[obloquy]

Originally Posted by davem

Clearly only a Barrow Blade could have done the job. More interestingly, Tolkien states 'No other blade'. One could read this as meaning it was not only any Barrow Blade that could have done it, but only the particular blade that Merry bore. Its possible that when Tom gave that particular blade to Merry he was laying out his destiny before him. Perhaps it wouldn't even be too mad to suggest that the Blade was what drew Merry to the Pelennor with the Rohirrim. Anyway. Whether it was Merry's blade alone or all the Barrow Blades, we know that they are weapons with specific powers:



I think what it does show is that once again we are not dealing with power vs power. Certainly the man who wrought the Blades was not more powerful than Angmar, yet he was able to create weapons that could destroy him.

Good post.

I still disagree to a degree. The Barrow Blade was obviously the best sword for the job (thanks for the text reference) and totally ruined the W-K in one little stab, but I don't believe that means no other blade could have harmed him. I would especially hesitate to exclude the ancient blades of the Eldar--like Glamdring--when wielded by powers much mightier than the W-K.

Certainly the man who wrought the Blades was not more powerful than Angmar, yet he was able to create weapons that could destroy him.

Certainly? Why is that certain?

Originally Posted by Lalwendë

Morgoth was the greatest of the Valar and Sauron his greatest servant, so possibly the greatest of the Maiar.

I don't see how that might follow.

But the whole of both LotR and the Silmarillion show how small, insignificant peoples in terms of 'status' can beat these 'great and powerful' high status figures, whether through bravery, cunning or with the the help of the correct tools.

I think too many people get this idea when it was probably not the intention of the writer. I can't think of any examples of it from the Sil, and the only two I can recall from LotR are Merry/Eowyn and the W-K, and the whole destroying the One Ring thing. But really, these are just examples of chance and good strategy working out.

It was a twist of fate that brought Bilbo to the One Ring, and thus eventually to small, insignificant people causing the downfall of Sauron.

Ehhhhhhhh. If you want to look at it that way. Hobbits really had very little to do with it. Their contribution was just that they were humble enough (in mind and spirit) to bear the Ring for unusually long periods of time. Gandalf was the real star of the Third Age, and the overthrow of Sauron belongs to him.

Also important is pride and arrogance; Sauron had the arrogance to encapsulate much of his power into the One Ring without considering that it could be lost and that he would be unable to retrieve it. Likewise the Witch King had the arrogance to believe that he could not be undone. Perhaps he believed the prophecy about him a little too much.

I completely agree here and here:

One of the weapons of those on Sauron's side is propaganda if you will, i.e. their reputations as beings of great power and invincibility;

The Witch-King seems a lot tougher than he really is because he's cocky. Besides Gandalf and Aragorn, there's nobody on the Pelennor who is on his level, plus he's got this prophecy that says he will not fall to a man, so he struts around ruining stuff and talking smack. He's not all that, however, based on simple Tolkien hierarchies. He's at the level of a particularly powerful Man of Numenorean descent, and nothing more. Nothing close to the spiritual power of the Eldar, and insignificant when compared with the Maiar.

they ride on their status and do not consider that the smaller people only need to reject the notion of status in order to gain the courage to face them.

Now I have to disagree. What you're talking about is important against the Nazgul, because their primary and most effective weapon is fear. Without it, they're just messed up Men. However, courage means little when you're going toe-to-toe with something that is on an entirely different spiritual plane. Remember when Gandalf said that he was the only one of the Fellowship who could confront the Balrog? That's those 'spiritual tiers' in action. You absolutely mustn't underestimate their importance in Tolkien's mythos.