Aragorn had the option to attack Mordor with the Army of the Dead in the Lord of the Rings movies, but he opted not to. This is why.
SUMMARY
- Mixing magic with weapons was essential in some of The Lord of the Rings’s conflicts, with Aragorn’s command of the Army of the Dead during the Battle of the Pelennor Fields serving as a prime example.
- Isildur cursed the Army of the Dead, who were formerly men of Dunharrow, to make good on their broken word, which they fulfilled by aiding Aragorn in his victory over Sauron’s armies in Gondor.
- The risks of sending the Army of the Dead into Mordor could be disastrous, thus Aragorn decided against it. The strength of Sauron’s necromancer abilities may hurt or perhaps turn the ghosts against Aragorn, resulting in the destruction of Gondor.
The Lord of the Rings had several large battles fought by the greatest warriors, while not having combat as its main theme. But, there were instances when mortal warriors simply weren’t sufficient to defeat the forces of evil. On the other hand, certain wars were settled by the use of both magic and swords. This can be seen in Gandalf’s fight with the Balrog, which featured both magical weapons like the Balrog’s burning whip and enchanted blades like Glamdring. At the Battle of the Pelennor Fields, as Aragorn marched into the conflict with the Army of the Dead, magic again played a vital part.
At this point, Sauron had already sent his Orc armies charging into Minas Tirith with the aim of obliterating Gondor. In addition, he had six formidable Olyphaunts and further soldiers arriving from the South. Everyone in Minas Tirith was aware of their overwhelming numerical disadvantage, but at the last second, Aragorn showed up in command of a battalion made up entirely of “ghosts.” These zombie soldiers saved the day by swiftly destroying Sauron’s orc forces. Nonetheless, a lot of fans have questioned why Aragorn didn’t send the Army of the Dead directly against Mordor.
Ajay Aravind updated on October 3, 2023: Aragorn has a major part in The Lord of the Rings as the Isildur’s heir and a member of the Fellowship. In reality, The Return of the King is the only book or movie in which he is mentioned. Since the beginning, Sauron had been leery of Aragorn because he feared a united Gondor almost as much as the destruction of the One Ring. It’s interesting to note that Sauron tries to intimidate Aragorn using the palantr of Orthanc, albeit the movie and book versions of this scenario differ significantly. Yet, Aragorn does not lead the Army of the Dead into Mordor to end his conflict with the Dark Lord. As a result, we’ve added more information to this feature.
The Army of the Dead: What Was It?
Originally, the specters in the Army of the Dead were Dunharrow men. The Men of the White Mountains pledged an oath during The Last Alliance that they would support Isildur and Gondor in their fight against Mordor’s evil forces. But, they broke their promise when the combat started, not recognizing the dangerous repercussions of doing so. The men of Dunharrow decided to be alive and unharmed by hiding in the mountains rather than fighting Sauron.
They received a terrible curse from Isildur himself as punishment for their heinous cowardice: “to rest never till your word is completed; for this conflict will go through years without number, and you shall be summoned once more ere the end.” Until they discovered a method to carry out their word, their spirits would abide in Middle-earth when they passed away. The White Mountains were eventually visited by the Dead Men of Dunharrow for well over three thousand years. The Army of the Dead only listened to Aragorn because of Isildur’s curse; if they fulfilled the terms of their oath, Aragorn would release their imprisoned souls.
The Dead Men of Dunharrow were reluctant to assist at first, but they eventually consented to battle for Gondor. Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli traveled to Minas Tirith and routed the opposing forces at the pivotal Battle of the Pelennor Fields with the power of the undead at his back. The Army of the Dead was then freed from its pledge by Aragorn, freeing them to enter the afterlife. Nonetheless, the Army of the Dead easily routed Sauron’s numerous battalions. More significantly, it was nearly hard to find an army that wasn’t constrained by basic necessities like hunger and sleep. As a result, many fans have questioned why Aragorn would not let them loose on Mordor first before releasing them.
Why Didn’t Aragorn attack Mordor with the Ghost Army?
Because to differences between what is in the books and the movies, Aragon decided against sending the Army of the Dead into Mordor. Aragorn ought to have sent the army into Mordor without hesitation in the big-screen adaptations. Even though Sauron’s forces were immensely superior and far outnumbered their opponents, size doesn’t matter when facing an army made up entirely of unstoppable spirits.
Yet, things were different in the books. Instead of the Orcs at Minas Tirith, the Army of the Dead defeated the Haradrim and the Corsairs of Umbar at Pelargir in Tolkien’s story. That’s a significant change, especially in light of the battle’s circumstances. Many Corsairs perished in the Anduin River after jumping off their ships in horror at the sight of the zombie army. In other words, because they didn’t have to, the Army of the Dead didn’t kill anyone. They were only successful as a scare technique.
It was probably pointless for the Army of the Dead to engage Sauron’s orc forces in battle. Although the Army of the Dead was scary, the Orcs were more frightened of Sauron than they were by some ghostly beings. Thus, even if it meant losing all of their numbers, they would have maintained their position. The Dark Lord himself is, in fact, the real reason why Aragorn may have decided against employing this tactic. Sauron may have been capable of damaging the Army of the Dead due to his skill as a formidable necromancer.
Even still, it’s possible that the Dark Lord managed to persuade them to turn against Aragorn and Gondor. If this had taken place, it would have tipped the balance of battle in Sauron’s favor and reduced Minas Tirith to a burning ruin. If Aragorn, Legolas, Gimli, and possibly even Gandalf had survived, Frodo and Sam would have been completely alone atop an erupting Mount Doom. The amount of loss would have been immeasurable even if the Eagles had been able to save the heroes. With all of this in mind, Aragorn sending the Army of the Dead into Mordor would have been a bad idea.