Evil spirits inhabiting the burial mounds of the Barrow-downs in Eriador. Originally the barrows were the resting places of the Dunedain and their ancestors, but the Barrow-downs were abandoned when the Dunedain were stricken by the Great Plague of 1636. The Witch-king then sent evil spirits from Angmar and Rhudaur to occupy the barrows. The Barrow-downs became a place of fear and even Hobbits had heard of their sinister reputation.
On September 23, 3018, the Witch-king came to the Barrow-downs to rouse Barrow-wights to watch for trespassers on their land. Frodo Baggins and his companions entered the Barrow-downs on September 28 after leaving the house of Tom Bombadil. Tom advised the Hobbits to pass the barrows on the west side. They hoped to make it across the downs to the Great East Road by nightfall, but they fell asleep while resting on a hill and a fog rolled in that caused them to become disoriented.
Frodo realized he had been separated from his companions and tried to find them, but he heard an eerie voice calling to him and was confronted by a tall dark figure in the fog. He lost consciousness and woke to find himself inside a barrow. The barrow may once have been the tomb of the last prince of Cardolan, who was killed in battle against the forces of Angmar in 1409, but it had become the home of a Barrow-wight.
Frodo saw Merry, Pippin and Sam lying on the ground with a sword across their necks. They had been dressed in white robes and adorned with gold and jewels. A green light filled the barrow and Frodo heard a voice chanting.
Cold be hand and heart and bone,
and cold be sleep under stone:
never more to wake on stony bed,
never, till the Sun fails and the Moon is dead.
In the black wind the stars shall die,
and still on gold here let them lie,
till the dark lord lifts his hand
over dead sea and withered land.
From: The Fellowship of the Ring: "Fog on the Barrow-downs," p. 152
A hand appeared, creeping toward the hilt of the sword that lay on the Hobbits' necks. Frodo felt an overwhelming temptation to put on the Ring, but he resisted it and instead used a sword to cut off the hand at the wrist. He then called for Tom Bombadil, who came and released the Hobbits from the barrow. He sang a song to banish the Barrow-wight, and it fled with a shriek. Tom gave the Hobbits swords from the barrow that had been used to fight the Witch-king long ago. He then spread out the gold and treasures from the barrow on the grass so that the barrow's spell was broken and no Wight would return to it.
Beware the Barrow-Wights as they are evil ghostly creatures.
