When Mordor fell in S.A. 3441, the Nazgûl vanished into the shadows and were not heard of again for a long time. [6] Early power in Angmar [ edit | edit source ] In The Fellowship of the Ring, he appears unnamed as one of the nine Nazgûl. He is shown briefly as a king of Men in the prologue, and serves as one of the primary antagonists throughout the film alongside the other Ringwraiths. He is the Wraith who stabs Frodo with a Morgul-blade on Weathertop, although this is only revealed in The Return of the King by Gandalf. He was stronger at nighttime. It was claimed that he could create or thaw ice at his whim. [ citation needed] He could send forth and control wights. [4] His power fluctuated greatly over his existence, as his strength was bound up with Sauron's own; the more powerful Sauron became, the more powerful the Nazgûl were. Due to this, he was, in the White Wizard's and the other Nazgûls' estimation, possibly equal to Gandalf in magic and might during the Battle of the Pelennor Fields. [3] Roots in mythology Although Sauron is the ultimate Evil of the story, he spends the whole time as a big flaming eye in Mordor, so it’s the Witch-king who leads the Dark Lord’s armies in his stead. I wanted to ensure he was full of menace, and also looking as though he could command his minions into battle. The forging of the Rings of Power began some 1500 years into the Second Age. In SA 1600 Sauron created and first donned the One Ring, and in SA 1693 began the War of the Elves and Sauron during which the Dark Lord recovered the Nine Rings and gave them to mighty lords and rulers of Men. The mightiest of all of them was likely a king and a powerful sorcerer, possibly of Númenórean heritage, but little is known of his (or the others') earthly life except that over the coming centuries they prospered as their power, wealth and mortal lifespans extended under the corrupting influence of their rings. The only certainty is that eventually he and all the others slipped into the Shadow-world and became one of the Nazgûl, or Ringwraiths, who were enslaved wholly to Sauron's will.

J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, Appendix A, "The Númenorean Kings", "Eriador, Arnor, and the Heirs of Isildur", The North-kingdom and the Dúnedain, p. 1039The Witch-king from The Lord of the Rings: The Card Game - The Flame of the West Expansion Translations Foreign Language The Two Towers · The Return of the King · The Third Age · Tactics · Conquest · Aragorn's Quest · Lego The Lord of the Rings

J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, Appendix A, "The Númenorean Kings", "Eriador, Arnor, and the Heirs of Isildur", The North-kingdom and the Dúnedain, entry for King Araphor, p. 1040 J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, Appendix B, "The Second Age", entry for the year 3441, p. 1084 J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), The Peoples of Middle-earth, "VII. The Heirs of Elendil", entry for Arveleg I, p. 194Old fool!' he said. 'Old fool! This is my hour. Do you not know Death when you see it? Die now and curse in vain!' And with that he lifted high his sword and flames ran down the blade. Wayne G. Hammond and Christina Scull (eds), The Lord of the Rings: A Reader's Companion, "Flight to the Ford", p. 180 The prophecy made by Glorfindel at the Battle of Fornost centuries before was fulfilled, as Éowyn was a woman. The Witch-king's death changed the tide of the battle, and ultimately the outcome of the war. J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, Appendix A, "The Númenorean Kings", "Gondor and the Heirs of Anárion", entry for King Eärnil II, p. 1051

The first sighting of the Nazgûl in Middle-earth was reported in SA 2251. For the next 1200 years the greatest among them, known simply as the Lord of the Nazgûl, would serve Sauron as one of the commanders of his armies. He fought in the Age's climactic war against the Last Alliance of Elves and Men between SA 3434 and SA 3441, when the Dark Lord was eventually defeated and the One Ring taken from him. With Sauron's spirit and power dissipated, the nine Nazgûl were no longer able to maintain their physical presence and they too disappeared – at least temporarily – from Middle-earth.

J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), The Peoples of Middle-earth, "VII. The Heirs of Elendil", entry for Malvegil, pp. 193-194 Jay Clare: The Witch-king is Sauron’s greatest servant – what was it like to work on such an iconic character? The Witch-king took his seat of power in the newly conquered Fornost, but in the next year an army from Gondor under their general and crown prince, Eärnur, landed at the Grey Havens. Too late to save their north-kindred, they were nonetheless joined by the Elves of Lindon and the remnant of the northern Dúnedain, and together marched against the Witch-king. [2] Battle of Fornost In TA 2043, King Eärnil II of Gondor passed away and his son Eärnur, the Witch-king's old foe, inherited the throne. Upon his coronation, the Lord of the Nazgûl challenged the new king to single combat, but Eärnur refused. However, seven years later in TA 2050 he challenged Eärnur again, and Eärnur accepted. Gondor's king rode out of Minas Tirith to meet his enemy in combat at Minas Morgul. He entered and was never seen again. Thus ended the reign of the Kings of Gondor and the rule of the Stewards of Gondor began. In TA 2063 the Watchful Peace began when Sauron fled Dol Guldur to avoid the investigations of Gandalf and hid in the East, and the Nazgûl remained quiet in Minas Morgul for the next 400 years. Wayne G. Hammond and Christina Scull (eds), The Lord of the Rings: A Reader's Companion, citing from The Hunt for the Ring, p. 167-8

The one later known as the Witch-king [note 1] was a sorcerer, [2] [3] probably [4] one of the unnamed three lords of Númenórean race, who accepted one of the Rings of Power. [5] He first appeared in the histories as a Ringwraith in S.A. 2251. Being the most powerful of the Nazgûl, he became their chief and the most feared servant of his master Sauron. J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), Unfinished Tales, " The Palantíri", "Notes", Note 16, p. 413It is only in The Return of the King that the "Witch-king" is identified by this name and becomes an antagonist separate from the other Nazgûl. He is now identifiable by a distinctive helmet and armour, and wields a giant flail and flaming sword in battle. The Witch-king first appears in an introductory scene voiced over by Gandalf's description of him, and is later seen by Frodo, Sam and Gollum leaving Minas Morgul with a massive army. Properly, Witch-king is solely the title/description applied to him for the middle part of the Third Age by those in the North of Middle-earth, during his years as dread sorcerous ruler of Angmar. The phrase Witch-king of Angmar , in full, is only used by Tolkien once – in Appendix B to The Lord of the Rings, in the entry for the year 1409 of the Third Age. The Fellowship of the Ring ( The Complete Recordings) · The Two Towers ( The Complete Recordings) · The Return of the King ( The Complete Recordings) · " May It Be" · " Gollum's Song" · " Into the West"