The Fell beasts of Middle-earth (Nazgûl-birds)

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  • เผยแพร่เมื่อ 27 พ.ย. 2021
  • The Fell beasts or Nazgûl-birds were the airborne mounts of the Ringwraiths in Tolkien’s legendarium, and this video explores the different pieces of lore and history about them, as well as how they were used in the works of Middle-earth! Thank you so much for watching, let me know your thoughts on the Fell beasts in the comments below! As always, a great thanks to the online artists whose visual works made this video possible! If you are one of the artists, please let me know and I will post your name and a link to your work in this description!
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ความคิดเห็น • 244

  • @trevorp8124
    @trevorp8124 2 ปีที่แล้ว +137

    Gollum: "Ah! They flies now!"
    Frodo: "They fly now?!?"
    Sam: "(Sigh) They fly now..."

    • @NicholasRodriguezN7
      @NicholasRodriguezN7 2 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      LOOOOL

    • @TheTb2364
      @TheTb2364 2 ปีที่แล้ว +5

      I just came back from finding the same reference in Halo Infinite. I love how every fandom is united in laughing at star wars sequels.

  • @wellis3891
    @wellis3891 2 ปีที่แล้ว +115

    Eowyn just being a full weapon decapitating fell beasts like it’s any other Tuesday

    • @timonsolus
      @timonsolus 2 ปีที่แล้ว +7

      And without an elvish sword, too... unless Gandalf lent her Glamdring.

    • @ogately
      @ogately 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      I wish the witch king had a more heroic death but ya eowyn is sick

    • @ericthompson3982
      @ericthompson3982 2 ปีที่แล้ว

      Because she's awesome.

    • @chucktaylor2172
      @chucktaylor2172 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      @@ogately Errrr "heroic" death for The Witch King???? I'm thinking you used the wrong word. I don't wanna see that scum get a heroic death at all lol. He's certainly no hero dude. I think you wanted a more....idk...entertaining death perhaps? Maybe a more drawn-out back and forth battle? It did seem like Eowyn had no trouble really. Well I guess that's not exactly true Witch King had her on the ropes until Merry came in with that timely back-stab. Idk lol I hated The Witch King ever since he stabbed my boy on Weathertop lol

    • @ogately
      @ogately 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      @@chucktaylor2172 that’s what I meant I think it should of been a longer fight and maybe more people fighting and eowyn finishing him off

  • @JoeQuake
    @JoeQuake 2 ปีที่แล้ว +72

    I think the Nazgul were sent forth first on horses because their mission to recover the Ring was better achieved by more stealthy means. Also, there's a tactical advantage to holding your secret weapons in reserve until it's time for the big battle. I think Sauron must have been fearfully stunned that The Nine were defeated at the Bruinen. At that point he had to strengthen them by providing them the winged beasts to use as steeds.

    • @citizenoftheninthdivision
      @citizenoftheninthdivision 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      ^THIS

    • @chucktaylor2172
      @chucktaylor2172 2 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      @@BigFormula93 Agreed. Plus the fell beasts obviously aren't invincible. I'm sure Gondor archers could have taken them down. Or Elven archers.

    • @jacobgrimm9475
      @jacobgrimm9475 2 ปีที่แล้ว

      @@chucktaylor2172 That was my thought too. Eriador had Rangers and Grey Elves spread about the land. The Nazguls would never know when they would get shot down while searching for something called "Shire" and "Baggins".

  • @OfficialRedTeamReview
    @OfficialRedTeamReview 2 ปีที่แล้ว +83

    Do Not Come Between the Nazgûl and His Prey - The Night King

    • @MenoftheWest
      @MenoftheWest  2 ปีที่แล้ว +16

      LOL

    • @Longshanks1690
      @Longshanks1690 2 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      Carmine! : D

    • @gruu
      @gruu 2 ปีที่แล้ว +4

      Avada kedavra! Said Rincewind and smote his enemy on the western wild mountainside

    • @nataliuselyanto210
      @nataliuselyanto210 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      😂🤣🤪 i’m dead..

    • @Orangefan77
      @Orangefan77 2 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      Get on with it then
      - Eorya

  • @happywheeler4268
    @happywheeler4268 2 ปีที่แล้ว +66

    Asked about the nature of the "steed of the Witch-king", Tolkien replied that the fell beast was not intended to be pterodactylic, but hesitantly acknowledged that it resembles a pterosaur and may have been a survivor of older geological eras.
    I am glad you brought this up as many do not know this. I personally believe the dinosaurs of the elder days-perhaps their eggs, were what Morgoth used to breed dragons and fell beasts because he couldn’t create life, only pervert it.
    Great video, one thing I wanted to add to your argument is that the Nazgûl would have been targets for the eagles if they rode their fell beasts to the shire, not to mention the elves would have seen them too. Like you said, they would have sacrificed secrecy to do this.

    • @Nunya_Bidness_53
      @Nunya_Bidness_53 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      I picture a pterosaur crossed with a vulture, fits with being ridden by dead guys.

    • @happywheeler4268
      @happywheeler4268 2 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      @@Nunya_Bidness_53 Indeed I can get behind that. We will never know where Morgoth got his genetic material, but the original dinosaurs might be a good indication, as Tolkien pointed out in his letter

    • @kotarojujo2737
      @kotarojujo2737 2 ปีที่แล้ว

      yeah Glaurung and many dragons before war of wrath should looks more like dinosaur, since they're didn't develop a wing yet

    • @TomsBackyardWorkshop
      @TomsBackyardWorkshop 2 ปีที่แล้ว

      Except for one thing. Middle Earth is not Earth at least not our Earth. Its more like Earth in another dimension. I do not believe the dinosaurs from our dimension have a direct link to Middle Earth but it is likely that there would have been similar creatures.

    • @Nunya_Bidness_53
      @Nunya_Bidness_53 2 ปีที่แล้ว +5

      @@TomsBackyardWorkshop My perception iscthat ME is supposed to be Earth before the ascendancy of humans and the disappearance of magic and it's fading into myth...

  • @LuisAlbright
    @LuisAlbright 2 ปีที่แล้ว +64

    The beasts wouldn’t have been of use in the hunt for the Ring. They had no idea at all where The Shire might be, so they (the Nazgûl) needed to make inquiries along the way, which would have been difficult from hundreds of feet above the ground. Also, Tolkien gives a brief but not very helpful reason for why these creatures were kept to a certain extent secret. ““Nazgûl, Nazgûl,’ said Grishnákh, shivering and licking his lips, as if the word had a foul taste that he savoured painfully. ‘You speak of what is deep beyond the reach of your muddy dreams, Uglúk,’ he said. ‘Nazgûl! Ah! All that they make out! One day you’ll wish that you had not said that. Ape!’ he snarled fiercely. ‘You ought to know that they’re the apple of the Great Eye. But the winged Nazgûl: not yet, not yet. He won’t let them show themselves across the Great River yet, not too soon. They’re for the War - and other purposes.”

    • @metallipwn
      @metallipwn 2 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      Also way too conspicuous

    • @Redtornado6
      @Redtornado6 2 ปีที่แล้ว

      Also, when Frodo is talking to Gandalf at Rivendell, Gandalf says that the nazgul have been dismounted, and says nothing about the fell beasts. We could conclude that even Gandalf doesn’t know about the winged beasts.

  • @Restilia_ch
    @Restilia_ch 2 ปีที่แล้ว +18

    I think that the Witch King and other Nazgul choosing to use horses at times makes some degree of tactical sense. As we see, the Fell Beasts cannot best the Eagles of Manwe and can in fact be struck down by a single human who fends off the terror facing one and its Rider would bring. That leads me to think that they are not great combat mounts, but are best at giving the Nazgul speed of travel and a literal birds-eye-view of the environment. The Fell Beasts are too tall for the mounted Nazgul to strike at a target on the ground, which is where they would instead use a horse.

  • @quickclipsart1028
    @quickclipsart1028 2 ปีที่แล้ว +16

    There is a moment in the fellowship of the ring, before they go to carahdras i think, where frodo senses a dark shadow fly overhead. Aragorn felt it too and said, "whatever it was, it was moving fast....and against the wind"

    • @shadowofchaos8932
      @shadowofchaos8932 2 ปีที่แล้ว +4

      After the water shaped like horses washed the Nine down the Anduin, they retreated and mounted the flying beasts. Legolas shot one out of the sky in the dark traveling to the Argonoth.

  • @chrisa7905
    @chrisa7905 2 ปีที่แล้ว +20

    Perhaps as the wraiths were searching for the ring near the Shire, the Fell beasts were searching elsewhere at the same time. Or not yet bred to completion all together.

  • @burebor9940
    @burebor9940 2 ปีที่แล้ว +46

    On the context of the word "fell" with "beast" as in "fell beasts", there is a possible cognate with the english word "fell" with the word "fæl" in norwegian, meaning "unpleasant", "gruesome", "hideous", "ugly", "bad" and so forth.

    • @nosotrosloslobosestamosreg4115
      @nosotrosloslobosestamosreg4115 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      Since my mother language is Spanish, "Fell" is usually translated as "caído", but in the sense of falling from Grace or Holiness, more akin to English "nefarious/nefando" coming from Ancient Hebrew "Nepha" (to fall) as in Nephillim.

    • @burebor9940
      @burebor9940 2 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      @@nosotrosloslobosestamosreg4115 Cool! That is an interesting possibility. Although prof. Tolkien was very conscious of the words he used in his works, by using as litle loanwords of latin or non-germanic origin in english where possible. And it is very evident that prof. Tolkien took most of his inspiration from anglo-saxon and norse tales, with some biblical undertones influenced by his catholic faith, even though he himself would deny this. Compare this to prof. Tolkien's friend C.S. Lewis' Narnia, where refrences to latin and greek mythological creatures in his very Bible promenant world is way more than in prof. Tolkien's world.

    • @burebor9940
      @burebor9940 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      As well as prof. Tolkien was a great language enthusiast, he often referenced old/oldish english words which in nature are closer to say norwegian, then other indo-european tongues.

    • @nosotrosloslobosestamosreg4115
      @nosotrosloslobosestamosreg4115 2 ปีที่แล้ว

      @@burebor9940 You make plural in Hebrew usin "-im", as in Rohirrim, just like in Nephilim.

    • @burebor9940
      @burebor9940 2 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      @@nosotrosloslobosestamosreg4115 Nice! But as we know prof. Tolkien basically based the folk of Rohan (Rohirrim) on the anglo-saxons (but as horse warriors inspired by the normans), and also thus based the tongue of the rohirrim on anglo-saxon, which is a different language family than Hebrew, which is from the semitic language tree (but prof. Tolkien did take inspiration from semitic to dwarvish khuzdul, of what little he gave).
      As to the plural "-im" in "rohirrim" is probably related to the dativ plural "-um" in norse, icelandic and faroese, and "-om" in norwegian dialects. But as "-im" is also plural in Hebrew in words such as in "Nephilim" is very cool, even though they are not just different languages, but also from different language families and language trees that evolved separately. Anglo-saxon being from the germanic branch of indo-european, and Hebrew from semitic.

  • @dmdebruijn
    @dmdebruijn 2 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

    Joystan is the foremost expert on issues pertaining to deep Lore, the personalities of Middle Earth, and the Council of the Rings.

  • @paulwagner688
    @paulwagner688 2 ปีที่แล้ว +26

    The name which throws everyone off is the word "Fell". Fell here is used as a general adjective meaning "Evil", with connotations of horror.

    • @dwightsmith3815
      @dwightsmith3815 2 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      or if you are german, "Fell" means "fur" and you are disappointed that they aren't fluffy

    • @matthiasweiss1144
      @matthiasweiss1144 2 ปีที่แล้ว

      Consider also: "In one fell swoop"

  • @billmiller4972
    @billmiller4972 2 ปีที่แล้ว +21

    " I'm no man! " Still one of the most badass scenes ever.

  • @PanzerShrek94
    @PanzerShrek94 2 ปีที่แล้ว +7

    6:15 i played that instance so many times i can quote the intro by heart
    "High above the Morgul Vale in a cleft in the side of Achathras, Gath
    Daeroval is home to the Shadow-roost of the fell beasts. It is said to
    be home to Khatlob, the massive, voracious brood-mother of the roost,
    who laid the eggs whence sprang the mounts of the Witch-king and the
    other Ringwraiths."

  • @Longshanks1690
    @Longshanks1690 2 ปีที่แล้ว +42

    Casual fan: Oh man, it was so cool when the Nazgul swept down on their dragons, that’s my favourite bit!
    Tolkien nerd: _Um_ 🤓 *ACKSHUALLYYYY*

  • @IronDragon-2143
    @IronDragon-2143 2 ปีที่แล้ว +5

    Wanna know what's going to be a whole lot of fun? My step sister has NEVER seen LOTR before. I can't wait to show her these movies.

  • @Archon1995
    @Archon1995 2 ปีที่แล้ว +13

    I feel at least part of the reluctance to use the Fell Beasts comes down to there not being many of them. They are terrifying and terrible, but they aren't invincible. Legolas brought one down, very likely killing it since its rider did not show up soon after. They were subject to mundane weapons, as shown by Eowyn. The sheer size of a Fell Beast very likely argued against taking it into Minas Tirith when the gates were breached, the streets hampering its mobility (and that of the Lord of the Nazgul if he were astride) and making attacks against it by soldiers able to master their terror easier. Their vulnerabilities was likely known to Sauron and the wraiths, tempered further by Sauron's tendency to secrecy, leading to only using them when speed was most important.
    Note also that there were almost certainly at least 10 total and likely a few more, since the wraith riding the one Legolas shot down had another later. I don't think there were TOO many more, though.

  • @hudsonball4702
    @hudsonball4702 2 ปีที่แล้ว +4

    I finally got my first copy of the Silmarillion yesterday! Until now I has only been listening to it through audiobook.

  • @bedlaskybedla6361
    @bedlaskybedla6361 2 ปีที่แล้ว +9

    Maybe were fell beasts Sauron's new inovation which appeared during the War of the ring? Maybe they weren't ready yet when Nazgul search for the one ring in the Shire? Or maybe a birthday present for the Witch-king? :D

  • @shadowofchaos8932
    @shadowofchaos8932 2 ปีที่แล้ว +42

    This is a fun thing to explain to younger readers/watchers of the story. Most younger fans think the beasts are Nazgul, not the Ring wraiths upon them.

    • @alexdel7590
      @alexdel7590 2 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      POV me when I was 7

  • @tinasepo
    @tinasepo 2 ปีที่แล้ว +8

    7:50 One does not simply fly into Shire :P

  • @isaaccircenis4680
    @isaaccircenis4680 2 ปีที่แล้ว +9

    Having clearly watched this whole video I am amazed at the time and quality put into your work

  • @JoeQuake
    @JoeQuake 2 ปีที่แล้ว +6

    "...And behold! it was a winged creature: if bird, then greater than all other birds, and it was naked, and neither quill nor feather did it bear, and its vast pinions were as webs of hide between horned fingers; and it stank. A creature of an older world maybe it was, whose kind, lingering in forgotten mountains cold beneath the Moon, outstayed their day, and in hideous eyrie bred this last untimely brood, apt to evil. And the Dark Lord took it, and nursed it with fell meats, until it grew beyond the measure of all other things that fly; and he gave it to his servant to be his steed..."
    The Return of the King, Chapter 6, The Battle of the Pelennor Fields

    • @georgestephens2593
      @georgestephens2593 2 ปีที่แล้ว

      This is the very passage that came to mind. It explains the origin of at least one these fell beasts.

  • @abcjuniormilton
    @abcjuniormilton 2 ปีที่แล้ว +7

    They actually do resemble pterodactyls in the photos that you used. Your speculations of them using the beasts to hunt Frodo and the Fellowship are interesting, and I think you answered them: they needed secrecy. if they used the beasts the eagles would have likely detected them and would have attacked, at worst killing and at best hampering them. The elves might have seen them too, and Legolas killed on of the fell beasts already in Fellowship. Ironically, the need fro secrecy is also the reason why the Fellowship didn't just use the eagles to fly to Mordor.

  • @jamesfrost2399
    @jamesfrost2399 2 ปีที่แล้ว +4

    Great video. The fell beasts are among my favourite of the beasts of Middle Earth.

  • @cavetroll666
    @cavetroll666 2 ปีที่แล้ว +4

    lotro and bfme2 did a great job with fell beasts.

  • @bookman7409
    @bookman7409 2 ปีที่แล้ว +4

    While in form the fell beasts might resemble pterosaurs, I suspect that in function, JRRT was tapping memories of WWI airplanes. Perhaps he experienced a close strafing attack, and the fear of that haunted him afterward, perhaps until the war's end. As for the military tactics and strategies involved, the failure to treat beast-mounted Nazgul as tactical weapons is among the least problematic of them. Other authors have committed worse in terms of plot element gaffes, after all.

  • @guitarfee6521
    @guitarfee6521 2 ปีที่แล้ว +7

    I learned so much in this vid! Great job!

  • @dvklaveren
    @dvklaveren 2 ปีที่แล้ว +7

    I always thought the fell beasts were still being created when the Hobbits were headed to Rivendell.

  • @thebrotherskrynn
    @thebrotherskrynn 2 ปีที่แล้ว +3

    Perfect video for a day like this one, when I'm dealing with jaw-pains and waiting to go to the dentist to fix that, this is perfect for relaxing me with your voice Yoystan a true comfort. Love this lore too! Love the lore of the Fell-Beasts!

    • @MenoftheWest
      @MenoftheWest  2 ปีที่แล้ว

      Hope you feel better brother!

  • @khamullordoftheeastelings390
    @khamullordoftheeastelings390 2 ปีที่แล้ว +5

    *Nazgûl screech*
    Do not come between a Nazgûl and his prey

  • @1sonjohn44
    @1sonjohn44 2 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    Great video as always. It'd be nice to see a update to the watcher in the water video💯

  • @darth_hylian
    @darth_hylian 2 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    I would really like to see some type of show or book based on the Nazgul. It would be cool to know all about their pasts and how they transitioned from men to ghosts.

  • @LunacticInferno
    @LunacticInferno 2 ปีที่แล้ว +3

    I feel like, after previous ages, many of the creatures pervaded/mutated/altered by Morgoth (or those of the Maiar who took malignant forms) which survived those previous wars in some way either bred with inferior creatures, degraded, or were poor attempts by Sauron to recreate them. An example would be how any surviving werewolves could have bred with the wolves to create wargs by the time the Third Age came about. The bats and possible drakes/dragons which survived also degraded and were later bred and manipulated to what later is present.
    There would be so few of them remaining, and highly specialized to their possibility in battle, that they were used in optimum situations but anything more would have also put their advantage at risk with the inability to make future offspring.

  • @YourOldUncleNoongah
    @YourOldUncleNoongah 2 ปีที่แล้ว +3

    I like to imagine that these beast were all hatched at the small time, from the same clutch of huge eggs, as you've stated, several fell beasts were killed or injured in the books, and there seems to be more than 9 of them, thus allowing the Nazgul to select another from their reserves. And they all seem to appear at the same general time right?

  • @markovuger5849
    @markovuger5849 2 ปีที่แล้ว +4

    Nice video man! Keep up the great work you do! Such nice video quality? Can you make a video about more languages of Middle-earth like black speech or Sindarin and their relations?

  • @hazajacko
    @hazajacko 2 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    I know it isn't canon, but in Shadow of Mordor, you can see small crow sized Fellbeast in the sky within Mordor, I always liked to think that they grew larger and larger due to dark magics to become what they were. I also think P Jackson's depiction of them being serpentine with long necks and an almost beaked mouth, was always one of my favourite visualisations of this enigmatic creature

  • @Wyrmwould
    @Wyrmwould 2 ปีที่แล้ว +3

    Maybe it is like Batman where all of Batman's vehicles have a similar theme. In other words, these evil riders have all sorts of beasts that they ride based upon their needs. If so, what would the maritime version look like? Would the Nazgul ride upon some sort of evil shark? Or an evil sandworm in the desert? Or an evil yeti in the snowy mountains?

  • @fuzzy3440
    @fuzzy3440 2 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    Possibly that these beasts required large amounts of food, fed with "foul meats". They are mainly portrayed only in the vicinity of Morder, except for that one that flew to Orthanc, but that still wasn't a long way from Mordor. A horse can be grazed throughout Middle-earth. An army marches on it's stomach.

  • @Halbared
    @Halbared 2 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    I think it's fine that the fell beasts come in later. Look at Sauron's MO, he moves everything in secret, his armies, his spies, Sauron is petrified almost to complete inactivity without his ring, he knows he has been beaten before and even though it's unlikely now, it's still possible for an elf lord or the wizards to cause delay. Plus Sauron doesn't own the air, his fell-beasts are clearly high value possessions, likely he has very few, and they can't be easily replaced, he fed the fell beasts on carrion for years uncounting to make them big. It fits adequately that Sauron would unveil them only when the final blow of the hammer rings, like a aeroplane carrier, it's a heavyweight with a glass jaw, the Nazgûl were not ready to be revealed in their full majesty until the onslaught and they had plenty of backup. The eagles owned the air west of Mordor, fell beasts in the air would have been a mistake. Fell beasts are not dragons, they could be killed rather easily.

  • @ProperLogicalDebate
    @ProperLogicalDebate 2 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    The first imagery is great.

  • @ruhalajn
    @ruhalajn 2 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    I always thought that they were few in number and sauron was careful with them. Also, as you said, they were very conspicuous and would've alerted a lot of the more powerful leaders of the west to sauron's mustering. The black riders were a more stealthy form of the nazgul and I think it's significant that we don't see the fell beasts until after the black riders are destroyed or scattered at the ford. I ghink Tolkien even mentions that the nazgul were now in a form that rode on these creatures.

  • @zeusnitch
    @zeusnitch 2 ปีที่แล้ว

    7:47 "For instance, when the nine Nazgul rode their horses into Eriador searching for the One Ring, it may have *behooved* them"...lol, nice one. Also, "winged steeds instead" is pretty smooth

  • @ericxemerson
    @ericxemerson 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    I was always under the impression they were replacements to the horses lost in the fords, upgrades required as the war of the ring escalated. Early the Nazgûl were asking locals about hobbits, and were more useful as spies than warriors before hostilities broke out in full… so it may not have occurred to the forces of evil to use these creatures as war steeds until horses were killed and war was more outright (not unlike helicopters developing from troop transport to attack aircraft in modern day). I can imagine the miserable ringwraiths appearing before Sauron after they lost their horses in the ford being reprimanded and dramatically shown their new mounts, with a hint of ‘no more excuses’

  • @irishsage2459
    @irishsage2459 2 ปีที่แล้ว +6

    I did always see the Nazgul as Sauron's attempt to copy Morgoth's dragons, but lacking Morgoth's power and missing a great part of his own power given in the ring, this was the best he could "copy". So glad you brought this up !

    • @DraconimLt
      @DraconimLt 2 ปีที่แล้ว

      Fell Beasts, the Nazgul were the Ringwraiths 😅

    • @user-ts1nx1to8h
      @user-ts1nx1to8h 2 ปีที่แล้ว

      Nazgul=/= Fell beasts

  • @kaidorade1317
    @kaidorade1317 2 ปีที่แล้ว +6

    And this is what happened to Big Bird’s brother. Poor guy

  • @kaidorade1317
    @kaidorade1317 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    Future video ideas: Black hordes of Middle Earth, what if Bill the Pony became Bill the Black (pony for a Nazgûl) and: what magic (if any) could orcs wield?

  • @cheesus7672
    @cheesus7672 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    This video came right when I desired it, lucky me😁

  • @shanenolan8252
    @shanenolan8252 2 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    Thanks as always

  • @kimopuppy
    @kimopuppy 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    Two ideas.... 1) Perhaps the horses can change into the flying creatures and back 2) The Nazgul's could have a whole lot of different beasts to at there disposal depending on what they need

  • @KockenBlockerson
    @KockenBlockerson 2 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    i was wondering what to do untill the notification popped .

  • @orangexlightning
    @orangexlightning 2 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    Ooooohhhh I've been hoping for one on these.

  • @LocalHeretic-ck1kd
    @LocalHeretic-ck1kd 2 ปีที่แล้ว

    Great lore. Nice video. Thanks.

  • @Comicnut64
    @Comicnut64 2 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    Awesome idea for a vid Yoystan

  • @orrointhewise87
    @orrointhewise87 2 ปีที่แล้ว +6

    "Three days ride, as the Nazgul flies. And you better hope we don't have one those on our tail!"
    Leave it to the fans to call these 'Fellbeast' when it's not their technical name haha
    There's no doubt that's Sauron had a distinct advantage due to his airforce even if they weren't firebreathers. My guess is these creatures were in Arda before the light came to the world but perhaps a smaller more primitive form and wen evil came, well we saw how they change things to suit their plans.

  • @marionbaggins
    @marionbaggins 2 ปีที่แล้ว +6

    Tolkien must have thought a similar though, when he created the eagles and the Fell Beasts...When should I add them!!!
    Thanks Mellon for another beings of Middle Earth...Until Fingolfin ECH...Marion Baggins Out!!!

  • @random22026
    @random22026 2 ปีที่แล้ว

    Thank you, Yoystan!

  • @anniebiggs1217
    @anniebiggs1217 2 ปีที่แล้ว

    I thought all the scenes in the Lord of the Rings from the Two Towers to the Return of the king was very epic very good job at narration of the video I love it I enjoy your videos seeing also admire Tolkien’s works as well such cool history and lore there is to explore in Middle Earth which always fun and enjoyable thank you!

  • @CJCroen1393
    @CJCroen1393 2 ปีที่แล้ว

    I love these things-giant flying reptile monsters with huge membranous wings are my freaking aesthetic.

  • @Batkoku
    @Batkoku 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    I recall it mentioned that they were taken and fed foul meets...so that they grew vast. Apparently they were smaller creatures, mutated by Sauron.

  • @TommyRushing
    @TommyRushing 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    On thing I love about the channel is your willing to explore some weaker points in the stories and not just defend the stories.

  • @annaroselarsen4218
    @annaroselarsen4218 2 ปีที่แล้ว

    Awesome video i love the pictures

  • @Sara3346
    @Sara3346 2 ปีที่แล้ว

    Oh boy I love hearing about the most mysterious parts of the world here we go!

  • @Epic_Kingdom
    @Epic_Kingdom 2 ปีที่แล้ว

    I like how you made the tree fade in at the beginning of your video.

  • @mborges2133
    @mborges2133 2 ปีที่แล้ว

    Great topic!

  • @wardaddy6595
    @wardaddy6595 2 ปีที่แล้ว +4

    Somewhere in a secret corner of Mordor Sauron had a little Jurassic Park.

    • @darksoulsss2618
      @darksoulsss2618 2 ปีที่แล้ว

      indeed. I wonder what else he was possibly breeding as well.. maybe he had actual dragons in the works to.

  • @bobschenkel7921
    @bobschenkel7921 2 ปีที่แล้ว

    I like your idea of Sauron perverting the cold drakes to his purposes. It seems the most logical, with a little help from the Nazgul and their minions.

  • @yodaslovetoy
    @yodaslovetoy 2 ปีที่แล้ว +3

    Nazgul-birds can be seen on a Saturday night, wearing short skirts in freezing temperatures, up in the North of England

  • @kristianminkov9631
    @kristianminkov9631 ปีที่แล้ว

    Hi, Yoystan, I have been watching your videos for a few weeks now( and finished more than half of them ) and in the same time I am reading the books( The Fellowship I just finished and now started The Two Towers) for the first time and I noticed something in the chapter called "The Uruk-hai" where the orcs of Isengard were arguing with those of the north and mentioned something about the fall beasts. They said that they had not used them before because Sauron is saving them for the War. I hope that's helpfull if you forgot about it.

  • @guilherme5094
    @guilherme5094 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    I always thought of these creatures as a stage before the full dragon.

  • @devalarees9987
    @devalarees9987 ปีที่แล้ว

    I always thought the Fell Beasts weren't ready for action yet until during the journey of the Fellowship. They were something Sauron was still working on, one of his final preparations for the war. They're also seen to be pretty vulnerable, dying to a single arrow or a single sword stroke, so maybe he was holding them in reserve as he didn't have very many of them and was hoping to figure out a way to make them more durable without overburdening their flight capacities, but ended up giving up on this and putting them into service when they became needed.

  • @sethmiller2534
    @sethmiller2534 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    My T levels increased significantly after watching this video. Russian Models are now in my area because of the knowledge I have unlocked here!

  • @danepatterson8107
    @danepatterson8107 2 ปีที่แล้ว

    I started in September at the Hobbits' birthday studying a lot of Tolkien YT content: I remember why I left his other works alone: the more closely you examine Tolkien, the less impressive his story becomes (which is not to be eq1uated with his writing, which is masterful).

  • @Crushnaut
    @Crushnaut 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    I thought the Fell Beasts started showing up once Saruman betrayed and revealed the plan. Before that, Sauron was playing his cards close to his chest.

  • @hughgedney3393
    @hughgedney3393 10 หลายเดือนก่อน

    A second great video as always Men of the West.

  • @eacalvert
    @eacalvert 2 ปีที่แล้ว

    Another amazing video! And I feel so silly for not having thought of the giant bats as being the creatures that had been corrupted rather than the eagles

  • @peterk7428
    @peterk7428 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    I know they were described pretty well, but I'd like a closer focus on the Nazgul's horses. Bred from black horses stolen from the lands of the Rohirrim, they are the reason that Rohan has almost no black horses now.

  • @Whowascooley
    @Whowascooley 2 ปีที่แล้ว

    At the beginning of the LotR when the Nazgul are looking for Baggins and the Shire, it makes perfect sense to me that they would have ridden horses instead of Fell Beasts. For one, they were interrogating those they found as to the whereabouts of 'Baggins' and didn't want to draw attention to themselves more than they already would. Can you imagine if the Black Rider that had questioned Sam's father or Farmer Maggot had swooped down on a Fell Beast to do so? Another reason, I believe, is that the terrain was heavily wooded and from above they would not have actually seen much. It would serve them better to be on the ground to scour the woods and hedge rows and other such areas which would have been shrouded from above.

  • @TomsBackyardWorkshop
    @TomsBackyardWorkshop 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    I always thought they reserved the fell beast's for the final battle to avoid the eagles getting involved. Its obvious that flocks of giant eagles could have easily over powered the beasts and it isn't known if there are more of them in reserve. They are a great weapon in open battle but if they had to fight the eagles the entire time they wouldn't have been much use.

  • @emtiger3
    @emtiger3 2 ปีที่แล้ว

    Thanks!

  • @geviesanta3631
    @geviesanta3631 2 ปีที่แล้ว +5

    I bet that's what Gandalf would say if he were the one to slay the fell beast that the leader of the nazquál rode on: "Its over fell beast, I have the highground."

  • @Longshanks1690
    @Longshanks1690 2 ปีที่แล้ว +9

    I’ve always wondered why they never took these things to the Shire instead of their horses. They would have gotten there much faster, been able to cover much more territory from the air, descending if they felt the ring nearby and would have been able to pick up Asfalorth easily rather than chasing him, as one immediate example where they would have been more effective. Or, at the very least, the Witch King should have mounted one with the eight patrolling the countryside on horseback if necessary.
    There are counter-arguments for why the Fellowship didn’t take the eagles but none for why the Nazgul didn’t take the fell beasts to the shire so far as I can see.

    • @MWhaleK
      @MWhaleK 2 ปีที่แล้ว +7

      The likely use horses because they were looking for info/answers to find "Baggins" and using Fell Beasts would have scared people far to much as well as drawing to much attention to them.

    • @Longshanks1690
      @Longshanks1690 2 ปีที่แล้ว

      @@MWhaleK And standing outside a gate screaming "OPEN IN THE NAME OF MORDOR" doesn't attract attention?

    • @acrustykrab
      @acrustykrab 2 ปีที่แล้ว

      @@Longshanks1690 not as much. Fellbeasts would be terrifying ahah

    • @shadowofchaos8932
      @shadowofchaos8932 2 ปีที่แล้ว +10

      Stealth and secrecy is why. If the Nazgul on fell beasts flew to the Shire, everyone would see them coming and hide. The Elves could prepare for War and battle because they know Sauron is back and coming. By sending them in secret to grab the ring, better chance of success. 9 Ring Wraiths bring death and fear heading north would raise all alarms and force the lands to fight together.

    • @Longshanks1690
      @Longshanks1690 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      @@shadowofchaos8932 The Elves knew Sauron was back, and yet that did not stop them from still fleeing to the west, so I doubt that was a factor on his mind.
      Also, Sauron had hardly been subtle about his return, sending the Nazgul to try and bring the Dwarves of Erebor to the fold, he wasn't exactly subtle about that.
      Further, the lands between Mordor and the Shire were already aware that the Nazgul were tearing across their lands as, IIRC, Radagast tells Gandalf of that fact, so secrecy wasn't working for them.
      But there's an even more fundamental point; Speed was of the essence. None of the risks you mention would have been a care on Sauron's mind so long as he had the ring within his grasp and he would absolutely risk the element of surprise if he could quickly acquire the ring, which the fell beasts could very easily accomplish.
      There is just no case in which I can see Sauron wanting to be subtle when his key to his return to power is right there.

  • @jeffreygao3956
    @jeffreygao3956 2 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    I decided to call them Mordor chickens until someone thought of a better name. Fell Beast seems like it could describe any monster; Gandalf does yell “Send these fell creatures into the abyss!” and he had orcs in mind at that time.

    • @ValHazzard
      @ValHazzard 2 ปีที่แล้ว

      He yells "send these foul beasts into the abyss" though. At least in the movie. Was that line even in the book? I can't remember.

    • @jeffreygao3956
      @jeffreygao3956 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      @@ValHazzard It sure was.

    • @ValHazzard
      @ValHazzard 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      @@jeffreygao3956 ok. So he said fell creatures in the book? Because he definitely said foul beasts in the movie.

  • @lynneglendenning947
    @lynneglendenning947 ปีที่แล้ว

    The depiction of the fight in Return of the King was very realistic to what happened.

  • @istari0
    @istari0 2 ปีที่แล้ว

    I suspect either Sauron's desire for secrecy led to the Fell beasts not being used in the search for the ring or possibly they were not quite ready to be deployed.

  • @nickiana4759
    @nickiana4759 2 ปีที่แล้ว +7

    I rewatched the fellowship of the ring for the 100th time, and i was wondering why Galadriel wasn't at the council of elrond surely such a wise and powerful being should be present there Who knows what kind of knowledge she could have given and lets not forget that since she is a ring bearer herself so she would know how many risks it could take if the ring fell into the wrong hands.🤨🤔

    • @MenoftheWest
      @MenoftheWest  2 ปีที่แล้ว +5

      I wonder that as well, but I feel it was probably too dangerous even for Galadriel to pass over or around the mountains at that time.

    • @nickiana4759
      @nickiana4759 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      @@MenoftheWest yeah, your probably right, its interesting if galadriel was there, if she would have gone with them or if it would give a different story

    • @nickiana4759
      @nickiana4759 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      @@MenoftheWest love your content btw🙃 keep up the good work😇❤👍

    • @shadowofchaos8932
      @shadowofchaos8932 2 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      To add to that, Saruman wasn't there either. Only Gandalf and Elrond from the White Council were there.

    • @nickiana4759
      @nickiana4759 2 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      @@shadowofchaos8932 yeah thats True, but he betrayed gandalf and started wor king for sauron before the council so thats a bit more clear why he wasn't there

  • @genghisgalahad8465
    @genghisgalahad8465 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    Could they then be called...Naz-gulls? Epic art for always epic content!

    • @AlekTrev006
      @AlekTrev006 ปีที่แล้ว

      Ha ! ~ I lol’d 🤣

  • @Gigipretty64
    @Gigipretty64 2 ปีที่แล้ว

    The fell beasts remind me of wyverns. The CGI on LOTR’s of the beasts is so good, almost on par with GOTs dragons.

    • @darksoulsss2618
      @darksoulsss2618 ปีที่แล้ว

      GOT is overrated garbage. nothing special about it. Don't compare this to that unoriginal trash.

  • @Ancientreapers
    @Ancientreapers 2 ปีที่แล้ว

    7:48 I always thought that when they set out to look for the ring using horses they were not trying to attract any attention to themselves.

  • @Halbared
    @Halbared 2 ปีที่แล้ว

    I think the fell beats are part of those creatures that are out of the histories of the West. Maybe a relic of Melkor's twisting, or maybe came from the earth like other creatures, the nameless things under the mountains, the watcher etc.

  • @Ancientreapers
    @Ancientreapers 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    9:22 There are few instances where Tolkien did this. Like in the Hobbit why didn't Gandalf have the Eagles fly the party to at least the shores of Laketown. I know then we wouldn't have had the events between the Carrock and Erabor. And then you have the Army of the Dead just being used at the battle of Pelennor fields at Minas Tirith instead of all the way to black gate of Mordor. That army would have wiped everything out. Again though it wouldn't make the ending suspenseful.

  • @cendiacocri
    @cendiacocri 2 ปีที่แล้ว

    If you look closely there is a parallel between the Olifants and these creatures: they were large, they took a lot of time to grow and were used only in the war as an element of surprise. Just like Melkor did, when he used the dragons for the first time. Because they were too big, too expensive( costly in time and resources), too visible and too vulnerable to be used daily.
    If they were used daily, humans would have adapted to them and learn how to kill them exactly like they did with all the other creatures they encoutered.

  • @invariable_outcome1678
    @invariable_outcome1678 5 หลายเดือนก่อน

    My take is that they were bred from older creatures just in time for the War of the Rings. The men of Rohan and Gondor had never encountered them before, and were dismayed by their appearance. Aragorn, who had travelled far and wide into the east and south of Middle Earth, doesn't recognise them either. This seems to be supported by the text. The Witch King's steed is described as (maybe) having survived in mountains cold under the moons and being enlarged by Sauron feeding it "fell meats".

  • @michaelsavage7884
    @michaelsavage7884 2 ปีที่แล้ว

    Please do a video on Tol fuin the place that didn't sink from the first age. During the first age it was near where ungoliant and shelob lived. What was it like there afterwards?

  • @amandahill5304
    @amandahill5304 ปีที่แล้ว

    I think Sauron needed stealth at the beginning disguising the Nazgûl as just black riders saving the fell beast for work nearer to Mordor when he is truely revealed

  • @michaelkenny6496
    @michaelkenny6496 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    Heres a fun theory: The Fell Beasts were originally vultures or blackbirds twisted and spawned by the Nazgul with the power of their Rings

  • @adamortlip2750
    @adamortlip2750 2 ปีที่แล้ว

    Have you ever thought of doing a face reveal? Love your channel man

  • @KrazieJedi420
    @KrazieJedi420 2 ปีที่แล้ว

    I feel they used the horses in fellowship as they were not trying to stir so much fear searching for the ring in the shire...the fell beast may have caused too much of a stir, making the search harder as Baggins of the Shire may run away....

  • @KevinRay_man
    @KevinRay_man 2 ปีที่แล้ว

    I like to think that since the witch king, and the whole of the nazgul were, at a time, human that their natural predilection would be towards riding a horse instead of a fell beast. So basically they'd only resort to the fell beast when they had to. I also always thought they has to use a portion of their power to keep their beast in check, lest they get gobbled up or at least thrown off their beast. I'm obviously not particularly studied in the arts of Tolkien, just what I always thought.

  • @DragonZenith
    @DragonZenith 2 ปีที่แล้ว

    I've always been of the opinion that the reason the Ring-Wraiths didn't employ their winged steeds earlier in the story to find Frodo and the One Ring is because of the emphasis Sauron puts on secrecy. Throughout the trilogy, his chief strategy seems to be gathering his forces as quietly as possible, until he's in a position of such overwhelming strength that he can loose his forces on the world in a single sweep. If he had sent the Nazgul out with the fell beasts, they would have certainly been noticed: it would have announced his intentions to the world and given his enemies both time and reason to unite and mobilize, a risk I think he would have found too great to take. Powerful as they were, even at this point in the story, he may still have been able to win - but if his enemies had united and mounted a strong enough offensive before his forces were fully consolidated and organized, it would have been a tremendous uphill struggle to overcome them.