The Monstrefact: Fell Beasts of the Nazgûl

In this episode of STBYM’s The Monstrefact, Robert discusses the winged beasts of the Nazgûl in J.R.R. Tolkien’s “The Lord of the Rings.”

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:03):
Welcome to Stuff to Blow Your Mind, a production of
My Heart Radio. Hi, my name is Robert Lamb and
this is the Monster Fact, a short form series from
Stuff to Blow Your Mind focusing on on mythical creatures,
ideas and monsters in time. In the Lord of the Rings,

(00:23):
the Nasgal are the most valued servants of the dark
lords Saoron. They ride forth from Minus Morgul on the
backs of specially bred horses in search of the one Ring,
but eventually they take to the sky on fell beasts,
winged creatures that otherwise have no name. The monster is

(00:44):
described as something like a great featherless bird, and perhaps
a creature of an older world. Now it's impossible to
consider these descriptions without thinking of prehistoric terrasaurs, winged reptiles
that are actually the earliest known vertebrates capable of powered flight.
Even creator J. R. R. Tolkien admitted that the creatures

(01:07):
were certainly pterodactylic even if the nine are not actually
meant to be thought of as writing pterodactyls. But if
we were to match the steeds of the ring Raiths
to actual Terra saurs, then we might be in luck,
because Terra saurs included some of the largest flying animals
to ever live. In fact, several species boasted wingspans of

(01:30):
more than thirty feet or nine point one meters, rivaling
and in some cases exceeding, the wingspans of many small airplanes. However,
scientists have differed on exactly how gifted a flyer these
great terra saurs were, and even if the largest species
were capable of powered flight or flight at all, did
they possess powerful quadrupedo launching abilities or were they limited

(01:52):
by the launching abilities of their hind legs only. The
answer to this question alone might limit how the fell
beasts of the Nasgo might deployed in battle, as powerful
vertical lift vehicles, as mounts that depended on cliff side launching,
or something more akin to appear glider. There's also the
question of bearing a ring raith's weight. We know that

(02:14):
the nasgal leave heavy bootprints in the mud. Despite their
ghost like nature, they would still pose a burden to
a living mount, as would their armor and their weapons.
While winged mounts are a standard of fantastic fiction, various
problems emerge. Implementing it in real life flight is taxing.
It requires specialized bodies and a lot of energy to

(02:36):
pull off. Among birds, the harpie eagle is an absolute powerhouse,
capable of lifting prey equal to its own weight of
up to twenty pounds or nine kilograms. They've been known
to take off with sloths, but raptors like this are
not in it for the long haul. It's one thing
to carry a heavy load from one tree branch to
a nearby feeding spot, quite another to carry it act

(03:00):
to more door. It's also quite another feat to carry
something on your back. That's where a lot of vital
muscle work takes place in various flyers. Perhaps the neck
of the nas goal would make for a better saddle point,
and this is how they are sometimes depicted in art,
but even the neck remains questionable on a flyer, as

(03:21):
reported by science writer Ryan Morrison in The Mail Online.
Two recent studies shed more light on the strength of
the terra sare. First of all, a one University of
Portsmouth study found that specially arranged cross strutts sort of
like bicycle spokes, enhanced the strength of their long necks.

(03:41):
Next strength that would have been vital to support the
creature during flight and allow it to carry off prey.
Unlike avian raptors, the pterosaurs would have used their jaws
as such, perhaps the neck would be the ideal place
to sit upon a great flying beast like this. We're
left consider various possibilities concerning the use of these fell

(04:04):
beasts in combat. Perhaps they were only flown for short
bursts of assault or reconnaissance, or launched exclusively from high cliffs.
They may also have excelled as a troupe. Transport of
one for a ring raith would be worth many on
the field of battle, especially if deployed at will from
the sky. Though we are told that at least once

(04:25):
the fell beasts provide an aerial platform from which to
send projectiles at the enemy on the ground. A creature
the size of a great terra saur would pose a
considerable threat as well. The nas goal that has written
fought fiercely with nail and beak. Considering both mount and rider,
it's quite a force to suddenly drop strategically from above. Fortunately,

(04:48):
the armies of Sauron did not enjoy complete aerial superiority,
for intelligent eagles also occupied the sky. At the Battle
of the Black Gate, the final battle of the War
of the Rings. These two forces engaged in what we
might consider dog fights in the skies of Middle Earth.

(05:13):
Tune in for additional episodes of The Monster Effact each
week in September and October. As always, you can email
us at contact at stuff to blow your Mind dot com.
Oh yes, and Happy Hobbit Day. Stuff to Blow Your

(05:37):
Mind is a production of I Heart Radio. For more
podcasts for my heart Radio, visit the i heart Radio app,
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