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The Ring-Wights, also known as the Ernilath-in-Ugalad (S."Princes of Unlight") were "half-undead" mortal Spirits or "wretched-ones" wearing a Lesser Ring of Power.Dark Sorcery had streched their lifespan in an unnatural way and warped their appearance into that of gaunt, pale, ghoulish or almost lich-like apparitions, however they had not died yet and still inhabited their tainted fleshly bodies, but they were on their way to become true, incorporeal Wraiths, and some were more advanced on that dark road than others. They however were all subject to Sauron's or his Nazgûl's will and worked as their lieutenants.At last some of them also were dependend on the life-force of other mortals which they had to consume to nourish themselves and prolong their own illusion of being alive.Most did so in consuming blood.

See:

Known and proposed Ringwights:[]

MERP and Rolemaster[]

The Ringwights could also be considered mannish Vampires or living Ghouls.


Notes[]

  • Original form in MERP: Ernil Ukai = Ernilath-in-Ugalad
  • Gandalf's comment on the lesser Rings being perilous but the greater Rings stretching the life of their bearers in The Lord of the Rings seems to imply that lesser rings most likely wouldn't have had the power to transform their wearers, neither into wraiths nor Ghouls or wretched ones.As Tolkien wrote little on the lesser Rings Gandalf may still have been wrong, but the existence of many more rings and more wraiths (elf-wraiths, goblin-wraiths, ...) came from earlier drafts of the Lord of the Rings and were dropped later.Most likely Gandalf was right and so canonically "Ringwights" or mannish "Ghouls" prolonging their life artificially by use of lesser rings couldn't exist.In this case the Ringwights might still be wearers of lesser rings, using their magical properties, but their status as undead or semi-undead "wretched ones" must have a different source, possibly Sauron's necromancy and something akin to the effect of Morgul-blades or Barrow-wight-Spells.
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