Summary
One of the most recognizable characters fromThe Lord of the Ringstrilogy is the Witch-King of Angmar. His unique helmet makes him an unforgettable figure that stands out above his compatriots. Fans never learn his true name in the movies or the books, with the only thing to call him is his title. Audiences never see the realm in which he rules either, as it’s not Minas Morgul where he flies off on his winged steed for battle with an army of orcs and trolls. His kingdom rests far from the battlegrounds of Gondor.
There are many locations in theLOTRmoviesthat audiences hear about and never see. Galadriel mentions Angmar and its war with Arnor inThe Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey,giving the audience some context, but it doesn’t paint a vivid picture. Angmar was a dark place once Sauron’s top Captain found it. The realm and the lands around it saw constant turmoil for nearly a thousand years as it served as the base of operations for the leader of the Nazgûl. Had the Witch-King been successful in his mission, Angmar would have become a second Mordor for Sauron to launch an attack.
Orcs and Man
Destroyed
Third Age 1975
The Witch-Realm of Angmar is a kingdom that rests far north in Middle-earth. The Witch-King established the realm late into the Third Age as a base of operations to stomp out thekingdom of Arnor, the original seat of the King who ruled over Arnor and Gondor. The Ringwraiths were noticeably absent from the first thousand years of the Third Age while Sauron rebuilt his power in his new Mirkwood base of operations, Dol Gulur. Tolkien didn’t make mention of the Nazgûl or their happenings until T.A. 1300 when the appendix toThe Return of the Kingsays:
The Nazgûl reappear. The chief of these comes north to Angmar.
By this time, the realm of Arnor split into three different kingdoms, no longer the unified front it once was. The Witch-King settled into Angmar and summoned his armies in preparation to wipe the people ofNumenor off the map. Arnor knew of the growing evil in the mountains of Angmar, an extension of the Misty Mountains, but dared not tread on its ground. When the king of Arthedain heard the news that the Dunedain in Rhudaur lost control of their region to the Hillmen there, the king fortified his eastern border in preparation for an advancement on his land.
The forces of Angmar invaded Cardolan and attackedWeathertop in T.A. 1409. Fans ofThe Fellowship of the Ringwill remember Weathertop as the place the Witch-King stabbed Frodo before Strider saved him and forced the Ringwraiths to retreat. Angmar killed all the Dunedain in the region along with King Arveleg I then burned Weathertop. The forces of Angmar continued weakening the remnants of Arnor, increasing Sauron’s chances of success for the coming War of the One Ring.
What Happened to Angmar?
The Witch-King and his armies of Angmar saw success after success on the battlefield. Gondor’s sister nation held on with only a fraction of its original army. However, Angmar didn’t anticipate the remaining Dunedain to receive aid from allies. Elves from the Gray Havens, Rivendell, andLothlorien arrivedto put a stop to Angmar’s advances. Besides an alliance of Elves, Prince Eärnur of Gondor arrived with his fleet with absolute determination in his heart. He wanted no evil remaining in the north after the dust settled. He did as he set out.
TheLord of the Ringsmovies can bestreamed on Max.
The combined forces of Gondor, Lindon,the remnants of Arnor, and the Elves proved too much for the beasts of Angmar. The Witch-King raced to the battle from Fornost, the second capital of Arnor, to aid his forces, but it proved fruitless. He Ringwraith, being former Numenorean, knew when a battle was lost. He turned tail and fled from the battlefield with the leader of Gondor’s cavalry giving chase, but the elf Glorfindel stopped him, allowing the Witch-King to escape. His men wouldn’t be as lucky.
Gondor’s invading army made certain that no Orcs or evil men from Angmar remained on the west side of the Misty Mountains. They weren’t the only ones who made certain no evil resided in the north.Ancestors of the Rohirrim, the Éothéod, heard of Angmar’s defeat and wanted more territory for themselves in the north. They traveled north and pushed out any remnants of the Witch-King’s forces from the east side of the Misty Mountains. The northern end of the mountain range remained inhabited only by the sworn enemies of Sauron and the Witch-King from then on.
The Lord of the Rings
The Lord of the Rings is one of the most iconic names in entertainment. The franchise started with novels from J. R. R. Tolkien before being adapted onto the big screen by Peter Jackson in one of the most critically-acclaimed film trilogies of all time. There have also been numerous The Lord of the Rings video games of varying quality.
