In the fiction of J.R.R. Tolkien, the Nazgûl (Black Speech: Ringwraiths, sometimes written Ring-wraiths), also known as the Nine Riders or Black Riders (or simply the Nine), are evil servants of Sauron in Middle-earth. The rarely used Quenya name for them is Úlairi. The book refers to the Nazgûl as "his [Sauron's] most terrible servants." J. R. R. Tolkien in 1916. ... The term Black Speech can also refer to African_American Vernacular English. ... The main part of this article relates to the last versions of Middle-earths history, and as such may controvert parts of The Silmarillion. ... A map of the Northwestern part of Middle-earth at the end of the Third Age, courtesy of the Encyclopedia of Arda. ... Text in Quenya, written in the Tengwar and Latin alphabets Quenya is one of the languages spoken by the Elves in J. R. R. Tolkiens work. ...

The nine Nazgûl arose as Sauron's most powerful servants in the Second Age of Middle-earth. It is said that three of the Nine were lords of Númenor corrupted by Sauron. They were all powerful mortal Men to whom Sauron gave nine Rings of Power. These proved to be their undoing: The Second Age is a fictional time period from J. R. R. Tolkiens universe of Middle-earth. ... Númenor is a fictional location from J. R. R. Tolkiens universe of Middle-earth and is intended to be his version of Atlantis. ... The race of Men in J. R. R. Tolkiens Middle-earth books, such as The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, refers to humanity and does not denote gender. ... The Rings of Power or Great Rings are fictional artifacts from J. R. R. Tolkiens Middle-earth legendarium. ...

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 undoing. 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 thralldom 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 Enemy's most terrible servants; darkness went with them, and they cried with the voices of death.—The Silmarillion: "Of the Rings of Power and the Third Age," p. 289 The Silmarillion is a collection of J. R. R. Tolkiens works, edited and published posthumously by his son Christopher, with the assistance of fantasy fiction writer Guy Gavriel Kay. ...

For many years the bearers used the rings to gain great wealth, prestige and power. The corrupting effect of the rings caused their bodily forms to fade over time until they had become wraiths entirely. Given form only through the attire of black cloaks and hauberks of silver mail, their original form was completely gone and invisible to mortal eyes. Their hypnotic eyes could be plainly distinguished from their dark clothing, and in a rage they appeared in a hellish fire. Untouchable to mortal men, (unless blessed by Elvish magic), they had many weapons, which included long swords of steel and flame, daggers with magical venomous properties and black maces of great strength. The hauberk is essentially a long shirt of mail or leather. ... Elvish languages are constructed languages used typically by elves in a fantasy setting. ...

Their arsenal of deadly armaments was not confined to physical means; they also had magical weapons of devastating power. They were surrounded by an aura of terror, which affected all living creatures; their breath (called the Black Breath) was poisonous, and their cries caused terror and despair in all who heard them. Some of the Nazgûl appear to have been accomplished sorcerers and used magic to devastating effect. According to Tolkien, though, it was the fear they inspired that was the chief danger:

"They have no great physical power against the fearless," he wrote, "but what they have, and the fear that they inspire, is enormously increased in darkness" (Letters, 210) The Letters of J. R. R. Tolkien (ISBN 0-618-05699-8) is a selection of J. R. R. Tolkiens letters published in 1981, edited by his son Christopher Tolkien and the biographer Humphrey Carpenter. ...

The Nazgûl first appeared around 2251 of the Second Age and were soon established as Sauron's principal servants. They were dispersed after the first overthrow of Sauron in 3434 at the hands of the Last Alliance of Elves and Men, but their survival was nonetheless assured while the One Ring persisted. They re-emerged around 1300 of the Third Age, when the Lord of the Nazgûl, the Witch-King of Angmar, led Sauron's forces against the human kingdom of Arnor. He was eventually defeated in battle in 1975 and returned to Mordor, gathering the other Nazgûl in preparation for the return of Sauron to that realm. In 2000, they besieged Minas Ithil and captured it after a two-year siege. The city thereafter became the stronghold of the Nazgûl, from where they directed the rebuilding of Sauron's armies. The Second Age is a fictional time period from J. R. R. Tolkiens universe of Middle-earth. ... The Last Alliance of Elves and Men is an episode in J.R.R. Tolkiens fictional universe of Middle-earth. ... The One Ring, also known as the Ruling Ring or Ring of Power, is an artifact from J. R. R. Tolkiens fictional Middle-earth universe. ... The Third Age is a fictional time period from J. R. R. Tolkiens universe of Middle-earth. ... The Witch-king of Angmar portrayed in The Lord of the Rings movie trilogy The Witch-king of Angmar, a fictional character created by J. R. R. Tolkien, is the chief of the Ringwraiths of Middle-earth. ... In the fiction of J.R.R. Tolkien, Arnor, or the Northern Kingdom, was a kingdom of the Dúnedain in the land of Eriador in Middle-earth. ... In J. R. R. Tolkiens fictional universe of Middle-earth, Mordor is the dwelling place of Sauron, in the southeast of Middle-earth. ... In the fiction of J. R. R. Tolkien, Minas Ithil (Tower of the Moon in Sindarin) was Gondors watchtower in the east as Minas Anor was the watchtower in the west. ...

In 2942 Sauron returned to Mordor and declared himself openly in 2951. Two or three of the Nazgûl were sent to his fortress at Dol Guldur to garrison that outpost. In the fictional world of J. R. R. Tolkiens Middle-earth, Dol Guldur, or Hill of Sorcery, was a stronghold of Sauron located in the south of Mirkwood. ...

In 3017, near the beginning of the story told in The Lord of the Rings, Sauron commanded the Ringwraiths to recover the One Ring of Power from "Baggins of the Shire". Disguised as horse riders clad in black (hence the term Black Riders), they sought out Bilbo Baggins who, as Gollum had revealed, had the One Ring in his possession. Dust jacket of the 1968 UK edition The one ring of power The Lord of the Rings is an epic fantasy story by J. R. R. Tolkien, a sequel to his earlier work, The Hobbit. ... The One Ring, also known as the Ruling Ring or Ring of Power, is an artifact from J. R. R. Tolkiens fictional Middle-earth universe. ... Bilbo Baggins is the central character of J. R. R. Tolkiens The Hobbit. ... Gollum is a fictional character from J. R. R. Tolkiens universe of Middle-earth. ...

The Nazgûl at this point were dependent on their black horses (stolen from Rohan) for transportation. When they were swept away by the waters of the river Bruinen, their horses were killed and the Ringwraiths were forced to return to Mordor to regroup. They reappeared later mounted on flying creatures, at which point they were referred to as Winged Nazgûl. Rohan, originally Rochand, is a fictional location from J. R. R. Tolkiens universe of Middle-earth. ... In J. R. R. Tolkiens fictional universe of Middle-earth, the river Bruinen or Loudwater is a river which appears in The Hobbit as well as The Lord of the Rings. ... Éowyn faces down the Witch-kings fell beast in Peter Jacksons film The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King In J. R. R. Tolkiens The Lord of the Rings, the fell beast was a gigantic flying pterosaur-like creature on which the Witch-king...

By the conclusion of the War of the Ring, all of the Nine Nazgûl were destroyed. The Lord of the Nazgûl himself was slain by Éowyn, the niece of the Théoden (with help from Merry, known as the Magnificent thereafter) during the Battle of the Pelennor Fields. The remaining eight Ringwraiths attacked the Army of the West during the last battle at the Black Gate. However, when Frodo Baggins put on the ring in the fires of Mount Doom, Sauron ordered the eight remaining Nazgûl to fly with all possible speed to Mount Doom to intercept Frodo. They arrived too late, with the Ring falling into the fire along with the hapless Gollum. The Nazgûl were caught in the firestorm of the erupting mountain and were destroyed. Spoiler warning: In the fiction of J. R. R. Tolkien, the War of the Ring ended the Third Age. ... The Witch-king of Angmar portrayed in The Lord of the Rings movie trilogy The Witch-king of Angmar, a fictional character created by J. R. R. Tolkien, is the chief of the Ringwraiths of Middle-earth. ... Lady Éowyn (2995-?) is a character in the novel The Lord of the Rings by J. R. R. Tolkien. ... In J.R.R. Tolkiens Middle-earth legendarium, Théoden was the seventeenth King of Rohan, and last of the Second Line. ... Meriadoc Brandybuck, usually referred to as Merry, is a fictional character from J. R. R. Tolkiens universe of Middle-earth, featured as a central character throughout Tolkiens most famous work, The Lord of the Rings. ... The Battle of the Pelennor Fields was a battle for the city of Minas Tirith in J. R. R. Tolkiens The Lord of the Rings. ... The Black Gate or Morannon is a fictional location in J. R. R. Tolkiens universe of Middle-earth. ... Elijah Wood portrays Frodo Baggins WHEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!! HURRAYYYYYYYY!!!!!!!!!! IM FRODO BAGGINS!!! I LOVE BEING FRODO BAGGINS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I ALSO LOVE CHEESE!!!!!!!!! HURAY!!!!!! PIE. ... In J. R. R. Tolkiens fictional universe of Middle-earth, Mount Doom, or Orodruin, is a volcano in Mordor where the One Ring was forged in the Crack of Doom, a fiery chasm within the mountain. ...

Only a few of the Nazgûl are named or identified individually in Tolkien's works. Their leader was the Witch-king of Angmar, and his second in command was named Khamûl. At least three of them were of Black Númenórean race. Khamûl was a lord of Easterlings, and was the only Nazgûl known by his name, although Gothmog, Lieutenant of Morgul, may have been a Nazgûl. The Witch-king of Angmar portrayed in The Lord of the Rings movie trilogy The Witch-king of Angmar, a fictional character created by J. R. R. Tolkien, is the chief of the Ringwraiths of Middle-earth. ... Khamûl is a fictional character from J.R.R. Tolkiens fictional universe of Middle-earth. ... In J. R. R. Tolkiens fictional world of Middle-earth, the Black Númenóreans were originally a part of the survivors from the mightiest human kingdom in the world, Númenor, in the late Second Age. ... In the fiction of J. R. R. Tolkien, the Easterlings were Men who lived in the east of Middle-earth, and were enemies of the Free Peoples. ... Gothmog is a fictional character from J.R.R. Tolkiens Middle-earth fictional universe. ...

The early Middle-earth Role Playing games name the eight, other than Khamul, Er-Murazor (the Witch-king, of Númenórean race—note that the canonical Witch-king is specifically not Númenórean), Dwar, Ji Indur, Akhorahil, Hoarmurath (Númenórean), Adunaphel (female Númenórean), Ren and Uvatha¹, but none of these names are considered canon (it is particularly unlikely, in the context of the books, that any of the Nazgûl would have been female). Middle-earth Role Playing (MERP) was a subset of the Rolemaster role-playing game rules set in Tolkiens Middle-earth and published by Iron Crown Enterprises (I.C.E.). The system was somewhat like Dungeons & Dragons with character classes and levels. ... The Witch-king of Angmar portrayed in The Lord of the Rings movie trilogy The Witch-king of Angmar, a fictional character created by J. R. R. Tolkien, is the chief of the Ringwraiths of Middle-earth. ... It is remarkably difficult to speak of what is true in the context of J. R. R. Tolkiens Middle-earth legendarium, or what texts should be considered canon; quite a few readers do not believe that any clear canon exists at all. ...

Modern slang

The term Nazgûl has been used to refer to IBM's cadre of lawyers, with whom it has been said that IBM can blacken the sky - particularly with reference to the SCO v. IBM lawsuit because they supposedly never sleep, are utterly ruthless, and are completely loyal servants to their master. In addition it has been said that they are "probably really nice people. They would be nicer too if they had (say) blood or souls like normal people." International Business Machines Corporation (IBM, or colloquially, Big Blue) (NYSE: IBM) (incorporated June 15, 1911, in operation since 1888) is headquartered in Armonk, New York, USA. The company manufactures and sells computer hardware, software, and services. ... For information on the type of fish called Lawyer, see the article on Burbot. ... On March 6, 2003, the SCO Group (formerly known as Caldera Systems) filed a $1 billion lawsuit in the US against IBM for allegedly devaluing its version of the UNIX operating system. ...

This usage appears to have originated in a comment on Slashdot: Slashdot (frequently abbreviated as /.) is a popular technology-related website, updated many times daily with articles that are short summaries of stories on other websites with links to the stories, and provisions for readers to comment on the story. ...

"Not long ago, the Black Gate of Armonk swung open. The lights went out, my skin crawled, and dogs began to howl. I asked my neighbor what it was and he said, 'Those are the nazgul. Once they were human, now they are IBM's lawyers.'"

(IBM is headquartered in Armonk, New York.) International Business Machines Corporation (IBM, or colloquially, Big Blue) (NYSE: IBM) (incorporated June 15, 1911, in operation since 1888) is headquartered in Armonk, New York, USA. The company manufactures and sells computer hardware, software, and services. ... State nickname: Empire State Other U.S. States Capital Albany Largest city New York Governor George Pataki Official languages None Area 141,205 km² (27th)  - Land 122,409 km²  - Water 18,795 km² (13. ...

It also has been suggested that this usage can be traced back to the 1969–1982 IBM antitrust suit with the United States Department of Justice, but this has not been substantiated. The United States Department of Justice (DOJ) is a Cabinet department in the United States government designed to enforce the law and defend the interests of the United States according to the law and to ensure fair and impartial administration of justice for all Americans. ...

Tolkien himself was known to use the term figuratively. In a 1945 letter to his son, he compared his reaction to the aircraft of World War II to how Frodo might have felt if he had discovered Hobbits "learning to ride Nazgûl-birds" (Letters, 100). 1945 was a common year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar). ... An aircraft is any machine capable of atmospheric flight. ... Mushroom cloud from the nuclear explosion over Nagasaki rising 18 km into the air. ... The Letters of J. R. R. Tolkien (ISBN 0-618-05699-8) is a selection of J. R. R. Tolkiens letters published in 1981, edited by his son Christopher Tolkien and the biographer Humphrey Carpenter. ...

References

Note 1: "What were the names of the nine Nazgûl?" (http://www.glyphweb.com/arda/faq/nazgul.html) at The Encyclopedia of Arda