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Originally Posted by Hot, crispy nice hobbit
It remains to be questioned what did Glorfindel meant when he said the WK will "fall"? "Fall" can also be explained as drop. And Lo! Did he fall when that little knee-stabber struck!
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Originally Posted by Keeper of Dol Guldur
He LITERALLY fell because Merry stabbed his knee. Anyway, Glorfindel didn't really say "Not by the hand of man will he die." Just fall. And Merry did just that, knocked him down.
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As I understand it, to "fall" in Tolkien's use of the word, literally means to die, or at the very least, to fall into evil or darkness. To fall is often seen used to express death in battle in noble terms, as seen on gravestones of soldiers; "fell in battle" is quite a common phrase to see on such monuments. I am quite sure that there must be an interesting history behind the term - any thoughts would be welcome. Is it linked to the term "to fall from grace"?