The White Council

Re: Do we know who made Merry's sword?

Tolkien and Inklings Discussion

: : : : Maybe just enough time to respond to this posting before it : : : : gets archived.

: : : I do need to create a new archive, but I've been taking an antihistimine for allergies and really can't stay awake and alert long enough to attend to the Web sites. :)

: : : Anyway, your reply will not be included in the next archive.

: : : : I always thought that Merry's blade was forged by the Dunedain, : : : : admittedly this would suggest that the Dunedain would have some : : : : knowledge of "magic" which is nowhere stated in any published : : : : text, however I tend to think that "magic" in Tolkien is in : : : : some way related to craftsmanship. I would not be the first to : : : : suggest that our own "real world" legends concerning enchanted : : : : swords hearken back to a time when metallurgy was in its : : : : infancy and a sword that wouldn't shatter or lose it's edge : : : : would have been a remarkable item, in the Bronze Age a sword : : : : produced say from meteoric iron would have been to all intents : : : : and purposes a magic sword. Merry's sword therefore may have : : : : been merely a superior quality weapon and any weapon of such : : : : quality would have been enough to hamstring a nazgul, in : : : : Merry's case I postulate that the only magic going on was in : : : : Merry's heart.

: : : : : : Aragorn said the swords from the barrow had spells on them, however, and Tolkien himself conceded as much in a marginal note to Letter 155 -- the letter most people use to argue the Dunedain could not have used spells. In any event, Letter 155 is only an unsent draft, excluded from the letter actually sent to Naomi Mitcheson (Letter 154). Tolkien apparently realized the whole argument fell apart on account of the barrow blades (much as he realized the "Ros" argument failed because of Cair Andros).

: : So then, did the Dunedain use spells or not? If they didn't, and too avoid saying that Tolkien erred, I would be just as satisfied to believe that the Dunedain had help from some one to put the appropriate spells on the swords.

: The sword must have had some spell on it, whether put on by the Dunedain or not because I doubt that a shot to the shoulder (correct me if I'm wrong), with an uninchanted blade, would have killed a Nazgul, no matter how good the craftsmanship.

: What about Eowyn though: could any human female have done the job? or did it have to be Eowyn? Did she have a "magic sword" as well? Don't think so. What about an elf female. The whole thing is very fishy indeed, perhaps all that needed to be done was send an army of hobbits against the Nazgul and have em chop up the ringwraiths bit by tiny bit