Army of the Dead

The Army of the Dead are supporting characters in The Return of the King '', the third and final part in Lord of the Rings. ''

History
They were once the men of the White Mountains. According to Legolas, they were once a group of living men who promised an oath to Isildur to help him in battle during the Last Alliance. However, the group never fulfilled their oath when Isildur called them the Dunharrow refused to help him. Therefore, Isildur cursed the army to never have a peace of rest until they fulfilled their oath to one of his descendants.

The Return of the King
Centuries later, Aragorn son of Arathorn came to their aid and promised to help them fulfill the oath and leave Middle-earth. They however refused until the King of the Dead approached Aragorn and promised to fight alongside Isildur's heir. When Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli stand by and kill the Bo'Sun, the army emerges from the mountain and kills everyone on board.

They later help the Free People defeat the Enemy and win the Battle of Pelennor Fields. Aragorn considered their oath fulfilled and freed them to leave Middle-earth.

Trivia

 * The Army of the dead did not serve their oath by assisting Aragorn in battle. In the books, the King of the Dead fight each other.