The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power season 2 is fast approaching and we can't wait to head back into the world of Middle-Earth. Yet while the first season introduced us to many old favorites from the books and films, such as Galadriel and Sauron and "the Stranger" (heavily implied to be Gandalf), there's one famous set of antagonists from Tolkien's rich legendarium we've yet to meet.
Fans of Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings trilogy will be very familiar with Sauron's darkest servants, the Nazgul (also called the Ringwraiths or simply, The Nine) but in Prime Video's prequel series, we could potentially see their origins.
As such, fans are getting quite excited at the prospect of seeing who the Nazgul were before they accepted Sauron's rings and how they fell into shadow. But will we be getting our first glimpse of them in season 2, and if so, will they be characters from the opening season? We take a look at the evidence...
What are the Nazgul?
The Nazgul were nine powerful mortal men who were given Nine Rings of Power by Sauron in the Second Age and subsequently fell under his influence.
The rings gave their bearers great power and immortality, but gradually corrupted them and reduced them to invisible wraiths, servants bound to the power of the One Ring and completely under Sauron's control.
In The Silmarillion, Tolkien describes them as such...
"Those who used the Nine Rings became mighty in their day, kings, sorcerers, and warriors of old. They obtained glory and great wealth, yet it turned to their downfall. They had, as it seemed, unending life, yet life became unendurable to them. They could walk, if they would, unseen by all eyes in this world beneath the sun, and they could see things in worlds invisible to mortal men; but too often they beheld only the phantoms and delusions of Sauron.
"And one by one, sooner or later, according to their native strength and to the good or evil of their wills in the beginning, they fell under the thraldom of the ring that they bore and of the domination of the One which was Sauron's. And they became forever invisible save to him that wore the Ruling Ring, and they entered into the realm of shadows. The Nazgûl were they, the Ringwraiths, the Úlairi, the Enemy's most terrible servants; darkness went with them, and they cried with the voices of death."
Tolkien isn't explicit in their origins in the book, but many scholars have theorized they are most likely to have been three lords of the once-powerful island realm of Númenor, along with kings of countries in Middle-earth.
However, others have claimed the first line of the previous passage suggests the Nazgul were not great kings or warriors before they were given the ring, but only became them afterwards...
Who were the Nazgul?
Only two Nazgul were named in Tolkien's works. The most prominent was THE WITCH-KING OF ANGMAR, who featured heavily in Peter Jackson's film trilogy. He was said to be the greatest of "The Nine" and famously stabbed Frodo on Weathertop. He also killed King Theoden at the Battle of Pelennor Fields, where he was eventually defeated by Éowyn.
In the centuries before the events of The Lord of the Rings, he fought alongside his master when he was defeated by the Last Alliance of Men and Elves. The Witch-King then disappeared after The One Ring was cut from Sauron's finger by Isildur, before reappearing in the Third Age's 14th century.
He founded the evil realm of Angmar, where he ruled for almost seven centuries, but returned to Mordor to facilitate Sauron's reemergence. In the immediate run-up to the trilogy he took Gondor's city of Minas Ithil, refortified it as Minas Morgul, and (almost) destroyed the line of Kings of Gondor.
The other Nazgul named in the text is KHAMÛL, an Easterling who ruled in Rhun. Khamûl was the second-in-command of the Nazgul; in his other writings, Tolkien suggests it was he who knocked on Gaffer Gamgee's door in the Shire to ask about Bilbo in Jackson's films. He did briefly become the leader of The Nine when the Witch-King was killed in The Return of the King.
Tolkien experts have also suggested GOTHMOG, a character only mentioned once in the author's writings, could be a Nazgul. He was the chief lieutenant of the Nazgul city, Minas Morgul, and does have an Elvish name, which suggests he's more likely to be a corrupted man than a high-ranking orc.
Where did the Nazgul come from?
It's widely presumed that Sauron chose at least three men of NÛMENOR to become his Nazgul. Originally, the Dark Lord got the Elf-smiths of Eregion to craft 19 rings: three for the elves, seven for dwarves, and nine for men. In secret, he also forged the One Ring for himself.
Sauron gave men the most rings as they were the most easily corrupted, but it also stands to reason that he would have chosen men from Númenor, as they were the most powerful during the Second Age.
Meanwhile, others have theorized that Sauron could have chosen lords from regions including HARAD and KHAND, both of which were loyal to him in the Third Age, to become his most high-profile servants. Yet places such as Rhudaur, Dunland, and the White Mountains, where men admired Sauron greatly could also be likely candidates.
Who will become the Witch-King of Angmar?
The Witch-King's exact identity is unclear, but Tolkien scholars have long believed that he was probably a king and a powerful sorcerer, possibly of Númenórean heritage. Indeed the Númenórean were considered the highest of all men, so it stands to reason that the leader of the Nazgul would hail from that part of Tolkien's world.
One man who fits that description is KING PHARAZÔN (played by Tristan Gravelle in The Rings of Power). In the source material, Pharazon becomes the tyrannical King of Númenor, eventually worshiping Morgoth and dooming his kingdom forever through his tyranny and arrogance... all under Sauron's influence.
It wouldn't take much of a jump for the showrunners of The Rings of Power to adjust that story to turn King Pharazôn into the tale's first Nazgul. Tolkien also describes the Nazgul as being "great kings of men" before Sauron seduced them, which would lend credence to the theory.
However, another possibility is that King Pharazôn's son, KEMEN, an original character created for the series who urges his father to act faster in his plot against the Elves, could become the Black Captain.
Or, since the showrunners are adjusting Tolkien's works, could they go as far as creating a female Nazgul and making King Pharazôn's wife, MIRIEL, the previous King's daughter, the Witch-King?
There have also been rumours swirling that ADAR, who'll be played by Sam Hazeldine in season 2, could be a good candidate. When speaking to Radio Times, Charlie Vickers (who plays Sauron) teased the pair's relationship...
"It's certainly something that I was eager to discover and like things we've learned about as we've begun the second season, but there is a rich history there between the two of them. And I think that you see that in the sixth episode, you see that there's something complex and some kind of, you know, a long-standing relationship there. Which I think will be really interesting to watch unfold as the show goes on."
Will we see Khamûl in The Rings of Power season 2?
Khamûl was an Easterling who ruled in Rhûn, which is where The Stranger — aka Gandalf — and Nori are headed in season two, so it seems highly possible they could cross paths.
However, if they do meet, Khamûl could well be a pleasant and good ruler who is tricked into taking a Ring of Power by Sauron. A passage in Tolkien's writings that outlines how the Nazgul fell into shadow suggests:
"One by one, according to their native strength and the good or evil in their wills, they fell under the thraldom of the ring that they bore and under the dominion of the one."
The passage at the top of the article also points to how the men who took Sauron's rings could fall into darkness after being deceived and deluded by him. It also hints at the symptoms these individuals could experience as they begin to enter the "Unseen World" — the parallel reality Frodo slips into when he puts on the ring in Peter Jackson's films.
"They could walk, if they would, unseen by all eyes in this world beneath the sun, and they could see things in worlds invisible to mortal men; but too often they beheld only the phantoms and delusions of Sauron."
Which characters from The Rings of Power season 1 could become a Nazgul?
If you're looking for character arcs that suggest a possible future in the Unseen World, then look no further than THEO (Tyroe Muhafidin) of the Southlands. Bronwyn's son found the broken hilt of a sword with Sauron's mark on it in the first season and began to cherish it in the same way that Frodo began to grow fond of the ring.
Some have speculated that fellow Southlander, WALDREG (Geoff Morrell), could be another possible candidate. Let's face it, he probably wouldn't need much corrupting; he's already a loyal follower of Sauron!
Finally, if we're looking at Númenóreans, Isildur's father ELENDIL (Lloyd Owen), and his friends and fellow soldiers, VALENDIL (Alex Tarrant) and ONTAMO (Anthony Crum), have been mooted as other potential candidates to become Ringwraiths.
