Khamûl
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In J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium, Khamûl is a fictional character being one of the most powerful of the nine Ringwraiths or Nazgûl, second only to the Lord of the Nazgûl himself.
Khamûl appears (unnamed) in The Lord of the Rings and (named) in Unfinished Tales of Númenor and Middle-earth. As such, he was the only Ringwraith whose name is given by Tolkien. He was called Sauron's lieutenant, Shadow of the East, and the Black Easterling. He was a lord of Easterlings before being given one of the Nine Rings by Sauron. He, like the other Nazgûl, slowly fell slave to Sauron's will, and living long beyond his mortal life span, eventually became a wraith, neither living nor dead. The Nine first appeared as Nazgûl around the year 2251 of the Second Age.
He commanded the fortress of Dol Guldur after Sauron's return to Mordor. He was also the Ringwraith who pursued the Hobbits to the Ferry at Buckleberry in the Shire, and who asked Hamfast Gamgee for "Baggins" just before Frodo Baggins left Hobbiton. He was readily able to sense the presence of the One Ring, although in daylight he became confused and diminished. After the Witch-king's destruction he may have assumed command of the Ringwraiths, although this is not certain in the storyline. Following the destruction of the One Ring, Khamûl perished with the rest of the Ringwraiths.
[edit] Sources
- The Fellowship of the Ring: "Three is Company," p. 78-79, 84-85, 87-88; "A Short Cut to Mushrooms," p. 98-100, 102; "A Conspiracy Unmasked," p. 109
- Unfinished Tales: "The Hunt for the Ring," p. 338-39, 344, 348, 352-53 note 1
