ToME: the Tales of Maj'Eyal

Everything about ToME
It is currently Sat Oct 24, 2020 12:46 am

View unanswered posts | View active topics


Board index » Behind the Void » Tolkien

All times are UTC




Post new topic Reply to topic  Page 1 of 2
  [ 29 posts ]  Go to page 1, 2  Next
  Print view Previous topic | Next topic 

Who was responsible for the death of the Witch-King of Angmar?
Merry 9%  9%  [ 5 ]
Eowyn 72%  72%  [ 41 ]
The terrible plothole singularity 19%  19%  [ 11 ]
Total votes : 57
Author Message
Ravenred
PostPosted: Thu Jan 08, 2004 5:13 am 
Offline
Archmage

Joined: Thu Dec 05, 2002 5:07 am
Posts: 427
Location: In Mirkwood, spider hunting
Yes, this is an old, old troll (in the non-Tolkenien sense)...

Who was responsible for the death (er... un-death) of the Witch-King?

Eowyn or Merry? Sword of Westernesse or pure Rohan-gal pluck?

Peter Jackson got around it by digging out the WK - "No man can kill me..." Eowyn - "I am no man!" solution, which I've always found a little too neat...

I'd be interested to hear people's thoughts...
Top
 Profile  
 
Neil
 Post subject:
PostPosted: Thu Jan 08, 2004 5:23 am 
Offline
Sher'Tul Godslayer

Joined: Sat Dec 14, 2002 7:18 pm
Posts: 2438
Location: California (or sometimes Erebor)
If memory serves, Eowyn killed the Witch-king and Merry killed an Olog-hai.
Top
 Profile  
 
Lord Dimwit
 Post subject:
PostPosted: Thu Jan 08, 2004 6:00 am 
Offline
Uruivellas

Joined: Sat Jan 25, 2003 8:25 am
Posts: 757
Location: in The Void, alone
Merry did stab the Witch-King from behind before Eowyn got a whack at him, but I think the context (in both the book and the movie) make it clear that she was responsible for his death.

I like Merry. Him and his insatiable bloodlust.

_________________
Frobozz Node #9432
Top
 Profile  
 
Neil
 Post subject:
PostPosted: Thu Jan 08, 2004 7:57 am 
Offline
Sher'Tul Godslayer

Joined: Sat Dec 14, 2002 7:18 pm
Posts: 2438
Location: California (or sometimes Erebor)
The Witch-King was IMPERVIOUS to Merry's weapon though, I think, thanks to that fate the Witch-king had.
Top
 Profile  
 
zasvid
 Post subject:
PostPosted: Thu Jan 08, 2004 4:00 pm 
Offline
Sher'Tul

Joined: Mon Jul 07, 2003 7:30 pm
Posts: 1106
Location: Nargothrond
IIRC the Witch-King was said to die because both Eowyn and Merry weren't mortal men (but a woman and hobbit). But I wondered recently whether he died truly or was just banished for some time, as when the Nazgul were flooded.
Top
 Profile  
 
teganm
 Post subject:
PostPosted: Thu Jan 08, 2004 8:28 pm 
Offline
Higher

Joined: Thu Oct 31, 2002 6:31 am
Posts: 57
Location: Seattle, WA
I always got the impression from the books that Merry's stab distracted the Witch-King, giving Eowyn the chance to kill him.
Top
 Profile  
 
Teber
 Post subject:
PostPosted: Thu Jan 08, 2004 9:57 pm 
Offline
Uruivellas

Joined: Sun Nov 03, 2002 6:52 pm
Posts: 937
Location: Sharden
merry certainly hurt the witch-king. there has been debate whether merry's blow enabled eowyn to deliver the coupe de grace......

_________________
if everything's coming your way, you're in the wrong lane
Top
 Profile  
 
Ravenred
 Post subject:
PostPosted: Thu Jan 08, 2004 10:11 pm 
Offline
Archmage

Joined: Thu Dec 05, 2002 5:07 am
Posts: 427
Location: In Mirkwood, spider hunting
Because it was a Blade of Westernesse...

Did the enchanted nature of the blade "poison" the Witch-King, or did it merely weaken his defences allowing Eowyn to kill 'im?

For mine, Eowyn did diddly squat.... goooooOOOOO Hobbits!
Top
 Profile  
 
fearoffours
 Post subject:
PostPosted: Thu Jan 08, 2004 10:23 pm 
Offline
Uruivellas

Joined: Thu Jul 25, 2002 8:07 am
Posts: 656
Location: Leafy East Surrey, UK
JRR Tolkien wrote:
Merry's sword had stabbed him from behind, shearing through the black mantle, and passing up beneath the hauberk had pierced the sinew behind his mighty knee.
"Eowyn! Eowyn!" cried Merry. Then torttering, struggling up, with her last strnength she drove her sword between crown and mantle as the great shoulders bowed before her.

Merry's blow cause the Witch-King to topple (a blow to the knee) this gave Eowyn the advantage of height she needde to deliver the fatal blow.

_________________
My te4.org characters
Top
 Profile  
 
PowerWyrm
 Post subject:
PostPosted: Thu Jan 08, 2004 10:38 pm 
Offline
Sher'Tul

Joined: Thu Nov 21, 2002 9:53 pm
Posts: 1105
Eowyn wielded an art sword and Merry just a westie... so it's easy to tell who killed him :)
Top
 Profile  
 
Neil
 Post subject:
PostPosted: Thu Jan 08, 2004 11:20 pm 
Offline
Sher'Tul Godslayer

Joined: Sat Dec 14, 2002 7:18 pm
Posts: 2438
Location: California (or sometimes Erebor)
OK, Merry got in a hit, but Eowyn made the kill.

No need to poll on what Tolkien made clear.
Top
 Profile  
 
'nuncle Tim
 Post subject:
PostPosted: Mon Mar 22, 2004 12:28 am 
There's a line in one of the appendices...or somewhere -- damn, now I have to go look -- in which it states that Merry's sword "unbound his sinew" or something, which weakened him and enabled Eowyn to get in a killing blow.
Top
  
 
Arioch_Arioch
 Post subject:
PostPosted: Tue Mar 23, 2004 4:28 am 
Offline
Wyrmic

Joined: Wed Jan 07, 2004 7:24 am
Posts: 234
Location: Canada
Definitely the blade of westernesse did it as there is mention in the books and history of the peoples who made that blade solely for the unmaking of the Enemy and his works. The encyclopaedia of Arda has a bit of info on that for anyone interested in looking it up. Jackson filmed it with the intention of leaving room for uncertainty though.
Top
 Profile  
 
Master Nightfall
 Post subject:
PostPosted: Tue Mar 30, 2004 11:30 pm 
Offline
Halfling

Joined: Mon Jan 05, 2004 12:13 am
Posts: 114
Location: Somewhere north of Erebor.
Arioch_Arioch wrote:
Definitely the blade of westernesse did it as there is mention in the books and history of the peoples who made that blade solely for the unmaking of the Enemy and his works. The encyclopaedia of Arda has a bit of info on that for anyone interested in looking it up. Jackson filmed it with the intention of leaving room for uncertainty though.


Yet Aragorn said that "Destroyed are all the weapons that strike that terrible king", and Frodo's sword broke when he tried to fight off the ringwraiths...

_________________
Fear is for those with no confidence.
Top
 Profile  
 
Ravenred
 Post subject:
PostPosted: Wed Mar 31, 2004 2:25 am 
Offline
Archmage

Joined: Thu Dec 05, 2002 5:07 am
Posts: 427
Location: In Mirkwood, spider hunting
Who killed the witchking?
"'Twas I!" said young Merry
"He wasn't so scary
I killed the witchking!"

Who killed the witchking?
"Twas I!" said young Eowyn
"Now Black Breath's a-growin'
I killed the witchking!"
Top
 Profile  
 
Display posts from previous:  Sort by  
Post new topic Reply to topic  Page 1 of 2
  [ 29 posts ]  Go to page 1, 2  Next

Board index » Behind the Void » Tolkien

All times are UTC


Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 1 guest

You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot post attachments in this forum

Search for:
Jump to:  
Powered by phpBB® Forum Software © phpBB Group