Meriadoc, Nazgul Hunter?

[Saxo Runesinger]

I have been working through my own annual re-reading of the LotR and noted something interesting things about Merry and his future (deadly) role in the Battle of Pelennor Fields that ties all the way back to the Hobbits' adventure on the Barrow Downs.

Of course all four of the Hobbits received Numenorean blades which were forged by the Men of Westernesse to overcome 'the evil king of Carn Dum in the Land of Angmar, and (with the exception of Frodo) they used these throughout the War,

But (as we will know) Merry's blade was the one that fulfilled its creator's intend when it was used to stab the Witch King when 'so passed the sword of the Barrow-downs, work of Westernesse. But glad would he have been to know its fate who wrought it slowly long ago in the North-kingdom when the Dunedain were young' as 'no other blade, not though mightier hands had wielded it, would have dealt that foe a wound so bitter.'

But was it the sword alone that was responsible for this spell-breaking effort? What was it about Merry that suited him (especially) for this task?

Remember that in Bree, Mery saw a black ride when he was outside the Pranciing Pony & alone and (despite that fact that this was a NAZGUL) he 'tried to follow.' to see what was afoot. When Strider (basically) said 'Are you nuts?' Merry replied 'I don't know; neither brave nor silly, I think. I could hardly help myself. I seemed to be drawn somehow.' Interesting courage in the face of (what the men of Gondor regarded as a crippling horror). Is this Merry's nature, or did he have help?

This struck me, especially when we learn later (appendices) that the barrow in which the hobbits were imprisoned was said to have been the grave of the last prince of Cardolan, and that Merry, when he awoke from the Barrow Wight's spell recollected (first-hand) the death of the barrow's occupant during the wars with Angmar ('Of course, I remember! The men of Carn Dum came on us at night, and we were worsted. Ah! the spear in my heart!)

Is it possible that that spirit of the fallen prince that touched Merry in the barrow, somehow tagged or attached his essence to Meriadoc, spurred him to hunt the nazgul in Bree, and prepared (or perhaps anointed) Merry in some way.


And through this connection was able to complete or fulfill his desire to finally defeat Angmar?

 

[SilkWeskit]

Interesting notion. I think it would be hard to definitively ascribe Merry's eventual heroics to the Prince specifically tagging him with a quest (and a weapon) which he carried from the downs all the way to the Pelennor for that express purpose, but it is tempting. One might think that to provide absolute closure, the conscious spirit of the dead Prince would somehow have known and been put to rest, even from afar, by the knowledge of the Lord of the Nazgul's defeat (as the Shadow-Men were after defeating the Corsairs), but the narrator specifically denies this.

As for as this being Merry's personal Purpose destined and originated from before the Barrow Downs, it's also hard to be certain, but the use of the word 'somehow' in Bree is an interesting tidbit. Tolkien certainly uses vague language such as this at times to suggest the unseen hand. On the other hand, it may also be possible that Merry, being the last of the four hobbits to encounter a Nazgul, and even then only from far away, is looking to prove his courage by having a little brave and/or silly adventure to make up for lost time, and got in over his head. While he is shown to be acted upon by unseen forces in the dark near the Pony, the word 'drawn' suggests he is being pulled by the Nazgul, rather than pushed by Fate. As far as Merry's particular 'courage in the face of', other hobbits seem to have had similar levels of bravery (the Gaffer, Farmer Maggot), but the Nazgul(s) in question may have been turning the Dread down to a minimum in all of these cases.

His brush with the Enemy may or may not have been the catalyst that gives him a particular sensitivity to, and antipathy for, this powerful foe, but the association of Merry with Nazgul certainly persists throughout. It's possible Tolkien is simply providing foreshadowing for this pairing for the reader's benefit, but not specifically raising the character's outcome to that level of destiny.

 

[Jim Deutch]

Is it possible that that spirit of the fallen prince that touched Merry in the barrow, somehow tagged

I think there is certainly some connection, though whether there is any cause and effect is difficult to discern.
Similar notions have been discussed here before several times. In particular, see these threads:

dreaming

Professor

compulsion

sensitized