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When Frodo is stabbed by the Witch King of Angmar's Morgul blade at Weathertop, Aragorn explains that Frodo is slowly becoming a wraith himself, the longer he goes untreated. If Frodo had become a wraith, would he have become one of the Nazgûl -- a ring wraith -- or would he have just been in a state of existence where he was neither living nor dead, but without a specific purpose (For example, hunting down the One Ring.), to just wander aimlessly?

If his Morgul blade wound had not been healed, what kind of wraith would Frodo have become?

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Gandalf has this to say in the beginning of Book 2 of the Fellowship of the Ring, when he sits by the convalescent Frodo in Rivendell:

If they had succeeded, you would have become like they are, only weaker and under their command. You would have became a wraith under the dominion of the Dark Lord; and he would have tormented you for trying to keep his Ring, if any greater torment were possible than being robbed of it and seeing it on his hand.

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    Thanks, that's an interesting passage. I wonder if Frodo, as a wraith, would've been compelled to keep the One Ring for himself, or if he would've been compelled to take it to Sauron. Like, the Nine? Do they hunt the One Ring for themselves or for Sauron? (And, darn, I should've remembered what Gandalf said to Frodo about becoming a wraith -- I've read Fellowship of the Ring!)
    – Slytherincess
    Commented Apr 17, 2013 at 22:00
  • the Nine have no will of their own, their only purpose is to serve the One and its master, Sauron (remember the ring bearer is not the master of the One, even if he may master its use to the degree his brain can manage).
    – jwenting
    Commented Apr 18, 2013 at 7:17

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