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Meriadoc Brandybuck |
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-Played by Dominic Monaghan in "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy by Peter Jackson
Merry was born as an only child in Buckland in the Shire in 2982 T.A. (1382 Shire Reckoning) He was cousin to Peregrin "Pippin" Took, and second cousin to Frodo Baggins the Ringbearer.
Called one of the two tallest hobbits in history, Merriadoc drank "Entwash" that Treebeard the Ent had offered him in Fangorn Forest. He and cousin Pippin both grew to be much taller than before, and even their hair grew longer!
On his journey during the War of the Ring, he journeyed to Rohan and began to admire Theoden, King of the Mark. Because of his admiration for the King, Merry, being an aristocratic hobbit from the upper-class, took formalities into his own hands. "May I lay the sword of Meriadoc of the Shire on your lap, Theoden King? Receive my service, if you will! ...As a father you shall be to me" (Tolkien). Thus, Merry was named Esquire of Rohan.
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Disobeying King Theoden's direct orders, Merry rode with a soldier named Dernhelm to the Fields of Pelennor to help Gondor. (Merry did not know until later that Dernhelm was actually Eowyn.) During the battle, Merry played a tremendous role. He stabbed the Witch-King of Angmar (also known as the Black Captain of the Nazgul), helping out Eowyn, the Shield-maiden of Rohan, utterly defeat him. The Westernesse sword Merry had received at the beginning of his adventures was then disolved, and Merry was badly wounded. Later he was found by his cousin Pippin, and eventually taken to the Houses of Healing to recover. |
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By the Rohirrim, (the Riders of the Mark), Merry was named "Holdwine," to honor his great deeds. They also gave him high rank in their land.
Meriadoc returned to the Shire in 3019 T.A. He remained good friends with the newly-crowned King Eomer (heir to King Theoden, who had been slain during the battle of Pelennor Fields), and visited Rohan often. Merry even learned the language of Rohan to be able to communicate with the inhabitants of Rohan. He was so interested in the language, that he wrote a book about the link between Hobbit and Northern Man languages. |
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As called by the hobbits, Kalimac was also a fairly good botanist, and wrote "Herblore of the Shire," which was probably created because of his undying infatuation with pipeweed and its history. According to The Tolkien Companion, by J.E.A. Tyler, Merry also wrote "...a short etymological treatise titled 'Old Words and Names in the Shire...' " as well as "Reckoning of Years" while studying calendars of Western Middle-Earth in Buckland.
(MORE TO COME!) |
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