Witch-king's winged steed

The Witch-king's winged steed was a gigantic, flying Nazgûl-bird which the Witch-king of Angmar rode during the War of the Ring in Middle-earth.
== History ==
The creature belonged to a group of ancient beasts, discovered by Sauron and fed with foul meats. It was the largest of the nine winged steeds that were given to the Nazgûl as Nazgûl-birds after they were unhorsed at the Ford of Bruinen.
The Witch-king rode a new horse at the departure of Minas Morgul's great host, and then during the Siege of Gondor. When the Rohirrim arrived on the Pelennor Fields, the Witch-king quickly rode off and mounted the Nazgûl-bird. In battle, he shot King Théoden's horse with a dart, which fell and pinned the king to the ground. Landing on the fallen king, the Nazgûl-bird dug its claws into the flesh of Snowmane. Dernhelm (who was revealed to be Éowyn) appeared and defended the dying Théoden, challenging and then beheading the beast.The Lord of the Rings, The Return of the King, Book V, Ch. VI, "The Battle of the Pelennor Fields"
Even headless, the beast yet lived a few seconds before perishing. Its master, the Witch-king, furiously attacked Éowyn, and almost killed her, but she survived, and eventually slew him with the help of the hobbit Meriadoc Brandybuck.
The Nazgûl-bird's headless corpse was later burned, leaving a black, bare stain on the ground where it lay. Not more than ten days later, Sauron himself would be destroyed, and all remaining Nazgûl-birds would perish in the ruin of Mordor with their unearthly masters.
== Adaptations ==
=== The Lord of the Rings film trilogy ===
In The Two Towers movie (2002), the Nazgûl-bird is first seen flying over Osgiliath as Mordor assaults the city, and it almost captures the hobbit Frodo Baggins after the Witch-king senses that the One Ring was with the halfling. But before the Nazgûl-bird attacks Frodo, Samwise Gamgee saves him, and Faramir of Gondor shoots an arrow at the Nazgûl-bird's neck. Frightened, the Witch-king and the creature fly away to Mordor.
In the The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, the Nazgûl-bird is especially prominent at the siege of Minas Tirith and Battle of the Pelennor Fields, where, along with the other Nazgûl-birds, it slaughters many Gondorian soldiers, grabbing them and their horses with its powerful claws, lifting them high into the air, and dropping them to the ground. Unlike the other Nazgûl-birds, it wears a helmet. Later, after the host of Rohirrim has arrived to help Gondor, and joins the battle, the Witch-king commands the Nazgûl-bird to attack King Théoden of Rohan and "feast on his flesh".
The Nazgûl-bird attacks and quickly kills Snowmane, Théoden's horse. The horse fell on Théoden, crushing him. He eventually dies of his wounds but not before he sees his niece kill the Witch-king. As in the book, the Nazgûl-bird attempts to kill Eowyn, but it impales its throat on her sword, then she swiftly darts aside and cuts the beast's neck with two strokes. The headless corpse continues to writhe as it dies, flinging down the Witch-king from his saddle.
==References==
== Gallery ==
Category:The Lord of the Rings characters
Category:Monsters
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