1 00:00:03,279 --> 00:00:05,640 Speaker 1: Welcome to Stuff to Blow Your Mind, a production of 2 00:00:05,640 --> 00:00:11,040 Speaker 1: My Heart Radio. Hi, my name is Robert Lamb and 3 00:00:11,119 --> 00:00:14,880 Speaker 1: this is the Monster Fact, a short form series from 4 00:00:14,880 --> 00:00:17,840 Speaker 1: Stuff to Blow Your Mind focusing on on mythical creatures, 5 00:00:18,360 --> 00:00:23,680 Speaker 1: ideas and monsters in time. In the Lord of the Rings, 6 00:00:23,720 --> 00:00:27,040 Speaker 1: the Nasgal are the most valued servants of the dark 7 00:00:27,080 --> 00:00:31,159 Speaker 1: lords Saoron. They ride forth from Minus Morgul on the 8 00:00:31,200 --> 00:00:35,240 Speaker 1: backs of specially bred horses in search of the one Ring, 9 00:00:35,800 --> 00:00:39,800 Speaker 1: but eventually they take to the sky on fell beasts, 10 00:00:40,440 --> 00:00:44,239 Speaker 1: winged creatures that otherwise have no name. The monster is 11 00:00:44,280 --> 00:00:48,200 Speaker 1: described as something like a great featherless bird, and perhaps 12 00:00:48,240 --> 00:00:51,960 Speaker 1: a creature of an older world. Now it's impossible to 13 00:00:52,000 --> 00:00:59,040 Speaker 1: consider these descriptions without thinking of prehistoric terrasaurs, winged reptiles 14 00:00:59,080 --> 00:01:03,120 Speaker 1: that are actually the earliest known vertebrates capable of powered flight. 15 00:01:03,800 --> 00:01:07,400 Speaker 1: Even creator J. R. R. Tolkien admitted that the creatures 16 00:01:07,400 --> 00:01:11,960 Speaker 1: were certainly pterodactylic even if the nine are not actually 17 00:01:12,040 --> 00:01:15,959 Speaker 1: meant to be thought of as writing pterodactyls. But if 18 00:01:16,000 --> 00:01:19,040 Speaker 1: we were to match the steeds of the ring Raiths 19 00:01:19,240 --> 00:01:22,680 Speaker 1: to actual Terra saurs, then we might be in luck, 20 00:01:22,800 --> 00:01:26,680 Speaker 1: because Terra saurs included some of the largest flying animals 21 00:01:26,720 --> 00:01:30,880 Speaker 1: to ever live. In fact, several species boasted wingspans of 22 00:01:30,920 --> 00:01:34,200 Speaker 1: more than thirty feet or nine point one meters, rivaling 23 00:01:34,200 --> 00:01:38,920 Speaker 1: and in some cases exceeding, the wingspans of many small airplanes. However, 24 00:01:38,959 --> 00:01:42,240 Speaker 1: scientists have differed on exactly how gifted a flyer these 25 00:01:42,280 --> 00:01:45,800 Speaker 1: great terra saurs were, and even if the largest species 26 00:01:45,800 --> 00:01:48,800 Speaker 1: were capable of powered flight or flight at all, did 27 00:01:48,800 --> 00:01:52,400 Speaker 1: they possess powerful quadrupedo launching abilities or were they limited 28 00:01:52,440 --> 00:01:55,560 Speaker 1: by the launching abilities of their hind legs only. The 29 00:01:55,640 --> 00:01:58,320 Speaker 1: answer to this question alone might limit how the fell 30 00:01:58,480 --> 00:02:02,280 Speaker 1: beasts of the Nasgo might deployed in battle, as powerful 31 00:02:02,400 --> 00:02:06,840 Speaker 1: vertical lift vehicles, as mounts that depended on cliff side launching, 32 00:02:07,240 --> 00:02:10,600 Speaker 1: or something more akin to appear glider. There's also the 33 00:02:10,680 --> 00:02:14,520 Speaker 1: question of bearing a ring raith's weight. We know that 34 00:02:14,600 --> 00:02:18,240 Speaker 1: the nasgal leave heavy bootprints in the mud. Despite their 35 00:02:18,280 --> 00:02:21,080 Speaker 1: ghost like nature, they would still pose a burden to 36 00:02:21,160 --> 00:02:24,399 Speaker 1: a living mount, as would their armor and their weapons. 37 00:02:25,000 --> 00:02:29,440 Speaker 1: While winged mounts are a standard of fantastic fiction, various 38 00:02:29,440 --> 00:02:33,800 Speaker 1: problems emerge. Implementing it in real life flight is taxing. 39 00:02:33,840 --> 00:02:36,800 Speaker 1: It requires specialized bodies and a lot of energy to 40 00:02:36,840 --> 00:02:41,000 Speaker 1: pull off. Among birds, the harpie eagle is an absolute powerhouse, 41 00:02:41,080 --> 00:02:44,040 Speaker 1: capable of lifting prey equal to its own weight of 42 00:02:44,120 --> 00:02:47,919 Speaker 1: up to twenty pounds or nine kilograms. They've been known 43 00:02:47,960 --> 00:02:51,600 Speaker 1: to take off with sloths, but raptors like this are 44 00:02:51,639 --> 00:02:53,960 Speaker 1: not in it for the long haul. It's one thing 45 00:02:54,000 --> 00:02:56,600 Speaker 1: to carry a heavy load from one tree branch to 46 00:02:56,680 --> 00:03:00,200 Speaker 1: a nearby feeding spot, quite another to carry it act 47 00:03:00,280 --> 00:03:03,280 Speaker 1: to more door. It's also quite another feat to carry 48 00:03:03,320 --> 00:03:06,480 Speaker 1: something on your back. That's where a lot of vital 49 00:03:06,560 --> 00:03:10,440 Speaker 1: muscle work takes place in various flyers. Perhaps the neck 50 00:03:10,480 --> 00:03:13,320 Speaker 1: of the nas goal would make for a better saddle point, 51 00:03:13,840 --> 00:03:16,320 Speaker 1: and this is how they are sometimes depicted in art, 52 00:03:17,080 --> 00:03:21,200 Speaker 1: but even the neck remains questionable on a flyer, as 53 00:03:21,200 --> 00:03:24,960 Speaker 1: reported by science writer Ryan Morrison in The Mail Online. 54 00:03:25,000 --> 00:03:28,320 Speaker 1: Two recent studies shed more light on the strength of 55 00:03:28,360 --> 00:03:32,080 Speaker 1: the terra sare. First of all, a one University of 56 00:03:32,120 --> 00:03:36,720 Speaker 1: Portsmouth study found that specially arranged cross strutts sort of 57 00:03:36,760 --> 00:03:41,080 Speaker 1: like bicycle spokes, enhanced the strength of their long necks. 58 00:03:41,720 --> 00:03:43,920 Speaker 1: Next strength that would have been vital to support the 59 00:03:43,960 --> 00:03:47,720 Speaker 1: creature during flight and allow it to carry off prey. 60 00:03:48,240 --> 00:03:52,520 Speaker 1: Unlike avian raptors, the pterosaurs would have used their jaws 61 00:03:52,560 --> 00:03:55,880 Speaker 1: as such, perhaps the neck would be the ideal place 62 00:03:56,000 --> 00:03:59,480 Speaker 1: to sit upon a great flying beast like this. We're 63 00:03:59,560 --> 00:04:04,080 Speaker 1: left consider various possibilities concerning the use of these fell 64 00:04:04,240 --> 00:04:08,240 Speaker 1: beasts in combat. Perhaps they were only flown for short 65 00:04:08,320 --> 00:04:12,600 Speaker 1: bursts of assault or reconnaissance, or launched exclusively from high cliffs. 66 00:04:13,160 --> 00:04:16,200 Speaker 1: They may also have excelled as a troupe. Transport of 67 00:04:16,320 --> 00:04:19,240 Speaker 1: one for a ring raith would be worth many on 68 00:04:19,279 --> 00:04:22,240 Speaker 1: the field of battle, especially if deployed at will from 69 00:04:22,240 --> 00:04:25,359 Speaker 1: the sky. Though we are told that at least once 70 00:04:25,680 --> 00:04:29,279 Speaker 1: the fell beasts provide an aerial platform from which to 71 00:04:29,360 --> 00:04:32,760 Speaker 1: send projectiles at the enemy on the ground. A creature 72 00:04:32,800 --> 00:04:35,240 Speaker 1: the size of a great terra saur would pose a 73 00:04:35,240 --> 00:04:38,520 Speaker 1: considerable threat as well. The nas goal that has written 74 00:04:38,720 --> 00:04:43,279 Speaker 1: fought fiercely with nail and beak. Considering both mount and rider, 75 00:04:43,600 --> 00:04:48,160 Speaker 1: it's quite a force to suddenly drop strategically from above. Fortunately, 76 00:04:48,200 --> 00:04:52,680 Speaker 1: the armies of Sauron did not enjoy complete aerial superiority, 77 00:04:52,760 --> 00:04:56,760 Speaker 1: for intelligent eagles also occupied the sky. At the Battle 78 00:04:56,800 --> 00:04:59,240 Speaker 1: of the Black Gate, the final battle of the War 79 00:04:59,320 --> 00:05:02,279 Speaker 1: of the Rings. These two forces engaged in what we 80 00:05:02,360 --> 00:05:06,119 Speaker 1: might consider dog fights in the skies of Middle Earth. 81 00:05:13,839 --> 00:05:18,039 Speaker 1: Tune in for additional episodes of The Monster Effact each 82 00:05:18,080 --> 00:05:21,920 Speaker 1: week in September and October. As always, you can email 83 00:05:22,040 --> 00:05:26,320 Speaker 1: us at contact at stuff to blow your Mind dot com. 84 00:05:26,320 --> 00:05:37,440 Speaker 1: Oh yes, and Happy Hobbit Day. Stuff to Blow Your 85 00:05:37,480 --> 00:05:39,880 Speaker 1: Mind is a production of I Heart Radio. For more 86 00:05:39,920 --> 00:05:42,520 Speaker 1: podcasts for my heart Radio, visit the i heart Radio app, 87 00:05:42,680 --> 00:05:45,440 Speaker 1: Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.