In defense of the Ringwraith or "Where is the beef?"(loo-ong posting!)

[Olmer]

While reading “The Hunt for the Ring” in the “Unfinished tales” I decided to trace the route of the search on the map, simultaneously checking with dates of focal points, and have got an unexpected result.

We know that Tolkien’s desire to create a myths of long-lost history of the England, his beloved country, resulted in deliberate intention to write the history of Middle-earth as it presented to him by his divine inspiration. Some “given” events was arriving to him in such vague outline, that he had to revise the scenes several times, trying to “report” the occurrences as close to what really has happened as he could imagine. On this chapter he had 3 versions, nevertheless, while circumstances has been varying, the basic of the story has never change. Therefore, if you will consider it as a source of the Middle-earth history, suddenly, an interesting picture is beginning to shape up .
I am stressing it again: we are looking at the events from historical point of view, judging it not by emotions, but by dates , places and concrete acts of the involved persons.

First and foremost let’s point out the fact that all information about this search came from Gandalf. .
Tolkien implied that the story, describing how Nazguls were looking for the Ring, has been told by Gandalf to Frodo in Minas -Tirith before their trip back to North.
Now let’s follow the Gandalf’s story.

As it said, Sauron was long hesitated in decision to give this job to the Nazguls: “At the length he resolved that no others would serve him in this case but his mightiest servants”. He had a very good reason to be so uncertain. On one hand, very few could stand up to the whole Nine, and besides, as it says, they “had no will but his own, being each utterly subservient to the ring that had enslaved him, which Sauron held”, so if they will get the Ring , then without hesitation they will bring it straight to Sauron.
But on another hand, they had very significant shortcoming: they were spreading such terror “to all living things that they passed near” , that the course of theirs movements “might soon be perceived and their mission be guessed by Wise”. Such of their chief weapon, a terror, could be a big advantage on the battle-field, but Sauron wanted their assignment not to be discovered, which was the task not so easy to be accomplished.
Given their ability to spread even greater terror when all Nine were together, Sauron was aware that any ” mission on which they were sent could hardly be conducted with secrecy.” Besides those mighty hideous undead had a tendency to “stray when alone by daylight” , were “unwilling to enter” the water and needed bridges to cross it. (I assume that their fright of the water was based on the awareness that this was a domain of Ulmo, the mighty Vala whose vast body is present in the water of all kind, and who was not particularly fond of any Dark Forces).
The Lord of the Rings faced a dilemma : he did not want to announce about the search of the One , but the time was running out and he was in “great haste”, therefore in spite of theirs “ disadvantages” all the Nine Nazguls were sent on the mission and were commanded to act as secretly, as they could”.

For that reasons the Great Strategist and Commander designed a maneuver: on June 20 of 3018 he assaulted Osgiliath fortification and forced the passage of the bridge of Osgiliath, which was allowed to send the Nazguls “unclad, unmounted and invisible to eyes” across Anduin unnoticed(?) and in the same time to test the strength and preparedness of Gondor.

Both purposes of such strategic movement did not serve the planned intentions. First, according to Gandalf ‘s story, Sauron made an attack on unsuspecting enemy "hoping to alarm his enemies and disturb their counsels with fear of war (which he did not intend to do for some time)" . If an year before your army major move you are making an assault on small forepost of your enemy, which is not expecting an attack, it doesn’t mean “to test his strength” or “to disturb their counsels“, it means to alert him about the coming war and set him off to begin his own preparation to the war.
In this light you could make two implication: Gandalf misinterpreted Sauron’s motives, or Sauron, as a real knight and gentleman, has been forewarning his opponents of his intended strike.

Secondly, we are talking about secrecy and speed…
Let‘s follow Nazguls route by the map and by the dates given in the book.

The Ringwraiths walked “slowly and in stealth” through Anorien, the whole northern part of Gondor, passed through Eastfold to Entwade fort , which they , seemingly , somehow crossed on foot, and unhurriedly strolled through the Wold, another part of Rohan, to the west-shores of Anduin near Sarn-Gebir , where they “received horses and raiment that were secretly ferried over the River”, which was happened about the 17 of July.
All this areas are less populated then other parts of Gondor and Rohan, but nevertheless still are populated.
So, instead of fast and stealthy horse ride from Morannon to North and through desolated lands to the South or North Undeep , the places which for countless years has been used by enemies as a convenient and relatively safe dispatch between two shores , where the six Nazguls could be ferried with their horses across Anduin (others 3 from Dol -Guldur somehow survived the ordeal of Anduin’s crossing ), or even better to cross the river by the remnants of big and strong bridge at the Old Ford, which has been used for passage of the armies of the Alliance, and then quietly ride through deserted land searching for the Ring or Gollum, Sauron sent them through the populated areas of Gondor and Rohan, where the whole month they were WALKING, spreading panic and terror of the passing darkness and dread.
If the Wise was not aware of their movement from the beginning, they had plenty of time and opportunities to guess, and by this time they should know for certain of the source of the dark terror.
Some speed and secrecy, I‘d say!

Farther is getting even better.
On July 22 in the Field of Celebrant they met with colleagues from Dol Guldur, which in spite of their aqua-phobia managed to cross Anduin without any help from the Great Commander, and enlighted them about the intended goal.
Sauron provided them with minimum data to work with . In any case Sauron himself did not get too much information from Gollum, so the Nazguls knew just a couple of starting points: the place which is called “Shire“;and inhabited by “halflings”; one of them, named “Baggins”, has the Ring, and, supposedly, that this Shire-place located somewhere near the Gladden Fields.
Khamul, the Chief Nazgul of Dol- Guldur, right away let their hopes down by saying that is no any halfling’s dwellings around there and if it had been any villages, by now they had long been deserted.
This news did not upset the Lord of Morgul, for he suspected that the Shire is located in ” the hated land of Lorien”, where he was barred from the entrance by the power of the White Ring. So he, assuming that Shire is in the place he can’t enter, and “seeing no better counsel, determined still to seek northward, hoping…to discover the Shire”.(?)
For that reason, like a gentleman, who lost his keys under the bushes, but searching for them on the road, because over there is brighter and cleaner, he passed Lorien and went on into the North .
It also said that doing so the Lord of Morgul was “hoping maybe to come upon Gollum” or to find out some information regarding the Ring’s exact whereabouts.