| Fell Beast | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| |||
| Naming | |||
| Others | Hell-hawks Nazgul-birds | ||
| Morphology | |||
| Body type | Wyvern like Pterosaur like | ||
| Intelligence | |||
| Sapience | Non-sapient | ||
| Aggressivity | Extreme | ||
| Ecology | |||
| Place of origin | Middle Earth | ||
| Habitat | possibly Mordor | ||
| Diet | Carnivore | ||
| Status | Critically Endangered | ||
| Behind the Scenes | |||
| Universe | Middle Earth | ||
| Created by | J.R.R. Tolkien | ||
| Designed by | John Howe Jamie Beswarick | ||
| Performed by | Donkey, Sea Lion, and Tiger vocals | ||
| “ | [...] it was a winged creature: if bird, then greater than all other birds, and it was naked, and neither quill nor feather did it bear, and its vast pinions were as webs of hide between horned fingers; and it stank. A creature of an older world maybe it was [...] |
” |
— J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings
| ||
Fell beasts are the flying reptilian steeds of the Nazgul.
Biology[]
Not much is known about these creatures. It has been suggested that they feed on carrion, and can use their foul breath to stun enemies. They are portrayed differently in the books and films, sometimes as pterodactyl-like, sometimes more like wyverns. Despite eating carrion, they are also very effective in combat. This suggests that they may hunt live prey as well.
Gallery[]
.jpg "Bestia Alata (1980).jpg (1.42 MB)")
A Fell Beast, along with the Witch King as they appear in the Rankin Bass cartoon, The Return of the King (1980).
Notes[]
- "Fell" is an archaic term for fierce and/or cruel.
- During the design process of the beast, Peter Jackson didn't want the fell beasts to have draconic characteristics including it "nobility" appearance, so the beasts were more closely similar to snakes rather than dragons.