What Are the Nazgûl, Really?

The Black Riders look like ghosts. Black robes, no faces, horrible screaming. But they're not ghosts, and the real answer is stranger. This one covers what the Nazgûl actually are: the men they used to be, what the Nine Rings did to them, why Frodo sees pale kings when he puts the Ring on at Weathertop, why they need the robes at all, what the scream does to people, and why they seem weirdly beatable early on and unstoppable by the end. Film-first as always. Book and lore context only where it actually explains something the films leave vague. If you want the follow-up on the Witch-king, or on why the Nazgûl have that strange thing about water, say so in the comments. One of them's probably happening either way. LOTR Explained Simply — Lord of the Rings explained for people who watched the films and still have questions. 0:00 What are the Black Riders? 0:30 They were once men 1:25 What the Nine Rings did 2:00 Are they dead? 2:20 Why are they invisible? 3:29 Why do they scream? 3:57 Why are they sometimes useless? 6:06 What's under the hood?