Paulo Gabriel
Menegroth
Mar 28 2020, 8:02am
Views: 3004
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I might have misunderstood your post...
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and also the potency of the Dead Men, who apparently pose no physical danger at all (at Pelargir, not here of course).
but aren't the Dead Men of Erech always intended to pose non-physical threat? Why you said ''not here, of course''?
Some further explanation re this point:
''Now, while there are various sorts of undead spirits in the Ardaverse, of varying degrees of ability and psychic power, the key thing is that in most cases their power is psychic. Even the Nazgűl, who do have some sort of "body" left, though apparently stuck partly in the other dimension, and can act in this one because of that though invisible, are mostly able to cause damage by psychic vampirism. Elven-ghosts who have been tainted by the Dark Side can try, and possibly succeed, to possess people, but there are no actual accounts of this occurring in narrative, only mention of the fact, and evocative uses of the word "fey" in situations where "possessed" would be apt. It isn't clear if human ghosts, without necromantic assistance, can manage anything of the like. The Barrow-wights seem to be more like traditional draugar, animated corpses from Scandinavian folklore, but like them they are tied to the grave-mounds, and not able to roam. (I have not got a reference, but I believe they may be not supposed to be human ghosts at all, but some of Sauron's own fallen Maiar followers, set to possess and guard the land so that no one would settle there after the wars over Eriador.)
Human ghosts, in the Arda mythos, do not seem to have physical presence at all, or nothing significant: they (like ghosts in this world) can extinguish flames, it seems — but that their only power over the living is that of fear, and mind-numbing confusion, is strongly indicated throughout the texts. —Recall that the benevolent ghost in the tale of Beren and Lúthien, Gorlim the patriot entrapped and tortured into betraying his companions by Sauron, cannot avert the consequences of his treason himself, nor carry out his own revenge on their enemy, but can only pass on the word of his fall to one dreaming, in hopes that Beren will be able to warn their friends in time. It is a living hand that must kill the Orcs who butchered their people, not a dead one''.
Barger, Joan. (2004) ''Promises Kept: ROTK-M'' (http://web.archive.org/web/20090614045920/http://oddlots.digitalspace.net/arthedain/promises/promises_kept.html).
(This post was edited by Paulo Gabriel on Mar 28 2020, 8:03am)
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