Doom wrote:
GKC wrote:
I'm assuming you are thinking of Galadriel's gifts.
Yes, that is exactly right, that is the only reason why the weapons work against the Nazgul, this is never explicitly stated, but you have to infer it, they aren't 'ordinary' blades, they are magic blades, and that is the sole reason they work against the Nazgul. Ordinary blades will not work. At one point you are told about the gift of the daggers, and when the dagger is pulled out and used against the Nazgul, at no point does he remind you 'now this is the same dagger that he got at Lothlorien from Galadriel' you just have to remember that on your own. When you have to read between the lines to understand a scene in a book, that's a difficult book to read.
I'll speak gently.
The gifts of Galadriel as the Fellowship departed Lothlorien are found in FOTR, book 2, chap 8, p.391/2nd American ed). Focusing on what she gave to Merry (and to Pippin) "...and to Merry and Pippin she gave small silver belts, each with a clasp wrought like a golden flower". Of course, everyone got neat stuff. And Legolas got a bow. No one got a sword or knife or dagger. And again, when did Eowyn visit Lothlorien?
As to what blade Merry wielded at the Battle of the Pellenor Fields, ROTK, Book 5. chap 6, p 119/2nd American ed) "...And behold! there lay his weapon, but the blade was smoking like a dry branch that has been thrust into a fire, and as he watched it. it writhed and withered and was consumed.
Thus passed the sword of the Barrow-downs, work of Westernesse."
And the Barrow-downs, and Bombadil...FOTR, Book 1, chap 8, p. 156/2nd American ed,... "For each of the hobbits he chose a dagger..."..."' 'Old knives are long enough as swords for hobbit-people' " "...these blades were forged many long years ago by Men of Westernesse (who were) overcome by the evil King of Carn Dum, in the Land of Angmar". Who got his comeuppance at the hands of a hobbit and a shield-maiden. Thus fulfilling Glorfindel's prophecy: "He will not return to this land. Far off yet is his doom, and not by the hand of man will he fall. These words many remembered...") ROTK, Appendix A. p.332, 2nd American ed).
I'm betting you got the idea that the sword Merry carried was a gift of Galadriel, from the movie. Much as I liked the films, they are not, of course, canonical.