Why does Gandalf seemed concerned about fighting the WK?
What reason does he have to believe that the WK is a challenge?
I always interpreted Gandalf as having fought 4 nazgul on weathertop rather than the nine, partly because I don't like rendering the bad guys as too impotent, and partly because it renders his line of, having yet to come against the WK, a rather confusing one. As in, "I am yet to be measured up against the WK, although I DID fight him off a few days ago, plus another 8 of him all at once already." And if he could fight all 9 off then it raises questions of, how come he didn't just stay at weathertop and wait for Aragorn to come to him and then continue to Rivendel if he can just continue to maintain some sort of anti Nazgul barrier. I know it would probably be a lot more complicated but I don't like rendering the Nazgul, the deadliest of Sauron's servants, as being TOO powerless to do anything.
ANYWAY
Why does he think the WK is a challenge? First off, why does he think the WK is any more a challenge than a normal Nazgul? Yes he is the leader of the nazgul, but normally leaders in warfare aren't the leaders because they are stronger than their soldiers but because they are better commanders. And Gandalf is clearly referring to measuring his power against the WK's power, and not saying, "I am yet to match Wits against the WK". Has the WK performed any feats of magic before FOTR that would cause Gandalf to be concerned? Has Glorfindel told Gandalf, "Hey bud, I'd rate the nazgul as level 3, but the WK as level 6. I dunno where I'd rate you at, maybe 5 or 7?"
It is always possible that Gandalf has witnessed the WK's strength in person, during a conflict at Dol Goldur driving the Necromancer away for example in which the white council as a whole repelled the WK or during another of his adventures that we are never told about. The WK confronting Radagast the brown and beating him back would probably be an example of the WK accomplishing a feat of magic that makes Gandalf unsure.
This question also raises the nature of the WK's later upgrade. Has the WK always been the way he is now, and then after the Shire incident he gets upgraded for the first time. Or does the WK occasionally get upgraded and then downgraded like the low or high tide on a beach, depending on Sauron's objectives?
I had always assumed the latter, but then when I reflected upon looking at the appendixes I realised that the WK could quite easily have accomplished all his prior missions with his downgraded power. We never actually have him physically take anyone on in a fight instead he flees when he is challenged, and all his victories are accomplished through the strength of his armies and his own cunning. It can be quite plausible that Sauron investing power into the WK isn't something he can do off and on when he feels like, and that it might be a similar process to investing himself into the Ring. That would explain why, after all these thousands of years, he is only now upgrading the WK. And why he didn't upgrade the WK before he sent him off to the Shire. I mean, for all he knew the Shire was full of Elvish warriors, and why not upgrade the WK just in case he did come across something unexpected. But I will also say that I don't think anything is contradicted either if Sauron can turn the WK's upgrade on and off either, and he sent the Nazgul in their depowered state just because he needed that extra power himself for whatever reason to do whatever he was doing in Mordor that was more important than FINDING THE ONE RING AFTER THREE THOUSAND YEARS.
Ahem.
This is all semi important, because when Gandalf is saying he is yet to be measured against the WK is he comparing himself to the depowered Witch King or is he comparing himself to the Upgraded Witch king? If the latter that would technically allow him to have fought off 9 nazgul but still not consider it a measurement against the WK if he knows the WK can become more powerful.
The nature of the WK's power is also relevant. I always believed he has his own store of power from when he was a mortal sorcerer king which makes him a bit similar to Dracula. He then gets additional weaknesses plus powers from being a wraith plus whatever power the ring granted him.
Now when Gandalf is referring to be measured against the WK is he referring to being measured against THIS, or is he saying "I can go up against the Wk, but if Sauron pours all of his own power into the WK then I might get overpowered because I would be fighting an evil magician plus a Maia at the same time. How do I know if Sauron can do this I hear you ask Frodo? Ho hum I will explain later"
What reason does he have to believe that the WK is a challenge?
I always interpreted Gandalf as having fought 4 nazgul on weathertop rather than the nine, partly because I don't like rendering the bad guys as too impotent, and partly because it renders his line of, having yet to come against the WK, a rather confusing one. As in, "I am yet to be measured up against the WK, although I DID fight him off a few days ago, plus another 8 of him all at once already." And if he could fight all 9 off then it raises questions of, how come he didn't just stay at weathertop and wait for Aragorn to come to him and then continue to Rivendel if he can just continue to maintain some sort of anti Nazgul barrier. I know it would probably be a lot more complicated but I don't like rendering the Nazgul, the deadliest of Sauron's servants, as being TOO powerless to do anything.
ANYWAY
Why does he think the WK is a challenge? First off, why does he think the WK is any more a challenge than a normal Nazgul? Yes he is the leader of the nazgul, but normally leaders in warfare aren't the leaders because they are stronger than their soldiers but because they are better commanders. And Gandalf is clearly referring to measuring his power against the WK's power, and not saying, "I am yet to match Wits against the WK". Has the WK performed any feats of magic before FOTR that would cause Gandalf to be concerned? Has Glorfindel told Gandalf, "Hey bud, I'd rate the nazgul as level 3, but the WK as level 6. I dunno where I'd rate you at, maybe 5 or 7?"
It is always possible that Gandalf has witnessed the WK's strength in person, during a conflict at Dol Goldur driving the Necromancer away for example in which the white council as a whole repelled the WK or during another of his adventures that we are never told about. The WK confronting Radagast the brown and beating him back would probably be an example of the WK accomplishing a feat of magic that makes Gandalf unsure.
This question also raises the nature of the WK's later upgrade. Has the WK always been the way he is now, and then after the Shire incident he gets upgraded for the first time. Or does the WK occasionally get upgraded and then downgraded like the low or high tide on a beach, depending on Sauron's objectives?
I had always assumed the latter, but then when I reflected upon looking at the appendixes I realised that the WK could quite easily have accomplished all his prior missions with his downgraded power. We never actually have him physically take anyone on in a fight instead he flees when he is challenged, and all his victories are accomplished through the strength of his armies and his own cunning. It can be quite plausible that Sauron investing power into the WK isn't something he can do off and on when he feels like, and that it might be a similar process to investing himself into the Ring. That would explain why, after all these thousands of years, he is only now upgrading the WK. And why he didn't upgrade the WK before he sent him off to the Shire. I mean, for all he knew the Shire was full of Elvish warriors, and why not upgrade the WK just in case he did come across something unexpected. But I will also say that I don't think anything is contradicted either if Sauron can turn the WK's upgrade on and off either, and he sent the Nazgul in their depowered state just because he needed that extra power himself for whatever reason to do whatever he was doing in Mordor that was more important than FINDING THE ONE RING AFTER THREE THOUSAND YEARS.
Ahem.
This is all semi important, because when Gandalf is saying he is yet to be measured against the WK is he comparing himself to the depowered Witch King or is he comparing himself to the Upgraded Witch king? If the latter that would technically allow him to have fought off 9 nazgul but still not consider it a measurement against the WK if he knows the WK can become more powerful.
The nature of the WK's power is also relevant. I always believed he has his own store of power from when he was a mortal sorcerer king which makes him a bit similar to Dracula. He then gets additional weaknesses plus powers from being a wraith plus whatever power the ring granted him.
Now when Gandalf is referring to be measured against the WK is he referring to being measured against THIS, or is he saying "I can go up against the Wk, but if Sauron pours all of his own power into the WK then I might get overpowered because I would be fighting an evil magician plus a Maia at the same time. How do I know if Sauron can do this I hear you ask Frodo? Ho hum I will explain later"