Rings: War in the North]]'':'''
:Agandaûr has several Fell beasts under his control. At the end of Chapter 1, Agandaûr flees on the back of one of them.<ref>[[The Lord of the Rings: War in the North]], Chapter 1: Fornost, ''Citadel Tower''</ref>

'''2023: ''[[The Lord of the Rings: Return to Moria]]'':'''
:Fell beasts are among the monsters infesting Moria. The female dragon Narag-Shazon claims that Sauron forcibly employed her to breed the creatures.

{{references|note}}

[[Category:Animals]]
[[Category:Nazgûl]]
[[Category:Other races]]
[[Category:Servants of Sauron]]

[[de:Reittiere der Nazgûl#Flugwesen]]
[[fi:Sormusaaveiden siivekkäät ratsut]]

Fell beasts

2026-02-20T00:59:54Z

Phaedrus: *A word

{{short description|Flying steeds of the Nazgûl}}
{{disambig-two|the winged steeds of the [[Nazgûl]]|vague term|[[Fell beasts (vague term)|fell beasts]]}}
{{race infobox
| name=Fell beasts
| image = John Howe - Nazgul 01.jpg
| caption="Nazgul" by [[John Howe]]
| pronun=
| othernames=Nazgûl-birds, Black Wings, hell-hawks
| origin=
| location=[[Mordor]]
| affiliation=[[Nazgûl]]
| rivalry=
| language=
| people=
| members=
| lifespan="Older world" - [[Third Age]]
| distinctions=A long neck and vast pinions
| height=
| hair=None
| skin=Webbed and plain
| clothing=
| weapons=Horned fingers, claws, and a beak
}}

"'''[[Fell beasts (vague term)|Fell beasts]]'''"<ref name="pelennor">{{RK|Battle}}</ref>, also called '''Nazgûl-birds'''<ref name="name">{{L|100}}</ref>, '''Black Wings'''<ref name="blackwing">{{TT|Gate}}</ref>, and "'''hell-hawks'''"<ref name="siege">{{RK|Siege}}</ref>, were huge pterodactylic flying creatures that served as steeds for the [[Nazgûl]].

==Description==
Fell beasts were huge winged creatures with a beak and claws and were described as similar to carrion birds<ref name="blackwing" /> but much greater and more monstrous<ref name="harrowdale">{{RK|Muster}}</ref> than any kind of bird, including [[Eagles]].<ref name="siege" /> They were dark and appeared shadow-like even at night.<ref name="dark">{{FR|River}}</ref> Their body was plain and naked, lacking any quills or feathers. They had a long neck as well as vast pinions consisting of a web-like "hide between horned fingers". They possessed a "fell speed" which allowed them to fly faster than the wind.<ref name="deadmarshes">{{TT|Marshes}}</ref> Furthermore, fell beasts also gave off a stench. In battle they swooped upon prey with their feet to drop foes from the sky,<ref name="siege" /> crushed enemies under their sheer weight,<ref name="siege" /> and used their vast wings to blow foul gusts of wind.<ref name="pelennor" />

==History==
{{blockquote|A creature of an older world maybe it was, whose kind, lingering in forgotten mountains cold beneath the Moon, outstayed their day, and in hideous eyrie bred this last untimely brood, apt to evil. And the Dark Lord took it, and nursed it with fell meats, until it grew beyond the measure of all other things that fly; and he gave it to his servant to be his steed.|''[[The Return of the King]]'', "[[The Battle of the Pelennor Fields]]"}}

While their origins are uncertain, Tolkien speculated that fell beasts hailed from an earlier age of the world, surviving only in remote places. Under Sauron's care, the descendants of these creatures were prepared for the use of his Nazgûl, who employed them in travel and in the uses of war.

In the year {{TA|3018}} of the late [[Third Age]], the [[Nazgûl]] rode black [[horses]] in their pursuit of [[Frodo Baggins]]. These horses were killed when they and their riders were washed away by [[Elrond]]'s flood at the [[Ford of Bruinen]].<ref>{{FR|Flight}}</ref> However, the Nazgûl survived; over the next few months made their way unseen to [[Mordor]], where [[Sauron]] gave them fell beasts to serve as new steeds.<ref name="pelennor" />

When the [[Fellowship of the Ring]] had left [[Lothlórien]] and were camped on the western shore of the river [[Anduin]] near [[Sarn Gebir]], a winged creature tried to approach them at night. However, it vanished "into the gloom of the eastern shore" with "a harsh croaking scream" after [[Legolas]] shot it with an arrow.<ref name="dark" />

On Thursday [[1 March]],<ref name="thursday">''[[The Chronology of The Lord of the Rings]]'', p. 60</ref> a Nazgûl was sent from Mordor to the [[Dead Marshes]]. As Frodo, [[Samwise Gamgee]], and [[Gollum]] traveled through the marshes, the Nazgûl passed overhead on a winged creature at midnight<ref name="thursday" /> at "the speed of the wrath of Sauron" back to Mordor.<ref name="deadmarshes" />

In the evening of Sunday [[4 March]],<ref name="date">''[[The Chronology of The Lord of the Rings]]'', p. 62</ref> Frodo, Sam, and Gollum witness another Nazgûl, possibly "on some swift errand from Barad-dûr", pass overhead on a winged creature. On Monday [[5 March]],<ref name="date" /> a third winged creature flew overhead towards Mordor "an hour after midnight" which Gollum claimed was a very bad omen.<ref name="deadmarshes" />

In the dawn of Tuesday<ref name="tuesday">''[[The Chronology of The Lord of the Rings]]'', p. 64</ref> [[6 March]], a winged creature flew over [[Edoras]] in [[Rohan]] and stooped just over [[Meduseld]]. They described it as being a darkness in the shape of a monstrous bird. After this, [[Gandalf]] told the [[Rohirrim]] to assemble at [[Dunharrow]] rather than outside Edoras to prevent any attack. Three days later in the evening of [[9 March]], [[Dúnhere]], the lord of [[Harrowdale]], reported the incident to [[King of Rohan|King]] [[Théoden]], who had just returned from the [[Hornburg]].<ref name="harrowdale" />

When [[Faramir]], captain of [[Gondor]], was fleeing from the besieged city of [[Osgiliath]] on his way to [[Minas Tirith]], he and his men were beset many times by five winged creatures ridden by Nazgûl until Gandalf rode out and drove them away with a shaft of white light from his raised hand.<ref name="siege" />

During the [[Battle of the Pelennor Fields]], the [[Witch-king]] of [[Angmar]] rode his winged steed in battle against King Théoden; the Witch-king shot a dart which killed Théoden's [[Snowmane|horse]], who fell upon him, mortally wounding him. [[Éowyn]] removed her guise as Dernhelm and defended the dying Théoden, challenging and decapitating the winged creature. She then confronted and slew the Nazgûl, with the aid of [[Meriadoc Brandybuck]].<ref name="pelennor" />

==Etymology==
As in the expression "fell things" occurring earlier in ''[[The Lord of the Rings]]'',<ref>{{FR|I3}}</ref> the word ''[[Wiktionary:fell#Etymology 4|fell]]'' in this sense is an archaic English word meaning "dreadful, terrible".<ref>{{HM|RC}}, p. 110</ref>

The term "[[Fell beasts (vague term)|fell beasts]]" is not used solely for the winged steeds of the Nazgûl: it was also used as a descriptor for various evil creatures of [[Mirkwood]],<ref>{{FR|Breaking}}</ref> and also a descriptor of a type of creature hunted by [[Oromë]] in addition to monsters.<ref name="valar">{{S|IIb}}</ref>

==Other versions of the legendarium==

==Inspiration==
In a reply to a letter, [[J.R.R. Tolkien]] wrote that he did not intend for the Nazgûl-bird<ref name="name" /> to be a [[Wikipedia:Pterosaur|pterodactyl]], though he acknowledged that it was "''pterodactylic''" and "owes much to" the "mythology of the 'Prehistoric'". He considered that its description left open the possibility for it to be "a last survivor of older geological eras".<ref name="letter211" />

==Portrayal in adaptations==
===Fell beasts in adaptations===
<gallery mode="traditional" widths="180px" heights="180px">
File:The Return of the King (1980 film) - Witch-king.png|[[The Return of the King (1980 film)|''The Return of the King'' (1980)]]
File:Liz Danforth - Fell beast.png|"Fell beast" in ''[[Middle-earth Role Playing]]''
File:Angus McBride - Wild Fell Beast.jpg|"Wild Fell Beast" in ''[[Middle-earth Collectible Card Game]]''
File:The Lord of the Rings - The Return of the King - Fell beast attacks Minas Tirith.jpg|Fell beast descending in [[The Lord of the Rings (film series)|''The Lord of the Rings'' (film series)]]
File:SBG - Fell beast.jpeg|''[[The Lord of the Rings Strategy Battle Game]]''
File:Mark Evans - Hell-hawk.png|"Hell-hawk" in ''[[The Lord of the Rings Roleplaying Game]]''
File:LOTR-WITN-Fell Beast-1.png|"Fell beast" in ''[[The Lord of the Rings: War in the North]]''
</gallery>

'''1978: ''[[The Lord of the Rings (1978 film)|The Lord of the Rings]]'':'''
:One of the Nazgûl (possibly the Witch-king, for he carries a mace) is shown riding on a winged creature. However, Bakshi's film only covers events up to the [[Battle of the Hornburg]], so that is the only appearance of a Nazgûl-bird<ref name="name" />.

'''1980: ''[[The Return of the King (1980 film)|The Return of the King]]'':'''
:The Nazgûl ride winged horses. In the [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hWjt6LGhHsI confrontation] between Éowyn and the Witch-king, the latter is seen riding a plump black-grey dragon-like animal. Gandalf had called it a '''Carrion-fowl'''.

'''1982-97: ''[[Middle-earth Role Playing]]'':'''
:The Fell Beasts are said to likely be "distant relatives of ancient [[Cold-drakes]]", and "grow to lengths of 30 feet (with 30-35-foot wingspans)". In the middle Third Age they live in [[Mountains of Mirkwood|mountainous]] areas of Mirkwood, presumably because of the [[Sauron#Sauron's Return|Necromancer]]'s presence at [[Dol Guldur]]. They are used as steeds by both the Nazgûl and a few [[Olog-hai]] warlords.<ref>{{ICE|2019}}</ref><ref group="note">In the supplement, ''[[Creatures of Middle-earth (2nd edition)|Creatures of Middle-earth]]'', the Fell beasts are said to be "presumably bred from Winged-drakes" and to have a body between 15-25 feet and a wingspan between 30-40 feet.</ref>

'''1995-8: ''[[Middle-earth Collectible Card Game]]'':'''
:'''Fell Beast''' increases the number of strikes of one Nazgûl hazard-creature. '''Wild Fell Beast''' is a Drake which attacks with three strikes. With the card "Fell Rider" the Ringwraith may move to a non-Darkhaven site, but without allies and followers.

'''2001-3: [[The Lord of the Rings (film series)|''The Lord of the Rings'' (film series)]]:'''
:The fell beasts are depicted as more [[Dragons|Dragon]]-like and serpentine. As opposed to having beaks, they have lipless mouths full of jagged teeth, fins running along their spine, long whip-like tails and dark gray scales. This depiction is heavily influenced by [[John Howe]], who was one of the concept artists for the films.

:In the films, the fell beasts are used for attack much more often than in the books, with the Nazgûl usually swooping down and screeching, making the defenders at the gate of Minas Tirith run away, leaving [[Gandalf]] alone to face the Witch-king as he enters.

:Although on screen the films never make this mistake, sometimes cast or crew members ([[Lawrence Makoare]] and [[Richard Taylor]] most notably) on the commentary tracks and the documentaries refer to the fell beasts as Nazgûl; this is incorrect. The fell beasts are the creature that the nine Nazgûl ride, and the mistake probably arose because fell beasts are always seen with a Nazgûl atop them.

'''2001-: ''[[The Lord of the Rings Strategy Battle Game]]'':'''
:The Fell Beasts are portrayed without beaks, reminiscent of the depiction in ''The Lord of the Rings: The Motion Picture Trilogy''.<ref>[http://www.games-workshop.com/gws/catalog/productDetail.jsp?prodId=prod480006a&_requestid=1321389 Winged Nazgûl] at [http://www.games-workshop.com/ Games-workshop.com] (accessed 10 June 2011)</ref>

'''2002: [[The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (video game)|''The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring'' (video game)]]:'''
:A Nazgûl mounted on a fell beast (depicted as a dragon-like creature) appears in the [[Amon Hen]] stage of the PC and console versions of the game, where it serves as the final boss. In the first phase of the battle, the beast crawls on the ground and fights Aragorn (armed with his sword). During the second and final phase, it flies into the sky and shoots green fireballs from its mouth down at Aragorn (who shoots back at it with his bow), until it is weakened and finally shot down by Legolas in the game's ending cutscene.

'''2002-5: ''[[The Lord of the Rings Roleplaying Game]]'':'''
:Hell-hawks, employed as mounts by the Ringwraiths and found wild in southern Mirkwood and (after the War of the Ring) in Gondor, resemble a "cross between lizards and featherless birds". They were bred by Sauron in mockery of the [[Eagles|Great Eagles]].<ref>{{D|Fell}}, pp. 30-31</ref>

'''2011: ''[[The Lord of the Rings: War in the North]]'':'''
:Agandaûr has several Fell beasts under his control. At the end of Chapter 1, Agandaûr flees on the back of one of them.<ref>[[The Lord of the Rings: War in the North]], Chapter 1: Fornost, ''Citadel Tower''</ref>

'''2023: ''[[The Lord of the Rings: Return to Moria]]'':'''
:Fell beasts are among the monsters infesting Moria. The female dragon Narag-Shazon claims that Sauron forcibly employed her to breed the creatures.

{{references|note}}

[[Category:Animals]]
[[Category:Nazgûl]]
[[Category:Other races]]
[[Category:Servants of Sauron]]

[[de:Reittiere der Nazgûl#Flugwesen]]
[[fi:Sormusaaveiden siivekkäät ratsut]]

Fell beasts

2026-02-20T00:59:34Z

Phaedrus: A word

{{short description|Flying steeds of the Nazgûl}}
{{disambig-two|the winged steeds of the [[Nazgûl]]|vague term|[[Fell beasts (vague term)|fell beasts]]}}
{{race infobox
| name=Fell beasts
| image = John Howe - Nazgul 01.jpg
| caption="Nazgul" by [[John Howe]]
| pronun=
| othernames=Nazgûl-birds, Black Wings, hell-hawks
| origin=
| location=[[Mordor]]
| affiliation=[[Nazgûl]]
| rivalry=
| language=
| people=
| members=
| lifespan="Older world" - [[Third Age]]
| distinctions=A long neck and vast pinions
| height=
| hair=None
| skin=Webbed and plain
| clothing=
| weapons=Horned fingers, claws, and a beak
}}

"'''[[Fell beasts (vague term)|Fell beasts]]'''"<ref name="pelennor">{{RK|Battle}}</ref>, also called '''Nazgûl-birds'''<ref name="name">{{L|100}}</ref>, '''Black Wings'''<ref name="blackwing">{{TT|Gate}}</ref>, and "'''hell-hawks'''"<ref name="siege">{{RK|Siege}}</ref>, were huge pterodactylic flying creatures that served as steeds for the [[Nazgûl]].

==Description==
Fell beasts were huge winged creatures with a beak and claws and were described as similar to carrion birds<ref name="blackwing" /> but much greater and more monstrous<ref name="harrowdale">{{RK|Muster}}</ref> than any kind of bird, including [[Eagles]].<ref name="siege" /> They were dark and appeared shadow-like even at night.<ref name="dark">{{FR|River}}</ref> Their body was plain and naked, lacking any quills or feathers. They had a long neck as well as vast pinions consisting of a web-like "hide between horned fingers". They possessed a "fell speed" which allowed them to fly faster than the wind.<ref name="deadmarshes">{{TT|Marshes}}</ref> Furthermore, fell beasts also gave off a stench. In battle they swooped upon prey with their feet to drop foes from the sky,<ref name="siege" /> crushed enemies under their sheer weight,<ref name="siege" /> and used their vast wings to blow foul gusts of wind.<ref name="pelennor" />

==History==
{{blockquote|A creature of an older world maybe it was, whose kind, lingering in forgotten mountains cold beneath the Moon, outstayed their day, and in hideous eyrie bred this last untimely brood, apt to evil. And the Dark Lord took it, and nursed it with fell meats, until it grew beyond the measure of all other things that fly; and he gave it to his servant to be his steed.|''[[The Return of the King]]'', "[[The Battle of the Pelennor Fields]]"}}

While their origins are uncertain, Tolkien speculated that fell beasts hailed from an earlier age of the world, surviving only in remote place. Under Sauron's care, the descendants of these creatures were prepared for the use of his Nazgûl, who employed them in travel and in the uses of war.

In the year {{TA|3018}} of the late [[Third Age]], the [[Nazgûl]] rode black [[horses]] in their pursuit of [[Frodo Baggins]]. These horses were killed when they and their riders were washed away by [[Elrond]]'s flood at the [[Ford of Bruinen]].<ref>{{FR|Flight}}</ref> However, the Nazgûl survived; over the next few months made their way unseen to [[Mordor]], where [[Sauron]] gave them fell beasts to serve as new steeds.<ref name="pelennor" />

When the [[Fellowship of the Ring]] had left [[Lothlórien]] and were camped on the western shore of the river [[Anduin]] near [[Sarn Gebir]], a winged creature tried to approach them at night. However, it vanished "into the gloom of the eastern shore" with "a harsh croaking scream" after [[Legolas]] shot it with an arrow.<ref name="dark" />

On Thursday [[1 March]],<ref name="thursday">''[[The Chronology of The Lord of the Rings]]'', p. 60</ref> a Nazgûl was sent from Mordor to the [[Dead Marshes]]. As Frodo, [[Samwise Gamgee]], and [[Gollum]] traveled through the marshes, the Nazgûl passed overhead on a winged creature at midnight<ref name="thursday" /> at "the speed of the wrath of Sauron" back to Mordor.<ref name="deadmarshes" />

In the evening of Sunday [[4 March]],<ref name="date">''[[The Chronology of The Lord of the Rings]]'', p. 62</ref> Frodo, Sam, and Gollum witness another Nazgûl, possibly "on some swift errand from Barad-dûr", pass overhead on a winged creature. On Monday [[5 March]],<ref name="date" /> a third winged creature flew overhead towards Mordor "an hour after midnight" which Gollum claimed was a very bad omen.<ref name="deadmarshes" />

In the dawn of Tuesday<ref name="tuesday">''[[The Chronology of The Lord of the Rings]]'', p. 64</ref> [[6 March]], a winged creature flew over [[Edoras]] in [[Rohan]] and stooped just over [[Meduseld]]. They described it as being a darkness in the shape of a monstrous bird. After this, [[Gandalf]] told the [[Rohirrim]] to assemble at [[Dunharrow]] rather than outside Edoras to prevent any attack. Three days later in the evening of [[9 March]], [[Dúnhere]], the lord of [[Harrowdale]], reported the incident to [[King of Rohan|King]] [[Théoden]], who had just returned from the [[Hornburg]].<ref name="harrowdale" />

When [[Faramir]], captain of [[Gondor]], was fleeing from the besieged city of [[Osgiliath]] on his way to [[Minas Tirith]], he and his men were beset many times by five winged creatures ridden by Nazgûl until Gandalf rode out and drove them away with a shaft of white light from his raised hand.<ref name="siege" />

During the [[Battle of the Pelennor Fields]], the [[Witch-king]] of [[Angmar]] rode his winged steed in battle against King Théoden; the Witch-king shot a dart which killed Théoden's [[Snowmane|horse]], who fell upon him, mortally wounding him. [[Éowyn]] removed her guise as Dernhelm and defended the dying Théoden, challenging and decapitating the winged creature. She then confronted and slew the Nazgûl, with the aid of [[Meriadoc Brandybuck]].<ref name="pelennor" />

==Etymology==
As in the expression "fell things" occurring earlier in ''[[The Lord of the Rings]]'',<ref>{{FR|I3}}</ref> the word ''[[Wiktionary:fell#Etymology 4|fell]]'' in this sense is an archaic English word meaning "dreadful, terrible".<ref>{{HM|RC}}, p. 110</ref>

The term "[[Fell beasts (vague term)|fell beasts]]" is not used solely for the winged steeds of the Nazgûl: it was also used as a descriptor for various evil creatures of [[Mirkwood]],<ref>{{FR|Breaking}}</ref> and also a descriptor of a type of creature hunted by [[Oromë]] in addition to monsters.<ref name="valar">{{S|IIb}}</ref>

==Other versions of the legendarium==

==Inspiration==
In a reply to a letter, [[J.R.R. Tolkien]] wrote that he did not intend for the Nazgûl-bird<ref name="name" /> to be a [[Wikipedia:Pterosaur|pterodactyl]], though he acknowledged that it was "''pterodactylic''" and "owes much to" the "mythology of the 'Prehistoric'". He considered that its description left open the possibility for it to be "a last survivor of older geological eras".<ref name="letter211" />

==Portrayal in adaptations==
===Fell beasts in adaptations===
<gallery mode="traditional" widths="180px" heights="180px">
File:The Return of the King (1980 film) - Witch-king.png|[[The Return of the King (1980 film)|''The Return of the King'' (1980)]]
File:Liz Danforth - Fell beast.png|"Fell beast" in ''[[Middle-earth Role Playing]]''
File:Angus McBride - Wild Fell Beast.jpg|"Wild Fell Beast" in ''[[Middle-earth Collectible Card Game]]''
File:The Lord of the Rings - The Return of the King - Fell beast attacks Minas Tirith.jpg|Fell beast descending in [[The Lord of the Rings (film series)|''The Lord of the Rings'' (film series)]]
File:SBG - Fell beast.jpeg|''[[The Lord of the Rings Strategy Battle Game]]''
File:Mark Evans - Hell-hawk.png|"Hell-hawk" in ''[[The Lord of the Rings Roleplaying Game]]''
File:LOTR-WITN-Fell Beast-1.png|"Fell beast" in ''[[The Lord of the Rings: War in the North]]''
</gallery>

'''1978: ''[[The Lord of the Rings (1978 film)|The Lord of the Rings]]'':'''
:One of the Nazgûl (possibly the Witch-king, for he carries a mace) is shown riding on a winged creature. However, Bakshi's film only covers events up to the [[Battle of the Hornburg]], so that is the only appearance of a Nazgûl-bird<ref name="name" />.

'''1980: ''[[The Return of the King (1980 film)|The Return of the King]]'':'''
:The Nazgûl ride winged horses. In the [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hWjt6LGhHsI confrontation] between Éowyn and the Witch-king, the latter is seen riding a plump black-grey dragon-like animal. Gandalf had called it a '''Carrion-fowl'''.

'''1982-97: ''[[Middle-earth Role Playing]]'':'''
:The Fell Beasts are said to likely be "distant relatives of ancient [[Cold-drakes]]", and "grow to lengths of 30 feet (with 30-35-foot wingspans)". In the middle Third Age they live in [[Mountains of Mirkwood|mountainous]] areas of Mirkwood, presumably because of the [[Sauron#Sauron's Return|Necromancer]]'s presence at [[Dol Guldur]]. They are used as steeds by both the Nazgûl and a few [[Olog-hai]] warlords.<ref>{{ICE|2019}}</ref><ref group="note">In the supplement, ''[[Creatures of Middle-earth (2nd edition)|Creatures of Middle-earth]]'', the Fell beasts are said to be "presumably bred from Winged-drakes" and to have a body between 15-25 feet and a wingspan between 30-40 feet.</ref>

'''1995-8: ''[[Middle-earth Collectible Card Game]]'':'''
:'''Fell Beast''' increases the number of strikes of one Nazgûl hazard-creature. '''Wild Fell Beast''' is a Drake which attacks with three strikes. With the card "Fell Rider" the Ringwraith may move to a non-Darkhaven site, but without allies and followers.

'''2001-3: [[The Lord of the Rings (film series)|''The Lord of the Rings'' (film series)]]:'''
:The fell beasts are depicted as more [[Dragons|Dragon]]-like and serpentine. As opposed to having beaks, they have lipless mouths full of jagged teeth, fins running along their spine, long whip-like tails and dark gray scales. This depiction is heavily influenced by [[John Howe]], who was one of the concept artists for the films.

:In the films, the fell beasts are used for attack much more often than in the books, with the Nazgûl usually swooping down and screeching, making the defenders at the gate of Minas Tirith run away, leaving [[Gandalf]] alone to face the Witch-king as he enters.

:Although on screen the films never make this mistake, sometimes cast or crew members ([[Lawrence Makoare]] and [[Richard Taylor]] most notably) on the commentary tracks and the documentaries refer to the fell beasts as Nazgûl; this is incorrect. The fell beasts are the creature that the nine Nazgûl ride, and the mistake probably arose because fell beasts are always seen with a Nazgûl atop them.

'''2001-: ''[[The Lord of the Rings Strategy Battle Game]]'':'''
:The Fell Beasts are portrayed without beaks, reminiscent of the depiction in ''The Lord of the Rings: The Motion Picture Trilogy''.<ref>[http://www.games-workshop.com/gws/catalog/productDetail.jsp?prodId=prod480006a&_requestid=1321389 Winged Nazgûl] at [http://www.games-workshop.com/ Games-workshop.com] (accessed 10 June 2011)</ref>

'''2002: [[The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (video game)|''The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring'' (video game)]]:'''
:A Nazgûl mounted on a fell beast (depicted as a dragon-like creature) appears in the [[Amon Hen]] stage of the PC and console versions of the game, where it serves as the final boss. In the first phase of the battle, the beast crawls on the ground and fights Aragorn (armed with his sword). During the second and final phase, it flies into the sky and shoots green fireballs from its mouth down at Aragorn (who shoots back at it with his bow), until it is weakened and finally shot down by Legolas in the game's ending cutscene.

'''2002-5: ''[[The Lord of the Rings Roleplaying Game]]'':'''
:Hell-hawks, employed as mounts by the Ringwraiths and found wild in southern Mirkwood and (after the War of the Ring) in Gondor, resemble a "cross between lizards and featherless birds". They were bred by Sauron in mockery of the [[Eagles|Great Eagles]].<ref>{{D|Fell}}, pp. 30-31</ref>

'''2011: ''[[The Lord of the Rings: War in the North]]'':'''
:Agandaûr has several Fell beasts under his control. At the end of Chapter 1, Agandaûr flees on the back of one of them.<ref>[[The Lord of the Rings: War in the North]], Chapter 1: Fornost, ''Citadel Tower''</ref>

'''2023: ''[[The Lord of the Rings: Return to Moria]]'':'''
:Fell beasts are among the monsters infesting Moria. The female dragon Narag-Shazon claims that Sauron forcibly employed her to breed the creatures.

{{references|note}}

[[Category:Animals]]
[[Category:Nazgûl]]
[[Category:Other races]]
[[Category:Servants of Sauron]]

[[de:Reittiere der Nazgûl#Flugwesen]]
[[fi:Sormusaaveiden siivekkäät ratsut]]

Fell beasts

2026-02-20T00:58:26Z

Phaedrus: 1. This paragraph relies too often on quotations, and should be rewritten. 2. Many derive from a single passage in Return of the King; better to just reproduce the paragraph, then supplement. 3. In that quotation, Tolkien drifts between speculation ("maybe it was") and assertion ("And the Dark Lord took it"). More accurate to say their origins are uncertain rather than unspecified.

{{short description|Flying steeds of the Nazgûl}}
{{disambig-two|the winged steeds of the [[Nazgûl]]|vague term|[[Fell beasts (vague term)|fell beasts]]}}
{{race infobox
| name=Fell beasts
| image = John Howe - Nazgul 01.jpg
| caption="Nazgul" by [[John Howe]]
| pronun=
| othernames=Nazgûl-birds, Black Wings, hell-hawks
| origin=
| location=[[Mordor]]
| affiliation=[[Nazgûl]]
| rivalry=
| language=
| people=
| members=
| lifespan="Older world" - [[Third Age]]
| distinctions=A long neck and vast pinions
| height=
| hair=None
| skin=Webbed and plain
| clothing=
| weapons=Horned fingers, claws, and a beak
}}

"'''[[Fell beasts (vague term)|Fell beasts]]'''"<ref name="pelennor">{{RK|Battle}}</ref>, also called '''Nazgûl-birds'''<ref name="name">{{L|100}}</ref>, '''Black Wings'''<ref name="blackwing">{{TT|Gate}}</ref>, and "'''hell-hawks'''"<ref name="siege">{{RK|Siege}}</ref>, were huge pterodactylic flying creatures that served as steeds for the [[Nazgûl]].

==Description==
Fell beasts were huge winged creatures with a beak and claws and were described as similar to carrion birds<ref name="blackwing" /> but much greater and more monstrous<ref name="harrowdale">{{RK|Muster}}</ref> than any kind of bird, including [[Eagles]].<ref name="siege" /> They were dark and appeared shadow-like even at night.<ref name="dark">{{FR|River}}</ref> Their body was plain and naked, lacking any quills or feathers. They had a long neck as well as vast pinions consisting of a web-like "hide between horned fingers". They possessed a "fell speed" which allowed them to fly faster than the wind.<ref name="deadmarshes">{{TT|Marshes}}</ref> Furthermore, fell beasts also gave off a stench. In battle they swooped upon prey with their feet to drop foes from the sky,<ref name="siege" /> crushed enemies under their sheer weight,<ref name="siege" /> and used their vast wings to blow foul gusts of wind.<ref name="pelennor" />

==History==
{{blockquote|A creature of an older world maybe it was, whose kind, lingering in forgotten mountains cold beneath the Moon, outstayed their day, and in hideous eyrie bred this last untimely brood, apt to evil. And the Dark Lord took it, and nursed it with fell meats, until it grew beyond the measure of all other things that fly; and he gave it to his servant to be his steed.|''[[The Return of the King]]'', "[[The Battle of the Pelennor Fields]]"}}

While their origins are uncertain, Tolkien speculated that fell beasts hailed from an earlier age of the world, surviving only in remote corners. Under Sauron's care, the descendants of these creatures were prepared for the use of his Nazgûl, who employed them in travel and in the uses of war.

In the year {{TA|3018}} of the late [[Third Age]], the [[Nazgûl]] rode black [[horses]] in their pursuit of [[Frodo Baggins]]. These horses were killed when they and their riders were washed away by [[Elrond]]'s flood at the [[Ford of Bruinen]].<ref>{{FR|Flight}}</ref> However, the Nazgûl survived; over the next few months made their way unseen to [[Mordor]], where [[Sauron]] gave them fell beasts to serve as new steeds.<ref name="pelennor" />

When the [[Fellowship of the Ring]] had left [[Lothlórien]] and were camped on the western shore of the river [[Anduin]] near [[Sarn Gebir]], a winged creature tried to approach them at night. However, it vanished "into the gloom of the eastern shore" with "a harsh croaking scream" after [[Legolas]] shot it with an arrow.<ref name="dark" />

On Thursday [[1 March]],<ref name="thursday">''[[The Chronology of The Lord of the Rings]]'', p. 60</ref> a Nazgûl was sent from Mordor to the [[Dead Marshes]]. As Frodo, [[Samwise Gamgee]], and [[Gollum]] traveled through the marshes, the Nazgûl passed overhead on a winged creature at midnight<ref name="thursday" /> at "the speed of the wrath of Sauron" back to Mordor.<ref name="deadmarshes" />

In the evening of Sunday [[4 March]],<ref name="date">''[[The Chronology of The Lord of the Rings]]'', p. 62</ref> Frodo, Sam, and Gollum witness another Nazgûl, possibly "on some swift errand from Barad-dûr", pass overhead on a winged creature. On Monday [[5 March]],<ref name="date" /> a third winged creature flew overhead towards Mordor "an hour after midnight" which Gollum claimed was a very bad omen.<ref name="deadmarshes" />

In the dawn of Tuesday<ref name="tuesday">''[[The Chronology of The Lord of the Rings]]'', p. 64</ref> [[6 March]], a winged creature flew over [[Edoras]] in [[Rohan]] and stooped just over [[Meduseld]]. They described it as being a darkness in the shape of a monstrous bird. After this, [[Gandalf]] told the [[Rohirrim]] to assemble at [[Dunharrow]] rather than outside Edoras to prevent any attack. Three days later in the evening of [[9 March]], [[Dúnhere]], the lord of [[Harrowdale]], reported the incident to [[King of Rohan|King]] [[Théoden]], who had just returned from the [[Hornburg]].<ref name="harrowdale" />

When [[Faramir]], captain of [[Gondor]], was fleeing from the besieged city of [[Osgiliath]] on his way to [[Minas Tirith]], he and his men were beset many times by five winged creatures ridden by Nazgûl until Gandalf rode out and drove them away with a shaft of white light from his raised hand.<ref name="siege" />

During the [[Battle of the Pelennor Fields]], the [[Witch-king]] of [[Angmar]] rode his winged steed in battle against King Théoden; the Witch-king shot a dart which killed Théoden's [[Snowmane|horse]], who fell upon him, mortally wounding him. [[Éowyn]] removed her guise as Dernhelm and defended the dying Théoden, challenging and decapitating the winged creature. She then confronted and slew the Nazgûl, with the aid of [[Meriadoc Brandybuck]].<ref name="pelennor" />

==Etymology==
As in the expression "fell things" occurring earlier in ''[[The Lord of the Rings]]'',<ref>{{FR|I3}}</ref> the word ''[[Wiktionary:fell#Etymology 4|fell]]'' in this sense is an archaic English word meaning "dreadful, terrible".<ref>{{HM|RC}}, p. 110</ref>

The term "[[Fell beasts (vague term)|fell beasts]]" is not used solely for the winged steeds of the Nazgûl: it was also used as a descriptor for various evil creatures of [[Mirkwood]],<ref>{{FR|Breaking}}</ref> and also a descriptor of a type of creature hunted by [[Oromë]] in addition to monsters.<ref name="valar">{{S|IIb}}</ref>

==Other versions of the legendarium==

==Inspiration==
In a reply to a letter, [[J.R.R. Tolkien]] wrote that he did not intend for the Nazgûl-bird<ref name="name" /> to be a [[Wikipedia:Pterosaur|pterodactyl]], though he acknowledged that it was "''pterodactylic''" and "owes much to" the "mythology of the 'Prehistoric'". He considered that its description left open the possibility for it to be "a last survivor of older geological eras".<ref name="letter211" />

==Portrayal in adaptations==
===Fell beasts in adaptations===
<gallery mode="traditional" widths="180px" heights="180px">
File:The Return of the King (1980 film) - Witch-king.png|[[The Return of the King (1980 film)|''The Return of the King'' (1980)]]
File:Liz Danforth - Fell beast.png|"Fell beast" in ''[[Middle-earth Role Playing]]''
File:Angus McBride - Wild Fell Beast.jpg|"Wild Fell Beast" in ''[[Middle-earth Collectible Card Game]]''
File:The Lord of the Rings - The Return of the King - Fell beast attacks Minas Tirith.jpg|Fell beast descending in [[The Lord of the Rings (film series)|''The Lord of the Rings'' (film series)]]
File:SBG - Fell beast.jpeg|''[[The Lord of the Rings Strategy Battle Game]]''
File:Mark Evans - Hell-hawk.png|"Hell-hawk" in ''[[The Lord of the Rings Roleplaying Game]]''
File:LOTR-WITN-Fell Beast-1.png|"Fell beast" in ''[[The Lord of the Rings: War in the North]]''
</gallery>

'''1978: ''[[The Lord of the Rings (1978 film)|The Lord of the Rings]]'':'''
:One of the Nazgûl (possibly the Witch-king, for he carries a mace) is shown riding on a winged creature. However, Bakshi's film only covers events up to the [[Battle of the Hornburg]], so that is the only appearance of a Nazgûl-bird<ref name="name" />.

'''1980: ''[[The Return of the King (1980 film)|The Return of the King]]'':'''
:The Nazgûl ride winged horses. In the [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hWjt6LGhHsI confrontation] between Éowyn and the Witch-king, the latter is seen riding a plump black-grey dragon-like animal. Gandalf had called it a '''Carrion-fowl'''.

'''1982-97: ''[[Middle-earth Role Playing]]'':'''
:The Fell Beasts are said to likely be "distant relatives of ancient [[Cold-drakes]]", and "grow to lengths of 30 feet (with 30-35-foot wingspans)". In the middle Third Age they live in [[Mountains of Mirkwood|mountainous]] areas of Mirkwood, presumably because of the [[Sauron#Sauron's Return|Necromancer]]'s presence at [[Dol Guldur]]. They are used as steeds by both the Nazgûl and a few [[Olog-hai]] warlords.<ref>{{ICE|2019}}</ref><ref group="note">In the supplement, ''[[Creatures of Middle-earth (2nd edition)|Creatures of Middle-earth]]'', the Fell beasts are said to be "presumably bred from Winged-drakes" and to have a body between 15-25 feet and a wingspan between 30-40 feet.</ref>

'''1995-8: ''[[Middle-earth Collectible Card Game]]'':'''
:'''Fell Beast''' increases the number of strikes of one Nazgûl hazard-creature. '''Wild Fell Beast''' is a Drake which attacks with three strikes. With the card "Fell Rider" the Ringwraith may move to a non-Darkhaven site, but without allies and followers.

'''2001-3: [[The Lord of the Rings (film series)|''The Lord of the Rings'' (film series)]]:'''
:The fell beasts are depicted as more [[Dragons|Dragon]]-like and serpentine. As opposed to having beaks, they have lipless mouths full of jagged teeth, fins running along their spine, long whip-like tails and dark gray scales. This depiction is heavily influenced by [[John Howe]], who was one of the concept artists for the films.

:In the films, the fell beasts are used for attack much more often than in the books, with the Nazgûl usually swooping down and screeching, making the defenders at the gate of Minas Tirith run away, leaving [[Gandalf]] alone to face the Witch-king as he enters.

:Although on screen the films never make this mistake, sometimes cast or crew members ([[Lawrence Makoare]] and [[Richard Taylor]] most notably) on the commentary tracks and the documentaries refer to the fell beasts as Nazgûl; this is incorrect. The fell beasts are the creature that the nine Nazgûl ride, and the mistake probably arose because fell beasts are always seen with a Nazgûl atop them.

'''2001-: ''[[The Lord of the Rings Strategy Battle Game]]'':'''
:The Fell Beasts are portrayed without beaks, reminiscent of the depiction in ''The Lord of the Rings: The Motion Picture Trilogy''.<ref>[http://www.games-workshop.com/gws/catalog/productDetail.jsp?prodId=prod480006a&_requestid=1321389 Winged Nazgûl] at [http://www.games-workshop.com/ Games-workshop.com] (accessed 10 June 2011)</ref>

'''2002: [[The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (video game)|''The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring'' (video game)]]:'''
:A Nazgûl mounted on a fell beast (depicted as a dragon-like creature) appears in the [[Amon Hen]] stage of the PC and console versions of the game, where it serves as the final boss. In the first phase of the battle, the beast crawls on the ground and fights Aragorn (armed with his sword). During the second and final phase, it flies into the sky and shoots green fireballs from its mouth down at Aragorn (who shoots back at it with his bow), until it is weakened and finally shot down by Legolas in the game's ending cutscene.

'''2002-5: ''[[The Lord of the Rings Roleplaying Game]]'':'''
:Hell-hawks, employed as mounts by the Ringwraiths and found wild in southern Mirkwood and (after the War of the Ring) in Gondor, resemble a "cross between lizards and featherless birds". They were bred by Sauron in mockery of the [[Eagles|Great Eagles]].<ref>{{D|Fell}}, pp. 30-31</ref>

'''2011: ''[[The Lord of the Rings: War in the North]]'':'''
:Agandaûr has several Fell beasts under his control. At the end of Chapter 1, Agandaûr flees on the back of one of them.<ref>[[The Lord of the Rings: War in the North]], Chapter 1: Fornost, ''Citadel Tower''</ref>

'''2023: ''[[The Lord of the Rings: Return to Moria]]'':'''
:Fell beasts are among the monsters infesting Moria. The female dragon Narag-Shazon claims that Sauron forcibly employed her to breed the creatures.

{{references|note}}

[[Category:Animals]]
[[Category:Nazgûl]]
[[Category:Other races]]
[[Category:Servants of Sauron]]

[[de:Reittiere der Nazgûl#Flugwesen]]
[[fi:Sormusaaveiden siivekkäät ratsut]]

Fell beasts

2026-02-20T00:23:39Z

Phaedrus: 1. This paragraph relies too often on quotations from a single passage; better to just reproduce the passage in full, then supplement. Tolkien's own words are always better.

{{short description|Flying steeds of the Nazgûl}}
{{disambig-two|the winged steeds of the [[Nazgûl]]|vague term|[[Fell beasts (vague term)|fell beasts]]}}
{{race infobox
| name=Fell beasts
| image = John Howe - Nazgul 01.jpg
| caption="Nazgul" by [[John Howe]]
| pronun=
| othernames=Nazgûl-birds, Black Wings, hell-hawks
| origin=
| location=[[Mordor]]
| affiliation=[[Nazgûl]]
| rivalry=
| language=
| people=
| members=
| lifespan="Older world" - [[Third Age]]
| distinctions=A long neck and vast pinions
| height=
| hair=None
| skin=Webbed and plain
| clothing=
| weapons=Horned fingers, claws, and a beak
}}

"'''[[Fell beasts (vague term)|Fell beasts]]'''"<ref name="pelennor">{{RK|Battle}}</ref>, also called '''Nazgûl-birds'''<ref name="name">{{L|100}}</ref>, '''Black Wings'''<ref name="blackwing">{{TT|Gate}}</ref>, and "'''hell-hawks'''"<ref name="siege">{{RK|Siege}}</ref>, were huge pterodactylic flying creatures that served as steeds for the [[Nazgûl]].

== Description ==
Fell beasts were huge winged creatures with a beak and claws and were described as similar to carrion birds<ref name="blackwing" /> but much greater and more monstrous<ref name="harrowdale">{{RK|Muster}}</ref> than any kind of bird, including [[Eagles]].<ref name="siege"/> They were dark and appeared shadow-like even at night.<ref name="dark">{{FR|River}}</ref> Their body was plain and naked, lacking any quills or feathers. They had a long neck as well as vast pinions consisting of a web-like "hide between horned fingers". They possessed a "fell speed" which allowed them to fly faster than the wind.<ref name="deadmarshes">{{TT|Marshes}}</ref> Furthermore, fell beasts also gave off a stench. In battle they swooped upon prey with their feet to drop foes from the sky,<ref name="siege"/> crushed enemies under their sheer weight,<ref name="siege"/> and used their vast wings to blow foul gusts of wind.<ref name="pelennor" />

== History ==
{{blockquote|A creature of an older world maybe it was, whose kind, lingering in forgotten mountains cold beneath the Moon, outstayed their day, and in hideous eyrie bred this last untimely brood, apt to evil. And the Dark Lord took it, and nursed it with fell meats, until it grew beyond the measure of all other things that fly; and he gave it to his servant to be his steed.|[[The Return of the King]]'', "[[The Battle of the Pelennor Fields]"}}

While their origins are uncertain, it was believed that fell beasts were creatures "of an older world" that may have been survivors of earlier "geological eras".<ref name="letter211">{{L|211}}</ref> While most of their kind presumably fell in those eras,<ref name="letter211"/> some "outstayed their day" and lingered on, breeding within a hideous eyrie "in forgotten mountains" that were "cold beneath the [[Moon]]". The fell beasts dwindled over time until, eventually, all that remained was a single "untimely brood" with an instinct for [[:Category:Evil|evil]]. Sometime later, this brood was taken by the [[Dark Lord]], who "nursed it with fell meats" until they grew larger than every other winged creature.<ref name="pelennor" />

In the year {{TA|3018}} of the late [[Third Age]], the [[Nazgûl]] rode black [[horses]] in their pursuit of [[Frodo Baggins]]. These horses were killed when they and their riders were washed away by [[Elrond]]'s flood at the [[Ford of Bruinen]].<ref>{{FR|Flight}}</ref> However, the Nazgûl survived; over the next few months made their way unseen to [[Mordor]], where [[Sauron]] gave them fell beasts to serve as new steeds.<ref name="pelennor" />

When the [[Fellowship of the Ring]] had left [[Lothlórien]] and were camped on the western shore of the river [[Anduin]] near [[Sarn Gebir]], a winged creature tried to approach them at night. However, it vanished "into the gloom of the eastern shore" with "a harsh croaking scream" after [[Legolas]] shot it with an arrow.<ref name="dark"/>

On Thursday [[1 March]],<ref name="thursday">''[[The Chronology of The Lord of the Rings]]'', p. 60</ref> a Nazgûl was sent from Mordor to the [[Dead Marshes]]. As Frodo, [[Samwise Gamgee]], and [[Gollum]] traveled through the marshes, the Nazgûl passed overhead on a winged creature at midnight<ref name="thursday" /> at "the speed of the wrath of Sauron" back to Mordor.<ref name="deadmarshes" />

In the evening of Sunday [[4 March]],<ref name="date">''[[The Chronology of The Lord of the Rings]]'', p. 62</ref> Frodo, Sam, and Gollum witness another Nazgûl, possibly "on some swift errand from Barad-dûr", pass overhead on a winged creature. On Monday [[5 March]],<ref name="date" /> a third winged creature flew overhead towards Mordor "an hour after midnight" which Gollum claimed was a very bad omen.<ref name="deadmarshes" />

In the dawn of Tuesday<ref name="tuesday">''[[The Chronology of The Lord of the Rings]]'', p. 64</ref> [[6 March]], a winged creature flew over [[Edoras]] in [[Rohan]] and stooped just over [[Meduseld]]. They described it as being a darkness in the shape of a monstrous bird. After this, [[Gandalf]] told the [[Rohirrim]] to assemble at [[Dunharrow]] rather than outside Edoras to prevent any attack. Three days later in the evening of [[9 March]], [[Dúnhere]], the lord of [[Harrowdale]], reported the incident to [[King of Rohan|King]] [[Théoden]], who had just returned from the [[Hornburg]].<ref name="harrowdale" />

When [[Faramir]], captain of [[Gondor]], was fleeing from the besieged city of [[Osgiliath]] on his way to [[Minas Tirith]], he and his men were beset many times by five winged creatures ridden by Nazgûl until Gandalf rode out and drove them away with a shaft of white light from his raised hand.<ref name="siege"/>

During the [[Battle of the Pelennor Fields]], the [[Witch-king]] of [[Angmar]] rode his winged steed in battle against King Théoden; the Witch-king shot a dart which killed Théoden's [[Snowmane|horse]], who fell upon him, mortally wounding him. [[Éowyn]] removed her guise as Dernhelm and defended the dying Théoden, challenging and decapitating the winged creature. She then confronted and slew the Nazgûl, with the aid of [[Meriadoc Brandybuck]].<ref name="pelennor" />

== Etymology ==
As in the expression "fell things" occurring earlier in ''[[The Lord of the Rings]]'',<ref>{{FR|I3}}</ref> the word ''[[Wiktionary:fell#Etymology 4|fell]]'' in this sense is an archaic English word meaning "dreadful, terrible".<ref>{{HM|RC}}, p. 110</ref>

The term "[[Fell beasts (vague term)|fell beasts]]" is not used solely for the winged steeds of the Nazgûl: it was also used as a descriptor for various evil creatures of [[Mirkwood]],<ref>{{FR|Breaking}}</ref> and also a descriptor of a type of creature hunted by [[Oromë]] in addition to monsters.<ref name=valar>{{S|IIb}}</ref>

== Other versions of the legendarium ==

== Inspiration ==
In a reply to a letter, [[J.R.R. Tolkien]] wrote that he did not intend for the Nazgûl-bird<ref name="name" /> to be a [[Wikipedia:Pterosaur|pterodactyl]], though he acknowledged that it was "''pterodactylic''" and "owes much to" the "mythology of the 'Prehistoric'". He considered that its description left open the possibility for it to be "a last survivor of older geological eras".<ref name="letter211"/>

== Portrayal in adaptations ==
=== Fell beasts in adaptations ===
<gallery mode="traditional" widths="180px" heights="180px">
File:The Return of the King (1980 film) - Witch-king.png|[[The Return of the King (1980 film)|''The Return of the King'' (1980)]]
File:Liz Danforth - Fell beast.png|"Fell beast" in ''[[Middle-earth Role Playing]]''
File:Angus McBride - Wild Fell Beast.jpg|"Wild Fell Beast" in ''[[Middle-earth Collectible Card Game]]''
File:The Lord of the Rings - The Return of the King - Fell beast attacks Minas Tirith.jpg|Fell beast descending in [[The Lord of the Rings (film series)|''The Lord of the Rings'' (film series)]]
File:SBG - Fell beast.jpeg|''[[The Lord of the Rings Strategy Battle Game]]''
File:Mark Evans - Hell-hawk.png|"Hell-hawk" in ''[[The Lord of the Rings Roleplaying Game]]''
File:LOTR-WITN-Fell Beast-1.png|"Fell beast" in ''[[The Lord of the Rings: War in the North]]''
</gallery>

'''1978: ''[[The Lord of the Rings (1978 film)|The Lord of the Rings]]'':'''
:One of the Nazgûl (possibly the Witch-king, for he carries a mace) is shown riding on a winged creature. However, Bakshi's film only covers events up to the [[Battle of the Hornburg]], so that is the only appearance of a Nazgûl-bird<ref name="name" />.

'''1980: ''[[The Return of the King (1980 film)|The Return of the King]]'':'''
:The Nazgûl ride winged horses. In the [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hWjt6LGhHsI confrontation] between Éowyn and the Witch-king, the latter is seen riding a plump black-grey dragon-like animal. Gandalf had called it a '''Carrion-fowl'''.

'''1982-97: ''[[Middle-earth Role Playing]]'':'''
:The Fell Beasts are said to likely be "distant relatives of ancient [[Cold-drakes]]", and "grow to lengths of 30 feet (with 30-35-foot wingspans)". In the middle Third Age they live in [[Mountains of Mirkwood|mountainous]] areas of Mirkwood, presumably because of the [[Sauron#Sauron's Return|Necromancer]]'s presence at [[Dol Guldur]]. They are used as steeds by both the Nazgûl and a few [[Olog-hai]] warlords.<ref>{{ICE|2019}}</ref><ref group="note">In the supplement, ''[[Creatures of Middle-earth (2nd edition)|Creatures of Middle-earth]]'', the Fell beasts are said to be "presumably bred from Winged-drakes" and to have a body between 15-25 feet and a wingspan between 30-40 feet.</ref>

'''1995-8: ''[[Middle-earth Collectible Card Game]]'':'''
:'''Fell Beast''' increases the number of strikes of one Nazgûl hazard-creature. '''Wild Fell Beast''' is a Drake which attacks with three strikes. With the card "Fell Rider" the Ringwraith may move to a non-Darkhaven site, but without allies and followers.

'''2001-3: [[The Lord of the Rings (film series)|''The Lord of the Rings'' (film series)]]:'''
:The fell beasts are depicted as more [[Dragons|Dragon]]-like and serpentine. As opposed to having beaks, they have lipless mouths full of jagged teeth, fins running along their spine, long whip-like tails and dark gray scales. This depiction is heavily influenced by [[John Howe]], who was one of the concept artists for the films.

:In the films, the fell beasts are used for attack much more often than in the books, with the Nazgûl usually swooping down and screeching, making the defenders at the gate of Minas Tirith run away, leaving [[Gandalf]] alone to face the Witch-king as he enters.

:Although on screen the films never make this mistake, sometimes cast or crew members ([[Lawrence Makoare]] and [[Richard Taylor]] most notably) on the commentary tracks and the documentaries refer to the fell beasts as Nazgûl; this is incorrect. The fell beasts are the creature that the nine Nazgûl ride, and the mistake probably arose because fell beasts are always seen with a Nazgûl atop them.

'''2001-: ''[[The Lord of the Rings Strategy Battle Game]]'':'''
:The Fell Beasts are portrayed without beaks, reminiscent of the depiction in ''The Lord of the Rings: The Motion Picture Trilogy''.<ref>[http://www.games-workshop.com/gws/catalog/productDetail.jsp?prodId=prod480006a&_requestid=1321389 Winged Nazgûl] at [http://www.games-workshop.com/ Games-workshop.com] (accessed 10 June 2011)</ref>

'''2002: [[The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (video game)|''The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring'' (video game)]]:'''
:A Nazgûl mounted on a fell beast (depicted as a dragon-like creature) appears in the [[Amon Hen]] stage of the PC and console versions of the game, where it serves as the final boss. In the first phase of the battle, the beast crawls on the ground and fights Aragorn (armed with his sword). During the second and final phase, it flies into the sky and shoots green fireballs from its mouth down at Aragorn (who shoots back at it with his bow), until it is weakened and finally shot down by Legolas in the game's ending cutscene.

'''2002-5: ''[[The Lord of the Rings Roleplaying Game]]'':'''
:Hell-hawks, employed as mounts by the Ringwraiths and found wild in southern Mirkwood and (after the War of the Ring) in Gondor, resemble a "cross between lizards and featherless birds". They were bred by Sauron in mockery of the [[Eagles|Great Eagles]].<ref>{{D|Fell}}, pp. 30-31</ref>

'''2011: ''[[The Lord of the Rings: War in the North]]'':'''
:Agandaûr has several Fell beasts under his control. At the end of Chapter 1, Agandaûr flees on the back of one of them.<ref>[[The Lord of the Rings: War in the North]], Chapter 1: Fornost, ''Citadel Tower''</ref>

'''2023: ''[[The Lord of the Rings: Return to Moria]]'':'''
:Fell beasts are among the monsters infesting Moria. The female dragon Narag-Shazon claims that Sauron forcibly employed her to breed the creatures.

{{references|note}}

[[Category:Animals]]
[[Category:Nazgûl]]
[[Category:Other races]]
[[Category:Servants of Sauron]]

[[de:Reittiere der Nazgûl#Flugwesen]]
[[fi:Sormusaaveiden siivekkäät ratsut]]

Gandalf

2026-02-16T01:28:10Z

Phaedrus:

{{short description|Wizard of the Istari}}
{{disambig-more|Gandalf|[[Gandalf (disambiguation)]]}}
{{infobox character
| people-duplicated=[[Maiar|Maia]]
| name=Gandalf
| people=[[Maiar|Maia]] ([[Wizards|Wizard]])
| image=Matt Stewart - Gandalf - A Light in the Dark.jpg
| caption="A Light in the Dark" by [[:Category:Images by Matt Stewart|Matt Stewart]]
| pronun=
| othernames=''Olórin'' ([[Quenya|Q]]) ''Mithrandir'' ([[Sindarin|S]]) ''Incánus'' ([[Haradrim|H]]) ''Tharkûn'' ([[Khuzdul|K]]) ''([[#Other names|See below]])''
| titles=Guardian of the Third Age The Grey [[The White]] White Rider White Pilgrim
| position=
| location=No fixed abode
| affiliation=[[Five Guardians]], [[Order of Wizards]], [[White Council]], [[Thorin and Company]], [[Fellowship of the Ring]]
| language=[[Valarin]], [[Elvish]], [[Westron]], [[Hobbitish]]
| birth=[[Creation of the Ainur]]
| birthlocation=[[Timeless Halls]]
| rule=
| sailedwest=[[29 September]], {{TA|3021}}
| sailedfrom=[[Grey Havens]]
| age=
| notablefor=
| house=
| parentage=
| siblings=
| gender=Male
| height=5'6"<ref name="MB">{{HM|MB}}, p. 49</ref>
| hair=Long white, silver beard<ref name="Meetings">{{FR|Meetings}}</ref>
| eyes=Black that could become red
| clothing=Grey robes (later white), blue hat, grey scarf, black boots<ref name="Party"/>
| weapons=Staff [[Glamdring]] [[Narya]]
| steed=[[Shadowfax]]
}}
{{Quote|Gandalf was shorter in stature than the [[Elrond|other]] [[Glorfindel|two]]; but his long white hair, his sweeping silver beard, and his broad shoulders, made him look like some wise king of ancient legend. In his aged face under great snowy brows his eyes were set like coals that could suddenly burst into fire.|''[[The Fellowship of the Ring]]'', "[[Many Meetings]]"}}

'''Gandalf''' was one of the five [[Order of Wizards|Istari]] sent to [[Middle-earth]] by the [[Valar]] in the [[Third Age]]. In [[Valinor]] he was known as Olórin. Gandalf was instrumental in bringing about the demise of [[Sauron]] in {{TA|3019}}, chiefly by encouraging others and dispensing his wisdom at pivotal times. He was originally robed in grey, and second to [[Saruman]] in the Order of Wizards. After his fall in [[Moria]], Gandalf returned to Middle-earth as head of the Order, robed in white. He was noteworthy for his keen interest in [[Hobbits]].

==History==
===Early history===
[[File:Kip Rasmussen - Olorin in the Gardens of Lorien.jpg|thumb|left|''Olorin in the Gardens of Lorien'' by [[:Category:Images by Kip Rasmussen|Kip Rasmussen]]]]
The wisest of the [[Maiar]], Gandalf was created by [[Ilúvatar]] before the [[Music of the Ainur]].<ref name="Ainu">{{S|Ainu}}</ref> At the beginning of [[Time]], he was amongst the [[Ainur]] who entered into [[Eä]].<ref name="SVala">{{S|Vala}}</ref> In his "youth" he was known as '''''Olórin''''' and lived in [[Lórien (Valinor)|Lórien]]. Yet his ways often took him to Nienna, from whom he learned pity and patience.<ref name="vala">{{S|IIc}}, p. 316</ref> He became one of the [[Maiar]] who served [[Manwë]], [[Varda]], [[Irmo]], and [[Nienna]]. He was associated with light and fire, much like [[Varda]].

After the Valar discovered the primeval [[Elves]] at [[Cuiviénen]], Olórin was sent there as one of the [[Five Guardians]] to guard the Elves from the forces of [[Melkor]].<ref>{{NM|P1xiii}}, p. 95</ref> It is unclear how long he remained or if he accompanied the [[Eldar]] on the [[Great Journey]]. But it is said he loved the Elves, and throughout his early life, he walked [[Unseen]] among them, or wore a [[Fana]] that appeared like an Elf, and he sent them fair visions in their hearts that made them wiser. Throughout his existence, he followed the example of Nienna, taking pity on the sorrows of the [[Children of Ilúvatar]] and lifting out of despair those who listened to him.<ref name="vala" />

It is possible that Gandalf, as Olorin, came to Middle-earth in the Second Age. While Galadriel "dwelt now under the trees of Greenwood the Great" Olórin once had a conversation with her.<ref>{{UT|Elessar}}, p. 255</ref> It is possible that this was just after the year 1200, but it is said that "only those Wise could say who are now gone" could attest to the truth of this conversation.<ref>{{UT|Elessar}}, p. 268</ref>

===Third Age===
====Arrival in Middle-earth====
During the [[Third Age]], while [[Sauron|Sauron's]] 'dark spirit of malice' was increasing over [[Middle-earth]], the Valar chose the [[Istari]], missionaries from among the Maiar, to go to Middle-earth and help the [[Portal:Characters|peoples]]. [[Manwë]] selected Olórin, who, at first, did not wish to go, as he feared Sauron. However, Manwë said that it was all the more reason why he should go.<ref name="Istari">{{UT|13}}</ref> Furthermore, [[the One Ring]], the location of much of Sauron's power, presumably still existed somewhere in Middle-earth.

Olórin submitted to the will of Manwë and departed Valinor to [[Mithlond]] in the year {{TA|1000}}.<ref name="Istari" /> He arrived shortly after two other Istari, [[Curumo]] and [[Aiwendil]], at about the same time the [[Necromancer]] appeared in [[Mirkwood]]. Like the other Wizards, he took the shape of an old man. He was robed in grey.

At Mithlond, he was welcomed by [[Círdan]] the shipwright, who possessed [[Narya]], one of the [[Three Rings|Three]] Elven [[Rings of Power]]. Círdan divined in Olórin a sense of strength and power despite his appearance as a bent and aged old man. Círdan gave Narya to Olórin with a prediction of his future struggles with evil, and a promise that it would support and aid him in his labours. Then Círdan said "''But as for me, my heart is with the [[Belegaer|Sea]], and I will dwell by the grey shores until the last ship sails. I will await you.''"<ref name="ThirdAge">{{App|B2}}</ref>

[[File:John Howe - Gandalf the Grey.jpg|thumb|''Gandalf the Grey'' by [[John Howe]]]]
Gandalf then began his sojourn in Middle-earth, going about as a wanderer and counsellor. Unlike Saruman, Gandalf did not take up a single permanent residence. Gandalf never went to the [[east]]<ref name="TT Window p. 670">{{TT|Window}}, p. 670</ref> and apparently restricted his activities to the [[Westlands]] of Middle-earth, where the remnants of the [[Dúnedain]] and the [[Eldar]] remained to oppose Sauron. He was known by many names during the long years he remained in Middle-earth: Elves named him ''Mithrandir'', the Grey Pilgrim, while the men of [[Arnor]] named him '''Gandalf''', which became his most common name. He was also known as ''Incánus'' in the south, and ''Tharkûn'' to the [[Dwarves]].<ref name="Istari" />

A legend says that Gandalf was given the [[Elfstone]] of [[Eärendil]] by [[Yavanna]] to bring to the peoples of Middle-earth; this was to be a token that the Valar had not forsaken them. He gave it to [[Galadriel]], and remarked prophetically that she would in turn pass it to an individual who would also be called [[Aragorn|Elessar]].<ref>{{UT|6}}</ref>

====Early vigilance====
Around {{TA|1100}},<ref name="ThirdAge" /> the Istari and the Eldar discovered that some evil entity resided at [[Dol Guldur]] in Mirkwood. Dark shapes moved in the forest and evil began to multiply in the woods. Some thought a [[Nazgûl]] had returned to torment the world, or some new evil was arising. Gandalf was unsure, and feared that perhaps Sauron himself might have returned.<ref name="Rings">{{S|Rings}}</ref>
[[File:John Howe - Pass the Doors of Dol Guldur.jpg|thumb|left|''Pass the Doors of Dol Guldur'' by [[John Howe]]]]
Over the next two hundred years the evil continued to grow, as well as the source directing it. [[Orcs]] were multiplying in the [[Misty Mountains]] and elsewhere. The [[Witch-king]], the mightiest of the Nazgûl, had built a fortress in [[Angmar]] in the Northern wastelands and waged unending war against the Kingdom of [[Arnor]]. Meanwhile [[Moria]] and [[Minas Ithil]] fell under a shadow, while other wars, plagues, and catastrophes occurred across Middle-earth. Gandalf went to Dol Guldur in {{TA|2063|n}} to discover its secret.<ref name="ThirdAge" /> An entity known only as the '[[Necromancer]]' fled before him preventing Gandalf from identifying him.<ref name="Rings" /> After Gandalf's incursion, the evil there seemed to desist, and its absence allowed for some centuries of calmness.

That peaceful period was known as the [[Watchful Peace]] and lasted for almost four hundred years. However, the Nazgûl had used this period to prepare for Sauron's return, which occurred in {{TA|2460|n}}.<ref name="ThirdAge" /> Realising the returning evil, the [[Wise]] formed the [[White Council]] three years later. [[Galadriel]], bearer of one of the Three Elven Rings and mighty among the Eldar, wished Gandalf to be the chief of the Council, but he refused the position wishing to set down no roots and to maintain his independence; Saruman took this place because of his vast knowledge.<ref name="Rings" />
[[File:Miriam Ellis - The Long Winter, 1158 - Gandalf Helps the Hobbits.jpeg|thumb|250px|left|''[[Long Winter|The Long Winter]], [[Third Age 2758|1158]]: Gandalf Helps the [[Hobbits]]'' by [[Miriam Ellis]]]]
During his wanderings in [[Eriador]], Gandalf met and befriended the isolated and secretive people of the [[Hobbits]] in their country, [[The Shire]]. During the [[Long Winter]] of {{TA|2758|n}} Gandalf came to their aid.<ref name="ThirdAge" /> It was then when he witnessed and admired the pity and courage the humble Hobbits reserved in their hearts.<ref name="Erebor" />

When King [[Thráin|Thráin II]], a dwarf of the royal line of [[Lonely Mountain]], disappeared on a journey to [[Erebor]], Gandalf looked for him. At some point after {{TA|2845|n}} he entered the abandoned city of Khazad-dûm. After his vain search, the Wizard exited through the [[Doors of Durin]]; however this experience did not help him know how to open the doors from the outside.<ref name="journey">{{FR|Journey}}</ref>

In {{TA|2850|n}}, his quest led him once more to Dol Guldur, this time in secrecy.<ref name="ThirdAge" /> He found Thráin in the dungeons, who gave the Wizard his last possessions, the [[Thrór's Map|map]] and key to Erebor.<ref name="Durin">{{App|Durin}}</ref> Most importantly, Gandalf found that the Necromancer was no Nazgûl, but was Sauron himself, and he had taken [[Ring of Thrór|the last]] of the [[Seven Rings]] from the Dwarf King. Sauron was gathering the remaining [[Rings of Power]] and possibly searching for his lost [[The One Ring|One Ring]].

Gandalf escaped Dol Guldur and returned to the White Council.<ref name="Rings" /> After relating his discoveries, he urged the council to attack Sauron while the One Ring was still lost and Sauron's power immature. But Saruman said that it was better to watch and wait, and that the One Ring had long ago rolled from [[Anduin]] to the Sea.<ref name="Rings" /> The majority of the council agreed with Saruman. [[Elrond]] Half-elven, a powerful member of the council, later privately told Gandalf he had a foreboding that the Ring would be found, and that the war to end the [[Ages|Age]] was coming. Indeed, he added, he feared that it would end in darkness and despair. Gandalf encouraged him, saying there were many "strange chances," and that, "''help oft shall come from the hands of the weak when the Wise falter''".<ref name="Rings" /> Gandalf did not yet realise that Saruman now wanted the Ring for himself and was secretly searching for it along the banks of the river Anduin.

====Quest for Erebor====
Gandalf would visit the Shire occasionally and participate in the [[Midsummer]]-eve parties of the [[Old Took]] where he impressed young Hobbits with his fireworks, and his stories about [[Dragons]], [[Orcs#Orcs and Goblins|Goblins]] and princesses.<ref name="Erebor" /> He was thus known to be "responsible for so many quiet lads and lasses going off into the Blue for mad adventures". He also met a relatively adventurous Hobbit named [[Bilbo Baggins]] although he was far from "adventuresome."<ref name="Party" />

Gandalf was concerned about the weak state of the North. [[Smaug]] the [[Dragons|Dragon]] had destroyed both the [[Kingdom under the Mountain]] and the town of [[Dale]], and Gandalf feared that [[Sauron]] might use the desolation around Erebor to regain the northern passes in the mountains and the old lands of Angmar. Gandalf knew that exiled Dwarf [[King of Durin's Folk]] [[Thorin Oakenshield]] planned to battle against Smaug, but he knew that it would not be enough. In {{TA|2941|n}},<ref name="ThirdAge" /> while staying the night in [[Bree]], Gandalf happened across the Dwarf King.<ref name="Erebor">{{UT|Erebor}}</ref> Thorin initiated conversation; he had been having a strange feeling urging him to seek Gandalf. Gandalf was intrigued, for he had thought to seek Thorin as well. They found they were taking the same road for a while (Thorin passing through [[the Shire]] on his way to the [[Blue Mountains|Ered Luin]]), and they agreed to travel together. Thorin wanted advice, and Gandalf in turn wanted to discuss the Dragon Smaug with Thorin.
[[File:David T. Wenzel - Good Morning Mr. Baggins.jpg|thumb|''Good Morning Mr. Baggins'' by [[David T. Wenzel]]]]
Ultimately, Gandalf concocted a plan wherein Thorin could destroy Smaug and recover his family fortune, albeit with a "burglar" of Gandalf's own choosing. Gandalf had a feeling that a Hobbit should be involved, and he remembered Bilbo Baggins. At first he found only [[Holman Cotton]] as Bilbo had left on the occasion of the [[Yestare|Elven new year]], something that persuaded Gandalf that Bilbo was the right person for the job.<ref name="Erebor" /> He visited Bilbo later, bringing along the kinsmen of Thorin.<ref name="Party">{{H|Party}}</ref> In the end Gandalf convinced the reluctant Baggins to become a burglar for Thorin.

Gandalf accompanied [[Thorin and Company]] to [[Rivendell]]. Gandalf saved them from a trio of [[Stone-trolls]], and later obtained the legendary sword [[Glamdring]] from their [[Trolls|Troll]]-hoard; Gandalf bore it thenceforth.<ref name="Mutton">{{H|Mutton}}</ref> He also helped Thorin and Company through the [[Misty Mountains]]. When they unknowingly camped in the [[Front Porch]] of the [[Goblin-town]], the Goblins captured the whole company except Gandalf, who surprised them much later by killing the [[Great Goblin]] and then rescuing the Dwarves and leading them to the exit.<ref name="Hill">{{H|Hill}}</ref> It was during this time that Bilbo obtained a "magic ring".<ref name="Riddles">{{H|Riddles}}</ref> The hobbit initially claimed he "won" it from the creature "[[Gollum]]" while the company was under the Misty Mountains,<ref name="Pan">{{H|Pan}}</ref> and he kept it secret from Gandalf for some time.
[[File:Darrell Sweet - The Lord of the Eagles.jpg|thumb|''The Lord of the Eagles'' by [[Darrell Sweet]]]]
On their escape out, the Company was saved by the [[Eagles]] of the Misty Mountains; Gandalf once had healed the [[Great Eagle]] from a poisoned wound,<ref name="Pan" /> and thenceforth they became friends. The Eagles picked them up and flew them to their eyrie. The next day, they dropped them to the other side of the Mountains.<ref name="Pan" />

Gandalf then sought the hospitality of [[Beorn]], persuading him to welcome and host the whole Company in his [[Beorn's Hall|hall]]. But then he left the quest prior to its completion; after leading the Company to the outskirts of the [[Forest Gate]], he gave them some final advice (but little did he know that the lands had changed by then) before they entered [[Mirkwood]], and went to attend other obligations.<ref>{{H|Queer}}</ref> The [[White Council]] had met under the gravest of circumstances: Sauron's vast power was returning, even without his Ring. Gandalf at last convinced the Council to attack Dol Guldur, to which even Saruman agreed (as by now he feared Sauron as a rival, and wished to delay his search for the Ring). Gandalf joined his peers in assailing [[Dol Guldur]], ridding [[Mirkwood]] of the Necromancer's presence, who fled to [[Mordor]].<ref name="ThirdAge">{{App|B2}}</ref> When he was about to finish his task, news about what happened to Thorin's Company in Mirkwood reached him, and he realised that the instructions he gave them did not help; they had lost their way, and then vanished from the imprisonment of the [[Silvan Elves|Wood-elves]], who had captured them. He was anxious to get back to them as soon as possible.<ref>{{H|Welcome}}</ref>

Meanwhile Thorin's quest was successful: Erebor was retaken and Smaug was killed,<ref name="Fire">{{H|Fire}}</ref> but when Gandalf finally arrived to the area, he found the [[Dwarves of Erebor]] and [[Dwarves of the Iron Hills|the Iron Hills]] preparing for an attack by the [[Lake-men]] and the [[Elves of Mirkwood]]. He was with [[Bard]] and [[Thranduil]] and revealed his presence trying to reason with Thorin. When the attack was beginning, Gandalf halted them, to warn that the [[Orcs]] and [[Wargs]] were coming to claim the treasure. He invited [[Dáin Ironfoot]] for council, and soon Dwarves, Elves and Men formed an alliance, and defeated the [[Orcs of the Misty Mountains]] in the [[Battle of Five Armies]].<ref name="Burst">{{H|Burst}}</ref>

King Thorin was mortally wounded and after his funeral and the reestablishment of Erebor under Dáin, Bilbo and Gandalf left Erebor for the Shire; on the way, they celebrated [[Yule]] at Beorn's, and then returned to Rivendell, where Gandalf discussed with [[Elrond]] the events of Dol Guldur and the Lonely Mountain. Gandalf had accomplished his immediate goal, which was to destroy Smaug, who could have been used to disastrous effect by Sauron. A large number of Orcs and Wargs also were killed in the North, removing threats to Rivendell and Lothlórien.<ref name="Erebor" /> But they both agreed that it would be better if the Necromancer were banished from the world altogether.<ref name="H19">{{H|19}}</ref>

As Gandalf and Bilbo passed by the site of their former encounter with the stone-trolls, they recovered the gold of the troll-hoard they had buried.<ref name="H19" />

Gandalf was amazed by the hobbit; until then he had paid no attention to hobbits and knew little of them. For the rest of his sojourn in Middle-earth, Gandalf took a special interest in hobbits, and particularly in the Baggins family. [[Third Age 2949|Years later]], he and Balin paid a visit to Bilbo, discussing the news from Erebor and Dale.<ref name="ThirdAge" /><ref name="H19" />

====Return of the Shadow====
Despite the Council's hopes, Sauron was not weakened by this attack. He had foreseen the move that drove him from Mirkwood, and his retreat was but a feint. Ten years after the attack, Sauron declared himself openly in Mordor in {{TA|2951|n}} and rebuilt [[Barad-dûr]]. The White Council met for one last time in {{TA|2953|n}} to debate about the [[Rings of Power]]. Saruman quieted his peers, claiming to have knowledge that the One Ring was lost in the [[Belegaer]]. After their meeting, Saruman, jealous and afraid of Gandalf, set spies to watch all his movements; this would affect the peaceful Hobbits, as from this, Saruman discovered their existence and noted Gandalf's interest in the Shire. As a result, he started sending agents to [[Bree]] and the [[Southfarthing]].<ref name="ThirdAge" />

[[Gollum]] had come to Gandalf's knowledge, having left his hideout. He was looking for the thief of his ring: Bilbo. The [[Elves of Mirkwood]] had informed Gandalf that Gollum was traversing the forest. Then, coinciding with Sauron's declaration, Gollum apparently turned towards [[Mordor]] and was lost. Gandalf neglected the matter because he "had much else to think of at that time" and still trusted Saruman's knowledge. Later, Gandalf would regret this.<ref name="shadow" />

Meanwhile, Sauron began reassembling his forces for the final blow against the West. [[Easterlings]] from [[Khand]] and beyond the [[Sea of Rhûn]], joined by men from [[Harad]] reinforced his stronghold in [[Mordor]]; Orcs, trolls, and other foul beasts were multiplying while his minions were searching the Anduin for any sign of his precious One Ring.

Gandalf met [[Aragorn]], the hidden [[Heir of Isildur]] in {{TA|2956|n}}, and soon became friends with him.<ref name="ThirdAge" /> From that point on, Aragorn and Gandalf often worked together towards a common end - the defeat of Sauron.

He visited [[Minas Tirith]] and was welcomed by [[Faramir]], the son of the [[Ruling Steward]] [[Denethor]], and taught him from his wisdom. This displeased Denethor, who didn't trust Gandalf.<ref>{{App|Stewards}}</ref>

[[File:Michele Mantoani - Gandalf.jpg|thumb|''Gandalf'' by [[:Category:Images by Michele Mantoani|Michele Mantoani]]]]
During this period Gandalf visited the Shire frequently, especially his friend Bilbo Baggins, and his younger cousin, [[Frodo Baggins]]. He noted Bilbo's unusual youthfulness, despite his advancing age; the suspicious "[[The One Ring|magic ring]]" that Bilbo had acquired during his adventure began to weigh on his mind. Gandalf recalled the deceit Bilbo used in originally claiming it for his own — Bilbo had later admitted to stealing it from [[Gollum]]. Gandalf could see that Bilbo was very preoccupied with the ring. Such un-hobbitlike behaviour aroused his suspicions. In {{TA|3001|n}} he organised [[Bilbo's Farewell Party]], and before leaving the Shire, he convinced Bilbo to leave the Ring for Frodo. He then emphatically warned Frodo not to use it; Gandalf had begun to suspect that the "magic ring" was indeed a [[Ring of Power]].<ref name="party">{{FR|Party}}</ref> Around that time, Gandalf became unpopular in the Shire; he was blamed for Bilbo's disappearance, and was even accused of plotting with Frodo to get a hold on Bilbo's wealth.<ref name="shadow">{{FR|Shadow}}</ref><ref name="party" />

Gandalf was keen to find out more about Bilbo's ring, so he left the Shire,<ref name="party" /> and resumed his search for Gollum. In this, he sought the help of [[Aragorn]]. The [[Rangers of the North]] were put to guard the Shire more closely.<ref name="ThirdAge" /> Gandalf showed up only [[Third Age 3004|three years later]] to check on Frodo and the Shire, and continued for the next four years always turning up unexpectedly and disappearing before dawn. In {{TA|3009|n}} he renewed the hunt for [[Gollum]] with Aragorn, searching in the [[vales of Anduin]], [[Mirkwood]], [[Rhovanion]], and even to the edges of Mordor. The search lasted eight years, for Gandalf did not know that Gollum had been captured by Sauron.<ref name="ThirdAge" /> Gandalf regretted ignoring Gollum for so many years, as his trail had become cold, resulting in many dark and dangerous days for Gandalf.<ref name="shadow" />

Studying the records in [[Minas Tirith]], Gandalf found the [[Scroll of Isildur]] in {{TA|3017|n}}, and from this, pieced together the missing history of the One Ring. On his way back to the Shire, he got word from the [[Galadhrim]] that Aragorn had finally captured Gollum<ref name="ThirdAge" /> and so he went to [[Mirkwood]] to meet him. For days he interrogated him in order to verify what he already knew. A great fear came over him when he learned that Gollum had been to [[Barad-dûr]]. Sauron had tortured Gollum and learned of the "magic ring", as well as the names "Shire" and "Baggins". The effects that Gandalf had seen on Gollum and Bilbo convinced him that Bilbo's Ring was not simply one of the [[Rings of Power]]: it was the ''[[The One Ring|One Ruling Ring]]'' of Sauron. Gandalf then returned in haste to the Shire.<ref name="shadow" /><ref name="council">{{FR|Council}}</ref>

====War of the Ring====
[[File:Alan Lee - The Shadow of the Past.jpg|thumb|''The Shadow of the Past'' by [[Alan Lee]]]]
Gandalf returned to the Shire on [[12 April]] {{TA|3018}} and proved to Frodo that Bilbo's ring was the ancient [[One Ring]] which the Dark Power of [[Mordor]] was looking for. He told Frodo that he gathered much of this information by interrogating the creature [[Gollum]]. Frodo exclaimed that Gollum should have been killed, however Gandalf speculated that perhaps Gollum would have a part to play before the end, and in any case, it was not for Frodo to decide who should live and who should die.<ref name="shadow" />

Gandalf suggested that he should leave the Shire soon and take the Ring to [[Rivendell]]. Frodo decided to leave on his next birthday, pretending to be moving to [[Buckland]], to which Gandalf agreed. The wizard stayed in the Shire for over two months,<ref name="three">{{FR|Three}}</ref> during which time, on [[1 May]] he went to [[Sarn Ford]] and met again Aragorn, informing him of Frodo's plans.<ref name="FR|Strider">{{FR|Strider}}</ref> He had a sense of foreboding and heard [[Sauron's attack on Osgiliath|disturbing news about war]] in [[Gondor]] and a [[Black Shadow]].<ref name="council" /> He decided to leave for the South and left Frodo, promising to return for his birthday-farewell party in autumn, so that they would go to Rivendell together.<ref name="three" />

He wandered around [[Eriador]] hearing news from the refugees who had a fear they could not speak about, until he met [[Radagast]] who brought a message from [[Saruman]] that he must seek him at once, and a warning that the [[Ringwraiths]] were looking for the Shire.<ref name="council" /> Gandalf went to [[the Prancing Pony]] at [[Bree]]. Believing that he would not be able to return to Frodo in time, he wrote [[Gandalf's letter|a letter]],<ref name="council" /> urging him to move as soon as possible for Rivendell, and seek someone named "Strider", whose real name was Aragorn, with a [[Riddle of Strider|riddle]] to identify him; Gandalf would then try to catch up with them when he could. He instructed [[Barliman Butterbur]] to send the letter to [[Hobbiton]] and to expect a Mr. [[Baggins]] to arrive at the inn under the name of "[[Mr. Underhill]]". He left the inn, but Barliman would forget to send the letter.<ref name="FR|Strider" />

=====Treachery of Saruman=====
[[File:Ted Nasmith - Gandalf Escapes Upon Gwaihir.jpg|thumb|left|''Gandalf Escapes Upon Gwaihir'' by [[Ted Nasmith]]]]
Soon thereafter, Gandalf arrived at Isengard. At their meeting, Saruman at last revealed his desire for the One Ring.<ref name="council" /> He offered to his "''old friend and helper''" that they take the Ring for themselves and seize power from Sauron. Gandalf rejected this with horror, and was imprisoned by Saruman on the pinnacle of [[Orthanc]]. [[Gwaihir]], chief of the Eagles, soon arrived and helped Gandalf escape.<ref name="council" /> Gandalf knew he needed to return quickly to the Shire, as Frodo (and the Ring) were in grave danger from both Sauron's Nazgûl and Saruman's treacherous desire for the Ring.

Gandalf hurriedly went to [[Rohan]], desiring to find a strong steed; there he obtained [[Shadowfax]] from King [[Théoden]], who later resented the gift.<ref name="council" /> This lord of horses and Gandalf forged a special bond, and Gandalf made quick use of Shadowfax's incredible strength and endurance.

Gandalf sped to the Shire. Fortunately, Frodo had already left the Shire without waiting for Gandalf,<ref name="council" /> and was seeking [[Rivendell]]. Upon his arrival, Gandalf learned that the Nazgûl, arrayed as [[Nazgûl|Black Riders]], had been searching the area. Dismayed, he set out for Bree; Barliman apologised to Gandalf for forgetting to send the letter, and was worried that the hobbits had left with Strider, the suspicious [[Rangers of the North|Ranger]]. But for Gandalf, this was a hope which far exceeded his expectations. After congratulating a puzzled Barliman, Gandalf slept the night at the inn and in the morning left for [[Weathertop]], a high point in the region, to observe the surrounding area.<ref name="council" />
[[File:Eric Velhagen - Encounter at Amon Sûl.jpg|thumb|250px|''Encounter at [[Weathertop|Amon Sûl]]'' by [[Eric Velhagen]]]]
There he was assaulted at night by the Nazgûl, but drove them off after a great battle of light and flame.<ref name="B3">{{App|B3}}</ref> These phenomena were seen by Aragorn and the hobbits from afar, although they were unaware that Gandalf was involved.<ref>{{FR|I11}}</ref> Before leaving Weathertop, he marked some stones with the [[cirth|certh]] G for them to find. The next day he escaped to the north, followed by four Riders.<ref name="council" />

He then went directly to Rivendell, arriving a few days sooner than [[Aragorn]].<ref name="B3" /> But when they arrived, Gandalf and Elrond joined their powers to cause a flood in [[Bruinen]] to drown the Riders, allowing Frodo some time to reach Rivendell.<ref name="council" /> Then they welcomed Glorfindel, Aragorn and the hobbits upon their arrival. Frodo was sick with a [[Morgul-wound]], but was still in possession of the Ring.

=====Fellowship of the Ring=====
Elrond called a [[Council of Elrond|Council]] after Frodo was healed to consider the momentous decision of what would be done with the Ring. By chance, representatives of most of the free peoples were in Rivendell for various reasons. Elrond and Gandalf advised that the Ring should be destroyed in the fires of [[Orodruin]], where it was made. Others dissented or objected, but they eventually submitted to Gandalf's plan. Ultimately, Elrond appointed the [[Fellowship of the Ring]] as nine walkers, numerically set against Sauron's nine Nazgûl. The relatively small number reflected the realisation by Elrond and the other council members that the quest of Mount Doom would not rely upon strength of arms, but on stealth and good fortune. Gandalf was chosen to lead the company, which included [[Aragorn]], [[Boromir]], [[Legolas]] the Elf, [[Gimli]] the Dwarf, and the hobbits Frodo Baggins, who was named the [[Ring-bearer]], and [[Samwise Gamgee]], [[Peregrin Took]], and [[Meriadoc Brandybuck]].<ref name="council" />

Several obstacles stood in the company's way. The vast [[Misty Mountains]] had to be crossed, for Gandalf was determined not to lead the company near [[Isengard]]. Gandalf decided to take a southern route to the [[Redhorn Pass]] and there to cross the [[Misty Mountains]] near [[Caradhras]], thereby traversing the mountain range and avoiding Isengard.<ref name="The Ring Goes South, p. 283">{{FR|South}}, p. 283</ref> When this attempt failed due to a terrible storm, he decided to take the Fellowship through the ruins of Moria, where the remains of the great Dwarven city of [[Moria|Khazad-dûm]] were now a labyrinth of tunnels under the mountains. Others in the company were loath to enter the maze, as it was now the lair of orcs and something known only as "Durin's Bane".

At the [[Doors of Durin]] on the west side of the mountains, Gandalf, after some delay, spoke the password and led the company into the dark. Having been in Moria on an earlier perilous errand, he was somewhat familiar with the underground passages. Eventually the party came to the [[Chamber of Mazarbul]], where Gandalf read the [[Book of Mazarbul|Book of Records]], which revealed the fate of [[Balin]], the leader of an ill-fated attempt to re-colonise Moria. Soon after, the party was attacked by orcs, and forced to flee the chamber. By then, Gandalf was well aware of their location and he led the party quickly towards the eastern exit.
[[File:John Howe - Gandalf Falls with the Balrog.jpg|thumb|''Gandalf Falls with the Balrog'' by [[John Howe]]]]
However, [[Durin's Bane]] caught up to the group at the [[Bridge of Khazad-dûm]]. Gandalf and Legolas immediately realised what it was: a [[Balrogs|Balrog]] of [[Morgoth]]. Gandalf faced the demon and broke the bridge upon which they both stood, leaving the beast to fall into a seemingly bottomless chasm. But the Balrog's whip lashed out, and grasped Gandalf by the knees, causing him to fall into the pit. While falling, Gandalf shouted "Fly, you fools" and vanished into the abyss.<ref name="bridge">{{FR|Bridge}}</ref>

Yet Gandalf did not die; he and the Balrog fought long in the bowels and deep places of [[Arda]]. After restless pursuit over the course of eight days, Gandalf and the beast finally came to the summit of the [[Endless Stair]] upon the peak of [[Celebdil]]. There, he [[Battle of the Peak|fought the demon]] for two days and nights. The Balrog had burst into flame anew when it exited the stairs; ice, wind, and smoke swirled about them as they duelled. Gandalf used his last measure of strength to slay the Balrog, throwing him down the mountainside in ruin. Gandalf's spirit then left his body, having sacrificed himself to save the Fellowship.

=====Gandalf the White=====
But Gandalf's spirit did not depart Middle-earth forever. As the only one of the five Istari to stay true to his errand, Olórin was sent back to mortal lands by [[Ilúvatar|Eru]], and he became Gandalf once again. Yet, as he was now the sole emissary of the Valar to Middle-earth, he was granted the power to "reveal" more of his inner [[Maiar]] strength.<ref>{{L|156}}</ref> This naked power that lay within him was seldom used during the remainder of his time in Middle-earth, as his mission was essentially the same: to support and succour those who opposed Sauron. Nevertheless, when Gandalf's wrath was kindled his "unveiled" strength was such that few of Sauron's servants could withstand him.
[[File:Ted Nasmith - Gandalf Returns.jpg|thumb|left|''Gandalf Returns'' by [[Ted Nasmith]]]]
As he lay on the mountaintop, the great eagle [[Gwaihir]] came up and bore him to [[Lothlórien]], where he was clothed and replenished, and given a new staff by [[Galadriel]]. Gandalf soon learned that Frodo had left the Fellowship and was travelling to Mount Doom. As Frodo was beyond his assistance now, Gandalf promptly went south to [[Fangorn Forest]], where he met the [[Three Hunters]]: [[Aragorn]], [[Legolas]], and [[Gimli]], and gave them messages from Galadriel. From them, he learned that Sam went with Frodo, and he was pleased with this.<ref name="TT White" />{{rp|496}} Then he called forth [[Shadowfax]], and rode with them to [[Edoras]]. There he found that Saruman's spy [[Gríma|Gríma Wormtongue]] had deceived King [[Théoden]] into hopeless impotence. Gandalf quickly deposed Wormtongue and encouraged Théoden to ride west to war against [[Saruman]]. By now, Gandalf was keenly aware that the great war to end the age was beginning; if Saruman conquered Rohan, then Gondor would be alone with enemies on all sides.

At Gandalf's encouragement, King Théoden went west to Helm's Deep where he was quickly besieged; Gandalf then searched for [[Erkenbrand]] and the forces of the [[Westfold]], which he later found and led to the Deep, thus breaking the siege. Meanwhile, the [[Ents]], along with the hobbits Merry and Pippin, moved against Saruman and sent [[Huorns]] against the orcs, resulting in the utter ruin of the outer walls of [[Isengard]] and the complete annihilation of Saruman's orcs. After the battle, Gandalf went to [[Orthanc]] with Théoden, Aragorn, and a small group. There Saruman rejected Gandalf's offer of forgiveness with contempt. Gandalf then broke Saruman's staff and cast him from the Order and the Council.<ref name="TT Voice" />{{rp|583}} Gandalf imposed a strict watch on Isengard by the Ents and then advised King Théoden to ride to Gondor's defence as soon as possible. The wizard's mind had already turned to Gondor and the coming climactic battle in the east.

=====Siege of Minas Tirith=====
[[File:Donato Giancola - The White Rider.jpeg|thumb|right|200px|''The White Rider'' by [[Donato Giancola]]]]
As a 'reward' for Pippin, who had foolishly gazed into a [[Palantíri|palantír]], Gandalf took the Hobbit with him to [[Minas Tirith]], the last bastion of the west. Soon after arriving, Gandalf confronted [[Denethor|Denethor II]], the [[Ruling Steward]], and learned that he was near despair over the death of his eldest son, [[Boromir]]. Pippin entered the Steward's service in payment of the debt that he and Merry owed: the death of Boromir. Ostensibly they were allies, but the Steward treated him with disrespect and suspicion. When [[Faramir]], the Steward's younger son, returned from [[Osgiliath]] and was attacked by Nazgûl, Gandalf upon Shadowfax drove them away by revealing the power within him. Later, Faramir told him that Frodo and Sam were still alive and headed towards Mordor.<ref name="RK Siege">{{RK|Siege}}</ref>{{rp|812}}

The city was soon besieged by a vast force from Mordor, led by the [[Witch-king]]. An ill-advised counterattack resulted in Faramir receiving a wound from a poisoned dart; he lay near death inside the Tower. Still, Gandalf encouraged the men of Minas Tirith to have hope, and dispelled the fear of the Ringwraiths by his very presence. But Sauron's catapults hurled flaming bolts upon the city; soon the first circle of the city burned unchecked. Denethor then lost all heart as the city burned and his only remaining son hovered near death. He abandoned his leadership of the city, and Gandalf then took it upon himself to direct the defence of the city. When the gigantic battering ram [[Grond (battering ram)|Grond]] destroyed the ancient entrance to the city, Gandalf placed himself alone at the ruined gateway. The Witch-king then appeared in the midst of the blasted gate upon a black horse and threatened Gandalf with death; but Gandalf did not move — seated upon Shadowfax he defied the mightiest of Sauron's minions. However, the stand-off ended inconclusively, as the morning arrived along with the host of the Rohirrim. Hearing the horns of the [[Riders of Rohan]], the Witch-king departed.

However, Gandalf did not pursue his foe, for Pippin brought him news that Denethor was about to burn himself and his son Faramir to death on a pyre like the heathen kings of old. Gandalf rushed to stop this, and was able to save Faramir, but not Denethor, whose despair and grief had overcome his mind. Gandalf then learned how it was that Denethor's will had been broken: the Steward clutched a palantír in his hands as he burned.

Nevertheless, and against all hope, the siege was broken. [[Éowyn]] of Rohan and Merry defeated the Witch-king, whose last wail was heard by many as he was reduced to impotence. Soon after, Aragorn arrived with a large host of men from the southern fiefs upon a captured pirate fleet from Umbar. The forces of the men of the west then utterly defeated Sauron's attack against Minas Tirith, relieving the city and killing virtually all of the invaders. Gandalf's carefully laid plans and words of wisdom, along with acts of heroism not seen since the [[Elder Days]], had defeated Sauron's first move.

=====Last battle=====
But the attack against Minas Tirith was only a part of Sauron's plan to devastate the West and make himself the ruler of Middle-earth. Other armies moved in the north against [[Lonely Mountain|Erebor]] and the Kingdom of Thranduil, as well as against Lothlórien and other points along the [[Anduin]]. Still commanding vast armies of orcs and men, the Dark Lord soon would move against Gondor again; the remnants of the Edain and their allies had little hope against his almost limitless resources.

In Minas Tirith, Gandalf was selected by Aragorn, [[Imrahil]], and [[Éomer]] (the remaining lords of the west) to be their leader in the coming final battles. This would be the culmination of Gandalf's efforts in Middle-earth. Fully aware that the West would stand or fall on the outcome of Frodo's mission, he advised the lords to drive north to the [[Morannon]], thereby drawing Sauron's eye away from Frodo's likely location. This plan would likely result in a catastrophic loss for the outnumbered army, but it gave Frodo a chance to achieve the quest of Mount Doom.

Led by Gandalf and Aragorn, the army of the West crossed the Anduin and marched north, pausing occasionally to announce their coming, and to dispatch small numbers of men to lesser tasks. Upon arriving at the Black Gate, the forces halted and prepared for battle. As they ordered their companies, the foul [[Mouth of Sauron]] rode forth to parley with them; he revealed Frodo's [[Mithril-coat]] and [[Barrow-blade]] and implied that their owner was captured and tortured. The emissary of Sauron then proposed that the forces of the west surrender; Gandalf however was undaunted, and, seizing his friend's belongings, rejected Sauron's offer. In shock, the Mouth of Sauron turned back towards the Black Gate, which slowly opened to reveal a vast army of orcs and trolls advancing on the lords of the west. Sauron's trap was sprung.

Yet Sauron himself became the victim of Gandalf's trap. Unbeknownst to all, Frodo and Sam had succeeded in scaling Mount Doom. Even as the Battle of Morannon began, Frodo stood at the [[Crack of Doom]]. But the power and lure of the Ring finally overcame his will and he placed the ring upon his finger, claiming it as his own. Immediately the Nazgûl were summoned by their lord, as he in terror realised his blunder: his enemies intended to destroy his Ring.

[[File:Ted Nasmith - The Shadow of Sauron.jpg|thumb|right|200px|''The Shadow of Sauron'' by [[Ted Nasmith]]]]
But Gandalf's foresight proved accurate again as the creature Gollum, who had been doggedly following the Ring-bearer, seized the Ring from Frodo, and, while celebrating his reunion with "his precious," unwittingly fell into the fires of Orodruin. The ring was unmade as the fiery mountain erupted. The tower of [[Barad-dûr]] and the [[Towers of the Teeth]] began to collapse, their foundations crumbling. The Ring-wraiths burned out like shooting stars, and Sauron was reduced to a mere shadow of malice, never to torment the world again.

With Sauron gone, his forces scattered; the Men of the West now set upon them with fury. Gandalf announced the success of the [[Ring-bearer]] and the end of Sauron; the quest had been fulfilled. Seeing that victory was achieved, Gandalf then mounted [[Gwaihir]] the Eagle for the third time, and set out for Mount Doom in search of Frodo and Sam. To his great relief, the two were found on the slopes of Orodruin, clinging to life amid the volcanic eruptions.<ref>{{RK|Doom}}</ref>{{rp|948–51}} The great quest was over.

====End of the Order====
In Minas Tirith, Gandalf and the remaining members of the Fellowship reunited. At the coronation of King [[Aragorn|Elessar]], Gandalf, at Aragorn's request, set the crown upon the King’s head, and declared "''Now come the days of the King, and may they be blessed while the thrones of the [[Valar]] endure!''". Thus Gandalf ushered in the new age of men.

After the coronation and wedding of Aragorn to [[Arwen]], Gandalf left with the rest of the remaining Fellowship on the journey home. For Gandalf, it was his last long journey in Middle-earth. His errand to Arda had been fulfilled; Sauron had been defeated. He said farewell to his friends one by one until at last only the four Hobbits remained at his side. At the borders of the Shire he, too, turned away. He left the Hobbits to settle the affairs of the Shire themselves, for the shattered pieces of evil still remaining in the world were no longer his concern, and went to talk to [[Tom Bombadil]].<ref>{{RK|Homeward}}</ref>{{rp|996}}
[[File:The Brothers Hildebrandt - At the Grey Havens.jpg|thumb|''At the Gray Havens'' by [[The Brothers Hildebrandt]]]]
What Gandalf did during the next two years is unknown; it is possible that his "''long talk''" with Bombadil was just that. At any rate, on [[29 September]] {{TA|3021|n}}, he met [[Frodo Baggins|Frodo]] at [[Mithlond]], ready to take the [[White Ship]] over the [[Belegaer|sea]] to [[Aman]]. He wore [[Narya]] openly on his finger, and Shadowfax was beside him (perhaps even to take ship with him). His mission was over, and his homecoming after more than 2000 years was nigh. He bade farewell to [[Samwise Gamgee|Samwise]], [[Meriadoc Brandybuck|Merry]], and [[Peregrin Took|Pippin]] (the later two of whom he had forewarned of the passage), then boarded the ship beside Frodo, Bilbo, Elrond, and Galadriel. The ship passed west upon the sea,<ref>{{RK|Havens}}</ref> and then took the hidden straight path to [[Valinor]]. Gandalf became Olórin once more. There, presumably, he dwells still in the gardens of [[Irmo]]. Olórin, the wisest of the Maiar and the sole Istar to remain true to his mission, had successfully kindled the hearts of the [[free peoples]] of Middle-earth to overcome the evil of their time. 

==Characteristics==
===Personality===
[[File:Roger Garland - Gandalf.jpg|left|thumb|The Grey Pilgrim relaxing. Art by [[Roger Garland]]]]
{{Blockquote|A deadly sword, a healing hand,
a back that bent beneath his load;
a trumpet-voice, a burning brand,
a weary pilgrim on the road.

A lord of wisdom throned he sat,
swift in anger, quick to laugh;
an old man in a battered hat
who leaned upon a thorny staff.|''[[The Fellowship of the Ring]]'', "[[The Mirror of Galadriel]]"}}
Gandalf is often described in ''[[The Lord of the Rings]]'' as quick to anger, and equally quick to laugh.<ref name="Lorien">{{FR|Lorien}}</ref> He had great pity and patience, even extending to the servants of his enemies. He is said to have learned both from Nienna in Valinor.<ref name="vala" />
[[File:J.R.R. Tolkien - G for Gandalf.png|thumb|Gandalf's signature, the [[cirth|rune]] "G".]]
Keen observers of Gandalf often detected a veiled power, usually revealed in his eyes, which appeared deep and wise.<ref>{{RK|MT}}</ref>{{rp|757}} He was alternately affectionate and brusque; he often surprised others with his bluntness when time was of the essence. Gandalf consistently upbraided foolish behaviour, but also richly rewarded those who acted with good intentions.

Hobbits appealed to him more than to the other Wizards, and he often went to the Shire for respites from his errands. It may be that he was amused by their nature. It may also be because they were untouched by the great evils of the world, and were more in touch with nature than Men; perhaps their agrarian lifestyle appealed to Gandalf's innate spirit and reminded him of the gardens of Valinor.

[[Círdan]] the Shipwright divined in him "the greatest spirit and the wisest" out of all of the Wizards that came from the West, and so he entrusted the care of [[Narya]], one of the [[Three Rings]] of the Elves, to Gandalf rather than to Saruman.<ref name="Istari" />

===Appearance===
[[File:John Howe - Gandalf the Grey 02.jpg|thumb|right|200px|''Gandalf the Grey'' by [[John Howe]]]]

The first description of Gandalf is preserved in the initial pages of ''The Hobbit'', written in the early 1930s. Gandalf's fame is alluded to even before his physical description ("Tales and adventures sprouted up all over the place wherever he went, in the most extraordinary fashion"), while the protagonist's ("unsuspecting Bilbo") impression is that of:
{{Blockquote|...an old man with a staff. He had a tall pointed blue hat, a long grey cloak, a silver scarf over which a white beard hung down below his waist, and immense black boots.|''[[The Hobbit]]'', "[[An Unexpected Party]]"}}

Later, [[J.R.R. Tolkien|Tolkien]] wrote:
{{Blockquote|...a figure strongly built and with broad shoulder, though shorter than the average of men and now stooped with age, leaning on a thick rough-cut staff as he trudged along... Gandalf's hat was wide-brimmed [...] with a pointed conical crown, and it was ''blue''; he wore a long ''grey'' cloak, but this would not reach much below his knees. It was of an elven silver-grey hue, though tarnished by wear - as is evident from the general use of grey in [[The Lord of the Rings|the book]]... But his colours were always white, silver-grey, and blue - except for the boots he wore when walking in the wild...Gandalf even bent must have been at least 5 ft. 6... Which would make him a short man even in modern England, especially with the reduction of a bent back.<ref name="MB" />}}

Although some of the Wise knew his true nature, his "wizard-like" appearance caused many to mistake him for a simple conjurer. After his return, his "signature colour" changed from grey to white, for he had been sent back to replace the corrupt Saruman as the chief of the Wizards. In the book, he claimed that, in some ways, he now "was Saruman", or rather Saruman as he should have been.<ref name="TT White" />{{rp|495}}

===Powers and abilities===
[[File:Roger Thomasson - Gandalf the Grey.jpg|thumb|''Gandalf the Grey'' by [[Roger Thomasson]]]]
Gandalf demonstrated extensive knowledge of the land and an assortment of magical abilities from trivial to essential.

Gandalf was the bearer of [[Narya]], the Ring of Fire, and described himself as the "servant of the [[Secret Fire]]" and "wielder of the [[flame of Anor]]".<ref name="bridge" /> Many of Gandalf's displays of power were related to fire in some way. It is not known, though, whether or to what extent his possession of Narya affected his abilities.

He created blinding flashes and other pyrotechnics to distract the [[Orcs|goblins]] of the [[Misty Mountains]] during Thorin and Company's escape from [[Goblin-town]]. On the eastern slopes, he turned pine cones into flaming projectiles that threw hot sparks and started fires that would not easily go out.

When the Fellowship was attacked by [[Wargs]] in [[Eregion|Hollin]], Gandalf spoke words of power to inflame the trees on the hillock where the company had camped. While crossing the Misty Mountains with the Fellowship, he was able to start fires under blizzard conditions. On the journey through Moria he created lights of varying intensity, magically secured doors, and broke the [[Bridge of Khazad-dûm]]. He fought and killed the [[Durin's Bane|Balrog of Moria]], although he did not himself survive the battle.<ref name="bridge" />

Sent back to [[Middle-earth]] as Gandalf the White, he possessed greater charisma and a limited degree of clairvoyance, although he was unable to peer into the land of [[Mordor]] to see the progress of Frodo and [[Samwise Gamgee|Sam]]. His power and authority had increased so that he could break [[Saruman]]'s staff with a spoken command, throw the treacherous wizard out of the order.<ref name="TT Voice">{{TT|Voice}}</ref>{{rp|583}} He also prevented Sauron's Eye from locating Frodo.<ref name="TT White">{{TT|White}}</ref>

He frequently used his powers for entertainment. He blew glowing smoke rings that moved around the room at his direction, and was known among Hobbits for his fireworks displays,<ref name="Erebor" /> for example at [[Bilbo's Farewell Party]].<ref name="party" />

When angered or aroused for battle, he seemed to grow in height and assume a terrifying aspect.<ref name="party" />{{rp|34}}

Though not as keen as [[Elves]], his eyesight was sharp enough to see in darkness, and into the [[Unseen]].

===Special equipment===
It is unknown whether Gandalf required his staff to exercise certain powers. At times it appeared to focus or extend his powers, such as its emanation of light. [[Gríma|Gríma Wormtongue]] tried to forbid Gandalf from bringing it into [[Edoras]] in a clear attempt to limit his powers.<ref>{{TT|King}}</ref>{{rp|514}}

When he arrived in Middle-earth, Gandalf received the Elven ring [[Narya]] from [[Círdan]].<ref name="Istari" /> Gandalf wore it from that time to the end of the Third Age, but how he used its powers is not known.

In {{TA|2941}}, Gandalf acquired the Elven sword [[Glamdring]] from the treasure hoard of a band of trolls.<ref name="Mutton" /> He continued to wield this weapon throughout ''The Lord of the Rings'', in particular during his fight with the [[Durin's Bane|Balrog]] in Moria.

Throughout his time in Middle-earth Gandalf was often seen with a pipe which he used to smoke [[Old Toby]].

==Etymology==
{{Pronounce|Gandalf.mp3|Ardamir}}
{{Pronounce|Quenya - Olórin.mp3|Gilgamesh}}
''Gandalf'' is a [[North Germanic languages|Norse]] name and supposedly means "Elvish wight with a (magic) staff", for it contains the element ''gandr'' ("a staff, especially one used in 'magic'"). It is a substitution in the English narrative for an unknown [[Westron]] name (on the same lines as the treatment of Hobbit and Dwarf names).<ref>{{UT|13}}</ref><ref group="note">Since the name ''Gandalf'' is attributed to "the North" in general, it probably represents a Westron name, but one made up of elements not derived from Elvish tongues.</ref>

The Men of the North called him so because they incorrectly thought that he was of Elven-kind<ref name="essay">{{UT|Istari}}, citing from the essay on the Istari</ref> and because they knew his alliance and friendship with Elves well<ref name="long note">{{UT|Istari}}, citing from a long note from before the publication of the second edition of ''The Lord of the Rings'' in 1966</ref>.

Gandalf is also the name of a dwarf in the [[Völuspá]], one of the poems of the [[Poetic Edda]]<ref>{{UT|13a}}, "12"</ref>, from where Tolkien got many of the Dwarven names used in his books.

==Other names==
{{quote|Many are my names in many countries. Mithrandir among the Elves, Tharkûn to the Dwarves; Olórin I was in my youth in the West that is forgotten, in the South Incánus, in the North Gandalf; to the East I go not.|''[[The Two Towers]]'', "[[The Window on the West]]"}}
*'''Greyhame''': Used in [[Rohan]],<ref>{{TT|Riders}}, p. 435</ref> it was the equivalent in [[Rohanese]] of ""Greycloak" which would have been ''grēg-hama''.<ref name="nomen">{{HM|N}}, entry '''Greyhame''', p. 758</ref>

*'''''Incánus''''': Gained during his long travels "in the south" (likely meaning no further south than [[Gondor]] or the [[Near Harad]]<ref name="Istari" />) of [[Middle-earth]] in the mid-[[Third Age]].<ref name="TT Window p. 670" /> Although ''Incánus'' seems to be of unclear language and meaning, a note in the [[Thain's Book]] says it is a [[Quenya]] form simply adapted from a word in the tongue of the [[Haradrim]]: ''Inkā-nūsh'' (or possibly ''Inkā-nūs''), meaning "North-spy".<ref name="Istari" /> ''Incánus'' in Latin means "grey-haired". However, [[Christopher Tolkien]] has noted that the "coincidence in form" might be an "accident",<ref name="Istari" /> his father wrote "Incánus Latin" in a later published manuscript,<ref name="PE1788" /> suggesting that the similarity was perhaps more than a coincidence. Tolkien also changed his mind several times about the meaning of ''Incánus'', besides the etymology given above his other variations were:
**An archaic [[Quenya]] word meaning "Mind-ruler", from ''in(id)''- ("mind") and ''cáno'' ("ruler, governor, chieftain").<ref name="Istari" />
**An adaptation from Quenya ''incānus(se)'', meaning "mind mastership".<ref>{{PE|17}}, entry Q ''incānus(se)'', p. 88 and entry √'''IN-''', p. 155</ref>
**A possible [[Westron]] invention meaning "Greymantle".<ref name="Istari" /> In a draft manuscript of ''[[The Lord of the Rings]]'', different names used were ''Forlong''>>''Fornold''>>''Incânus''.<ref name="WR2V" />

*'''Láthspell''': The name given to Gandalf by [[Gríma|Gríma Wormtongue]] when the former arrived at [[Meduseld]]. It means "Ill-news".<ref name="King">{{TT|King}}, p. 513</ref> It is a modernized form of [[Old English]] ''lad-spell'' ("a painful grievous story") from ''lad'' ("causing hate, evil, injury") and ''spell'' ("story", "message").<ref>{{HM|RC}}, p. 404</ref> In earlier drafts, it is actually Théoden who refers to Gandalf as Láthspell.<ref name="TIKing">{{TI|King}}, p. 444</ref>

*'''''Mithrandir''''': His [[Sindarin]] name ({{IPA|[miˈθrandir]}}), used in [[Gondor]] and meaning "Grey Pilgrim" or "Grey Wanderer", from ''[[mith]]'' ("grey") + ''[[randir]]'' ("pilgrim, wandering man").<ref>{{HM|RC}}, p. 320</ref><ref>{{PE|17}}, entry S '''Mithrandir''', p. 60</ref>

*'''''Olórin''''': His original name in [[Valinor]]. It is [[Quenya]], and its meaning is associated with the Quenya word [[olos|''olos'' or ''olor'']], meaning "dream" or "vision / of mind".<ref name="Istari" /><ref name="PE1788">{{PE|17}}, Q '''Olórin''' , p. 88</ref> In a draft manuscript of ''[[The Lord of the Rings]]'', occurs the spelling ''Olórion''.<ref name="WR2V">{{WR|2|V}}, p. 153</ref>

*'''Stormcrow''': The name given to Gandalf by King [[Théoden]] in [[Rohan]], a reference to his arrival being associated with times of trouble.<ref name="King" />

*'''''Tharkûn''''': The name given to Gandalf by the [[Dwarves]].<ref name="TT Window p. 670" /> ''Tharkûn'' is [[Khuzdul]], meaning either "Grey-man"<ref>{{PE|17}}, entry D '''Tharkûn''', p. 88</ref> or "Staff-man".<ref name="Istari" /> The word possibly derives from the unattested word ''thark'' ("staff") + a nominal ending ''-ûn''.<ref>Mellonath Daeron, "[https://www.forodrim.org/daeron/md_khuzdul.html An analysis of Dwarvish]" (accessed [[11 October]] [[2010]])</ref> In a draft manuscript of ''[[The Lord of the Rings]]'', occurs the spelling ''Sharkûn''.<ref name="WR2V" />

*'''The White Rider''': The name given to him by Aragorn when he rides the great horse [[Shadowfax]].<ref>{{TT|White}}, p. 500</ref>

==Other versions of the legendarium==
In early manuscripts of ''[[The Hobbit]]'', the name ''[[Bladorthin]]'' was used by Tolkien for the character who later would be named ''Gandalf''. The name ''Gandalf'' was instead used for the character known as [[Thorin]] in the published works.<ref>{{HH|Intro}}</ref>

==Inspiration==
[[File:Georg von Rosen - Oden som vandringsman, 1886 (Odin, the Wanderer).jpg|thumb|''Oden som vandringsman'' (''Odin the Wanderer'') by Georg von Rosen]]
[[File:Josef Madlener - Der Berggeist.jpg|left|thumb|''[[Der Berggeist]]'' by [[Josef Madlener]]]]

''Gandalfr''
appears in the list of dwarves in the ''[[Völuspá]]'' of the Elder Edda, the name means "Cane-elf". Tolkien took the name along with the other dwarves' names when he wrote ''The Hobbit'' in the 1930s. He came to regret the creation of this "rabble of eddaic-named dwarves [...] invented in an idle hour",<ref>{{TI|Runes}}, p. 452</ref> since it forced him to come up with an explanation of why Old Norse names should be used in [[Third Age]] Middle-earth. He solved the dilemma in 1942 by the explanation that [[Old Norse]] was a ''translation'' of the [[language of Dale]]. The figure of Gandalf has other influences from Germanic mythology, particularly Odin in his incarnation as "the Wanderer", an old man with one eye, a long white beard, a wide brimmed hat, and a staff: Tolkien states that he thinks of Gandalf as an ''"Odinic wanderer"'' in a letter of 1946.<ref>{{L|107}}</ref>

Tolkien had a postcard labelled ''[[Der Berggeist]]'' ("the mountain spirit"), and on the paper cover in which he kept it, he wrote "the origin of Gandalf" at some point. The postcard reproduces a painting of a bearded figure, sitting on a rock under a pine tree in a mountainous setting. He wears a wide-brimmed round hat and a long cloak and a white fawn is nuzzling his upturned hands.
[[Humphrey Carpenter]] in his 1977 biography said that Tolkien had bought the postcard during his 1911 holiday in Switzerland. However, Manfred Zimmerman discovered that the painting was by German artist Josef Madlener and dates to the late 1920s.<ref>[[Manfred Zimmermann]], "The Origin of Gandalf and Josef Madlener", in ''[[Mythlore]]'' [[Mythlore 34|34]] (Winter [[1983]])</ref> Carpenter concluded that Tolkien was probably mistaken about the origin of the postcard himself. Tolkien must have acquired the card at some time in the early 1930s, at a time when ''The Hobbit'' had already begun to take shape.

==Portrayals in adaptations==
<gallery class="center" mode="nolines" widths="250" heights="150">
File:The Hobbit (1967 film) - Gandalf.png|Gandalf in [[The Hobbit (1967 film)|''The Hobbit'' (1967 film)]]
File:Sagan om Ringen - Gandalf.png|Gandalf in ''[[Sagan om Ringen (1971 film)|Sagan om Ringen]]''
File:The Hobbit (1977 film) - Gandalf.jpg|Gandalf in [[The Hobbit (1977 film)|''The Hobbit'' (1977 film)]]
File:The Lord of the Rings (1978 film) - Gandalf.jpg|Gandalf the Grey in [[The Lord of the Rings (1978 film)|''The Lord of the Rings'' (1978 film)]]
File:The Lord of the Rings (1978 film) - Gandalf the White.jpg|Gandalf the White in [[The Lord of the Rings (1978 film)|''The Lord of the Rings'' (1978 film)]]
File:The Return of the King (1980 film) - Gandalf the Grey.png|Gandalf the Grey in [[The Return of the King (1980 film)|''The Return of the King'' (1980 film)]]
File:The Return of the King (1980 film) - Gandalf the White.jpeg|Gandalf the White in [[The Return of the King (1980 film)|''The Return of the King'' (1980 film)]]
File:War in Middle Earth - Gandalf and three hobbits.png|Gandalf in ''[[J.R.R. Tolkien's War in Middle Earth]]''
File:David T. Wenzel - One Morning in the Shire.jpeg|Gandalf in [[The Hobbit (comic book)|''The Hobbit'' (comic book)]]
File:LOTR-Gandalf 1990-1--1-.png|Gandalf in [[J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings, Vol. I (1990 video game)|''J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings, Vol. I'' (1990 video game)]]
File:LOTR vol. 1 SNES Gandalf in the Shire.png|Gandalf in [[J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings, Vol. I (SNES)|''J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings, Vol. I'' (SNES)]]
File:1121208-ror 010-1-.png|Gandalf in ''[[J.R.R. Tolkien's Riders of Rohan]]''
File:Lord of the Rings Adventure Game - Gandalf.jpeg|Gandalf in ''[[Lord of the Rings Adventure Game]]''
File:The Lord of the Rings - The Fellowship of the Ring - Gandalf reading the Book of Mazarbul.jpg|Gandalf the Grey in ''[[The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring]]''
File:The Lord of the Rings - The Motion Picture Trilogy - Gandalf the White.jpg|Gandalf the White in ''[[The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers]]''
File:The Lord of the Rings - The Fellowship of the Ring (video game) - Gandalf.JPG|Gandalf in [[The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (video game)|''The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring'' (video game)]]
File:Gandalf 2Towers.png|Gandalf in [[The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (video game)|''The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers'' (video game)]]
File:The Lord of the Rings- The Two Towers GBA - Gandalf, Frodo and Legolas.png|Gandalf in [[The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (video game)#Game Boy Advance version|''The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers'' (Game Boy Advance)]]
File:The Hobbit (2003) Gandalf.JPG|Gandalf in ''[[The Hobbit (2003 video game)|''The Hobbit'' (2003 video game)]]''
File:Gandalf EA RotK.png|Gandalf in [[The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (video game)|''The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King'' (video game)]]
File:The Lord of the Rings- The Return of the King GBA - Gandalf.png|Gandalf in [[The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (video game)|''The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King'' (Game Boy Advance)]]
File:The Lord of the Rings Online - Gandalf the Grey.png|Gandalf the Grey in ''[[The Lord of the Rings Online]]''
File:The Lord of the Rings Online - Gandalf the White.jpg|Gandalf the White in ''[[The Lord of the Rings Online]]''
File:The Lord of the Rings Online Shadows of Angmar - Gandalf.png|Gandalf the Grey in ''[[The Lord of the Rings Online: Shadows of Angmar]]''
File:The Lord of the Rings- Conquest -Gandalf fighting Orcs.png|'''[[The Lord of the Rings: Conquest]]''
File:Aragorn's Quest - Gandalf the White.jpg|Gandalf the White in ''[[The Lord of the Rings: Aragorn's Quest]]''
File:Gandalf in LOTR- War in the North-1.png|''[[The Lord of the Rings: War in the North]]''
File:Lego - Gandalf the Grey mini figure.png|Gandalf the Grey as a ''[[Lego]] mini figure''
File:Guardians of Middle-earth - Gandalf Icon.jpg|Gandalf the Grey in ''[[Guardians of Middle-earth]]''
File:The Hobbit (film series) - Gandalf.jpg|Gandalf the Grey in [[The Hobbit (film series)|''The Hobbit'' (film series)]]
File:The Lord of the Rings Gollum - Gandalf's description.jpeg|Gandalf's description in ''[[The Lord of the Rings: Gollum]]''
File:Tales of the Shire - Gandalf.png|Gandalf the Grey in ''[[Tales of the Shire: A "The Lord of the Rings" Game]]''
</gallery>

===Films===
'''1967: [[The Hobbit (1967 film)|''The Hobbit'' (1967 film)]]:'''
:Gandalf's role is drastically reduced. He lives in a tower, where Thorin, the [[Mika Milovana|princess]] and the guard meet him to discuss the killing of [[Smaug|Slag]]. He introduces them to Bilbo, but does not go on the quest.<ref name="Deitch">{{webcite|articleurl=http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=UBnVL1Y2src|articlename=The Hobbit.mp4|dated=5 January 2012|website=YouTube|accessed=10 January 2012}}</ref>

'''1971: [[Sagan om Ringen (1971 film)|''Sagan om Ringen'' (1971 film)]]:'''
:Gandalf is present at the [[Bilbo Baggins]]' [[Bilbo's Farewell Party|111th birthday party]] and dines with [[Frodo Baggins|Frodo]], [[Samwise Gamgee|Sam]] [[Meriadoc Brandybuck|Merry,]] and [[Peregrin Took|Pippin]]. Later, Frodo recieves [[The One Ring|Bilbo's ring]] as a birthday present and asks Gandalf about its purpose, having previously seen Biblo disappear with it. Gandalf tells Frodo of the forging of 20 magical rings and asks whether there are any marks on Bilbo's. Gandalf throws it into the fireplace, which reveals [[Ring-inscription|text]] on the ring, confirming Gandalf's suspicion that Bilbo's ring is indeed [[The One Ring]]. He encourages Frodo to bring the ring to [[Rivendell]] and participate in the [[Council of Elrond]]. He was imprisoned by [[Saruman|Saruman the Whute]] on [[Orthanc|his highest tower]] and was able to escape by sending a message to the birds and being rescued by the [[Eagles|Eagle]] [[Gwahir]]. He flys to [[Rohan]] and is dropped off. Gandalf is given permission by [[Théoden|the king]] to take a horse for himself. When looking for one, he discovers a a majestic white horse, named [[Shadowfax]] by the [[Men]] of Rohan. Gandalf notes his beauty, speed and the fact that that no man had ever rode him. Gandalf tames him and rides him to the Shire. He narrowly misses the Hobbits who are in the [[Old Forest]]. Gandalf, unable to meet with the Frodo, and his Hobbit friends who agree to accompany him, at the ''[[Prancing Pony|Prancing Pony Inn]]'', writes Frodo a letter, confirming that the man known as Strider is called [[Aragorn]] and is a man to be trusted. Finally arriving at the Prancing Pony, he hears word that Frodo had set off and he spends the night. The next day, [[Bree]] is stormed by [[Nazgûl|Black Riders]] and Gandalf pursues them on Shadowfax to [[Weathertop]]. He arrives at Rivendell 3 days before Frodo. When Frodo arrives, he is comatosed by his encounter with the Black Riders. He greets Frodo when he recovers, 4 days after the Hobbit's arrival in Rivendell. He reunites with the Hobbits at the Council in Rivendell and tells the Council members of his journey. He agrees to join the [[Fellowship of the Ring]], which aims to bring the Ring to [[Mordor]] and destroy it. The Fellowship sets off with Gandalf leading the group. They take one final look at the House of Elrond and depart.

'''1977: [[The Hobbit (1977 film)|''The Hobbit'' (1977 film)]]:'''
:The voice of Gandalf was provided by [[John Huston]].

'''1978: [[The Lord of the Rings (1978 film)|''The Lord of the Rings'' (1978 film)]]:'''
:Gandalf was voiced by [[William Squire]]. [[John A. Neris]] played him in the live-action filming used for rotoscoping.<ref>Jerry Beck, ''The Animated Movie Guide'', p. 154 (at [http://books.google.com/books?id=fTI1yeZd-tkC&pg=PA154&dq=%22John+A.+Neris%22&hl=nl#PPA154,M1 GoogleBooks])</ref>

'''1980: [[The Return of the King (1980 film)|''The Return of the King'' (1980 film)]]:'''
:[[John Huston]] reprised his role as Gandalf. In this adaptation, the tale is told by a minstrel of [[Gondor]], yet in the story, Gandalf serves as the narrator. Gandalf the White is portrayed without difference from Gandalf the Grey, in ''The Hobbit''.

'''1985: [[The Hobbit (1985 television film)|''The Fairytale Adventures of Mr. Baggins, the Hobbit'' (1985 film)]]:'''
:Ivan Krasko played Gandalf.

'''2001: ''[[The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring]]'':'''
:[[Ian McKellen]] was cast as Gandalf. He was nominated for an Academy Award for his portrayal.

'''2002: ''[[The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers]]'':'''
:Perhaps the most striking difference from all other adaptations is the difference between Gandalf the Grey and Gandalf the White. Where earlier no visible or audible difference was made, Gandalf the White is portrayed as much more virile, and with a shorter (and whiter) beard.

'''2003: ''[[The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King]]'':'''
:Because [[Imrahil]] had been cut from the film, it was up to Gandalf to lead the troops after the madness and death of [[Denethor]].

'''2012-14: [[The Hobbit (film series)|''The Hobbit'' (film series)]]:'''
:[[Ian McKellen|Sir Ian McKellen]] reprised his role as Gandalf the Grey.<ref name="PJCasting">{{webcite|author=[[Peter Jackson]]|articleurl=http://www.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=10150168211921558|articlename=Production begins in New Zealand on The Hobbit|dated=20-March-2011|website=[http://www.facebook.com/ Facebook]|accessed=23-Dec-2011}}</ref> A short description of Gandalf in ''The Hobbit'' films was released by the studio:

{{quote|One of the most powerful Wizards in all Middle-earth, Gandalf the Grey joins the quest to reclaim the Dwarf Kingdom of Erebor and the great treasure that lies within its stone halls from a fire-breating dragon, Smaug the Terrible. Along the way, Gandalf finds evidence that an ancient evil may have found its way back into the world. In order to uncover the truth, Gandalf must leave his companions to fend for themselves – a journey that will take him into the darkest corners of Middle-earth where his worst suspicions are confirmed.|[[Warner Bros.]]<ref name="HobbitApp">{{webcite|author=[[Warner Bros.]]|articleurl=http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/hobbit-movies/id545808528|articlename=Hobbit Movies|dated=7-September-2012|website=[http://itunes.apple.com/ Apple iPhone/iPad App]|accessed=19-September-2012}}</ref>}}

===Television===
'''1993: ''[[Hobitit]]'':'''
:[[Vesa Vierikko]] played both Gandalf the Grey and Gandalf the White. He appeared in 6 of 8 episodes.
'''2024: [[The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power|The ''Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power'']]'''

:[[Daniel Weyman]] plays "[[The Stranger]]," who is eventually revealed to be Gandalf in a moment of foresight after being called "Grand Elf" by a group of departing [[Stoors]].

===Radio series===
'''1955: [[The Lord of the Rings (1955 radio series)|''The Lord of the Rings'' (1955 radio series)]]:'''
:The voice of Gandalf was provided by [[Norman Shelley]].<ref>{{L|175}}</ref>

'''1968: [[The Hobbit (1968 radio series)|''The Hobbit'' (1968 radio series)]]:'''
:The voice of Gandalf was provided by [[Heron Carvic]].

'''1979: [[The Hobbit (1979 radio series)|''The Hobbit'' (1979 radio series)]]:'''
:The voice of Gandalf was provided [[Bernard Mayes]].

'''1979: [[The Lord of the Rings (1979 radio series)|''The Lord of the Rings'' (1979 radio series)]]:'''
:[[Bernard Mayes]] reprised his role as Gandalf.

'''1980: [[Der Hobbit (1980 German radio series)|''Der Hobbit'' (1980 German radio series)]]:'''
:Gandalf is played by Bernhard Minetti.

'''1981: [[The Lord of the Rings (1981 radio series)|''The Lord of the Rings'' (1981 radio series)]]:'''
:[[Michael Hordern]] read the part of Gandalf. He had not read the book, and thought his agent made a mistake in telling him how many episodes he had to do. He did not know Gandalf's early death was temporary.<ref>[[Brian Sibley]], "[http://briansibleytheworks.blogspot.com/2008/01/this-page-is-still-under-construction_23.html The Ring Goes Ever On: The Making of BBC Radio's ''The Lord of the Rings'']", at ''[http://briansibleytheworks.blogspot.com/ Brian Sibley:The Works]''</ref>

'''1989: [[Hobit (1989 Slovak radio series)|''Hobit'' (1989 Slovak radio series)]]:'''
:The voice of Gandalf is provided by Karol Machata.

'''1992: [[Der Herr der Ringe (1992 German radio series)|''Der Herr der Ringe'' (1992 German radio series)]]:'''
:Gandalf is played by Manfed Steffen.

'''2001-2003: [[Pán prsteňov (2001-2003 Slovak radio series)|''Pán prsteňov'' (2001-2003 Slovak radio series)]]:'''
:The voice of Gandalf is provided by Martin Huba.

===Games===
'''1982: [[The Hobbit (1982 video game)|''The Hobbit'' (1982 video game)]]:'''
:Gandalf can be met in several moments of the game's story line.<ref>[http://www.worldofspectrum.org/showmag.cgi?mag=ZXComputing/Issue8304/Pages/ZXComputing830400076.jpg ''ZX Computing'', iss. 8304, p. 76] reproduced at [http://www.worldofspectrum.org/archive.html World of Spectrum - Archive] (retrieved at 14 August 2010)</ref>

'''1990: [[J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings, Vol. I (1990 video game)|''J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings, Vol. I'' (1990 video game)]]:'''
:Gandalf can be "recruited" by [[Frodo Baggins]] as a playable character.

'''1990: ''[[J.R.R. Tolkien's Riders of Rohan]]'':'''
:Gandalf is one of the main characters of the game and one of the several heroes of the [[Rohan]] faction.

'''1994: [[J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings, Vol. I (SNES)|''J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings, Vol. I'' (SNES)]]:'''
:Gandalf can be acquired as a playable character.

'''2002: [[The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (video game)|''The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring'' (video game)]]:'''
:[[Tom Kane]] provided the voice of Gandalf. He is a playable character in several levels, including the fight with [[Durin's Bane]].

'''2002: [[The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (video game)|''The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers'' (video game)]]:'''
:The voice of Gandalf is provided by [[Ian McKellen]]. Gandalf the Grey appears at the campsite of the [[Fellowship of the Ring|fellowship]] in ''The Gates of Moria'' and during the fight of [[Balin's Tomb]] in ''Balin's Tomb''. He latter reappears in the game as Gandalf the White at the start of the mission ''The Plains of Rohan'', where he leaves Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli to search Éomer and his army. He also appears in some cutscenes.

'''2002: [[The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (video game)#Game Boy Advance version|''The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers'' (Game Boy Advance)]]:'''
:In the [[wikipedia:Game Boy Advance|Game Boy Advance version]] of [[The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (video game)|The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers]] Gandalf is a playable character. Gandalf's story starts with a conversation between Gandalf and [[Théoden]], after which the story goes back to the [[Caradhras]], where the Fellowship tries to travel over the [[Misty Mountains]]. When that road fails, the Fellowship goes back and travels through [[Moria]]. In Moria Gandalf and the other member of the Fellowship are separated. After finding [[Frodo Baggins|Frodo]], [[Aragorn]] and [[Gimli]] the fellowship is attacked by a [[Cave-trolls|Cave-troll]] and [[Orcs#Orcs and Goblins|Goblins]]. After Gandalf defeats the Cave-troll the Fellowship has to flee for the [[Balrogs|Balrog]]. When they reach the [[Bridge of Khazad-dûm]] a cutscene is shown, in which Gandalf destroys the bridge and falls with the Balrog in the depths. After the fall Gandalf has to follow the footsteps of the Balrog through the depths of Moria and the [[Endless Stair]] until he reaches [[Durin's Tower]], where he has to defeat the Balrog.

:After being revived he returns as Gandalf the White in Fangorn, where he defeats several [[Trolls]] and [[Crebain]]. After defeating a stronger Forrest troll, named Fangorn troll, Gandalf meets Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli. After a cutscene, the game moves to [[Edoras]]. Gandalf heals the corrupted Théoden in Edoras, and then travels through [[Rohan]] in search of [[Éomer]]. Gandalf convinces Éomer to lead his army to [[Helm's Deep]].

:The game ends with the [[Battle of the Hornburg|Battle of Helm's Deep]], in which Gandalf and Éomer fight alongside Aragorn, Legolas, Gimli and [[Éowyn]] while protecting the wall, the [[Hornburg]] and the [[Glittering Caves]]. In the final level Gandalf has to destroy the siege weapons that bombard the Hornburg. The game ends with a conversation between Gandalf, Aragorn, Gimli and Théoden.

'''2003: [[The Hobbit (2003 video game)|''The Hobbit'' (2003 video game)]]:'''
:[[Jim Ward]] provided the voice of Gandalf. He is shown with actual [[magic]]: he can shoot blue bolts of lightning from his staff.

'''2003: [[The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (video game)|''The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King'' (video game)]]:'''
:Gandalf is the narrator, and a playable character. The game is built around him; the cut scene narration shows how he planned for the [[War of the Ring]]. He has several missions, collectively called the "Path of the Wizard". The first is the [[Battle of the Hornburg|Battle of Helm's Deep]], which serves as a training mission. He has to fight [[Uruk-Hai]] in the forest of [[Huorns]] and [[Ents]] in "The Road to Isengard". After that, the missions move to [[Minas Tirith]]: the first mission, "Top of the Wall", has Gandalf warding off ladders and siege towers. In the second, "Courtyard", he has to protect civilians from the invading Orcs. His last playing mission is the [[Battle of the Morannon|Battle of the Black Gate]].

'''2003: [[The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (video game)|''The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King'' (Game Boy Advance)]]:'''
:Just like on the console version of the game, Gandalf is a playable character. He has many missions, collectively called the "The Journey of the Wizard". He starts in a flooded [[Isengard]], where he has to kill several [[Uruk-hai]] and [[Crebain]] before he confronts [[Saruman]]. After the defeat of Saruman he travels to [[Minas Tirith]] through Rohan and the Misty Mountains. At the [[Pelennor Fields]] Gandalf has to protect the [[Beacons of Gondor|beacons]], so Rohan can be warned. During the [[Battle of the Pelennor Fields|Battle of Minas Tirith]] he has to protect the gate, before making his way to the [[House of the Stewards|Steward's Tomb]]. Here Gandalf has to kill Denethor, before he burns [[Faramir]]. After the battle Gandalf travels through [[Ithilien]] to the [[Black Gate]], where he confronts a Nazgûl.

'''2004: ''[[The Lord of the Rings: The Third Age]]'':'''
:Gandalf, voiced by [[Ian McKellen]], is a character in [[Electronic Arts|EA's]] "alternative [[Fellowship of the Ring|fellowship]]" game. In his battle against Durin's Bane, he is aided by the main characters.

'''2004: ''[[The Lord of the Rings: War of the Ring]]'':'''
:Gandalf is voiced by [[Steven M. Kramer]], renowned for playing older mentor types.

'''2004: ''[[The Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle-earth]]'':'''
:In non-storyline skirmishes Gandalf is the hero of the Gondor faction, who possesses several magical abilities. At first, he appears as Gandalf "the Grey", and becomes "Gandalf the White" after reaching level 5 (out of 10). Gandalf also narrates the prologue scene, repeating almost word for word the lines said by Galadriel in the ''[[The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring]]''.

:His involvement in the storyline is notable for major differences from the original tale. First of all, Gandalf survives his encounter with Balrog, defeating him at the Bridge of Khazad-dum and continues the journey with the Fellowship - by the time of arrival in Lothlorien he already appears as Gandalf the White. He is present during the ambush at [[Amon Hen]], where thanks to his involvement Boromir is saved from certain death. Merry and Pippin are captured regardless and Aragorn, Legolas, Gimli and Boromir give chase, while Gandalf departs them to see to dealings in Rohan, including freeing of King Théoden from the spell. Following the Battle of Helm's Deep he travels to Minas Tirith along with both Pippin and Boromir, where they participate in the Siege of the city.

'''2006: ''[[The Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle-earth II]]'':'''
:Gandalf is a hero for the "Men of the West" faction. Similar to the first game, he appears as Gandalf the Grey initially and Gandalf the White after level 5. He plays no part in the main storyline, but appears in the alternate "evil" campaign: after Sauron reclaims the Ring and lays waste to southern lands, Gandalf and few other survivors meet their end during a last stand in Rivendell.

'''2007: ''[[The Lord of the Rings Online]]'':'''
:Gandalf is a non-playable character voiced by [[Harry Chase]], who narrates cutscenes and instances throughout the original game, before the first expansion. He first meets the Dwarven characters in Ered Luin in {{TA|2941}}, shortly before the Quest for Erebor. Later, characters of all races meet him in Bree in October of {{TA|3018}}, but he is too busy with concerns for Frodo and the Ring and merely sends them away to find Radagast. Finally, the players have a chance to have a proper conversation with him in Rivendell, following the Council of Elrond. During that time, Gandalf is involved in several quests, including helping the player wreck havoc among the Goblins stirring at the [[High Pass]]. After the Fellowship leaves Rivendell, players are able to retrace many of their steps, including the marks left by Gandalf such as the Burnt Top in [[Eregion]] and the remains of his fire at the pass of [[Caradhras]]. Later, Lady [[Galadriel]] bids the player to find the signs of Gandalf following his fall from the Bridge of Khazad-dum - said signs include his burnt hat at the Foundations of Stone in Moria and the signs of his struggle with the Balrog at the [[Endless Stair]] - those allow Galadriel to discern that Mithrandir is not truly dead. Players later meet him as Gandalf the White in [[Caras Galadhon]] shortly after the Fellowship has departed Lothlorien. During that time, he engages into a spiritual battle with a Gaunt-Lord Gortheron the Doom-Caller; his display of his new abilities encourages the band of Free People players and allows them to defeat the servant of Sauron.

:Gandalf is also present in several historic "session plays", during which players witness the important events their characters were not present for. Such events include Gandalf infiltrating [[Dol Guldur]] with the help of an Elf named Raddir, first meeting between Gandalf and Aragorn on the outskirts of Lothlorien and Gandalf's imprisonment atop Orthanc by Saruman.

'''2009: ''[[The Lord of the Rings: Conquest]]'':'''
:[[Martin Jarvis]] provides the voice of Gandalf. He is a playable mage hero and has three special powers: "Healing Wisdom", "You Shall not Pass!" and "Cleansing Fire". In the good campaign he appears at the end of the Isengard mission, where he has to kill Saruman in [[Orthanc]]. In Moria he can be played to destroy the [[Balrog]] and in Minas Tirith he has to defend the gates of the second ring. He is also one of the four playable heroes in the last mission, [[The Battle of the Morannon|the battle of the Black Gate]]. He appears as well at the end of the last mission, the Shire, of the evil campaign, in which he is defeated by [[Sauron]].
:He is also playable in the Shire, Isengard, Minas Tirith and Moria with the ''Conquest'' Mode, in Isengard and Minas Tirith in the ''Team Deathmatch'' mode, the citadel of Minas Tirith in ''Capture the Ring'' mode, and at the Black Gate, Minas Morgul, Mount Doom and the Shire during ''Hero Team Deathmatch'' mode.

'''2011: ''[[The Lord of the Rings: War in the North]]'':'''
:Gandalf is voiced by [[Tom Kane]], who also narrates the introduction of the game. He tells that heroes like "[[Aragorn|Aragorn the King]]", "[[Frodo Baggins|Frodo the Ringbearer]]" and "'''Gandalf the Wizard'''" are rightly honoured, but that without a few heroes - [[Eradan (video game character)|Eradan]], [[Andriel]] and [[Farin (video game character)|Farin]] - the north of [[Middle-earth]] would have been lost.<ref>[[The Lord of the Rings: War in the North]], ''Prologue''</ref>
:He also appears in [[Rivendell]] later in the game. Players can interact with him and learn of various important events, yet the conversations do not unlock any side-quests and do not affect the main story in any way.

'''2012: ''[[Guardians of Middle-earth]]'':'''
:Gandalf is a mage-type "guardian" with four abilities: ''Narya's Power'', ''Flame of Anor'', ''Fireworks'' and ''Gandalf's Might''.<ref>{{webcite|author=|articleurl=http://www.guardiansofmiddleearth.co.uk/guardians/gandalf|articlename=''Guardians of Middle-earth'': Gandalf|dated=|website=[http://www.guardiansofmiddleearth.com/ ''Guardians of Middle-earth'' official website]|accessed=16 July 2012}}</ref>

'''2025: ''[[Tales of the Shire: A "The Lord of the Rings" Game]]'':'''
:At the beginning of the game, Gandalf rides in his cart and discovers the player [[Hobbits|Hobbit]], sleeping on a log. He wakes them and helps them up, giving them a ride in his cart to [[Bywater]]. He gives the Hobbit [[Bilbo Baggins]]' map of Bywater and begins to depart. The Hobbit asks him his name and he tells them "[[An Unexpected Party|I am Gandalf, and Gandalf means me.]]" before farewelling them and continuing on the road.
{{Notes}}
{{References}}
{{seq-start}}
{{seq-head
| race=maiar
| house=[[Maiar|Maia]] of [[Manwë]] & [[Varda]]
| born=[[Creation of the Ainur]]
| died=Sailed west on [[29 September]], {{TA|3019}}
}}
{{seq
| prev=[[Saruman]]
| list=Chief of the [[Wizards|Istari]]
| dates=[[5 March]], {{TA|3019}} - [[29 September]], {{TA|3021|n}}
| nvac=None
| next=Position abolished
}}
{{seq
| prev=[[Círdan]]
| list=[[Three Keepers|Keeper]] of [[Narya]]
| dates=c. {{TA|1000}} - after [[29 September]], {{TA|3021|n}}
| nvac=None
| next=Presumably, still Gandalf
}}
{{seq
| pvac=None
| prev=Position established
| list=Leader of the [[Fellowship of the Ring]]
| dates=[[25 December]], {{TA|3018}} - [[15 January]], {{TA|3019|n}}
| next=[[Aragorn]]
}}
{{seq-end}}{{ainur}}
{{Thorin and Company}}{{companyroute}}
{{councilofelrond}}
{{fellowship}}{{FellowshipRoute}}
{{ringbearers}}{{hobbitfilms}}
{{lordoftheringsfilms}}

[[Category:Characters in The Hobbit]]
[[Category:Characters in The Lord of the Rings]]
[[Category:Characters in The Silmarillion]]
[[Category:First Age characters]]
[[Category:Maiar]]
[[Category:Norse names]]
[[Category:Third Age characters]]
[[Category:Wizards]]
[[de:Gandalf]]
[[fr:encyclo:personnages:ainur:maiar:istari:gandalf]]
[[fi:Gandalf]]