Nazgûl Absence from the War of the Last Alliance in ‘The Lord of the Rings’ Explained

Sauron's most devoted minions are the Nazgûl, one of the most terrible creatures in ‘The Lord of the Rings’.  They are conspicuously absent from the War of the Last Alliance, which resulted in Sauron's first defeat at the end of the Second Age, despite their terrifying reputation.  Their absence raises the issue of why the Nazgûl were not present at this period.  Wouldn't Sauron have benefited greatly from their presence?  Not always.  Although not much is known about their activities during this time, a few reasons contribute to the explanation of their disappearance.

The Nazgûl were not as formidable in the Second Age as they were in the Third.  The Rings of Power had corrupted these nine men, but they had not yet made their opponents fearful.  Elves and the Dúnedain, who survived Númenor and were renowned for their fortitude, sagacity, and tenacity, made up the Last Alliance.  

They were not easily terrified by the Ringwraiths, in contrast to regular mortals.  A Dúnedain named Aragorn defeats several Nazgûl at Weathertop in ‘The Fellowship of the Ring’.  As demonstrated when Arwen (or Glorfindel in the literature) defeats them at the Ford of Bruinen, the Elves also possessed the intelligence and strength to oppose them.

Image Courtesy: Collider

Furthermore, the Second Age was not the height of the Nazgûl's dominance.  They had an advantage in subsequent conflicts because they did not yet have their fellow monsters.  Their leader, the Witch-king, had not yet developed the great power that would be his in the Third Age.  Sauron himself did not rely on the Nazgûl since he had faith in his soldiers.  They might have been sent to another location to protect important strongholds or organize Sauron's other supporters.

 In the end, J.R.R. Tolkien never made clear what their involvement was in this conflict.  Their absence is still unclear; it might have been a conscious decision to keep the narrative balanced.

–Farheen Ali