May 24, 2003

The Witch King vs the Mouth of Sauron
Niphredil

Danny, an interesting question. Who was more powerful? Both of them were originally mortals and were renegades called Black Numenoreans.

The Witch King, the Lord of the Ringwraiths and Lord of Minas Morgul, was originally the most powerful of the Black Numenoreans and was known as the Sorcerer King. He received one of the Nine Rings of Power for Mortal Men and so fell under Sauron’s power for ever when he became a wraith.

The Mouth of Sauron (the Lieutenant of the Tower of Barad-Dur) was a living man, but as it says in ROTK, “his name is remembered in no tale; for he himself had forgotten it”. It does say that “he learned great sorcery and knew much of the mind of Sauron; and he was more cruel than any orc”. He rose through the ranks by being cunning and cruel.

I think the Witch King was more powerful. If Sauron was so desperate to retrieve the one Ring, you’d think he’d send his most powerful servants. Although, I guess he could fully trust the Ringwraiths to return the Ring to him and not keep it for themselves because he had total control of their wills via the Nine Rings. The Witch King also founded the realm of Angmar and took on the Dunedain and won. He did get overthrown by an alliance of Elves and Men but then went to Minas Ithil and conquered it, turned it into Minas Morgul and knocked off the last king of Gondor of the line of Anarion (Earnur). I think these deeds (and others) show that he is more powerful. I think we would have heard more about the deeds of Mouth of Sauron if he’d been a more powerful being, maybe. What do others think?