Why Aragorn Didn't Take the Army of the Dead to Mordor

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Discover the reasons why Aragorn chose not to take the Army of the Dead to Mordor. Let’s solve one of the mysteries from The Lord of the Rings.
#tolkien #lotr #middleearth #tolkienlore #aragorn #mordor

[@Pub2k4]

In the movies, Aragorn wasn’t originally planning to go to Mordor. Going to Mordor was an afterthought designed for the sole purpose of creating a diversion so Frodo and Sam could get to Mount Doom.

[@FairlyFictional]

That’s true. In the books the idea came about after they successfully defended Minas Tirith and they were debating what to do next. Your comment did remind me also that in the books Aragorn wasn’t even planning on going with the fellowship all the way. He was only joining them on his way to Minas Tirith with Boromir.

[@Theomite]

Right. In the movies, it wasn't until Gandalf said that Frodo & Sam had passed beyond his sight that they started thinking about doing anything else. Gimli even said to let him rot behind the Black Gate. It was Gandalf who pointed out that Sauron shoring up behind his gate would put Frodo & Sam at the greatest risk of failure and they had to do something about it.

[@Pub2k4]

@@Theomite Exactly. I’m not a huge fan of changing the material from book to film, but this was one change that made sense. In the movie, Aragorn is much harder on the King of the Dead, but he also has a much more compassionate and forgiving tone when he grants them absolution for breaking their oaths.

[@Adam-dv2je]

I'm listening to Andy Serkis' literary performance now while out working. Aragorn clearly is Kingly and knows what his duty is. We see him use his commanding behavior sparsely, but when necessary, for he is both Strider and Aragorn Elessar. Seemingly, he *prefers* Strider, yet does so knowing full well he is to be King. The movies show Aragorn's valor and strength of leadership, but Viggo brings no Kingly leadership, just dedication. I would have loved to see Viggo and Karl fighting at Helm's Deep instead of Haldir.

[@FairlyFictional]

@@Adam-dv2je yeh he is more kingly in the book. He even carries the shards and Anduril a lot sooner, rather than leaving them in Rivendell like the responsibility intimidates him. Yeh I liked the Eomer and Aragorn fight together at Helms Deep. Or even if we saw them together at Pelennor it would have been cool. They barely interacted in the movies and would have been nice as they go on to be King Bros after the books 😃.

[@ARFirstRaptor2011]

1. Aragon gave his word thinking to get these traitors to fight one last time 2. What If Sauron controlled the dead when they are near the black gate 3. Traitors cannot be trusted who can turn against them anytime 4. Aragon saw these traitors suffered long enough and being a compassionate man, he let them find their peace, which brought satisfaction to Aragon

[@ainiel7602]

​​@@hadisancarMaybe 2 but 3 is very possible. They don't have to obey someone else to turn against them. Just Aragorn not releasing them when he promised, could have driven them mad believing he will never set them free.

[@theyux1]

​@hadisancar sauron was the most powerful necromancer in the world. Isilidur might have cursed them, but very good odds Sauron could have broken or even more likely twisted the curse.

[@darylwilliams7883]

In the movie it looked like the army of the dead could do physical damage, but in the book their only real weapon was fear. Useless in Mordor against the power of Sauron. Aragorn knew this from the get-go.

[@Theomite]

Yeah, if the only power they had was intimidation, then taking them to battle would've been pointless.

[@tileux]

Thats right. They induced a terror that killed. All the people along their path hid in their houses out of fear and no-one actually saw them. I think the video is incorrect though. I think the grey company accompanied aragorn through the paths of the dead.

[@gosonegr]

@@TheomiteI’m not sure, they can’t harm physically but, besides terror they’re described as harmful

[@utredmaethor769]

​@@gosonegr well Brego, or Baldor ? Don't rememeber exactly, was a Rohirrim prince who swore to pass the path of the dead while he was drunk during a feast in Meduseld. The rohirrim never saw him again. When Aragorn traveled in the path of the deads, he saw a skeleton with a chain mail and a helmet, seeming trying desperatly to open a door made of a black stone, his legs broken. (And his sword broken i think). This body is shurely the one of the rohirrim prince. And I think that the deads killed him not only with dread and fear, but also with physical injuries, maybe undirectly, not sure, but I doubt that the prince would have broke his legs himself.

[@andrewhaman3329]

Mostly thought it was honor based. Oath was fulfilled thus they deserved there rest. Also not wise to fight someone who knows necromancy with the dead.

[@FairlyFictional]

It would not have been wise at all 👍🏼

[@Theomite]

If they could've done physical harm like in the movies, the benefit wouldn't have been fighting Sauron, just wiping out his Orcs at the Black Gate so they could lead a successful invasion.

[@andrewhaman3329]

You do realize in mordor is where his power is at its highest point. All the land is under his dominion. Him having the art of necromancy under his belt can cause untold damage to there forces. Reason one no one on there side had even practiced the art of necromancy thus giving him no challenge when he basically sways them to his banner. No matter if you go by the book or movie your setting your army up for a slaughter. There weapons won't cut them but they'll butcher your army. Bring the dead into a fight against a necromancer when you don't know the art is pure suicide. All your doing is giving him another army to command and worse you can't counter well.

[@andrewhaman3329]

@@Theomite don't matter if you go by the books or the movie. in mordor his power is at its greatest. also they didn't have anyone that's even practice necromancy. thus he'd go unchallenge in swaying them to his side. your basically giving him another army to command and one you cant even counter all to well. its setting your army up for slaughter. its knowing when and not to use something, in this one he made the most of there service.

[@daviddrew3372]

Fun fact : “ The army of the dead” were not actually dead. They could not die until they fulfilled their oath. They became quite insubstantial due to their long deathless state and very much wanted the peace of death which could only come when they could fulfill their oath to a true king of Gondor .

[@rachelskit]

They’re basically Nazgul, shadows of the living

[@Adam-dv2je]

I like this idea of Sauron potentially turning and using the Army of The Dead. That's cool.

[@richarddeese1087]

Aragorn didn't have the right to ask more of them than that they redress their original sin. tavi.

[@calebowen2006]

I mean, one battle doesn't really equate to a 7 year long seige so I don't think that's exactly accurate. I think the better description is that in the video of it possibly not being beneficial

[@sethburro6031]

But over time they still owed interest haha

[@MarsellusWallace2024]

@@sethburro6031I was going to say the exact same thing. “With interest”

[@sethburro6031]

@@MarsellusWallace2024 it's funny because it's true

[@gregwilson7818]

The Army of the Dead never went to Minis Tirith - they helped free the southern fiefdoms who were controlled by the Easterlings and Southrons - then Aragorn took their ships and with the added recruits from the southern cities, released the dead from their oath, and then went to battle on the Pellenor Fields.

[@ribbitgoesthedoglastnamehe4681]

The southern fiefdoms, as you call them were not controlled by the easterlings and southrons... well, South Gondor was a wasteland, or hundreds or thousands of years under southern control. Umbar WAS the capital of southern Gondor, and the pirates were numenorean, many of purer line than the gondorians, though evil. What Aragorn freed was ships and the slaves on the ships sailing up the Anduin. Anduin was the river going middle of the country, but the southside was either Umbar or abandoned. So Anduin was the border river. Some lands near the river might have been abandoned or raided, but the pirates "corsairs" did not control them. Remember, in the book the most powerful Gondorian city is not Minas Tirith, nor it was the Osgiliath that was the largest, but it was Dol Amroth, which was one of the most southern. And they were not "recruits", and neither were they under control of the Steward, OR Aragorn. Prince Imrahil of Dol Amroth arrived with "Swan Knights" and though nothing is said of them in the book, and that is a nod towards non-Tolkien source and far too long to explain here, there is a reason to expect them to be one of the strongest units apart from Elronds household guards and units of wartrolls. Of course, the movies just ignore whole Dol Amroth thing, but one thing is certain: If Aragorn came down from Erech, and ended up in mouth of Anduin, he would have gone through Dol Amroth. So he would have not only known if Imrahil was coming, but called him by himself, and thus known that there were other forces coming too.

[@Supercheeseburger666]

I would have to agree with this presentation. The risks far outweighed the benefits.

[@FairlyFictional]

Thank you. I also agree with Aragorn’s decision 🙂

[@bullgravy6906]

In the movies, the sudden rush of fear that takes hold of the orcs in the face of the Rohirrim is the single greatest cinematic scene and liberty ever done. Also, at least to my understanding, the horses of Rohan were indirect descendants of Shadowfax while Theoden’s horse was a direct descendent and were much sturdier than the average horse of middle earth. I may have made all of that up though

[@FairlyFictional]

Yes, the charge of the Rohirrim was one of the best moments of the trilogy. And yes, Rohan did have the best horses. But I don’t think that they descended from Shadowfax specifically. Shadowfax was a descendent of the Mearas and could understand human speech and lived longer than normal horses.

[@midnightflyer7510]

This compels me to read the books again cause I didn’t remember this at all and I’ve watched the movies more times than I can remember only reenforcing Hollywood fallacies! Thank you 🙏🏼

[@FairlyFictional]

Ah you’re welcome. And thanks for the comment. There’s so much good stuff in the books that were left out of the movies. Even the extended editions. Some of my favourite characters too. Fingers crossed for an extended extended 25th anniversary edition 😂.

[@Pub2k4]

I wouldn’t call it a fallacy. There are some things that just don’t translate well to the screen, and have to be changed for the sake of good story telling. They weren’t perfect movies, but they are 100% peak cinema. We will be lucky to ever see movies of this caliber hit theaters again. But I will say, Dune Part Two is close.

[@FairlyFictional]

Not had a chance to see Dune 2 yet. Was it better than the first?

[@Pub2k4]

@@FairlyFictional I don’t really think we can call it “better” or “worse” than the first one. It picks up within like 10 minutes of where the first one left off, and it just feels like a continuation of that. And the entirety of the second movie takes place within just a few months of the first movie. If you remember, Paul’s mother was pregnant at the end of the first movie. By the end of the second movie, she’s still pregnant. So they aren’t rushing through the timeline. it’s really satisfying. Denis Villeneuve is a master storyteller.

[@FairlyFictional]

Thanks. I’ll see it eventually 👍🏼

[@jeffreytaylor4464]

So the undead army was not physically dangerous. That’s way different from the movies interpretation of them actually having swords and no fear of death. If Aragorn did require them to face Mordor it would have sucked the suspense out of the final chapter of the film. That’s what I believed the reason was for years. Thank you for enlightening me on the proper reason. 🇨🇦👍

[@FairlyFictional]

Thanks. I’m glad I could shed more light on the issue. The movies have definitely clouded people’s memories of the books. 👍🏼

[@jeffreytaylor4464]

Full disclosure: I read the 1st book and maybe half of the next one, then my life got complicated, I never actually read the entirety of the books 😅. I enjoyed the movies though. Anyway have a nice day and take good care of yourself! 🍻

[@FairlyFictional]

I will try and do more videos covering parts missed from the movies then to fill in the gaps 😉. Good day 👍🏼

[@gerardmonsen1267]

@@jeffreytaylor4464I extremely highly encourage you to listen to the audiobooks of the Lord of the Rings as read by Andy Serkis, who played Gollum in the movies. It is a masterpiece reading of a masterpiece.

[@rustyswolio]

Very interesting. I always wondered this so thank you for sharing.

[@FairlyFictional]

Thank you for watching 😁

[@steveg2251]

they fulfilled their oath and Sauron could control the dead.

[@gayprepperz6862]

Interesting, but if he could control the dead why didn't he do something when they attacked the Corsairs and (as in the movie) Minas Tirith?

[@steveg2251]

@@gayprepperz6862 Too busy with Saruman and the palantir.

[@DEVUNK88]

the artwork included in this video is stunning

[@FairlyFictional]

Thank you 🙏🏼

[@havoc1230]

@@FairlyFictional where did it come from?

[@baptistic]

Most likely AI-generated

[@FairlyFictional]

@@havoc1230 I created them all with a mix of AI and manual intervention.

[@ainiel7602]

I agree with the ones saying Aragorn gave his word and couldn't change his decision. And that was for both his honour as a King and what bad consequences that would lead to.The dead fought that battle with the promise they would be set free. If he had taken that promise back and they believed they would never be set free and the one thing they were hoping for was lost forever, they could have turned against him as revenge. That promise was all that was holding their allegiance.

[@FairlyFictional]

True he gave his word but more of a question is why a fight in Mordor was not part of his initial deal. That is where they were supposed to go when they bailed during the Last Alliance after pledging to him. He would not have had to go back on anything if that was the deal to begin with 🤔. All they actually did was scare some men off boats in the end.

[@justrusty]

Yes, I would have brought them to Mordor, and realized my mistake after it was too late. (There was no youtube in Middle Earth to point out the mistake to me.)

[@FairlyFictional]

😂

[@kakonoteouji4876]

Plus this is just what I think but could have been corrupted by the Eye or could be harmed by those in Mordor as well.

[@jimjoyce4423]

Aragon gave his word

[@davidmaloney3587]

Yes! I wondered this when I was younger watching the movies. Great video!

[@FairlyFictional]

Thank you 🙏🏼

[@col06007]

Wow, really well thought out explanation.

[@FairlyFictional]

Thank you so much 🙏🏼.

[@gayprepperz6862]

Great video. I've always wondered that very question, and many interesting opinions in the comment section.

[@FairlyFictional]

Thank you. I'm glad you thought it was an interesting topic.

[@locker1325]

Very excellent research. I never would have thought of those facts .

[@FairlyFictional]

Thank you 🙏🏼

[@davidbiddle3257]

Good points I had not thought of.

[@MichaelMedici61W2]

Thank you for this.

[@FairlyFictional]

And thank you for this 😊🙏🏼

[@toonstyle1]

thx for the clarification :3 always wondered...

[@FairlyFictional]

Thanks. I’m glad I cleared it up ☺️

[@michaelkiese7794]

Basically if the eagles just flew the hobbits to mount doom, and the army of the dead marched on Mordor, the books would have been really short.

[@oscarthomasglimskog249]

I wonder how the Rohan Royalty Baldor Died then? If they couldn't harm the living? In the Third Age, Dunharrow became the territory of the newly formed kingdom of Rohan. Baldor, son of the second King of Rohan, entered the tunnels of the White Mountains while exploring the borders of his kingdom and never returned. The Rohirrim believed that the wrathful ghosts of the Oathbreakers killed him. After Baldor's disappearance, the Rohirrim refused to enter the tunnels, which they renamed the Paths of the Dead. According to legend, shadowy figures lurked near the entrance to the Paths of the Dead at night, guarding it against all living things.

[@FairlyFictional]

Yeh that’s an excellent question. I don’t think there’s a definitive answer. Perhaps he fell to his death. Or got lost in the tunnels and never find his way out. Or saw a ghost and had a heart attack.. Or maybe he found his way out the other side and lived out his life in the South away from his responsibilities 😅. Who can say 👍🏼

[@plymouth5714]

I think the most probable is that he was simply scared to death - alone in a cave with an entire zombie army reaching for you - I know I would have!

[@oscarthomasglimskog249]

The heart attack scenario seems plausible, because Aragorn and company find the remains of him in there sadly.

[@theobserver3753]

Thank you I wondered the same thing for a while.

[@FairlyFictional]

You are welcome 🙏🏼

[@peyerfare5185]

Enjoyed this

[@FairlyFictional]

Thank you for saying 😊

[@anirudhaapatharee]

Very good presentation...and like,number 1000....🙂

[@FairlyFictional]

Thank you. And congrats on being my first 1k like on the channel 😁

[@anirudhaapatharee]

@@FairlyFictional its my pleasure..and keep it up...👍👍👍👍

[@gregoryferko138]

The artwork is fantastic. Some of these scenes would make for a great Calander.

[@FairlyFictional]

Thanks a lot. Some of them take a while to create. I’ve never thought of making a calendar out of them before 😊

[@simonmorris4226]

Well thought out and well presented!

[@FairlyFictional]

Thank you for saying so 😊. I’m glad you enjoyed it.

[@Anduresu]

7:15 is such a dope image and probably the main reason Aragorn did not want to king of the dead to interact with the lord of darkeness

[@FairlyFictional]

Thanks. I’m glad you like it. And yeh, that would have been a bad move 😅

[@Anduresu]

@@FairlyFictional 😂😂

[@Gothmaugh]

Aragorn has honor. There.... saved you 8 minutes

[@FairlyFictional]

Good effort. 🤣

[@boothy918]

The worst part of the film was when the army of the dead just effortlessly swathed over everything and killed it in 2 minutes. It was very unsatisfying.

[@jet305]

Very interesting perspective. I've never thought of the point that there was a risk that they could've been corrupted by Sauron further and be turned. Tolkien's works are exactly as Gandalf described the hobbits. You can learn all there is to know of them and yet they still surprise you

[@FairlyFictional]

Thanks. Well they did worship Sauron after all.

[@jet305]

@@FairlyFictional really insightful.

[@thomasohanlon1060]

It is easy Aragorn released them from his service , to keep his word.

[@jamesguest4873]

Excellent! The artwork is simply stunning. Wonderful voices that I could stand to listen to all night and likely have amazing dreams. Stumbling onto this channel was easily the highlight of my week. Thank you kindly.

[@FairlyFictional]

And thank you kindly for this comment. I wish you amazing dreams. But hope the video didn’t bore you to sleep 😅.

[@lestercross5123]

Subscribed! This Q always intrigued me, but fsr didn't get much attn, esp as compared to those dratted eagles and their utility.

[@FairlyFictional]

Thanks for the sub. Ah yes, the Eagles/ “Get Out Of Jail Free” card 😄

[@newtabable]

For the same reason the giant eagles didn’t carry Bilbo, Ghandallf and the Dwarfs to Eribor.

[@the_dead_man]

They wouldn't have fought again, as that would break Aragorn's word to free them after saving Gondor, and they would no longer have alliegance to him. In the film it always bothered me that they didn't explain that, as it seemed a bit illogical for Aragorn to release an army of immortal god-like soldiers who could have easily defeated Sauron's army.

[@constantinvasiliev2065]

Thank you

[@FairlyFictional]

You’re welcome 👍🏼

[@Batman-gn9yh]

Agreed very well thought out 💀

[@FairlyFictional]

Thank you ☺️

[@vortexgen1]

I think that was a correct and astute observation.

[@FairlyFictional]

Thank you very much 😊

[@paologat]

Jackson’s choice of bringing the Dead to Minas Tirith was one of his worst arbitrary departures from source material. Apart from the impact on the story and on character development, the Dead ridding the city of invaders looked like toilet cleaning gel (unusually flowing upwards).

[@nickcunningham6344]

I understand that it must be frustrating if you've read the books and feel that Tolkien did it better, but as someone who has only seen the movies, these critiques are so silly. The movies were damn good, even with all the "flaws" you book readers like to keep pointing out.

[@sephiroth1277]

I agree, it's deeper even than just the army of the dead looking cool, Aragorn came with more men of Gondor to save Minas Tirith. It makes the arrival of Theoden and and the alliance of Rohan and Gondor all the more powerful. Theodon never needs to come at all in the movies if the army of the dead can just clean up shop.

[@offroader9965]

@@sephiroth1277Aragorn came with “The Grey Company” yes.. but it was a small company of only 30

[@ghyslainabel]

@@offroader9965 Aragorn came with the grey Company, and with as much men he could cram in the fleet. He then ordered the other many thousands men to come to Minas Tirith on feet. Aragorn had a full army in the ships, and another one on the march that arrived 2 to 4 days after the ships.

[@ghyslainabel]

It was a necessary decision. To keep the army of the dead on the south shore of Gondor would require to develop the land, the cities, the people and some characters, plus another battle at Pelargir. Worst decisions can easily be found: - Expanding the one-chapter battle of Helm Deep to way longer battle. - Editing the battle at Helm Deep, the battle at Isengard and the battle at Osgiliath all together in the exact same desaturated colours. - That battle at Osgiliath had no business in the movie, and it creates the problem of how Faramir, Frodo and the others crossed the Anduin river the first time.

[@InterGalacticEnglishMan]

Thank you so much:- the books really are the master piece! The movies smudged the whole story. I’ve read them all and the Hobbit years ago. Now I need to re-buy them and reread as you’ve made my mind up 😂😂😂 I love the movies, absolutely, but it’s smudged my mind too 😅

[@FairlyFictional]

Thanks I’m glad you liked it and get to enjoy the books again 😁

[@mr.e1026]

If this was the movie, and the fighters of the dead wanted to join the battle, that might have been one thing. They seemed particularly perturbed by Gimli's suggesting that they be kept around. They would have been highly likely to turn on the Armies of the West. Consider that also, Aragorn was a man of his word. I don't think that was ever actually in question. If we're talking the books, strategically, the Army of the Dead was a good weapon to use against the men in service to Mordor, and capturing their fleets took a large portion of the forces of Mordor away from them, as well as provided a flanking opportunity and surprise attack. Tactically, that was the best move, and I didn't even consider way back then when I was actually studying the battle of the Pelennor field, the Army of the dead would have been most disruptive to the Armies of the west as well, while almost certainly not being the boon they were in the movie. Dismounted Rohirrim, took away the Rider's best tactic, and would have served against them, for sure, even if the Riders themselves didn't flee the battlefield. The orcs, on the other hand, may or may not have been affected in any meaningful way. I also suspect, if the Army of the Dead did appear on the Battle of the Black Gate, what would be the possibilities that even an Army of the Dead that wanted to take the fight to Sauron would not have been twisted against their will by Sauron to turn on the Armies of the West? Something else was brought up that doesn't pertain the the Army of the Dead, but got me to thinking. Frodo being stabbed by the Morgul blade may have turned the story on its head. Bilbo was able to use the One Ring and really wasn't affected by any curse or whatever else when he did. I think if the One Ring actually made Sauron able to see the person who put the ring on when they put it on, Bilbo wouldn't have used the One Ring at all. Same with Gollum. And from all accounts, the movie added that impending sense of danger, where the One Ring would serve as a beacon to both Sauron and the Nazgul, but that wasn't actually the case in the books. The only time auron SAW Frodo was when he was wearing the One Ring and sitting on the throne of seeing at Amon-Hen. There is reason to believe he MIGHT have also saw him at Mt. Doom, but I think there was something else, and it wasn't that he saw them, more than it was that he put 2 and 2 together, and saw the battle of the black gate for what it really was; this wasn't a confident strike to bring the Armies of Mordor down. This was a suicide mission. Why would they do it if there wasn't something else afoot?? Sauron never thought of this before, that someone might have the brass to try to destroy the One Ring, but if there was one thing that might have done it, it was clearing the way to Mt. Doom, which did happen, and additionally, Sauron would have also known, someone was found in Mordor bearing a mithril shirt. What reason would there be... and this person was also a Hobbit, just like the being who looked upon him from the throne of seeing at Amon-Hen. And the One Ring was not found on him, meaning someone else had it. That was when Sauron pieced things together. He anticipated someone would try to use the power of the One Ring against them, much to their sorrows, and he would be able to retrieve his precious ring that way. Anyway, back to the Morgul blade wound. Assume for a moment, Bilbo left the mithril shirt with Frodo before he left the Shire. Would the shirt have defeated the morgul blade?? I believe it would have. But according to the book, it was the Barrow Blade Frodo had that destroyed the Morgul blade before it could hit his heart. If that had happened, the story would have been over. But also, one more thing is, had Frodo has Sting with him instead ofthe barrow blade, Sting would not have defeated the Morgul dagger, and Frodo would have succumbed to the blade, again, game over. But AFTER the stabbing, everything became harder for Frodo in a way that might have actually made more sense to hand the ring over to Samwise. That wound never properly healed, or would heal, even after the death of Sauron and the Nazgul. It made Frodo nearly hand the ring over to the Witch King at Osgiliath and cause him to draw his blade of Samwise when he stopped him. I don't believe that would have happened if the wound was not present.

[@FairlyFictional]

Thanks for the comment 👍🏼. I think Sauron only managed to see Frodo with the ring because he was on the Seeing Seat that extended his vision and visibility. And I agree the mithril shirt probably would have saved him from the Morgul blade. It would have been funny to “see” the Witch Kings face when Frodo looked back at him with an “is that all you’ve got” face 😂.. But I guess Bilbo had no idea what danger he left Frodo with after all the years he used it for pranks 😅.

[@mr.e1026]

@@FairlyFictional I forget. In the Hobbit series, did Gandalf realize Bilbo has a ring that would turn him invisible, of did he piece things together at the beginning of Lord of the Rings?? I am aware that, other than the One Ring itself, all the other greater rings of power were set with a stone of some sort. But lesser rings were formed, and none of them did.

[@FairlyFictional]

I don't think Gandalf knew in the Hobbit that Bilbo had a ring that would make him invisible. It's possible Gandalf knew about "Other" magical rings that the Rings of Power maybe. I don't know, but most of the Rings of Power would be accounted for by then...

[@mr.e1026]

@@FairlyFictional Think it was said that, he may have figured out Bilbo was in possession of a minor ring (Not one of the 20 greater rings). The ending of the 3rd Hobbit suggests Gandalf knew he had A ring, but not THE ring.

[@AsmongoldvsArtosisclips]

Why did he ALSO NOT take it to Minas Tirith SHOULD also be the question. Cause he didnt in the books ,its a retarded idea of Jackson to put that in.

[@Klyis]

I don't think they could be trusted in the long term. Lets not forget that the reason they are ghosts in the first place is because they didn't adhere to their oath of loyalty. If they weren't released soon they might also start to think Aragorn was trying to keep them in his service indefinitely. Maybe they wouldn't ally with Sauron but I could definitely see a scenario where they just decide to leave during the middle of a battle.

[@FairlyFictional]

Yeh not exactly a trustworthy crew…

[@mikestanley9176]

I still wonder why Gandalf could not also make explosives like Saruman.

[@FairlyFictional]

He could. He just preferred fireworks to bombs. 🎆

[@jkm6060]

The 2 pictures of the green orc in the end, is world of warcraft art, i think. The first one an orc warlock or deathknight and the second one looks like saurfang with an nightelf kid on his back walking through felwood or it pictures a quest after freeing saurfang from stockades and walk through the swamp of sorrows.

[@FairlyFictional]

I’m not familiar with Warcraft but I had a google and Krug does look similar. But Krug is much more intelligent and better looking 😝. I did create the images myself though so no actual link to Warcraft.

[@jkm6060]

@@FairlyFictional oh very cool :). You can put your image in google picture search and you will find a lot of orcs from world of warcraft looking like yours :). Very nice work!

[@olafschluter706]

Well argued.

[@t.474]

What AI image generation or style is used for these pictures? Anybody have an idea?

[@JoeyJoejoe-sq9io]

I love the Peter Jackson LOTR but if I had my druthers he would never have made the movies. Here's another example of where my knowledge of the books was somehow subverted by the movies. I forgot all about the true army of the dead. So now the two big plot flaws are solved. Frodo couldn't take a giant eagle to morder because Throndir was Maiar. (Dark Lord Eagle! ) And the army of the dead wouldn't have worked against Sauron's wraith commanded army. Yay. Only thing left is Tom Bombadil. Why didn't his first age bear ass go kick Sauron into lower loserdom? I mean, you either love the song of Eru Iluvater or you don't love the song of Eru Iluvater, right? Make that one right for me too, please. Excellent vid.

[@FairlyFictional]

Thanks for the comment. There is a lot in the books that was subverted by the movies. My next video covers some more of those too. However I need to do an eagles video soon too. I don’t believe Thorondor is still around the 3rd age as Gwaihir is their Lord. And whether they are Maiar or not is a bit more complicated. But there are other reasons why they didn’t fly to Mordor too. It’s on my list to do, so stay tuned 😉. Thanks

[@JoeyJoejoe-sq9io]

@@FairlyFictional Thorondor...oopsies. See what Peter Jackson did to me. My point was that you don't want magical beings near the ring or you'll get a dark lord eagle. Please don't mention that. Amazon might think it's a good idea.

[@FairlyFictional]

@@JoeyJoejoe-sq9io hahaha. If you saw my Rings of Power video they already have enough ideas 🤣

[@Chronoic]

In the book they cant harm the living, they can only scare them.

[@RickyisHere]

The army of the dead were like zombies and not ghosts. They didn’t die by wounds but they were not unstoppable like the movies

[@FairlyFictional]

I think there was a spirit like nature as the elves in the grey company knew they were following before the others did.

[@daddada2984]

Nice point

[@FairlyFictional]

Thanks

[@Keffinated]

Ghosts versus the Necromancer? Guess who wins!

[@TETASARAIVACS]

Short answer: because Aragorn was a man of word

[@jayrenteria605]

If All they could do was cause fear then yes, taking them to Mordo would've done more harm to their allies then enemies. Plus Sauron is a Maiar.! A being like him would've had NO problem with Lowly spirit's.

[@Plantedbetta]

The Will of the one Ring would ensnare them, and they just become an army of darkness. Saron is the master of the unseen

[@OSOJOSHO]

Forget about the death…. The slide show of this video is awesome and frightful 👻👻👻☠️☠️☠️💀💀💀

[@FairlyFictional]

Haha thanks 😊. 👻👻👻

[@OSOJOSHO]

@@FairlyFictional btw the narrator is so good.

[@FairlyFictional]

Thank you for saying so. I will do more then. But Krug will still be around lurking somewhere 😝.

[@frasergibson5763]

Yeah sure, bring an army of dead straight into the realm of a Necromancer. What do you think is gonna happen? Sauron would’ve turned them to his side

[@otrenom9903]

Because one cannot simply walk into mordor.

[@FairlyFictional]

🙌

[@bobotheclown88]

What power actually cursed the Oath-breakers? I've only seen the movies and it always seemed weird that one guy that I don't think knew magic was able to curse a whole population of people to live forever and his descendent that definitely didn't know magic was able to free them. Seems like you need a lot of juice to pull something like that off, more on the level of a god than a man.

[@FairlyFictional]

It’s probably a topic for a separate video but oaths were more legally binding in Middle Earth it seems. And the Numenoreans were not regular men. They were given special extra powers like long life, healing, Foresight etc.

[@ozzymadnius]

Woah! Chicks voice! Sorry, I’ve suddenly been recommended a lot of LoTR channels this week for some reason… This is like the 6th one, but the first one with a woman’s voice! Took me by surprise 😂😂

[@FairlyFictional]

🤣 Thanks. I hope you didn’t fall off your chair 😅.

[@gregoryferko138]

I really hope they come out how Sauron came into power and him creating the rings. We need more Lord of the Rings movies that are close to the source material. Away from politics and garbage that is infecting the movie industry today.

[@FairlyFictional]

Yeh that would be good. As long as they’re better than the Star Wars spin off movies 😅

[@jamesjameson2244]

What great artwork, who drew these scenes I wonder?

[@FairlyFictional]

Thanks 🙏🏼. I made them all myself. A mixture of AI and manual intervention.

[@jamesjameson2244]

Omg you made these yourself? You have real talent. You could easily be a concept art artist or the like for the movie industry. These are blockbuster film quality poster art. The stuff they make for Marvel and Star Wars movie posters type of artwork. You would also kill it making graphic novel/comic book art. Or just Tolkien themed/personal art. Your artwork is fantastic. Great work 👌. Im gonna watch this again just to look at the artwork 🎨

[@FairlyFictional]

@@jamesjameson2244 thanks. which image is your favourite 🤔?

[@jamesjameson2244]

@FairlyFictional i don't know that I could pick. There's so many lol. But my favorites are the ones with heavy color contrast of the undeadly green of the ghosts. And the ones showing the finer detail of the faces, armor, and sometimes robes of the characters. The dunedain in the snow, the elves depicted throughout. And the close-up wraith portrait are good examples. And almost all the representations of the undead ghosts. The only other time I've seen such detail in Lotr artwork is in the movies. None of the animated ones or images in books do it justice. Other youtubers just cut in clips of the movies its really cool that you made your own. Great work mahman 😊 👏 Theres about a thousand ways you could market your artwork. Have you thought of making shirts and hoodies and other clothing with them? Because you make your own art. Most of your artwork wouldn't fall under copyright. And even those that do... if you paid for the necessary licensing, you'd make a fortune. You could market them directly on your channel and on places like etsy. Or even sell them at cosplay conventions. Godspeed mahman 👍 👌

[@FairlyFictional]

@@jamesjameson2244 thanks for taking the time to reply. I do try to make sure all the art is good enough before being happy with it. I will take that all into consideration and see if I can do anything else with the art 👍🏼. Do you think clothes are good for this style or art? Or something else? Thanks again

[@Madhatter77288]

I agree with the video have wondered why Aragon never sent the oathbrakers to Moria.?

[@FairlyFictional]

Moria was a lot further away. I’m not sure they would have gone that far.

[@michaelstealer5382]

Because it wasn't in the script!

[@akoproudbisaya4903]

if you send just UI Son Goku, Beast Gohan, Ergo Vegeta and backed by Sung Jinwoo. Sauron and Mordor will be destroyed in a matter of minutes, total massacre.

[@FairlyFictional]

You’d only need Gohan 😜

[@akoproudbisaya4903]

@@FairlyFictional EVEN SUN JINWOO will scare the hell out of Sauron

[@robertmcclain2679]

Wow

[@igorlazarovski]

So story can happen 🙂

[@cambuxton6835]

For one thing, Sauron cursed them through Isildur. For another they had finally fulfilled their promise and were ready to depart the Earthly realm for their eternal rest. They had finally earned that and Aragon knew it. Which is why Aragon released them from their promise. You saw in the film how happy the leader of the cursed souls was when Aragon released them. They were ready to go to their eternal rest.

[@dweeds]

Bring an army of the dead to fight a necromancer, good plan

[@JR-cd1ol]

breaking an oath is what got them to where they were, the reason Aragorn summoned them and they answered was to fulfill their oaths. to think they'd just turn away from that i think is short sighted. Questioning if their swords can hurt the living is not the same as not being able to. to thing the nazgoul would have had any influence on them is silly, they served the King of the White City, and their motivations where to be free of the curse not to serve it for the rest of eternity. If anything being a type of wraith themselves they may have been especially effective against the Nazgoul where as men couldn't really hurt them. i appreciate the time you put into the content but i don't agree with your assumptions. The call to serve Aragorn made was to fight till a certain area was clear and that's what they did. Aragorn was as wise a leader as there was he would have known what need he had of them and then released them.

[@nicholai40]

No Aragorn could not have brought them to Mordor, as they were already cursed by Isidor. Thye would have just aided Sauron instead and wreaked havoc upon middle earth.

[@trentarmstrong5000]

Good explanation and true to the books. The Army of the Dead fighting and killing the orcs in the battle of Pelennor Fields was easily the WORST scene of the entire trilogy. First time I watched I said WTF? out loud. Definitely not in the books nor true to the lore. Why were any other warriors even needed if the Green Goblin army was invincible? Other than that, Jackson's adaptations and even fudging of the lore in other places was believable, compelling, and to this day the best movies I've ever seen.

[@neilzientek]

Because they would have been useless in Mordor. The army of the dead couldn't harm anyone.

[@3dbadboy1]

How did he 'curse' them? I don't believe he was magically endowed or talented ... unless he used the ring ...?

[@mikebite229]

no why was the ghost army afraid of the sword strider had....they are dead already...what more could be done to them...

[@FairlyFictional]

They weren’t afraid of his sword. It was only evidence that he was Isildur’s heir.

[@MichelleAlexandria-EM]

Answer - because the plot called for this stupid decision.

[@Euphoria-MLBB]

Simple answer not enough budget for animation and CGI

[@FairlyFictional]

😄

[@captainamerica6525]

I hold your oathes fulfilled....

[@dennardtimmons7277]

I agree your synopsis is correct

[@FairlyFictional]

Thank you 🫡

[@eas2252]

Now why didn't the eagles fly frodo to mount doom?

[@FairlyFictional]

Haha I’ll let you know later 😄🤣

[@AlexCoombes123]

Not a taxi service.. more like eyes and ears of Manwe.. to aid but not directly use their power to aid the people of middle earth directly. Only In times of great necessity.

[@carolwalker9788]

hello how many soldiers was there in the army?🙂

[@FairlyFictional]

How many soldiers were in the dead army? I couldn’t tell you I’m afraid. I imagine they could have moved together in one huge homogenous misty blob 😂. If I had to guess. Probably in the low thousands. If every man that was supposed to fight turned into a ghost.. 🤔

[@dachyvashakmadze1871]

Is this robot reading this?

[@FairlyFictional]

I don't see any robots here thanks.

[@js4540]

Bs their weapons clanged against his sword well enough

[@FairlyFictional]

I’m using the books as source, not inventions made for the movies for dramatic effect.

[@garysimpson7326]

Why did the Army of the Dead not go to Mordor? Because they went to Las Vegas instead.

[@FairlyFictional]

Wise choice 🎲

[@garysimpson7326]

@@FairlyFictional Viva Las Vegas!

[@user-ig1vo1es7e]

too many ads. good luck and all.

[@FairlyFictional]

How many were there? KZbin put them there.

[@OutOfZeWorld]

I am curious what did you use to create those stunning arts?

[@FairlyFictional]

A combination of AI and photoshop.

[@vasileiosgkountas468]

Because it would have been too op and the fight would have ended in 5 minutes and so nothing for the readers or the viwers to enjoy later. End of story. All the rest are bla bla

[@thegoodgeneral]

The AI art is a bit disappointing, and too much noise removal on your narration. Sounds warbly.

[@FairlyFictional]

Disappointing because it looks bad or disappointing because it is AI? And yeh I don’t have a real mic yet.

[@thegoodgeneral]

@@FairlyFictional disappointing because it looks bad, it looks like AI, it looks lifeless and devoid of craft/human interpretation, because there is so much great Lord of the Rings artwork by so many talented artists and instead we get this glossy cheap-o look that doesn’t seem to say anything. If your mic is exceptionally noisy, then keep (at least some of) the noise. It’ll sound better than the weird digital warble of aggressive noise removal. As for “not having a real mic,” there are quite a few good and cheap options. I’ll link in the next comment:

[@FairlyFictional]

Ah ok thanks. Yeh I prefer to create new images to a go along with what is being narrated and give images no one has seen before. Using other people’s images feels a bit random as it doesn’t tell the story being spoken at that moment, though that would be the much easier option 😅.

[@ashleyjaytanna1953]

Cause they were Goth...more Goth

[@trevorD1156]

Cause he asked them to fight in one battle... Not several. Literally no one thats read the book or saw the film needed this video to explain that.

[@FairlyFictional]

Perhaps. Which line from the movie or books did you hear him ask for just one battle? And even if that was true, why did he stop at just one? 🤔

[@yaasinm]

They should never been in the movie. Just looked dumb and made all the others who died for nothing.

[@bahador-2026]

Yeah I was thinking the same

[@Pokemon-Kid112]

They were extremely important in the book, and also the film. And there would have been a massive uproar if they hadn't been included

[@yaasinm]

@@Pokemon-Kid112 lol there were so many important things that wasn’t included in the movie from the book and it people cried yet it didn’t change anything. This should’ve been one of those thing they shouldn’t have been including

[@forcedbreathingistyranny696]

Yeah I agree

[@emiroviski]

Answer: because the writer of the fictional story wanted it to be that way.

[@Cold-Blooded-Jay]

Because they were stupidly overpowered and could have won the war too easily, so lore had to be created to prevent that.