Thread by @BlogTolkien

For #TolkienTrewsday theme of villain: this thread is from my blog post on the Paths of the Dead and the Dead Men that haunted the place. Their origin was unique because they started as "the oath breakers". 1/5

🎨: The Paths of the Dead by Darrell Sweet
#TolkienTuesday #Tolkien

The Dead Men were originally the Men of the Mountains. Their king had sworn allegiance to Isildur at the Stone of Erech. However, when Isildur summoned them to fight against Sauron, they refused. Furious, Isildur cursed them to never find rest until their oath was fulfilled. 2/5

The Dead Men emphasized the importance of an oath. Several instances of oath-taking in Middle-earth legendarium played important parts in history; from the infamous Oath of Fëanor to the Oath of Eorl, made under the names of Eru and Valar (thus invoking “divine power”). 3/5

Fulfilling the oath has such specific importance for Tolkien that Malbeth, a royal councilor and seer at the court of Arvedui, the last king of Arthedain, foretold the coming of Aragorn to the Paths of the Dead to give a chance for the Dead Men to fulfill their oaths. 4/5

I also made comparison to these "spirits in procession and their oaths" with legends from other cultures; from the vassals of Javanese Queen of the Southern Sea to the Night Marchers in Hawaii (it's a two-part post so I hope you enjoy them!). 5/5

putri2wotan.wordpress.com/2020/10/08/the…