Speaker 1: Welcome to Stuff to Blow Your Mind, a production of
Speaker 1: My Heart Radio. Hi, my name is Robert Lamb and
Speaker 1: this is the Monster Fact, a short form series from
Speaker 1: Stuff to Blow Your Mind focusing on on mythical creatures,
Speaker 1: ideas and monsters in time. In the Lord of the Rings,
Speaker 1: the Nasgal are the most valued servants of the dark
Speaker 1: lords Saoron. They ride forth from Minus Morgul on the
Speaker 1: backs of specially bred horses in search of the one Ring,
Speaker 1: but eventually they take to the sky on fell beasts,
Speaker 1: winged creatures that otherwise have no name. The monster is
Speaker 1: described as something like a great featherless bird, and perhaps
Speaker 1: a creature of an older world. Now it's impossible to
Speaker 1: consider these descriptions without thinking of prehistoric terrasaurs, winged reptiles
Speaker 1: that are actually the earliest known vertebrates capable of powered flight.
Speaker 1: Even creator J. R. R. Tolkien admitted that the creatures
Speaker 1: were certainly pterodactylic even if the nine are not actually
Speaker 1: meant to be thought of as writing pterodactyls. But if
Speaker 1: we were to match the steeds of the ring Raiths
Speaker 1: to actual Terra saurs, then we might be in luck,
Speaker 1: because Terra saurs included some of the largest flying animals
Speaker 1: to ever live. In fact, several species boasted wingspans of
Speaker 1: more than thirty feet or nine point one meters, rivaling
Speaker 1: and in some cases exceeding, the wingspans of many small airplanes. However,
Speaker 1: scientists have differed on exactly how gifted a flyer these
Speaker 1: great terra saurs were, and even if the largest species
Speaker 1: were capable of powered flight or flight at all, did
Speaker 1: they possess powerful quadrupedo launching abilities or were they limited
Speaker 1: by the launching abilities of their hind legs only. The
Speaker 1: answer to this question alone might limit how the fell
Speaker 1: beasts of the Nasgo might deployed in battle, as powerful
Speaker 1: vertical lift vehicles, as mounts that depended on cliff side launching,
Speaker 1: or something more akin to appear glider. There's also the
Speaker 1: question of bearing a ring raith's weight. We know that
Speaker 1: the nasgal leave heavy bootprints in the mud. Despite their
Speaker 1: ghost like nature, they would still pose a burden to
Speaker 1: a living mount, as would their armor and their weapons.
Speaker 1: While winged mounts are a standard of fantastic fiction, various
Speaker 1: problems emerge. Implementing it in real life flight is taxing.
Speaker 1: It requires specialized bodies and a lot of energy to
Speaker 1: pull off. Among birds, the harpie eagle is an absolute powerhouse,
Speaker 1: capable of lifting prey equal to its own weight of
Speaker 1: up to twenty pounds or nine kilograms. They've been known
Speaker 1: to take off with sloths, but raptors like this are
Speaker 1: not in it for the long haul. It's one thing
Speaker 1: to carry a heavy load from one tree branch to
Speaker 1: a nearby feeding spot, quite another to carry it act
Speaker 1: to more door. It's also quite another feat to carry
Speaker 1: something on your back. That's where a lot of vital
Speaker 1: muscle work takes place in various flyers. Perhaps the neck
Speaker 1: of the nas goal would make for a better saddle point,
Speaker 1: and this is how they are sometimes depicted in art,
Speaker 1: but even the neck remains questionable on a flyer, as
Speaker 1: reported by science writer Ryan Morrison in The Mail Online.
Speaker 1: Two recent studies shed more light on the strength of
Speaker 1: the terra sare. First of all, a one University of
Speaker 1: Portsmouth study found that specially arranged cross strutts sort of
Speaker 1: like bicycle spokes, enhanced the strength of their long necks.
Speaker 1: Next strength that would have been vital to support the
Speaker 1: creature during flight and allow it to carry off prey.
Speaker 1: Unlike avian raptors, the pterosaurs would have used their jaws
Speaker 1: as such, perhaps the neck would be the ideal place
Speaker 1: to sit upon a great flying beast like this. We're
Speaker 1: left consider various possibilities concerning the use of these fell
Speaker 1: beasts in combat. Perhaps they were only flown for short
Speaker 1: bursts of assault or reconnaissance, or launched exclusively from high cliffs.
Speaker 1: They may also have excelled as a troupe. Transport of
Speaker 1: one for a ring raith would be worth many on
Speaker 1: the field of battle, especially if deployed at will from
Speaker 1: the sky. Though we are told that at least once
Speaker 1: the fell beasts provide an aerial platform from which to
Speaker 1: send projectiles at the enemy on the ground. A creature
Speaker 1: the size of a great terra saur would pose a
Speaker 1: considerable threat as well. The nas goal that has written
Speaker 1: fought fiercely with nail and beak. Considering both mount and rider,
Speaker 1: it's quite a force to suddenly drop strategically from above. Fortunately,
Speaker 1: the armies of Sauron did not enjoy complete aerial superiority,
Speaker 1: for intelligent eagles also occupied the sky. At the Battle
Speaker 1: of the Black Gate, the final battle of the War
Speaker 1: of the Rings. These two forces engaged in what we
Speaker 1: might consider dog fights in the skies of Middle Earth.
Speaker 1: Tune in for additional episodes of The Monster Effact each
Speaker 1: week in September and October. As always, you can email
Speaker 1: us at contact at stuff to blow your Mind dot com.
Speaker 1: Oh yes, and Happy Hobbit Day. Stuff to Blow Your
Speaker 1: Mind is a production of I Heart Radio. For more
Speaker 1: podcasts for my heart Radio, visit the i heart Radio app,
Speaker 1: Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.