The Lord Of The Rings: 10 Things You Didn't Know About The Nazgûl

Peter Jackson's Nazgûl were terrifying depictions of Sauron's most fear-inspiring servants. Their sinister and skulking appearance, coupled with their bone-chilling cries, made them menacing adversaries.

Jackson left out a key component in the Nazgûl's arsenal, however. The Nine were said to inspire fear wherever they went, even when unseen their presence was enough to make folk uneasy. During their journey through Rohan, for example, they traveled without their cloaks and were thus invisible, but a dark atmosphere was felt across the land. The Ringwraiths could concrete this feeling, which had he effect of rendering people speechless, drive them mad, or even kill them. This was known as 'The Black Breath'.

Several characters are stricken by this affliction throughout the story. Merry is knocked unconscious in Bree, with Aragorn believing it was the Black Breath. Frodo also suffers from it when he is stabbed on Weathertop, and never truly recovers from its combined effect with the Morgul blade.

The Nazgûl use it extensively throughout the siege of Minis Tirith, forcing men to flee from the walls in madness. When Faramir is stricken down by an arrow during the retreat from Osgiliath, Aragorn later realises he must have been assailed by the Nazgûl, simultaneously, due to his prolonged illness. Merry and Éowyn are also afflicted after their fight with the Witch-king. The three only survive their encounter due to Aragorn's skill at healing.