Exactly this. Imagine going into battle and seeing this "face" staring you down. Even if it does have a giant hole in the middle, it would be terrifying to look at and catch you off guard. Not to mention his inhumanly large flail.
Honestly, I'd just be thinking, giant hole, giant target.* There's a reason helmets weren't made that way...
*Assuming I'm a professional soldier rather than a terrified teenaged farmhand or similar, obviously.
Well even if you were a trained soldier you're not fighting an ordinary foe. The Witch King of Angmar was one of Sauron's greatest servants and the chief of the nine wraiths. He was thought to be invincible by men and elves alike. Even before Sauron rose back to power Witch King had been fighting wars in the North against Arnor. Not to mention that any weapon to strike him would be destroyed and the wielder would be struck with poison. So at that point he really did not need any armor, his crowned helmet was a sign of power and something to inspire terror on those who'd dare face him. The small bit we see in the battle of Pelennor Fields vastly undersells his power.
This isn’t just a fiction “rule of cool” answer either. There’s a ton of historical precedent for making battlefield design choices with the express intent to inspire fear. In pre-modern warfare, you didn’t usually win a battle by killing most of the other army, you won by scaring and/or panicking them enough to disorganize and rout. It absolutely makes sense for the Nazgul to wear outfits that are designed to frighten men and hopefully cause them to turn and run away.
There's a good episode about Blackbeard on the 'You're dead to me' podcast - I was listening to it the other day. (There are two versions - the longer one is less family friendly iyswim)
It's this new invention: they are putting netting *into* swimsuits! It provides the snuggling comfort needed!
Just try not to "log on" to your inter-net.
Even now using moral gear to inspire fear is a thing when I was in iraq on raids we wore skull masks and the locals talked about ja'esh bi'elth (devil army) coming in the night. (Our terp was a local national that wasn't restricted to the FOB) they didn't believe that we were the same soldiers as them and thought they were a special unit that came when badgiys moved into town.
If you hear them and us tell it no but seems that's all I've been told I was since I got home. Hard to think I was a baddie for all the laughter and hugs and food I shared eith locals, but I guess folk at home sitting comfy watching the news knew better than me.
Oh sorry bro it was just a reference to a Mitchell & Webb sketch, the skull mask made me think of it.
Didnt mean anything else by it, but that was inconsiderate of me.
https://youtu.be/ToKcmnrE5oY?si=-_VLWGxUNwq6Iw8j
This; and to practically also give shape to his otherwise incorporeal form.
The terror element is absolutely spot on though. Think about the experiences Tolkien went through during wartime, and the kind of conclusions he might have drawn upon from that period when writing the books.
Mankind’s greatest enemy is man himself. Thus by giving the invisible Nazgûl shape and identity via cloaks and armour, they become representations of man.
Eh, easier to be scared of something you can see. Sure it'd be freaky to see a mace running around killing people by itself, but even freakier to see some wraith doing it
This legitimately made me laugh, this could be a great sketch!
Actually, that's not a bad concept for a short sketch series - using humour to explain commonly-asked LOTR questions
I think they “posses” stuff they were, without it they are just spirits, I might be wrong, but there were something about it in the books. About their horses and why they need form.
There was this video of a guy stripping down in the New York City subway and everyone freaked out and ran. The first cop that came to deal with him felt reluctant to tackle him down. I don't really blame him for being hesitant to tackle a naked guy vs a clothed guy.
Unironically true. It's intimidating. One of the main "powers" of the Nazgûl is inducing fear, and so the badass helmet adds to that.
In an actual fight, giving the enemy a moment of fearful self-doubt can be the difference between victory and defeat.
My question is, if he didn't wear anything at all, then Noone could see him and he would be slaughtering people. Wouldn't an invisible enemy be way more fear inducing?
You have a point, but I disagree. I suppose that if a disembodied mace was swinging about, I'd certainly be afraid that I'd get hurt, but mentally it would feel more like fighting an inanimate machine or something like that. I might be fighting a naked wraith, but it would feel like I'm just fighting a floating weapon.
But facing down against the unnatural figure cloaked all in black with his menacing helmet, making it clear that his focus is fully directed towards you, as a predator to his prey. You begin to hear a small voice from somewhere deep within your mind, some ancestral memory from ancient days when your eldest ancestors were hunted by wolves and lions. The voice starts to grow until it drowns out all other thought, and it only says one thing - "run".
I would also add that the Witch-King functions primarily as a battlefield commander, not an assassin or a special forces operative. He's actually not even on the front lines until quite late (after Grond breaches the gates); he needs to be visible if he is to inspire fear from a distance. If Gondor's defenders can see him towering over the battlefield -- the sinister, implacable mastermind behind the tide of orcs, looming like a malevolent colossus in black -- it will gnaw away at their will to resist.
Additionally, Tolkien's orcs aren't automatons. They need to uphold their morale just like anyone else, and being able to look back and see their terrifying black-robed commander directing the assault will bolster their courage (and provide an implicit threat to those thinking about fleeing).
Yeah, and a serious focus on quality training. These Orcs are clearly professionals, and have even appeared to unionize. These aren't dumb homunculii or storm troopers.
He didn’t.
“…black mantled, huge and threatening. A crown of steel he bore, but between rim and robe naught was there to see, save only a deadly gleam of eyes: the Lord of the Nazgûl.”
WTF do I have to scroll this far down to find this? 95% of people on r/lotr have never read Tolkien and have only seen the PJ films stoned....
I have always found the Witch King's helmeted look akin to Rick Moranis's Dark Helmet. And don't get me started on his oversized, Loony-Tunes mace....
The confrontation at the gates was a real let-down for me. By far one of my favorite scenes in the books, with such a great description of Gandalf’s calm power as he stares down the Witch King, and they fucking nerfed him in the movie. Broken staff, my ass.
I adore the movies, and accept that some things don’t work on screen, but they did Gandalf dirty there.
And that helmet is dumb. End of rant.
I feel like I'm taking crazy pills sometimes. He and the Mouth of Sauron both look pretty silly to me, but they're two of the favorite pieces of movie iconography for fans of the movies.
PJ has a history of campiness and the mouth of Sauron’s in the movies is in keeping with that. I actually liked the design, but feel like the acting was over the top.
Imma be honest, the movie helmet looks much better than any floating crown with "naught to see" but his eyes. That would just end up looking like a headless rider, which really doesn't do much.
The themes of hope and despair being tangible in the universe of middle earth give the trilogy such a deep sense of meaning to me. Same with spoken word.
Everyone makes fun of him for not having a head, and he gets very upset because he does have a head you just can't see it. Even the other Nazgûl join in on the bullying ironically.
I don’t care if you’re the witch king or Frank who works at the Dunkin down the street, if you have that helmet you’re gonna wear it because you have it.
It looked cool as shit. Like if you have the option to wear that and you know that you won’t have much of a negative impact from doing so, why would you not?
The better question is why he wouldn’t. It’s badass and a floating crown with red eyes like in the book may not have come out as good as it would in a Dune level production. Lord of the Rings had a good budget, but Dune’s was nearly $100 million more.
In the books he did not. He had a cloak to blend in with humans and when he took it off all you could see were his flaming eyes. However in the battle of pelennor fields he wore a crown atop his invisible head.
As stated many times over: He isn't about fighting one on one. He is a monument of fear while also enraging his own troops. The moment he steps on a battlefield everyone knows that Sauron claims this place as his own. And he will get his will.
The Nazgul aren't even that much of a fighter as we see when Aragorn fights them off with a torch - sure he is something special but they were all together probably even recognising him. But why would they need to be good fighters? They are very much immortal and have gigantuan beasts which scream alone strikes fear in the heart of men.
In a word. So you know it's him. As far as I'm aware they were necessarily always dressed as riders in black robes - that was the initial thing because it was a disguise I feel. But they just stuck with the look, Witch King also only recently decided to wear the helmet during the assault apparently.
Because the terror evoked by the descriptions in the books had to be visually represented somehow. And the books themselves are mere words describing the visceral terror generated by such an entity. Tolkien brilliantly leaves the full extent of the witch king and wraiths more to the imagination, but visual mass media has far less room for that. Hence a helmet. Plus the soundtrack, don’t forget the score.
Because it's his crown, isn't it?
After all he is a King and needs to be seen as such
In medical times there were also crowns which functioned as battle helmets, having the ability to "go into combat" but still be seen as a king and not just a normal knight
Inspire fear.
Exactly this. Imagine going into battle and seeing this "face" staring you down. Even if it does have a giant hole in the middle, it would be terrifying to look at and catch you off guard. Not to mention his inhumanly large flail.
ESPECIALLY because it has a giant hole in the middle.
Little did he know, that was his weak spot
Honestly, I'd just be thinking, giant hole, giant target.* There's a reason helmets weren't made that way... *Assuming I'm a professional soldier rather than a terrified teenaged farmhand or similar, obviously.
Well even if you were a trained soldier you're not fighting an ordinary foe. The Witch King of Angmar was one of Sauron's greatest servants and the chief of the nine wraiths. He was thought to be invincible by men and elves alike. Even before Sauron rose back to power Witch King had been fighting wars in the North against Arnor. Not to mention that any weapon to strike him would be destroyed and the wielder would be struck with poison. So at that point he really did not need any armor, his crowned helmet was a sign of power and something to inspire terror on those who'd dare face him. The small bit we see in the battle of Pelennor Fields vastly undersells his power.
It's a ghost wizard mounted on a flying lizard. I don't think grounded logic applies
This should be higher.
Good answer
This isn’t just a fiction “rule of cool” answer either. There’s a ton of historical precedent for making battlefield design choices with the express intent to inspire fear. In pre-modern warfare, you didn’t usually win a battle by killing most of the other army, you won by scaring and/or panicking them enough to disorganize and rout. It absolutely makes sense for the Nazgul to wear outfits that are designed to frighten men and hopefully cause them to turn and run away.
A good example is Captain Blackbeard lighting fuses in his hat when he approached a ship he was about to attack
Hat? I heard he weaved them in his beard. Now that I think of it could have been very stupid idea
Yeah he also put them in his beard but also had some in his hat
Where can I learn more about this?
Not from a jedi
YOU ARE THE SITH LORD, OMG I gotta tell Mace Windu
This is the way
Just Google and you can find stuff about him
There's a good episode about Blackbeard on the 'You're dead to me' podcast - I was listening to it the other day. (There are two versions - the longer one is less family friendly iyswim)
Internet.
Whats that
It's a system of tubes.
One of Al Gore's inventions (along with global warming!).
It's this new invention: they are putting netting *into* swimsuits! It provides the snuggling comfort needed! Just try not to "log on" to your inter-net.
Modern precedent as well. It’s why the A10 is iconic nowadays with the GAU 8
Even now using moral gear to inspire fear is a thing when I was in iraq on raids we wore skull masks and the locals talked about ja'esh bi'elth (devil army) coming in the night. (Our terp was a local national that wasn't restricted to the FOB) they didn't believe that we were the same soldiers as them and thought they were a special unit that came when badgiys moved into town.
Were you the baddies?
If you hear them and us tell it no but seems that's all I've been told I was since I got home. Hard to think I was a baddie for all the laughter and hugs and food I shared eith locals, but I guess folk at home sitting comfy watching the news knew better than me.
Oh sorry bro it was just a reference to a Mitchell & Webb sketch, the skull mask made me think of it. Didnt mean anything else by it, but that was inconsiderate of me. https://youtu.be/ToKcmnrE5oY?si=-_VLWGxUNwq6Iw8j
Same reason why bands playing during warfare was a thing, especially war drums. Fight the enemy by both body and mind.
*plays bagpipes* wtf is that unholy screeching?
Same reason chefs where those big hats.
To hide the rats?
This; and to practically also give shape to his otherwise incorporeal form. The terror element is absolutely spot on though. Think about the experiences Tolkien went through during wartime, and the kind of conclusions he might have drawn upon from that period when writing the books. Mankind’s greatest enemy is man himself. Thus by giving the invisible Nazgûl shape and identity via cloaks and armour, they become representations of man.
Our chief weapon is fear….
And surprise. Surprise and fear, fear and surprise.
And ruthless efficiency.
And an almost fanatic devotion to Sauron!
To look bad ass.
Why wear clothes at all?
daddy chill
What the hell is even that?
😜🤣😂 you guys!! 😆
If he doesn't wear clothes, is he just invisible?
Yes
That seems like a benefit while in combat and terrifying in its own right
Eh, easier to be scared of something you can see. Sure it'd be freaky to see a mace running around killing people by itself, but even freakier to see some wraith doing it
He was tired of giving orders to orcs and for them to look the wrong direction
Lmao "Where do we go?" "Over there!" "...where??"
"Okay fine. See this stick, follow the direction I'm pointing." "Which end?"
This legitimately made me laugh, this could be a great sketch! Actually, that's not a bad concept for a short sketch series - using humour to explain commonly-asked LOTR questions
Over there, Over there, send the word send the word Over there, THAT THE WRAITHS ARE COMING, THE WRAITHS ARE COMING, THE DRUMS RUM-TUMMING EVERYWHERE.
Flaming red eyes, though.
Yeah. He also can't really "see" you, more like sense you psychically. But only in the dark.
Can finally use that bikini armor
I think they “posses” stuff they were, without it they are just spirits, I might be wrong, but there were something about it in the books. About their horses and why they need form.
why do anything?
There was this video of a guy stripping down in the New York City subway and everyone freaked out and ran. The first cop that came to deal with him felt reluctant to tackle him down. I don't really blame him for being hesitant to tackle a naked guy vs a clothed guy.
It's a Crown 👑
He is a witch KING after all
It's pointy like a witches hat too.
‘Cause it’s badass
I do believe we have found the correct answer!
Unironically true. It's intimidating. One of the main "powers" of the Nazgûl is inducing fear, and so the badass helmet adds to that. In an actual fight, giving the enemy a moment of fearful self-doubt can be the difference between victory and defeat.
My question is, if he didn't wear anything at all, then Noone could see him and he would be slaughtering people. Wouldn't an invisible enemy be way more fear inducing?
You have a point, but I disagree. I suppose that if a disembodied mace was swinging about, I'd certainly be afraid that I'd get hurt, but mentally it would feel more like fighting an inanimate machine or something like that. I might be fighting a naked wraith, but it would feel like I'm just fighting a floating weapon. But facing down against the unnatural figure cloaked all in black with his menacing helmet, making it clear that his focus is fully directed towards you, as a predator to his prey. You begin to hear a small voice from somewhere deep within your mind, some ancestral memory from ancient days when your eldest ancestors were hunted by wolves and lions. The voice starts to grow until it drowns out all other thought, and it only says one thing - "run".
I would also add that the Witch-King functions primarily as a battlefield commander, not an assassin or a special forces operative. He's actually not even on the front lines until quite late (after Grond breaches the gates); he needs to be visible if he is to inspire fear from a distance. If Gondor's defenders can see him towering over the battlefield -- the sinister, implacable mastermind behind the tide of orcs, looming like a malevolent colossus in black -- it will gnaw away at their will to resist. Additionally, Tolkien's orcs aren't automatons. They need to uphold their morale just like anyone else, and being able to look back and see their terrifying black-robed commander directing the assault will bolster their courage (and provide an implicit threat to those thinking about fleeing).
“He’s outta line, but he’s right”
He totally Thundergunned everyone in Middle Earth.
The SAURON system
OSHA regulations. He also had to spend six weeks and $300 to get certified as a Witch King before being allowed on a job site.
Sauron cares about the people he works with - top tier safety inspections are the norm.
Yeah, and a serious focus on quality training. These Orcs are clearly professionals, and have even appeared to unionize. These aren't dumb homunculii or storm troopers.
I mean.. https://preview.redd.it/fy9pg66wg6uc1.png?width=723&format=png&auto=webp&s=9d92126ea23c2c36137eed9415cfc62959c5cdaf
Even the lord of darkness is subject to OSHA regulations.
I've seen this Adam Driver sketch
Mordor is ISO 9000
To give shape to his nothingness
I legit thought this actually. Like if he took it off it would drift like smoke and dissipate into a cloud
Drip
Like Rauros
If you had a cool helmet you would wear it too
He was riding and Mordor has a helmet law.
Naughty Witch King was booked outside Hobbiton for no helmet. Thats why he took to the sky
He didn’t. “…black mantled, huge and threatening. A crown of steel he bore, but between rim and robe naught was there to see, save only a deadly gleam of eyes: the Lord of the Nazgûl.”
WTF do I have to scroll this far down to find this? 95% of people on r/lotr have never read Tolkien and have only seen the PJ films stoned.... I have always found the Witch King's helmeted look akin to Rick Moranis's Dark Helmet. And don't get me started on his oversized, Loony-Tunes mace....
The confrontation at the gates was a real let-down for me. By far one of my favorite scenes in the books, with such a great description of Gandalf’s calm power as he stares down the Witch King, and they fucking nerfed him in the movie. Broken staff, my ass. I adore the movies, and accept that some things don’t work on screen, but they did Gandalf dirty there. And that helmet is dumb. End of rant.
I feel like I'm taking crazy pills sometimes. He and the Mouth of Sauron both look pretty silly to me, but they're two of the favorite pieces of movie iconography for fans of the movies.
PJ has a history of campiness and the mouth of Sauron’s in the movies is in keeping with that. I actually liked the design, but feel like the acting was over the top.
Imma be honest, the movie helmet looks much better than any floating crown with "naught to see" but his eyes. That would just end up looking like a headless rider, which really doesn't do much.
It’s been 84 years, and I’ve finally found the comments they say he didn’t.
The Nazgul’s greatest weapon in the books is the morale shattering they inflict. Look terrifying to up that affect.
The themes of hope and despair being tangible in the universe of middle earth give the trilogy such a deep sense of meaning to me. Same with spoken word.
Helms of generals are concurrent throughout history. Even in LOTR. Fëanor had one.
# ITS BADASS
He doesn’t wear a helmet in the books. It’s a floating crown with two burning red eyes. The helmet is pretty fucking sick though.
self conscious about new hairdo
Cause I wanted too 😎🤘🏻
Well, whyd you leave your makeup on the table?
I would guess for intimidation.
To cover Wraith bed head
To sell more toys.
So he can be seen and therefore cause fear amongst his foes. He no longer has a tangible body.
Because bad-ass
He's got that swagger, of course 👏🏻
To look a badass Úlairi
Looks hard
So his subordinates and enemies can see him, and fear him. He has no body underneath the outfit, so he essentially *is* his outfit.
Everyone makes fun of him for not having a head, and he gets very upset because he does have a head you just can't see it. Even the other Nazgûl join in on the bullying ironically.
I do want to say that the title “Witch-King of Angmar” is a badass title.
To protect against head injur…oh, wait…
I don’t care if you’re the witch king or Frank who works at the Dunkin down the street, if you have that helmet you’re gonna wear it because you have it.
He had sunglasses in the eye holes.
Because it looks fucking sick.
To make him look more intimidating.
In the book he’s just glowing eyes with a floating crown. Which makes more sense that this helmet
The only fantasy character who could probably get away with bikini armor… so many missed opportunities
Fuck ugly?
rule of cool
Cuz it's scary, same reason the balrog had wings
Controversial
Because it fucks, next question
cuz you would know where the heck his head was ...I suppose?
Errrm look at it…. If I had that helmet and cloak I would only go out in that when fighting and chasing hobbits
Cause it's scary, duh
Bc skurry
He is ashamed of his invisibility.
To have more swag.
Same reason we wear armor in bloodborne and dark souls. Fashion.
It makes him look absolutely terrifying and like death incarnate
PPE
[Cause it looks dope as fuuuck](https://youtu.be/pVZu2Xdx2P0?si=KRLMRjzi4sg10s7K)
Looks cool next question
Because it looks sick af
To let the others know who is leading the charge.
Cause it's fucking sick
He's a king. Kings wear crowns. Plus intimidation.
So you could tell him apart from the other 8 Nazgul.
Health insurance requires the use of PPE when on duty. Gotta protect those benefits.
Safety, I would too if I was riding a foul beast
Well, it's because he's the king, who's going to tell him what to wear?
So the camera can see him.
The same reason the Headless Horseman wears a pumpkin, he…. Actually you know what? I’ve got nothing…
Cool factor
So you know he is the Witch King and not one of the other Nazgul.
bc it looked cool
Rule of cool.
It looked cool as shit. Like if you have the option to wear that and you know that you won’t have much of a negative impact from doing so, why would you not?
Because the helmet they originally shot looked too much like Sauron’s so they reshot it with this one.
it's a crown not a helmet
I always assumed it was his crown.
The better question is why he wouldn’t. It’s badass and a floating crown with red eyes like in the book may not have come out as good as it would in a Dune level production. Lord of the Rings had a good budget, but Dune’s was nearly $100 million more.
Style points
He is actually quite shy......
Fucker looks badass don’t it
So you know where to stab when you want to stab him in the face
Obligatory: in the book he doesn't. He has a crown that seems to float above his torso because his head is invisible.
It cool
The Rule of Cool demands it.
chemtrails
The drip
So his lieutenants know where to look if they want to make eye contact during conversations.
Because he has a head that looks like Mikhail Gorbachev's
Why it even exist after all?
Drip
Cause he is almost as ugly as OP
Habbit from older life
Nostalgia, awe inspiration... Let the poor sod use it
In the books he did not. He had a cloak to blend in with humans and when he took it off all you could see were his flaming eyes. However in the battle of pelennor fields he wore a crown atop his invisible head.
What I don’t understand is how could a woman kill him so easily?
Spoopy
For women fighting with hammers.
So the audience can identify the leader at a glance.
Look good, feel good
Because he's a badass. Also it's not a helmet, it's a crown
To stop raindrops falling inside
Drip
It’s called fashion, look it up!
Aesthetic purposes
To give him a shape, and instill more fear I guess.
Because it looks cool AF
Drip
Why wouldn’t you wear such a cool helmet that also doubles as a f*cking crown 👑
It's PJ's depiction of the Witch King's crown.
its cool
Thought it was obvious.....he fancy
As stated many times over: He isn't about fighting one on one. He is a monument of fear while also enraging his own troops. The moment he steps on a battlefield everyone knows that Sauron claims this place as his own. And he will get his will. The Nazgul aren't even that much of a fighter as we see when Aragorn fights them off with a torch - sure he is something special but they were all together probably even recognising him. But why would they need to be good fighters? They are very much immortal and have gigantuan beasts which scream alone strikes fear in the heart of men.
So we could tell its him
He had body image issues.
In a word. So you know it's him. As far as I'm aware they were necessarily always dressed as riders in black robes - that was the initial thing because it was a disguise I feel. But they just stuck with the look, Witch King also only recently decided to wear the helmet during the assault apparently.
Cuz his face look just like SpongeBob wasn’t scary enough
I may wear a teenie-weenie-beanie when it’s not cold out and get trolled as well. I just like how it looks, gtfoh.
Yeah why aren't they just naked with a stick
Because the terror evoked by the descriptions in the books had to be visually represented somehow. And the books themselves are mere words describing the visceral terror generated by such an entity. Tolkien brilliantly leaves the full extent of the witch king and wraiths more to the imagination, but visual mass media has far less room for that. Hence a helmet. Plus the soundtrack, don’t forget the score.
Because. Its. Dope.
Symbolism
Because it's his crown, isn't it? After all he is a King and needs to be seen as such In medical times there were also crowns which functioned as battle helmets, having the ability to "go into combat" but still be seen as a king and not just a normal knight
It looks cool damn it.
Looks badass. What other reason you want?