The Lord of the Rings · Character
King of the Dead
Also known as the Dead Men's king
- Minor
- First seen · Book 3 · Ch. 9
The King of the Dead feels less like a man than a memory that has refused to fade: grey, solemn, and unsettlingly present. His silence carries the weight of an old oath, and even his stillness seems to belong to another age.
- Gender
- male
- Age
- ancient spirit
- First appears
- Book 3 · Ch. 9
- Books
- 1
The King of the Dead leads the grey host beneath the mountains, bound by an ancient oath left unfulfilled. When Aragorn calls upon him, he and his company fulfill their pledge and break the strength of the enemy at Pelargir. At the end of their service, the King stands before the host, breaks and casts down his spear, bows low, and turns away as the dead vanish like mist before a sudden wind.
Description
He appears as a spectral figure, grey and indistinct, with the insubstantial presence of mist. The text gives no definite features for his face, hair, eyes, build, or garments. His bearing is kingly and solemn, and he is marked by the spear he carries before breaking it and casting it down.
Story so far
BOOK 3The Return of the King: Being the Third Part of the Lord of the Rings
Appearances
Meet King of the Dead in Bookworm
Meet King of the Dead in your EPUB — spoiler-safe to the book you're on.