Dead Men of Dunharrow - wikipedia Dead Men of Dunharrow For the cancelled 2013 sequel to the remake of the 1978 film Dawn of the Dead, see Dawn of the Dead ( 2004 film ) § Cancelled sequel. This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. ( February 2008 ) The Dead Men of Dunharrow ( also referred as the Shadow Host, the Grey Host, the oathbreakers, or simply the Dead ) are fictional characters in J.R.R. Tolkien 's Middle - earth legendarium. They appear in The Lord of the Rings as the ghosts of Men of the White Mountains ( Ered Nimrais ), who were cursed to remain in Middle - earth by Isildur after they abandoned their oath to aid him in the War of the Last Alliance. They were formerly known as the Men of the Mountains, and they were related to the Dunlendings. Contents 1 Appearances 1.1 Literature 1.2 Adaptations 2 Other media 3 See also 4 Notes and references Appearances Literature At the end of the Second Age, their king, known as the King of the Mountains, pledged allegiance to Isildur at the Stone of Erech. However, these Men later refused to aid Isildur in his war against Sauron ; they came to the aid of neither side, but instead hid in the mountains. They had previously worshipped the Dark Lord during the Dark Years. As punishment, Isildur cursed them, saying that they would not have peace or rest till they fulfilled their oath upon his command or that of his heirs. Their spirits haunted the caverns beneath the Dwimorberg, the Haunted Mountain, and the valley of Harrowdale that lay in its shadow. They were said to appear in Harrowdale only in times of trouble or death, and they haunted the Stone of Erech on the other side of the mountains as well. Malbeth the Seer prophesied that a day would come when need and haste would drive one of Isildur 's heirs to take the Paths of the Dead and that the Dead would answer to his call. Thousands of years later, in the final years of the Third Age, that prophecy was fulfilled. In the War of the Ring, Aragorn, Isildur 's heir and direct descendant, called upon the Dead, summoning them to the stone of Erech, and commanded them to fulfil their oath and be free. On this occasion, he first displays the royal banner of Gondor, made by Arwen and delivered to him by Halbarad and the Grey Company. They followed him through Gondor 's lands and fiefs south of the Mountains, and at the port of Pelargir they drove away the Corsairs of Umbar, allies of Sauron. Their oath fulfilled, Aragorn granted them their freedom, and they vanished at last from the world. After this, Aragorn gathered the warriors of the region to him. They sailed to Minas Tirith on the Corsairs ' own ships, and turned the tide at the Battle of the Pelennor Fields. The Men of the Shadow Host appeared to be grey shades ; some still rode ghostly horses, but all moved at the same speed. They bore swords and spears and banners, and answered a horn - call with their own horns. However, they did not need weapons ( it is left vague whether they and their weapons are `` material '' at all ), for their primary weapon was fear. In the battle with the Corsairs, as recounted by Legolas and Gimli to Merry and Pippin, the Corsairs abandoned their ships in terror, which Aragorn then commandeered. Those who did not flee drowned in the sea. In fact, they terrified Mordor 's and Gondor 's soldiers alike ( as they passed through the land, people hid in terror, and they even disrupted a local battle ). Adaptations The Army of the Dead in Peter Jackson 's The Lord of the Rings : The Return of the King. In the 1980 animated version of The Return of the King, the Dead Men of Dunharrow are omitted, and Aragorn just shows up at Minas Tirith with the warriors of southern Gondor, riding the Corsairs ' ships. In Peter Jackson 's live - action adaptation, The Lord of the Rings : The Return of the King, the Dead Men are only referred to as the `` Army of the Dead ''. Aragorn proves his authority to them with Andúril, and only Legolas and Gimli are with him ; his fellow Rangers of the North do not appear. Erech is also not featured. In the latter film, the Dead are depicted as green and glowing, and dwell in a Petra - like spectral, similarly coloured underground city, to which Aragorn and company visit. In the book, Aragorn summons them above ground to the Stone, and they serve him willingly, almost eagerly ; the film has them at the verge of attacking the trio when Aragorn parries the king 's blade with the royal sword Andúril, proving his authority. Their king also recites the following verses, possibly forming a stanza from a type of roundel poem : The way is shut. It was made by those who are Dead. And the Dead keep it. The way is shut. In the book these verses were recited many years before by a mysterious old man found by the Rohirrim shortly before he dies, shortly after Meduseld is built. The film omits the second - to - the - last line of the verses : Until the time comes. Rather than terrifying their foes ( and mostly everyone else ), the Dead appear to suck the life out of them. The battle with the Corsairs occurs off - screen in the theatrical cut, but is glimpsed in the extended cut. The Army of the Dead also accompany Aragorn to Minas Tirith to destroy Sauron 's entire army on the Pelennor Fields. They kill every foe in sight -- Orc, Man, and Oliphaunt alike -- and move into the occupied area of the city, rescuing the defenders. Only after a scene of silent vacillation, where Gimli even suggests that they keep them, does Aragorn declare their curse lifted. According to a magazine article, Peter Jackson hated the Dead Men ; he thought it was too unbelievable. He kept it in the script because he did not wish to disappoint diehard fans of the books. Nevertheless, he expanded their use as a deus ex machina, and CNN.com criticized his use of the Dead Men as such. Other media The Dead Men of Dunharrow appear in various games : In Iron Crown Enterprises ' Middle - earth Role Playing Game, the King of the Dead is called Morthec Gruan, but this name is non-canonical. The Dead are also featured in video and computer games based on the Jackson films, namely the real - time strategy games The Lord of the Rings : The Battle for Middle - earth and its sequel The Lord of the Rings : The Battle for Middle - earth II, and the action platformer adaptation of The Return of the King. In the latter, the player actually has to fight them and their King, who is a boss with his own level, before they will fight for Gondor. In The Lord of the Rings : The Third Age, when the player is allowed to play as Aragorn on the Pelennor Fields, an option is to summon Army of the Dead. They are also part of Games Workshop 's The Lord of the Rings Strategy Battle Game. In the Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game, The Lord of the Rings Online -- Update 14 ( released on 14 July 2014 ) takes you through the Paths of the Dead mere hours behind Aragorn and the Grey Company 's passage, to the Stone of Erech, and then on through Western Gondor en route to the Battle of Pelargir. An undetermined number of the cursed Men of the Mountains have decided not to follow Aragorn and become known as `` The Ruthless Dead. '' It is these hostile spirits that the player must defend against on the journey throughout western and central Gondor. See also Middle - earth portal Baldor List of ghosts Notes and references Jump up ^ Tolkien, J.R.R. ( 1955 ), The Return of the King, The Lord of the Rings, Boston : Houghton Mifflin ( published 1987 ), `` The Muster of Rohan '', ISBN 0 - 395 - 08256 - 0 Jump up ^ `` This spectacular whirlwind of CGI, distorted sound and awesome scale ( Battle of the Pelennor Fields ) stunned audiences, and was rightly hailed as a movie milestone. Then it all goes horribly wrong... the staunch resistance of the Men of Gondor and the Rohirrim 's endeavors on the battlefield are all rendered utterly pointless when the Army of the Dead swoop in at the end. Could n't they have turned up a bit earlier ? An oversimplified cop out. '' - CNN.com, The Screening Room. `` The best -- and worst -- movie battle scenes. '' Archived April 8, 2007, at the Wayback Machine. Last retrieved November 20, 2007. J.R.R. Tolkien 's The Lord of the Rings The Fellowship of the Ring film soundtrack game The Two Towers film soundtrack game The Return of the King film soundtrack game Production and reception Composition Themes Influences Translations Reception Fandom Study Related works The Hobbit The Adventures of Tom Bombadil The Road Goes Ever On The Silmarillion Unfinished Tales The History of Middle - earth The History of The Lord of the Rings Bilbo 's Last Song The Children of Húrin The History of The Hobbit The Tale of Beren and Lúthien Characters Aragorn Arwen Bilbo Boromir Butterbur Celeborn Ceorl Denethor Elladan and Elrohir Elrond Éomer Éowyn Faramir Frodo Galadriel Gandalf Gildor Gimli Glorfindel Gollum Legolas Merry Mouth of Sauron Old Man Willow Pippin Radagast Sam Saruman Sauron Shelob Théoden Tom Bombadil Treebeard Witch - king Wormtongue Adaptations and other derivative works Books Bored of the Rings ( 1969 ) The Last Ringbearer ( 1999 ) Muddle Earth ( 2003 ) Theatre Fellowship ! ( 2005 ) Lord of the Rings ( 2006 ) Radio The Lord of the Rings ( 1955 ) The Lord of the Rings ( 1979 ) Hordes of the Things ( 1980 ) The Lord of the Rings ( 1981 ) Der Herr der Ringe ( 1992 ) Film Animated The Lord of the Rings ( 1978 ) The Return of the King ( 1980 ) Peter Jackson trilogy The Lord of the Rings : The Fellowship of the Ring ( 2001 ) The Lord of the Rings : The Two Towers ( 2002 ) The Lord of the Rings : The Return of the King ( 2003 ) Fan - made The Hunt for Gollum ( 2009 ) Born of Hope ( 2009 ) Video games Journey to Rivendell Game One Game Two : Shadows of Mordor War in Middle Earth Vol. I ( 1990 ) Vol. I ( SNES ) Riders of Rohan Elendor Volume II Kingdom O ' Magic The Fellowship of the Ring The Two Towers The Return of the King War of the Ring The Third Age The Battle for Middle - earth Tactics The Battle for Middle - earth II The Rise of the Witch - king The Lord of the Rings Online Mines of Moria Siege of Mirkwood Rise of Isengard Riders of Rohan Helm 's Deep Conquest Aragorn 's Quest War in the North Lego The Lord of the Rings Guardians of Middle - earth Middle - earth : Shadow of Mordor Middle - earth : Shadow of War Tabletop role - playing games The Lord of the Rings Roleplaying Game Middle - earth Role Playing The One Ring Roleplaying Game Board games Middle Earth Lord of the Rings Risk : The Lord of the Rings Trilogy Edition War of the Ring Other games The Lord of the Rings Strategy Battle Game The Lord of the Rings : The Card Game The Lord of the Rings Trading Card Game Middle - earth Collectible Card Game Toys Middle - earth Lego sets Ghosts List of ghosts Manifestations Haunted locations Haunted highways Haunted house Haunted trains Haunted ships Hungry ghost Phantom vehicle Poltergeist Residual haunting Vengeful ghost By continent and culture African South Africa Asian South Asian Bengali Burmese Chinese locations Ghost Festival Filipino locations India Japanese Onryō Korean Malay Thai Tibetan Vietnamese Europe France Slavic religion Romania United Kingdom Scotland North America Canada Caribbean Navajo Ghost sickness Ghost Dance Mexican locations Day of the Dead United States District of Columbia South America Colombia Oceania Maori Polynesian History Mesopotamian Ancient Egyptian culture Classical Antiquity Ghosts in English - speaking cultures Ghosts in Spanish - speaking cultures Parapsychology Apparitional experience Electronic voice phenomenon kaidan Ghost hunting Séance Mediumship Spirit photography Popular culture Films about ghosts India Stories about ghosts Halloween Samhain Paranormal television Court cases Booty v Barnaby Related Fear of ghosts Spectrophilia Spiritualism Spiritism The Ghost Club Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Dead_Men_of_Dunharrow&oldid=782859579 '' Categories : Middle - earth Men Fictional ghosts Fictional undead Fictional characters introduced in 1955 Hidden categories : Webarchive template wayback links Articles needing additional references from February 2008 All articles needing additional references Talk Contents About Wikipedia Español Français Nederlands Polski Suomi Edit links This page was last edited on 29 May 2017, at 17 : 04. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution - ShareAlike License ; additional terms may apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Wikipedia ® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization. About Wikipedia

Question: who are the ghosts in lord of the rings
Answer: Dead Men of Dunharrow