The Rings of Power: The Nazgûl’s Role in the Second Age

Season 3 of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power is set to explore the beginnings of the Nazgûl — or “Nazgnagôl,” as showrunners J.D. Payne and Patrick McKay refer to their Second Age version of the Ringwraiths. Season 2 established the crucial first step: the Nine Rings intended for mortal men had been completed, and Sauron possessed them by the finale. None of the rings had yet been claimed, however. (Here’s a full recap to revisit before The Rings of Power Season 3.)

When the new season arrives, at least some of those immensely powerful rings are expected to find their way onto the hands of nine new bearers. Still, viewers should not expect these early Nazgûl to resemble the fully formed Black Riders from The Lord of the Rings. Payne and McKay’s Second Age servants are at the beginning of their transformation. They remain formidable mortal figures who are learning how to wield supernatural power in Sauron’s cause. The One Ring has not yet been forged, so they will not be pursuing it across Middle-earth; instead, their role will be to help Sauron expand his growing dominion.

Their incomplete transformation does not make them any less threatening. These nine figures are still portrayed as some of the most driven, influential, and ruthless mortals of their age — people already willing to risk everything for power and glory. To understand how they may serve Sauron at this stage of Middle-earth’s history, it helps to examine not only the Rings of Power, but also the men who will eventually bear them.

The frustrating truth is that J.R.R. Tolkien identifies only one Nazgûl by name. That information appears in the posthumously published Unfinished Tales, which names Khamûl as one of the Nine. He is described as the “Shadow of the East,” the “Black Easterling,” and the second-ranking Nazgûl beneath the leader known as the Witch-king, later called the Witch-king of Angmar. Beyond those details, Tolkien offers little insight into their individual personalities. By the time of The Lord of the Rings, the Ringwraiths have existed for thousands of years as shadowy extensions of Sauron’s will rather than fully developed individuals.

Their story looks very different in the Second Age, when they first receive the Nine Rings. At that point, they are still living men with ambitions, rivalries, and distinct positions of influence. The Silmarillion states that at least three of them were “great lords” of Númenórean descent. Tolkien also describes the men who accepted the rings as former or emerging kings, sorcerers, and warriors who gained extraordinary fame, riches, and authority. Whether they already held those titles before accepting the rings is left unclear, but the result is certain: the Nine become immensely powerful figures in political, military, and magical circles.

That success carries a devastating cost. Tolkien writes that their apparent immortality ultimately becomes unbearable, transforming what first seemed like a gift into a curse. The rings also allow their bearers to vanish from ordinary sight and perceive the “other side,” or the Unseen world — a realm already introduced in Season 2 of The Rings of Power. These abilities are not signs of triumph; they mark the men’s gradual loss of their humanity and their descent into spectral servitude.

Tolkien’s account ends with an especially grim warning: each man eventually falls under the control of the ring he carries and, ultimately, beneath the power of the One Ring created by Sauron.

The One Ring has yet to appear in this part of the story, but it is on the horizon. Once it is forged, the nine men are likely to understand the true price of their bargain — only after escape has become impossible. Their corruption may happen quickly on screen, particularly because The Rings of Power compresses the Second Age’s roughly 3,500-year history into a much shorter span of decades.

The broad outline is clear: Khamûl is the only other Nazgûl named by Tolkien, the Witch-king commands the group, at least three are Númenórean lords, and all nine rise in wealth and influence as they surrender their souls. Season 3 is expected to begin dramatizing that transformation. Promotional material has already confirmed Khamûl’s appearance, with Zubin Varla playing the character, and his storyline will likely unfold in the eastern region of Rhûn.

Tolkien, however, provides no detailed account of Khamûl’s life during the period covered by The Rings of Power. His limited backstory comes from material set much later, and the books offer only scattered clues about the origins of the other eight Ringwraiths. Their specific actions during Sauron’s first major campaign in the Second Age remain largely unknown.

What the texts do establish is that this is the era in which the Nine gain extraordinary status and become Sauron’s most feared agents. After accepting their rings, they accumulate even greater power and riches. At the same time, Sauron extends his rule across much of Middle-earth, becoming especially dominant in distant regions such as Harad, Khand, and Rhûn.

The Silmarillion describes Sauron’s authority in those lands as both political and religious, saying he ruled as “king and god” while inspiring terror from a fortress surrounded by fire. The Nazgûl are central to that campaign of intimidation and conquest. Tolkien never spells out exactly how they helped build Sauron’s eastern empire, giving Payne and McKay room to create their own expanded interpretation when The Rings of Power returns for Season 3.

Season 3 of The Rings of Power premieres on November 11th.