The Lord of the Nazgûl: The Witch-king

The Witch-king was the Captain of Mordor and the feared sorcerer-king who broke the North-kingdom of Arnor. Throughout the Third Age, he was the primary instrument of Sauron's will, characterized by a voice like a "rending of thin iron" and a presence that could freeze the blood of the bravest warriors.

The Rise of Angmar

In the year 1300 Third Age, the Lord of the Nazgûl appeared in the north and established the realm of Angmar. His mission was to destroy the fractured successor states of Arnor while Sauron gathered strength in secret. From his capital at Carn Dûm, he waged a centuries-long war of attrition.

• The Fall of Arnor: He systematically toppled the kingdoms of Rhudaur and Cardolan before finally sacking Arthedain in 1974 Third Age.
• The Prophecy: After his forces were defeated at the Battle of Fornost, the Elf-lord Glorfindel spoke a famous prophecy regarding the Witch-king's end: "Far off yet is his doom, and not by the hand of man will he fall."

The Lord of Morgul

Following the ruin of the North, the Witch-king returned to the South and besieged Minas Ithil, capturing it and renaming it Minas Morgul (the Tower of Sorcery). It was here that he challenged the last King of Gondor, Eärnur, to a duel from which the King never returned, leaving Gondor to be ruled by the Stewards of Gondor.

The Hunt for the Ring

In 3018 Third Age, the Witch-king led the Nine in the hunt for the One Ring. He personally wounded Frodo Baggins at Weathertop with a Morgul-blade, nearly turning the Hobbit into a wraith. During the Battle of the Pelennor Fields, he commanded the Great Host of Mordor, wielding a mace and a pale sword of fire.

The Fulfillment of Prophecy

At the height of the siege of Minas Tirith, the Witch-king faced the Lady Éowyn and the Hobbit Merry Brandybuck. Believing himself invincible due to Glorfindel's prophecy, he was stunned when Merry stabbed him with an ancient Barrow-blade—the only weapon capable of breaking his undead enchantments. This allowed Éowyn to deliver the final strike. The prophecy was fulfilled: he fell not by the hand of a "man," but by a woman and a halfling.