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Originally Posted by Mansun
I always thought it was a deliberate diversion by Tolkein to ensure Gandalf & the Witch King do not meet in direct battle. He wanted the glory of felling the Witch King to belong to a lesser folk.
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You may be right, that he was trying to make a point; in letter #156, he notes that "yet so powerful is the whole train of human resistance, that he himself has kindled and organized, that in fact no battle between the two occurs: it passes to other mortal hands". The point seems to be that Gandalf has succeeded in his mission, to kindle the hearts of Men to battle against evil, and that this battle can be won by them - fulfilling general (race) and particular (witch-king destruction) destiny.