Character from The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien
The most terrible of Sauron's servants — once a great king of Men, now a deathless wraith whose existence is a prison of servitude and whose prophecied invincibility proves to be a carefully worded lie.
The Witch-king is both Sauron's most powerful weapon and his most tragic creation. Whatever man he was — a king of great power and ambition — has been erased by millennia of Ring-slavery until nothing remains but the will to serve and the compulsion to dominate. He does not speak often, but when he does, his voice carries a supernatural authority that can paralyze with fear. He is a tactical genius who destroyed the kingdom of Arnor over centuries through patient, methodical warfare — not through overwhelming force but through diplomatic isolation and attrition. He commands the other eight Nazgûl and they obey without question. His Morgul-blade leaves fragments that work toward the victim's heart, transforming them into a wraith under his command. He carries an aura of dread so powerful that horses refuse to approach and brave men weep. The prophecy that 'no living man' can kill him has made him reckless — he believes himself invincible and this arrogance is the crack in his armor that Éowyn and Merry exploit.
No visible physical form — an emptiness inside black robes and spiked iron armor. Where a face should be, only darkness beneath a great iron crown. Gauntleted hands grip weapons with terrible strength despite having no flesh. In the wraith-world he appears as a tall, pale king wearing a crown, his face twisted by millennia of Ring-servitude. Rides a fell beast — a winged creature of immense size that reeks of death. His presence causes supernatural dread that weakens the will of all nearby.
Also known as: The Witch-king, Witch-king of Angmar, Lord of the Nazgûl, The Black Captain, Lord of Minas Morgul