Quote:
Originally Posted by Inziladun
The Nazgūl existed as extensions of Sauron's fea, and he, being a negative spirit of the dark, might impart some sort of anti-life/anti light into those who share his will and soul, which might filter down into specially made weapons intended for their use.
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I think this is an interesting way of looking at it. Perhaps the blades were imbued with that same "nothingness" of which the Ringwraiths themselves were apparently composed.
It's worth comparing to the effect on Merry's sword as well after he stabs the Lord of the Nazgūl with it: it disintegrated too.
Both seem to hark back to
Beowulf in which the giant-sword Beowulf uses to slay Grendel's mother dissolves in her blood, the suggestion being, I think, that evil things have a kind of matter-antimatter relationship with the world.
I never thought of it before but it would explain things if the Morgul-weapon dissolved in light, which would also explain why Merry's sword disintegrated almost immediately after he had used it - the shadow from Mordor notwithstanding, it was the middle of the day.