Barrow-wights?

[Ilúvatar]

In the book club, we are at the Fog on the Barrow-downs chapter and have come across Barrow-wights.

What are Barrow-wights? Where did they come from? Any information would be helpful.

Thanks.

[Melime]

[shadow=teal,left,300]I'm pretty sure barrow-wights are evil spirits sent by sauron into the burial mounds of the kings/princes of the northern kingdom. Someone correct me if I'm wrong, I tried to find where I saw that and I couldn't. Doesn't it always seem that way? Well, I hope that helps. [/shadow]

[Melime]

[shadow=red,left,300]I also found this in the Encyclopedia of Arda...

Dates: First appeared in III 1636; survived at least to the last years of the Third Age
Location: The Barrow-downs, to the east of the Shire
Meaning: A barrow is a grave-mound, and wight means a person or creature

Evil spirits sent to dwell in the Barrow-downs by the Witch-king of Angmar during his wars with the remnant of Arnor, and who remained there long after the realm of Angmar itself had vanished from the world. [/shadow]

[shadofax]

Barrow-Downs and Barrow-Wights

West of the Brandywine River beyond the Old Forest were the Barrow-Downs, the most ancient burial ground in Middle Earth. There was no water or trees, only grass covering the top of the mounds for these were the sacred Burial place of great Kings of men. Until out of Angmar many terrible spirits came that fled across Middle Earth looking for places to hide from the sun, these Demons whos body's had been destroyed were looking for other body's which there spirits could dwell. And so it became that the Barrow-Downs became a evil and terrible place, these Demons became the Barrow-Wights who's spirits took over the bones of the dead kings of old. The Barrow-Wights were form shifters and took what ever form they wished, they came upon unwary travellers in the guise of a Dark Phantom once under the spell of the Barrow-Wight the victom was taken to the treasure tomb and laid on a stone alter and draped in the jewellery of the ancient Kings and there ended their lives with a sacrificial sword. In the darkness these were powerful spirits; they could be held at bay only with the spell of a strong incantation. They could be destroyed by the light and the light is what they feared the most. The Barrow-Wights were lost and tortured spirits and their last chance to remain on Earth was on the security of Burial vaults, once a stone chamber was broken open light would pour in on the Barrow-Wights and they would fade like the mist before the sun and be gone for ever.

[Manwë Súlimo]

i think the witchking sent them to haunt Cardolan. They still remaind there i guess. i think they came from Rhudaur.