TLOTR – Rings of Power: Do Three Sorcerers Become Ghost Rings?

The defeat of these mysterious villains seems to hint at them becoming members of the Nazgul, but are they?

Perhaps some of the most iconic and infamous villains from the Lord of the Rings movies are the Nazgul, the ghost ring. These servants of Sauron ride around deep into the night wearing black cloaks. But beneath the layers of earthly appearance, their spiritual form takes on a white skeletal figure, visible through the ghostly veil of worlds, as Frodo discovers when he puts on his only ring after being pierced by a Morgul blade on the Winding Peak.

Now, with the release of the latest Power Rings, fans are beginning to recognize this alternate realm as the ‘Invisible World’ to which the characters in the Amazon series are constantly referring. Viewers have also drawn parallels between the appearance of ghostly Ring forms and the visuals used in the final episode, when the Stranger defeats three sorcerers trying to harm his leggy friends. With this in mind, is it possible that the three witches are members of the nine ghosts of the ring, as hinted at by their similar appearance in their final defeat?

The idea that these characters would actually become three of the nine ghosts of the later films is unlikely. The Nazgûles are known as kings of men who have been corrupted for hundreds of years by the other 17 rings of power created by Sauron and Kelebrimbor. These nine great lords were most likely nobles or members of the royal family among their people. They are also probably all men, since they appear in the veil in Frodo’s wounded state in the original scene, making it unlikely that three female witches are among them. Nevertheless, there are several striking similarities that cannot be ignored. These qualities may suggest that they are predecessors of the ring ghosts and may have had a hand in their creation.

These are all related to the invisible world itself. The question remains as to whether those who are sent there are really essentially dead, or whether they can still influence the waking world from the other side. This, in turn, may mean that they can indeed return to physical form. Tolkien often addressed the difference between spiritual and physical death in Middle-earth and the idea that just because a character’s body has been destroyed does not mean that his essence or his presence cannot still wreak havoc in the world. . Thus, in the great battle scene in episode 8, when the three sorcerers mistake a stranger for Sauron and he uses his own staff to blow them to pieces, this does not necessarily mean that they are actually dead.
At that moment their skin comes off in a blinding flash of light, and the horrible skulls of their forms are exposed beneath the invisible veil. They look just like the ring ghosts from the later movies before bursting into a volley of moths and flying away. But the reason they look like that is because they have been banished behind the veil, but still linger in the world in this otherworldly guise–as ghosts.

Perhaps it has something to do with their sorcery and the fact that they used evil magic created by Melkor long ago. They were once human, but have since evolved into sorcerers who can do great evil by tapping into the invisible world. There has long been speculation among Tolkien fans about mystical properties and cultic practices in the Runes, a country far east of Middle-earth. It is known to be a sacred place, full of charms, where elves first awakened, and many people have been suspected of practicing alchemy and necromancy.

The source of the three witches’ magic (which may later also be the source of the connection linking the nine ghost-rings to the Invisible World) may be exactly what awaits the heroes in Rune when they go there in season two. Perhaps the three female wizards will help Sauron from the other side, or perhaps he will bring them back into physical flesh so they can do his bidding in both worlds. And perhaps they will find the nine kings of men who get the rings and later become ghosts.