March 25: Tolkien Reading Day

Since 2003, the Tolkien Society has celebrated Tolkien Reading Day on March 25th (significant as the date of the fall of Sauron, just so you know.) Way before the Dementors, there were the Nazûgl, the  Ringwraiths, the Black Riders.

From The Fellowship of The Ring, Frodo first encounters the Nazgûl:

Round the corner came a black horse, no hobbit-pony but a full-size horse; and on it sat a large man, who seemed to crouch in the saddle, wrapped in a great black cloak and hood, so that only his boots in the high stirrups showed below; his face was shadowed and invisible.

When it reached the tree and was level with Frodo the horse stopped. The riding figure sat quite still with its head bowed, as if listening. From inside the hood came a noise as of someone sniffing to catch an elusive scent; the head turned from side to side of the road.

A sudden unreasoning fear of discovery laid hold of Frodo, and he thought of his ring...

The hoofs drew nearer. They had no time to find any hiding place better than the general darkness under the trees; Sam and Pippin crouched behind a large tree-bole, while Frodo crept back a few yards towards the lane. It showed grey and pale, a line of fading light through the wood. Above it the stars were thick in the dim sky, but there was no moon. 

The sound of hoofs stopped. As Frodo watched he saw something dark pass across the lighter space between two trees, and then halt. It looked like the black shade of a horse led by a smaller black shadow. The black shadow stood close to the point where they had left the path, and it swayed from side to side. Frodo thought he heard the sound of snuffling. The shadow bent to the ground, and then began to crawl towards him.