The Nazgul seem to exist only partially in the physical realm and partially in a sort of astral plane. They appear as creatures draped in black cloth with their faces (or lack thereof) hidden by a deep hood. The Nazgul, also known as “Ring Wraiths,” are the corrupted spirits of human kings who became forever bound to the One Ring, enslaved to it and Sauron. Slightly twisted humanoid creatures in modern horror may also owe some debt to the orc.Īttribution: User The Artifex from flickr, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons 5. Anyone who’s ever played a fantasy role-playing game has seen orcs or their thinly-veiled equivalents. Orcs are not the most fearsome creature Tolkien ever created, but they are one of the most influential. The orcs in Tolkein’s stories seem to represent the overwhelming hordes of evil that only great courage can stand against. The forces of evil can call up 10,000 Uruk Hai (a superior type of orc) to face a force of 3,000 beleaguered humans at Helm’s Deep. Their sheer numbers are terrifying, as they threaten to overrun the free peoples of Middle Earth. They are corrupted versions of Elves, the most beautiful creatures of Middle Earth, taken by the original Dark Lord Morgoth and “twisted” physically and spiritually into blood-thirsty, animalistic monsters. The orcs in Tolkien’s world have a language (invented by Sauron), power struggles, and society (such as it is). Tolkien was the first to create a world with a huge population of such creatures and give them a disturbing backstory. They were likely influenced by old stories of goblins and other nasty creatures that have haunted European imaginations for millennia. Orcs did not spring completely from Tolkien’s imagination. Here are his most horrifying (and influential) monsters: 6. Tolkien’s work includes many creatures that send a chill down the spine. Namely, the stuff that you’d have to have courage to face if you took a trip to Middle Earth.įantasy has always included horrific elements, and the horror and fantasy genres have influenced each other. This year the theme is “hope and courage in Tolkien’s works.” This theme is hugely appropriate for the state of the world right now, but today we are going to look at a different side of Tolkien’s work. The Tolkien Society hosts events all month long to celebrate Tolkien, his stories, and the huge fandom that’s grown around them. Tolkien Reading Day is celebrated every March 25th, the day when Frodo and Sam destroyed the One Ring (with some help from Gollum).
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