Who The Witch King Is & Will He Appear in The Rings of Power, Explained
The Witch King is one of the most mysterious characters created by Tolkien. Although some viewers believe that he has already been secretly introduced as The Dark Wizard, this is unlikely – we have another theory.
J.R.R. Tolkien's works contain many mysterious characters, and the first that comes to mind is, of course, Tom Bombadil. But when you think of the “dark” side, you can't help but think of The Witch King – Sauron's main henchman and leader of the Nazgûl.
Tolkien himself never revealed his true identity and did not give his real name.
In the second season of The Rings of Power, another mysterious character appeared – The Dark Wizard, which led fans to speculate whether he might become The Witch King in the future and whether Sauron's right-hand man would appear in the series at all. Let's figure it out.
The Dark Wizard Is Not the Future Witch King, but Rather One of the Nazgûl
When The Dark Wizard, played by Ciarán Hinds, appeared, some viewers thought it might be the future Witch King. One of the X users said:
“I've seen some theories saying that Ciarán Hinds' character is not actually an Istar, but a human sorcerer pretending to be immortal, and it just struck me – Could this be our future Witch King?”
However, more likely, The Dark Wizard will become one of the Nazgûl, Khamûl, the only dark servant of Sauron to be given a name by Tolkien. Also known as the Black Easterling, Khamûl was a sorcerer from Rhûn, where The Stranger encounters him in the show.
Reddit user _Aimekien_ pointed out:
“I do see him as a future Nazgul. Possibly Khamûl who may be the only Nazgul Tolkien named to my knowledge and who was a sorcerer from Rhun.”
But who will transform into The Witch King, and what conclusions can be drawn from Tolkien's original text?
The Witch King Was Most Likely One of the Rulers of Númenor
As mentioned above, Tolkien never revealed the true identity of The Witch King, but subtle hints in the text suggest that he was one of the rulers of Númenor.
In the book Unfinished Tales, chapter The Line of Elros: Kings of Númenor, Tolkien writes that with the accession of Tar-Ciryatan, the twelfth king, a shadow fell on Númenor for the first time.
Why does Tolkien write such ominous words when there seems to be no sign of trouble? Does this indicate the emergence of a ring of power in the royal family?
Tar-Ciryatan's actions fit into the scheme of the corrupting influence of the ring. He built many ships, and his servants brought much metal and precious stones and enslaved the people of Middle-earth.
Tar-Ciryatan Died the Same Year the Nazgûl First Appeared
According to the official dating, Tar-Ciryatan passed the scepter to his son Tar-Atanamir in 2029 and died in 2035. Tar-Atanamir's death is dated 2221, and it is said that he clung to life to the last and died after falling into feeble-mindedness.
The ring, however, gave its wearer an enormous amount of vital energy, prolonging his life. And indeed, according to the early version of the List of Kings, Tar-Atanamir's death is recorded in 2251.
Perhaps Tar-Ciryatan only gave the impression that he had abdicated the throne in 2029 – he could still remain on the throne, but under the name of his son.
Why is 2251 so important? Because it was the year the Nazgûl first appeared. The “death” of “Tar-Atanamir,” who was actually Tar-Ciryatan – or rather, his transition to the spirit world – was the final condition for the appearance of the Nazgûl.
And if so, Tar-Ciryatan's lifespan was 617 years, a phenomenal number even for a Númenórean – further proof that the ruler did indeed possess the ring.
Ar-Pharazôn May Become The Witch King in the Future
These events took place about a thousand years before the events of The Rings of Power – the show does not follow the original chronology, combining events from different millennia and even different Ages.
Therefore, it can be assumed that this storyline will be attributed to another character in the series, and that Ar-Pharazôn – the last ruler of Númenor – could take this role.
In Appendix A of The Lord of the Rings, Tolkien describes Ar-Pharazôn as follows:
“Ar-Pharazôn the Golden was the proudest and most powerful of all the Kings, and no less than the kingship of the world was his desire.”
This is consistent with the fact that the more powerful and greedy for power a man was, the more powerful a Nazgûl he became.
