Originally published on Quora.com

Sauron did! But the person of interest hadn’t turned–yet! It takes a while: 550 years to be precise!

Recall, the Rings of Power were created in Ost-in-Edhil, by the Gwaith-i-Mírdain led by Celebrimbor in collaboration with Annatar, Lord of Gifts and Emissary of the Valar, beginning around 1500 SA. The One Ring, forged in 1600 SA, triggered Sauron’s sneaky backdoors in the design of every other Ring of Power. Sauron declared all Rings his personal IP and their withholding sufficient casas belli to invade Eriador in 1695 SA.

By 1700, Sauron had sacked Eregion, waterboarded the Gwaith, bulldozed Ost and seized 15 of 19 unaccounted-for Great Rings. That makes 1700 SA the earliest bound for when Sauron could have distributed Rings of Power to kick off the enwraithing process. The Nazgûl as a team appeared for the first time in 2251. Therefore, we know it can take 551 years for the whole thing to run its physiological course on a human.

In Akallabêth, we learn three Nazgûl were formerly Númenorean lords… do we know who they were? Tolkien left clues, and there are some interesting candidates in that awful 1700-2250 SA window. Let’s explore some, starting with the between-the-lines struggle for succession in Númenor 1700–1731 SA.

Queen Telperiën (1556–1731 SA) couldn’t be bothered to involve herself in the War of the Elves and Sauron. Or anything else for that matter: no heirs, refused to wed, and yet oddly never abdicated her throne to her younger brother, Isilmo. Recall, Númenor’s “new law” of primogeniture, established during Queen Ancalimë’s reign, i.e., a ruler’s nearest kinsman, male or female, is Heir. That law, let alone tradition, would have strongly compelled Telperiën to abdicate to Isilmo.

Why didn’t she? Did something occur during or after the War, maybe involving Isilmo that estranged Queen from Heir or disqualified him in her eyes? Some no doubt would have sided with the Queen, but strict legalists would have opted for the passed-over Isilmo, whose death is curiously not recorded in any of the Annals...

…perhaps looking somewhat pale and anemic of late, his breath hissing like snakes, especially since returning home after the War…

Here’s something else weird. So, in 1700 SA, Númenor did finally enter the War, but under the leadership not of the Queen but Isilmo’s son Minastir (1731–1869 SA), who dared dub himself “Tar” while the Queen yet lived. Minastir, defying Queen, Council, and tradition, committed the full military machine of Númenor, easily and quickly vanquishing Sauron.

What happened to Telperiën that compelled Ministir to take over? Why didn’t the Council of the Sceptre intervene? Perhaps they did, and Minastir was so embroiled in his coup that he found it hard to wage his own foreign war.

In fact, Minastir didn’t fight, remaining in Númenor for the duration!

Enter the magnificent Admiral Ciryatur, dispatched to Middle-earth to personally to deal with the Sauron problem. Ciryatur beat the “tar” (Númenorean pun?) out of Sauron, forcing him into a humiliating retreat with only his personal guard in tow. In fact, one wonders how Sauron managed in the end to escape the clutches of eager Ciryatur. Hard to believe Sauron wasn’t easily overtaken, dallying coyly in Dagorlad…

Watch as the honey-tongued, lordly Annatar graciously bend his knee to the victorious Ciryatur, averting his eyes obsequiously. Would this encounter somehow presage a similar one with Ar-Pharazôn centuries later? Did the Lord of Gifts offer him, in exchange for his freedom, a token, a little Ring, the least of Rings?

Part of me wonders at how badly Sauron was beaten, and whether or not that was part of a longer con, involving his incipient Ring distribution policies. At any rate, there can be little doubt Minastir was right at the nexus of some ghoulish transformation…

It was just during the latter part of this window, precisely when the first batch of Nazgûl are incubating, that the people of Númenor began to speak out against the Ban, becoming more and discontent about the so-called Gift of Men. Númenor became bitterly divided between the Faithful and the King’s Men. That suggests proto-Nazgûl were right there in Armenelos, in plain view, heroes and lords of the War, seemingly defying death and aging, actively sowing the deep divisions that led inexorably to the Revolt.

During the strange reign of Atanamir the Unwilling (2029–????), Manwë’s emissaries appeared out of the West in Armenelos to urgently talk them all down from the brink of irrevocable heresy. Alas, it is easy to imagine Atanamir tempted by these precious Rings, that apparently defeat death and preserve perpetual youth and vigor, given his infamous pushback against the emissaries–because he was actually witnessing this enwraithing process occur around him.

"At ninety he was much the same as at fifty. At ninety-nine, they began to call him well-preserved, but unchanged would have been nearer the mark. There were some that shook their heads and thought this was too much of a good thing; it seemed unfair that anyone should possess (apparently) perpetual youth as well as (reputedly) inexhaustible wealth..."

Then, the Nazgûl appeared fully as Ringwraiths. Where this occurred is not recorded, but sadly I believe it was right there in Númenor. From the Tale of Years, one bitter thought, one sentence:

2251 Elven tongue is forsworn in Númenor by King’s Men; Nazgûl appear.

Something dreadful was happening on the Isle of Gift in 2251. Atanamir held onto power until the very end, the first to rule until completely unmanned and useless. But… when did he die? According to the original Tale of Years, 2221 SA, when Tar-Ancalimon took the Scepter.

CT says this was impossible and must be a typo, insisting it was 2251:

"I have little doubt therefore that the entry in the Tale of Years is in error for a correct reading: ‘2251 Death of Tar-Atanamir. Tar-Ancalimon takes the sceptre. Rebellion and division of the Númenoreans begins.’"

Succumbing to an incredibly tempting interpretation of the various discrepancies between the Royal Annalists… maybe Atanamir’s body did actually “die” in 2221 SA, prompting Ancalimon to take over–officially. But Atanamir’s spirit endured, in an in-between state not unlike Frodo’s after his Morgul wound, finally succumbing to wraithdom in 2251, right there in Armenelos!

By the WotR 3019 TA, Sauron could boast, in addition to the Nine, the last three dwarven Rings of Power for new Nazgûl postulants, the other four dwarf Rings having been reduced to cheese-whiz by Urulóki halitosis. Two, gotten by unspecified means at unspecified times prior to the late TA from assorted dwarven hoards. The last and most powerful, the Ring of Thrór, was generously donated by Thráin II while vacationing at Dol Guldur 2845 TA.

(Later, another Ring would free up when Atanamir, er, that is to say, the Witch-King of Angmar, was vanquished at Pelennor Fields, although Sauron only had 10 days to distribute it between the WK’s demise on March 15 and the minor events of March 25.)

Thrór’s Ring is particularly compelling…

Using our established rubric of 550 years, let’s say Sauron gifted Thrór’s Ring to some poor soul in 2846 TA. Ideally of High or Black Númenorean descent, this contestant’s incredible longevity would have been notable by everyone around him. Even the Wise might have heard of him. Sauron would be keeping his Eye on his doings, encouraging him in his new path, his slow way, step by step, mile by mile, south, down at last to the Land of Mordor…

Our Nazgûl postulant would, during the WotR, easily be over 200 years into his wraith puberty. Old enough to feel like butter stretched over too much bread, but definitely NOT a Ringwraith—i.e., not yet: a living man. He had at least 300 more years of misery to endure before donning his permanent black uniform. But no doubt already high up in Sauron’s service, a brilliant lieutenant of Númenorean stock, who, like Gollum, was having trouble remembering his own youth, his own name…

"And thereupon the middle door of the Black Gate was thrown open with a great clang, and out of it there came an embassy from the Dark Tower.At its head there rode a tall and evil shape, mounted upon a black horse… robed all in black, and black was his lofty helm; yet this was no Ringwraith but a living man. The Lieutenant of the Tower of Barad-dûr he was and his name is remembered in no tale; for he himself had forgotten it…"

Meet the Mouth of Sauron…

The Mouth of Sauron was said to have entered Mordorian service when Reconstruction began in 2951 TA, as a budding member of its State Dept. If he indeed bore Thrór’s Ring from around 2846, that would make him about 150 at that time, having sported his Ring about a century, long enough for his friends and family to begin to envy and ostracize him, resenting and fearing his apparent perpetual youth and chiseled good looks (just throwing that in)…

…Too much of a good thing…

For comparison, Gollum bore the One from his bloody birthday party in 2463 TA (when he was 33, same age Frodo was when he inherited it) until 2941, when Bilbo (ahem) won it: 478 years, likely right at the edge of wraithdom, far longer than the Mouth. So long, in fact, he’d forgotten HIS own name…

Why wasn’t this one of the other two dwarven Rings instead? Answer: because he’d be a Ringwraith already, unless Sauron just happened to recover and distribute one of those Rings around the same time he got Thrór’s. Possible, but more likely Sauron wanted to use Thrór’s Ring for a very special purpose: the destruction of the House of Durin the Deathless!

The Mouth’s apparent affinity for Longbeard geopolitics is telling in this context, drawing upon Glóin’s report at the Council of Elrond.

"…about a year ago a messenger came to Dáin… from Mordor: a horseman in the night. The Lord Sauron the Great…wished for our friendship… Rings he would give for it, such as he gave of old… three rings that the Dwarf sires possessed of old shall be returned to you, and the realm of Moria shall be yours for ever… Do you refuse?

At that his breath came like the hiss of snakes, and all who stood by shuddered…"

Although not mentioned by name, this emissary must have been none other than the Mouth of Sauron, high in the secret counsels of Barad-dûr, deep in the Mordor power structure. And lying through his teeth, because he himself had the Ring of Thrór! Sauron perceived the Mouth, wearing Thrór’s Ring, had over time inculcated some fundamental natural ability for dealing with dwarven matters (including Khuzdul fluency?), and would be perfect for his overall Longbeard Solution. But not so unemployable in relations with actual mortals that his mere presence (like an actual full-blown Nazgûl) would cause irrational fear and flight response.

Whoever he was, breath hissing like snakes, he was clearly experiencing the early respiratory benefits from his new fitness regimen he was learning in Naz-schoôl…