Barrow-downs & Barrow-wights | Tolkien Explained

Ойын-сауық

The barrow-downs are best known for their part in the journey of Frodo Baggins, but their origins come much earlier, with the earliest Men of Middle-earth. They would later be taken over as a place of horror by the magic of the Witch-King. The one person who seemed to have control over their dreadful barrow-wights was Tom Bombadil.
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Under the Spell of the Barrow-wight - Ted Nasmith
Barrow-Wight - Olanda Fong-Surdenas
Within the Barrow - Olanda Fong-Surdenas
Barrow Downs - Andrea Piparo
fog on the barrow downs - jonathan guzi
Barrow Downs - Anke Eissmann
men at pool - turner mohan
The Barrow Downs - Anke Eissmann
men of dunland - turnermohan
Hilly Lands - Felix Englund
lone tower - Felix Englund
battle of the dale - tulikoura
A Ranger of the North - Anna Kulisz
The Battle of Unnumbered Tears - Alan Lee
after the death of arathorn - steamey
funeral of haldad, haldar and the men of brethil - steamey
Barrow-Wights - John Howe
Barrow-Wight - Olanda Fong-Surdenas
Barrow-Wight - Olanda Fong-Surdenas
barrow-wight - CK Goksoy
barrow-wight - CK Goksoy
Old_ om - Ralph Damiani
The Adventures of Tom Bombadil - Richard Svensson
Witch King of Angmar - Peet
Witch King of Angmar at Lake Evendim - Kip Rasmussen
The Barrow-Wight - John Howe
fog on the barrow-downs - matej cadil
barrow-wight - CK Goksoy
Cold Be Hand - Olanda Fong-Surdenas
Barrow-Wights - John Howe
Barrow-Wight - Olanda Fong-Surdenas
in the barrow - matej cadil
The Barrow Wight - Matthew Stewart
In the Barrow - Daniel Dougherty
Under the Spell of the Barrow-wight - Ted Nasmith
Barrow Downs - Andrea Piparo
barrow-wight -CK Goksoy
The Witch-king - Alan Lee
Merry Brandybuck - Elrodimus Flash
Carn-dum - Matěj Čadil
battle of fornost - tulikoura
Tom Bombadil - John Howe
arnor - tom romain
Witch King - John Howe
Eowyn and Witch King - Angus McBride
tom bombadil - tolman cotton
morwen in dor-lomin - sara morello
Leaving the Barrow-downs - Anke Eißmann
After the battle - Marya Filatova
#tolkien #lordoftherings #lotr

Пікірлер: 402

  • @hanshotfirst1138
    @hanshotfirst1138 Жыл бұрын

    It’s a shame they had to cut this stuff when making the movie. I understand why, but I’d love to have seen what Jackson would’ve done with it.

  • @fingersTitan

    @fingersTitan

    Жыл бұрын

    It's in the unreleased Mithril Edition.

  • @myriadmediamusings

    @myriadmediamusings

    Жыл бұрын

    Honestly I find it disheartening that as time passes the Jackson films are steadily becoming more and more reviled simply because they are unfaithful adaptations. Whatever is said about them in that regard they are at least still well-made movies.

  • @valentinkambushev4968

    @valentinkambushev4968

    Жыл бұрын

    ​@Myriad Media Musings there's no way for a LOTR adaptation to be 100% fateful. Even as a TV series you would have to cut and add some stuff.

  • @teleportedbreadfor3days

    @teleportedbreadfor3days

    Жыл бұрын

    @@myriadmediamusings Eh I’d say the films have a few redeeming factors or so. At least they were conveying Professor Tolkien’s intended feelings and messages.

  • @teleportedbreadfor3days

    @teleportedbreadfor3days

    Жыл бұрын

    At least Peter Jackson was willing to swallow doing the Oathbreakers. He didn’t like it. Seems he’s just not good with scary stuff

  • @Rytonic69
    @Rytonic69 Жыл бұрын

    The crazy part about the barrow downs is that it happens right after the hobbits leave the Shire, where everything is peaceful and lovely. Then BOOM spooky ghosts and dreadful spirits kidnap the hobbits in the most terrifying thing ever

  • @joemama69448

    @joemama69448

    11 ай бұрын

    Probably why it was left out of the movies, it went 0-60 too fast.

  • @KororaPenguin

    @KororaPenguin

    Ай бұрын

    @@joemama69448 Also, it would fall to the soundtrack to capture the essence of Tom Bombadil--except that that would even be above Mozart's pay grade.

  • @caolanod2261

    @caolanod2261

    9 сағат бұрын

    actually it's BOOM: crazy hippy couple in the woods, then BOOM dark undead .

  • @anotherhuman8173
    @anotherhuman8173 Жыл бұрын

    This is one of my favorite parts in The Fellowship of the Ring. Tolkien captures the cold and lonely atmosphere so well. There are still unanswered questions, but that just adds to it in the end.

  • @Eowyn3Pride

    @Eowyn3Pride

    Жыл бұрын

    It would make a fabulous Tolkien inspired Halloween display!👻😱😁🍻

  • @tymcfadden8496
    @tymcfadden8496 Жыл бұрын

    Been a fan of the Lord of The Rings for 50 years, and now I'm a fan of the Nerd of The Rings too! you're presentations are awesomely done.

  • @VoiceoftheRings

    @VoiceoftheRings

    Жыл бұрын

    Well said! He dose a Great job!

  • @animeyukiomalayalam6882

    @animeyukiomalayalam6882

    Жыл бұрын

    How old are you and how old where you when you first got into it and other infromation, can you tell us that if your okay with me asking

  • @tymcfadden8496

    @tymcfadden8496

    Жыл бұрын

    @@animeyukiomalayalam6882 I was born the better part of 4 decades before the end of the last century. I read the trilogy for the first time when I was 10.

  • @patrickastumpf

    @patrickastumpf

    Жыл бұрын

    Agreed! These presentations are great and there are always numerous things I don't remember happening when I read the book.

  • @seansullivan7928

    @seansullivan7928

    11 ай бұрын

    For reals! This is 1 of the best channels on KZread

  • @Reaper0123
    @Reaper0123 Жыл бұрын

    One Tolkien lorebook, with some unique art, suggested that some barrows were broken open during the Fourth-age, letting the sunlight in, and the remaining wights within went away, fading to the winds forever.

  • @tombombadilofficial

    @tombombadilofficial

    Жыл бұрын

    Can confirm. The barrows are gone now. All of it. Standing on top of it is a Taco Bell.

  • @mondenkindqueen

    @mondenkindqueen

    9 ай бұрын

    Don’t know what would be worse. Undead specters or mystery meat.

  • @slappy8941

    @slappy8941

    Ай бұрын

    The Barrow Wights existed due to the dark magic of Sauron, so when he was defeated, they would've gone too.

  • @grumpysorc3744
    @grumpysorc3744 Жыл бұрын

    It's still sad that Barrow-downs & Barrow-wights weren't included in the LoTR trilogy. But the most of Jackson's decisions & reasons are understandable. Barrow-downs require Tom, Tom requires Old Forest and all of this requires at least one hour of screen time.

  • @Mxyzptlksac

    @Mxyzptlksac

    3 ай бұрын

    Both the Old Forest and the barrow downs were cut out of the BBC radio drama as well.

  • @jannetteberends8730

    @jannetteberends8730

    2 ай бұрын

    They could have left out some fighting, and the scenes with Aragorn and his fiancee.

  • @slappy8941

    @slappy8941

    Ай бұрын

    The story deserved a series of hour long episodes.

  • @greendragonreprised6885
    @greendragonreprised6885 Жыл бұрын

    I recall leaving the cinema after watching Fellowship and wondering how Peter Jackson was going to place the fatal blade in Merry's hand in the battle for Minas Tirith as it all tied back to the barrow wights which had been skipped. There are bronze age burial barrows all over the UK. There's a few in a field near me that have sheep grazing on them these days.

  • @johnboucher8226
    @johnboucher8226 Жыл бұрын

    I'm lucky enough to live where I see the ones Tolkien based them on, everyday. Nine BarrowDown in Dorset

  • @jasonwelsh417

    @jasonwelsh417

    Жыл бұрын

    That is awesome. Where btw?

  • @Kaiser_Wilhelm_IV.

    @Kaiser_Wilhelm_IV.

    Жыл бұрын

    Lawyers...?

  • @TheThreatenedSwan

    @TheThreatenedSwan

    Жыл бұрын

    Luton, Slough?

  • @XSilent_DevilX

    @XSilent_DevilX

    Жыл бұрын

    @@Kaiser_Wilhelm_IV. hahahaha that's hilarious but I think OP is talking about the barrows

  • @johnboucher8226

    @johnboucher8226

    Жыл бұрын

    Nine Barrowdown. Dorset

  • @wabisabi6875
    @wabisabi6875 Жыл бұрын

    The barrow-downs episode is one of the most poignant. Tolkien was able to blend so much mystery and history into the narrative. I remember reading it for the first time as a (12yo) kid, and the goosebumps it gave me. Having not yet read the Silmarillion, it was an early glimpse of the depth and breadth of what lay behind--and sometimes literally beneath--the narrative at hand.

  • @abbieb8130

    @abbieb8130

    Жыл бұрын

    Those goosebumps had me re-read the passage.

  • @wabisabi6875

    @wabisabi6875

    Жыл бұрын

    @@abbieb8130 Another favorite is part of the downs episode: Tom's reaction to the treasures and jewels he pulls ouot of the barrow, especially the one he saves for Goldberry.

  • @zaidshahid6668
    @zaidshahid6668 Жыл бұрын

    Came here to say that I've finally finished reading about all of the works of Tolkien that have come out so now I'll grab some popcorn and start binging all your KZread videos

  • @SimonVanliew26

    @SimonVanliew26

    Жыл бұрын

    Came here to say “didn’t ask, don’t care”

  • @themightymim6680

    @themightymim6680

    Жыл бұрын

    Don’t be needlessly mean because you can. Its not a good look

  • @PErdesz

    @PErdesz

    Жыл бұрын

    ​@@SimonVanliew26 "I don't know half of you half as well as I should like; and I like less than half of you half as well as you deserve". Rather than trying to find conflict, try and find happy and admirable things to make life happier so that you can "find value in the places where you least expect it". J.R.R. Tolkien.

  • @tonypapas9854

    @tonypapas9854

    Жыл бұрын

    @@SimonVanliew26 Dick comment.

  • @Schmierhaar

    @Schmierhaar

    Жыл бұрын

    Don't get me wrong, just curious, what is "everything" for you. Because that would also include more obscure texts like "Leaf by Niggle", some of the academic texts or the letters. And especially Tolkiens academic writings are really tough to digest for people with no linguistic background

  • @rabidspatula1013
    @rabidspatula10137 ай бұрын

    Gotta love how Tolkien incorporated Neolithic barrows dotting the English countryside into his worldbuilding.

  • @Pixis1
    @Pixis1 Жыл бұрын

    The barrow-wights seem like they're inspired by the draugar, undead creatures from Norse mythology that also lurked in barrows and tombs. It's a shame they were cut from the movies. Peter Jackson probably could have done great stuff with them with his horror movie background.

  • @nickfreeman9759

    @nickfreeman9759

    Жыл бұрын

    There is a scene in “the Northman” where he fights a draugr. I could totally see a scene like that scene in lotr.

  • @fujifilm5127

    @fujifilm5127

    Жыл бұрын

    I mean, have you seen any of Peter Jackson’s horror, movies?

  • @DuchessofEarlGrey

    @DuchessofEarlGrey

    Жыл бұрын

    @@fujifilm5127 The Frighteners was really fun.

  • @Rdffgriffin
    @Rdffgriffin Жыл бұрын

    Yesterday I was driving in my commute and I thought "man, Nerd of the Rings should do a video on the barrow downs, its one of the weirdest and bizarre parts of the LOTR"

  • @jenniferrivera5828
    @jenniferrivera5828 Жыл бұрын

    The spiritual / horror aspects of the Lord of the Rings add great intensity to an already complex and interesting story. Geographical places become haunted with evil spirits at the command of a greater evil entity. They physical bodies of the righteous dead are used in a horrible fashion to capture and destroy innocent ones. Evil incantations are countered with the prayer/song learned by Frodo Baggins from the mysterious and enigmatic Tom Bombadil (who is most likely a Vala who sung the world into existence with his angelic companions in the Silmarillion), and as a result Tom comes to the rescue. Tolkien explicitly and implicitly suffused all of Middle-Earth with the supernatural. I think it was natural for him to do this because as a devout Catholic that is how he saw life in general. Thanks for the video. As usual the artwork presented was great.

  • @nickdavidson7841
    @nickdavidson7841 Жыл бұрын

    Great barrow wight voice! Very creepy. For me, this episode is more chilling than the Paths of the Dead. There's a sense of deep and ancient mystery there that makes me almost shiver.

  • @midimusicforever
    @midimusicforever Жыл бұрын

    The voice acting for the wights is stellar!

  • @noeldenever
    @noeldenever Жыл бұрын

    Thank you, I've always been curious about barrow downs & wights. It's the first thing in LOTR which makes me realize just how far back in time the lore of Middle Earth goes. Every point on the map has its own rich history. I wish we knew more about the last Prince of Cardolan and his people's war with Angmar.

  • @r.blakehole932

    @r.blakehole932

    Жыл бұрын

    You have to wonder about the microscopic minds of the show runners for Rings of Power. With so much rich history to mine and visually portray how on earth did they come up with such an amalgam of garbage. Like you say, if they had just spun out and portrayed the history of Cardolan, its intrigues with Rhudaur and Arthedain, and its losing fight against Angmar then we all would have been enthralled. But NO, with with Amazon money nobodies are more intelligent and creative than J.R.R. Tolkien. I stopped watching Rings of Power after 4 episodes. It was just to idiotic and lore breaking.

  • @KuK137

    @KuK137

    Жыл бұрын

    @@r.blakehole932 They didn't have the rights to these fragments, you clown, due to rights trolls sitting on relevant books containing them and refusing to allow not just their use, but mere acknowledge. The writers did the best they could with stuff they had rights to, how the hell they were supposed to make story of Cardolan when doing so would met with instant lawsuit? Try to read why they had so difficult work, then yap...

  • @matthewskipworth28

    @matthewskipworth28

    Жыл бұрын

    @@r.blakehole932 This. 💯 So true.

  • @therra1101

    @therra1101

    Жыл бұрын

    @@r.blakehole932 Right? There is so much intriguing history to tell. And even though we didn´t see the barrow wights in the films, there are so many connections. Film watchers only would recognise the Witch King, they would recognise Elrond and it would also explain why Merry´s sword helped to kill the Nazgul. You could see the Shire in the past and all that. But alas, it was not to be.

  • @MarkBonneaux

    @MarkBonneaux

    3 ай бұрын

    ​@@therra1101heck, they could have ignored 100% of Middle Earth and gone to the lands in the East and South, following the Blue Wizards, and had 0 conflicts with canon.

  • @BillyBobBeauBenson
    @BillyBobBeauBenson Жыл бұрын

    The Barrow Downs have always been one of my favorite scenes in all of LotR and I could never put my finger on exactly why, but I think I have it now. The Downs exist within a fairly short distance of the Shire, and the idea that there's a place filled with undead monsters and enchanted treasures within spitting distance of the character's home always filled me with a sense of wonder. Like at any point, at any time, the Hobbits of the Shire or the Breelanders could have raided the Downs, had an adventure, and walked away filthy rich. It's like a quest in your own backyard.

  • @GargoyleBard
    @GargoyleBard Жыл бұрын

    The Barrow-Wights are one of my favourite parts of LotR. I'm a big fan of well-done undead, and the very Norse-inspired approach was so well executed. It would be cool if at some point you had time to do a video about "mortal magic," like the spells of unlocking mentioned by Gandalf and Strider's song of healing after Frodo got stabbed. While it's definitely true that Middle Earth magic isn't as flashy as pulp/swords & sorcery fantasy, it's far more present than people like to admit.

  • @tubeyhamster
    @tubeyhamster Жыл бұрын

    Thanks for this episode! The Barrow-downs chapter of FOTR is one of the most mysterious parts because it is told through the eyes of the hobbits, who have no context for what they are experiencing. And Tom Bombadil, when he shows up, isn't the best at explaining things 😆 Interesting that Tolkien intended for the Nazgûl to use the Barrow-wights as a trap for the ring-bearer should he pass that way; that had never occurred to me.

  • @cally77777
    @cally77777 Жыл бұрын

    Fog on the Barrowdowns was a favourite chapter for me, since first reading Fellowship as a school kid; so much so, that I tried reusing the setting for one of my compositions, in which a warrior encounters a wight-like creature. My English teacher, a bit of a hippy, must have been into fantasy literature, and while giving it a good mark, immediately identified it as resembling a passage from Tolkien. I confirmed this when I wrote a review of LOTR for my next assignment. You didn't need Chatgpt to plagiarise back then! One reason for my interest was the setting reminded me of the nearby South Downs (in England), although I had never seen any standing stones or burial mounds on them. And the hobbits have a picnic on the downs like I sometimes did, and then they fall asleep in the warm sun, only to wake and find a fog has apparently come out of nowhere. I wonder if Tolkien was inspired by those very downs ...

  • @finwemume
    @finwemume Жыл бұрын

    Really enjoyed this video! The pictures, voices and narrative. Finwe from MUME.

  • @seb7x66

    @seb7x66

    Жыл бұрын

    Ah MUME: Multi-Users in Middle-earth. Great game!

  • @seitsmekas8184

    @seitsmekas8184

    Жыл бұрын

    Ohh! I remember that game. It’s a text based? Mud? Like reading a book and building your adventures every day. How is it going for Mume? Is the game alive?

  • @finwemume

    @finwemume

    Жыл бұрын

    Yes, and very much alive! It just celebrated its 31st birthday, continuously being enhanced. The Barrow Downs are a good place to get lost in game and find some Barrow-wights!

  • @vancleavefamily

    @vancleavefamily

    Жыл бұрын

    I love how closely the MUME map and areas represent Tolkien. I have learned a ton of Tolkien from this game, and then come to this channel to dig deeper and learn more.

  • @laksholm

    @laksholm

    Жыл бұрын

    MUME got me deeper into Tolkiens world, and thus made me read the books yet again - and then again!

  • @federicaesu8580
    @federicaesu8580 Жыл бұрын

    I recently read again the chapters about the Barrowdowns . It’s so creepy and gloomy especially when the death of the Sun and Moon are mentioned. It’s a reference to the end of the world and the return of Morgoth

  • @jimmymelnarik3873
    @jimmymelnarik3873 Жыл бұрын

    I remember this being both difficult to picture and terrifying when I first read it as a kid.

  • @ryanwielewski5192
    @ryanwielewski5192 Жыл бұрын

    We need a show show about the Angmar wars! One that follows the source material of course, that show could have a lot of time jumps but that could be as every season ends, the new season takes place in the further war and battles.

  • @OscyJack-
    @OscyJack- Жыл бұрын

    One of my favorite parts of fellowship. Also one loaded with history in just a few pages.

  • @Egill2011
    @Egill2011 Жыл бұрын

    Barrow wights are eerie. There are many ruins of mediaeval castles and settlements in Georgia, where I live. These ruins always remind me of these evils entities.

  • @shaggycan
    @shaggycan Жыл бұрын

    I always assumed part of the creation of the rings (of men and the one specifically) was the way of preventing a spirit from going to Mandos. That shard of ring lore may have been used by the witch king to create wights.

  • @shaggycan

    @shaggycan

    Жыл бұрын

    @@nickolas.vicente I don't mean to imply they never go to Mandos, just that there is some wiggle room in the timing. Even the witch king ended up there thanks to Eowyn and Pippin

  • @itsatrap1017
    @itsatrap1017 Жыл бұрын

    After the War of the Ring, Tyrn Gorthad was no longer haunted. But like any ghost story, the location still felt creepy.

  • @lachlanbold8319
    @lachlanbold83196 ай бұрын

    The Barrow-Downs and their inhabitants would make a fantastic horror movie.

  • @nathanc6516
    @nathanc6516 Жыл бұрын

    When I first read The Fellowship as a kid, this was probably the scariest part next to the drums in the deep.

  • @therra1101
    @therra1101 Жыл бұрын

    I love this chapter. The chapter title alone great and I actually love it even more in czech translation. The atmosphere is beautifully haunting, the incantation brilliant. And so much history in just a few sentences. Like you know this is a green land full of legend and mistery just like the three hunters talked about with Éomer.

  • @Matthewwithers33
    @Matthewwithers3311 ай бұрын

    As a kid I watched the movies and was enthralled by them and as an adult I read the books and realize there was so much more tolkien wrote and so much more history weaved in as well, it’s a world that has age and you can tell

  • @adpirtle
    @adpirtle Жыл бұрын

    So glad Brian Sibley was eventually able to adapt the Barrow-downs in Tales from the Perilous Realm. I always listen to it in the proper place when playing BBC's LotR.

  • @leandromiguel4481
    @leandromiguel4481 Жыл бұрын

    I remember the Barrow wights part from the lotr game , to this day still creeps me out lol

  • @Colin13ify
    @Colin13ify Жыл бұрын

    This is one of those parts of the book I wish were in the movie, Tom B. and the Barrow Wrights. Because the daggers which the Hobbits received out of the treasure from the barrow were what enabled Merry to strike the blow that weakened the Witch King so that Eowyn could then strike the killing blow. As the daggers were works of Westerness and woven with spells to combat the evil spirits of Angmar and Mordor. Another change they made in the movie was making Aragorn seem reluctant to be king when that was his plan all along, with help from Arwen and Galadriel. The whole goal was to become king of both Arnor and Gondor so he would be given permission by Elrond to marry Arwen. Also I wish they had the ride of the Grey Company through the Dwimmorberg to the stone of Erech in the movie and had been more faithful to how that went down in the books. The army of the dead drove off the corsairs and freed up the southern armies of Gondor to sail north with Aragorn and help in the defeat of the armies of Mordor at the battle of Pelennor fields. Went on a tangent but I had to mention a few other changes from book to movie that this video made me think about. Other than those few changes I’ve always throughly enjoyed the movies.

  • @KuK137

    @KuK137

    Жыл бұрын

    Frankly it's good it was cut because that part of the book was garbage and didn't fit the setting at all. If ass end of nowhere, poor, small, backward Cardolan could make swords of nazgul slaying +10 then why Gondor, diminished but still powerful, met witch king and his army with terrible quality (in comparison) weapons that were useless? Why we never see these OP 'evil spirits' employed anywhere else? Why the wight was so stupid to play dressup and evil, extremely ineffective magic, instead of just stabbing the hobbits and be done with it?

  • @Colin13ify

    @Colin13ify

    Жыл бұрын

    @@KuK137 Frankly I don’t think you understand Tolkien or the history he created. The daggers would have been extremely rare creations. Similar to Glamdring, Orcrist and sting which all three were found in one troll horde. The four daggers of Neumenor’s craft being found in barrows in an area specifically linked to the Edain and to Neumenorian descendants is less of a stretch than what happened in the hobbit with the swords and the Dagger. But the Witch King broke Frodos, so only three survived, and Frodo was given Sting. But all where just as important, Sting and the daggers Merry, Pippin and Sam were given.

  • @mikegardner107

    @mikegardner107

    Жыл бұрын

    And after Aragorn’s father was killed his mom brought him to Rivendell. Elrond helped raise Aragorn to become King.

  • @nikicarrie4071

    @nikicarrie4071

    Жыл бұрын

    ​@@Colin13ify agree

  • @Colin13ify

    @Colin13ify

    Жыл бұрын

    @@mikegardner107 100% correct. Elrond protected Aragorn, being the a distant relative of his brother Elros. But Elrond also stated that his daughter would not marry any mortal man, unless he had reclaimed the title of King of Gondor and Arnor, Neumenor and ultimately the Edain. Elrond put Aragorn to task to prove himself worthy of not only to marry his daughter but to be King.

  • @mineduck3050
    @mineduck3050 Жыл бұрын

    Its a small chapter in a way, but if you immerse yourself iin the imagined landscape it is definitely haunting when you consider it is a horizon to horizon landscape of grass hills and ruins. Very haunting setting when you put your mind to it.

  • @tomperry5947
    @tomperry5947 Жыл бұрын

    The concept art in these videos is always beautiful

  • @shehansenanayaka3046
    @shehansenanayaka30469 ай бұрын

    We always appreciate your hard work and dedication towards these videos.. brilliant video.

  • @charlotteharris5914
    @charlotteharris5914 Жыл бұрын

    Thanks again Matt. The barrow downs scene in the Fellowship of the Ring is one of my favorites in the book. I really enjoyed this one!

  • @TarMody
    @TarMody Жыл бұрын

    It is unlikely that these spirits belonged to the Cardolan people. Because the fëa of human souls is not inherently dependent on Arda, and after the death event has taken place (the termination of the fëa-hröa bond), the soul has to leave Arda. Apart from the rings of power, there is no other factor that will bind them to this world. Therefore, it seems unlikely that such souls are human souls. As for what happened, it's open to speculation. I think your main concern here is that the Witch-king of Angmar could have power over such souls.

  • @themightymim6680
    @themightymim6680 Жыл бұрын

    Great video as always!

  • @duncandomey8199
    @duncandomey8199 Жыл бұрын

    Your videos are a delight. Thank you.

  • @ElvenAngel
    @ElvenAngel Жыл бұрын

    I've been lurking over the past week, binge-watching your lore videos! Thank you so much for your work, they're a joy to follow and make my hours of work easier to go by! I'd love to see you cover the topic of horses of Tolkien, as they seem to have a fascinating history in Middle Earth.

  • @gregorferry3249
    @gregorferry324910 ай бұрын

    You have splendid voice characterisation in your videos! It's most enjoyable to listen to - keep up the good work and thank you!

  • @user-sd7ri9fy4i
    @user-sd7ri9fy4i9 ай бұрын

    Nice work dude

  • @robintropper660
    @robintropper660 Жыл бұрын

    These pictures of the Barrow Whites are the most terrifying, and therefore simply the best renditions of evil things I have seen to date

  • @iffyswitch
    @iffyswitch Жыл бұрын

    this one was particularly excellent. Thank you!

  • @wsmccallum5069
    @wsmccallum50698 ай бұрын

    Lots of questions answered here - a great channel!

  • @Sarmor1985
    @Sarmor1985 Жыл бұрын

    Bravo again for a most interesting one !! 🙌🏼

  • @Elomere
    @Elomere Жыл бұрын

    Excellent content, as always!

  • @YrnehLrak
    @YrnehLrak Жыл бұрын

    Nerd will probably deny it, but this is the best Tolkien YT channel.

  • @post-leftluddite
    @post-leftluddite Жыл бұрын

    Fellowship is my favorite book in the series (I know, it's not common), it's basically horror and that's what I love about it...for some reason, the Hobbits seem more vulnerable when the black riders are chasing them in fellowship than any other time. And the Barrow-wights are one of my favorite parts....love the brief mentions of Angmar in the text.

  • @AlexanderPR2
    @AlexanderPR2 Жыл бұрын

    This fair maiden must have made a very strong impression on these two, to the point that Tom decided to keep an object of her as a "souvenir", since he has no attachment to this type of thing.

  • @alexanderealley9992
    @alexanderealley9992 Жыл бұрын

    YESSSS, I’m so pumped you made this one.

  • @dustinc.h.8143
    @dustinc.h.8143 Жыл бұрын

    I absolutely loved this video of the Barrow wights Matt, I never knew about any of this because I haven't read the LOTR books yet, I will now haha!

  • @kanealoha
    @kanealoha Жыл бұрын

    Really enjoyed this video. Much thanks.

  • @fozzymandias
    @fozzymandias Жыл бұрын

    This is some of your finest work.

  • @hurin_thalion11
    @hurin_thalion11 Жыл бұрын

    Wow, one of the best videos I've watched in a long time well done Treebeard used some of those words to free merry and pippin. Every word in the movies was written in the book, but often by a different person in a different place.

  • @spangelicious837

    @spangelicious837

    Жыл бұрын

    Not every word, but they did use a lot of lines from the book.

  • @hurin_thalion11

    @hurin_thalion11

    Жыл бұрын

    @@spangelicious837 I would say about 95%

  • @tylerdunnan5059
    @tylerdunnan5059 Жыл бұрын

    Perfect timing. I just finished listening to this chapter of Fellowship and have become obsessed with it. I would kill for a fully realized open world middle Earth game and exploring this terrifying area

  • @kulka92

    @kulka92

    Жыл бұрын

    Did you try Lord of the Rings Online? It aint very new, but it is fun, a lot of lore and you get to explore barrow-downs quite early in the game. Including vast barrows and adventuring tim Top Bombadil!

  • @tylerdunnan5059

    @tylerdunnan5059

    Жыл бұрын

    @@kulka92 that sounds like something I need to look into. Cheers very much 👍. I can literally hear Andy Serkis singing Bombadil's name when I read that

  • @vbm4780

    @vbm4780

    Жыл бұрын

    @@tylerdunnan5059 yes, like Kulka said, you can explore all of that in LOTRO. You pretty much have all of middle earth during the third age there, in a open world MMO.

  • @KabirChattopadhyay1991

    @KabirChattopadhyay1991

    10 ай бұрын

    Please do try LOTRO. The Barrow Downs and the Old Forest are genuinely creepy and grim, especially for an early game player when you encounter them South of Bree. I am now a medium level player and the Barrow Downs are no longer even close to a threat to my character, but I still avoid passing through them when I'm going from the Bree Lands into The Shire. Gives me the creeps.

  • @user-ni8ge9wo2b
    @user-ni8ge9wo2b Жыл бұрын

    An amazing video again, i just love how you put you passion of the legendarium into these videos 😊 I personally don't think tha barrow weights could've been Maiar, as they were sent by the witch-king who was a man and could be effected by Tom, who could not effect Maiar in such manner. Just my own take on this

  • @kalmarfanatic04
    @kalmarfanatic04 Жыл бұрын

    When I re-read The Lord of the Rings last year, I was chilled by the description of the Barrow-wights and wanted to know more about them. I wasn't sure where to look for more information, but now I don't need to! Thank you, Matt!

  • @vincentmottern-personal6372
    @vincentmottern-personal6372 Жыл бұрын

    “And Debbie”… I love it every time

  • @VoiceoftheRings
    @VoiceoftheRings Жыл бұрын

    I enjoyed learning about what humans were at what Time and when they came. Very cool! Great video!

  • @leminjapan
    @leminjapan Жыл бұрын

    Tolkien's prose in this section is masterful.

  • @Nerobyrne
    @Nerobyrne Жыл бұрын

    Lord of the Rings Online did a pretty good job with this location

  • @jamesg9840

    @jamesg9840

    Жыл бұрын

    Well except for that one escort mission. I swear if that NPC runs into another crawler, I’m leaving her here!

  • @sirguy6678
    @sirguy6678 Жыл бұрын

    Great video!

  • @MyMy-tv7fd
    @MyMy-tv7fd Жыл бұрын

    great work

  • @petertaysum5563
    @petertaysum5563 Жыл бұрын

    Great content

  • @theblackflame4002
    @theblackflame4002 Жыл бұрын

    The Barrow wights were a definite borrow by Donaldson in his Chronicles of Thomas Covenant series.

  • @thebrowneyesofmandalore6524
    @thebrowneyesofmandalore6524 Жыл бұрын

    If you look into the history of the Ancient Celts you’ll see that their burials for their leaders and high society members are very reminiscent of that of the way the Hobbits are arrayed in the Barrow. Celts would dress their dead in fancy clothes with lots of gold treasures about them. Especially a golden torque, belt, or circlet. I’m sure Tolkien was very inspired by the Celts in this scenario as well as many others.

  • @kikopita
    @kikopita Жыл бұрын

    I have a walking app that’s called “Fantasy Hike” and I got to the part where I was captured by a “Wight in the Barrows” and even though I’ve read the books, I’ve no memory of this part, so this came at a perfect time! ❤

  • @jefffinkbonner9551
    @jefffinkbonner9551 Жыл бұрын

    I can't help but think that the creepy, macabre horror of the barrow downs and barrow wights were partly inspired by professor Tolkien's experiences in the trenches of the First World War. There was so much death and despair that it must've seemed like the trenches and scarred battlefields were utterly haunted by the dead and sprits of death. That and plenty of bone-chilling cold nights from both the physical elements and the intangible fear and dread.

  • @kevinmoore4845
    @kevinmoore4845 Жыл бұрын

    Thanks for this back story. It's worth mentioning that this was a very confusing chapter in the books and I've read the book several times. Any explanation is appreciated.

  • @SenoritaJes
    @SenoritaJes Жыл бұрын

    Great video! 👍💚

  • @thedarkflowkiller
    @thedarkflowkiller4 ай бұрын

    It's crazy that out of every subject talked about ever since tolkien centered channels started, this was probably the least talked about episode of the adventures of the hobbits. It would have been amazing to see in live action.

  • @RobKlarmann
    @RobKlarmann Жыл бұрын

    Oh mate, this was definitely one of your best videos up to date. Your research is impeccable and you really take us on the journey with you through this content (incl. the creepy voices). I so appreciate your work. But it still hurts that this amazing literary portion was left out of the movies. Perhaps because there are so many layers to it, as you presented. Tom Bombadil, I somehow just realised, helped to prevent one of the first traps of Sauron to succeed. That's a major plot-point and it's also a huge test for the Hobbits, which is rewarded with their first weapons. Another thought: J.K. Rowling's Dementors definitely must have been inspired by the Barrow-Wights, right?! Although the D's don't have any eyes...and don't wear bones. 🤣 But cold they are....🥶

  • @jc3777
    @jc3777 Жыл бұрын

    Yeah! Been waiting for this one 😄

  • @ThanosfromGreece
    @ThanosfromGreece Жыл бұрын

    10/10 video, so much stuff i didnt know 💪

  • @djtripmix
    @djtripmix Жыл бұрын

    Thanks for the info

  • @williamkingham3303
    @williamkingham3303 Жыл бұрын

    I was watching Fellowship the other night. I don’t watch it too often. But I remember seeing the Barrow-Downs in some wide shot. I got excited cause I hadn’t seen that before.

  • @william.the.writer
    @william.the.writer7 ай бұрын

    I literally just read this part in FOTR! Glad I found this video

  • @MrChalbag
    @MrChalbag Жыл бұрын

    I love your channel and it help me a lot true the Silmarillion, I would love if you could make a video about Thingol and Melian !!

  • @chompythebeast
    @chompythebeastАй бұрын

    The Barrow-Downs side quest basically saw the entire party fail their saving throws and then only survive a tpk by the grace of an overpowered DMPC. Some real low-level shenanigans. Also the Fellowship really lacked a dedicated healer (though Aragon's Medicine was pretty high)

  • @mimimaitri1
    @mimimaitri1 Жыл бұрын

    One of the most terrifying moments of LOTR

  • @AKadir8
    @AKadir8 Жыл бұрын

    I've been playing LOTR-War in the North and this location is as amazing and creepy as it's in the lore.

  • @JonBeowulf

    @JonBeowulf

    Жыл бұрын

    Was gonna post the same thing. That game came out in 2011 and it's still one of my favorite Tolkien-inspired games.

  • @chrisperrien7055
    @chrisperrien7055 Жыл бұрын

    Jackson should have included Tom and the Barrow Wights in the extended cut. Barrow wights were a good challenging encounter for a 5-6 th LVL Player group in AD&D , 1st ed. , of course ;)

  • @metalmaria26
    @metalmaria26 Жыл бұрын

    They strongly remind me of draugr from Skyrim. Great potential rabbit hole to write spin offs from.

  • @charliericker274
    @charliericker274 Жыл бұрын

    Nice reading of the incantation.

  • @ImperialistFan
    @ImperialistFan Жыл бұрын

    Gollum : “Cold be heart and hand and bone/Cold be travelers far from home/They do not see what lies ahead when Sun has failed and Moon is dead”.

  • @Margoth195
    @Margoth195 Жыл бұрын

    you know, I would find a comparison of tom bombadil to the ideas and life of Diogenes interesting in that they seem to reject everyone else's rules and outside forces seem to have no power over them. as a fan of both, I know it more complicated but found myself musing on the idea watching this. Thanks for the vid!

  • @whynottalklikeapirat
    @whynottalklikeapirat4 ай бұрын

    Those wights were just a couple of undead Barrow-Clowns pulling an elaborate prank. Tom, probably drunk out of his skull and wanting to play sir Barrow-knight totally jumped the gun, overreacted and the whole thing was blown out of proportion and misrepresented later on as the story got thrown about in taverns across Middle Earth by halflings with full pints and small guy syndrome. A more sober version was actually recorded by a local Barrow-wright but undead journalism was pretty dead as a popular genre even then, so as usual the redfaced loudmouths of the world won out in the long run.

  • @101Waylander
    @101Waylander Жыл бұрын

    Best LotR’s channel on any platform.

  • @Burning-Embers
    @Burning-Embers Жыл бұрын

    I did not know the barrow downs were first used as a burial place during the first age. Those original barrows must have seemed as old as the oldest tombs we know on earth. Cool!

  • @tonyajm8289
    @tonyajm8289 Жыл бұрын

    Excellent stuff. As a horror fan I've always enjoy this part of the book.

  • @dragginmeout4553
    @dragginmeout4553 Жыл бұрын

    Didn't even know about them thanks nerd

  • @Yeti_SploofZ
    @Yeti_SploofZ Жыл бұрын

    Hello, im a huge fan! Have you ever thought about doing another channel like the nerd of the rings that dives into the lore and stories of the franchise but you do it about the wizard of earthsea? I absolutely love that series, it's my joint 1st favourite book series of all time along side lord of the rings. Or even if you didn't do a channle, you could maybe do some one off videos? Just an idea as no one really covers the lore of earthsea on KZread.

  • @Angroom
    @Angroom Жыл бұрын

    Amazing!

  • @tonygilbert5256
    @tonygilbert525611 ай бұрын

    The Barrow Downs and the Old Forest were my favorite part of the series.

  • @jamesnoyes8569
    @jamesnoyes856911 ай бұрын

    There is so much to learn of Tolkien