Who Really Killed the Witch King in ROTK??

[frodomerryandaragornrock]

Who Really Killed the Witch King?



There is much debate about who really killed the Witch King. Some say Merry killed him and Éowyn helped, and others say Merry helped and Éowyn actually killed him. I think that neither are true, Merry and Éowyn both killed him, according to the book and the movie, The Return of the King.

In ROTK (the book), Éowyn has disguised herself as a man to fight in the war. Théoden, King of Rohan and Éowyn's uncle, tried to kill the Witch King but his horse was pierced with a black arrow and Théoden was pinned under him and was badly injured. Éowyn, still disguised, ran to his aid.

She told the King of the Nazĝul to leave him alone, and the Witch King warned her that she will die. She ignores that and says that she will hinder him anyway.

He says: “Hinder me? Thou fool. No living man mat hinder me!� Then she takes off her helmet (this is my favorite part!) and says that she is no man, but Éowyn, the Lady of Rohan! The Witch King tries to kill her, but only succeeds in hurting her.

But Merry runs to her aid and stabs him in the back of the knee, giving Éowyn enough time to get up with all her remaining strength, and kill the Ringwraith. She almost died, if it were not for Aragorn's healing touch and Merry's stabbing the King.

The movie has several differences than. Merry knows that it was Éowyn, Éowyn talks to Théoden (in the book, it was Merry), and the wording is a bit different. But the end result is the same, that Éowyn killed the Witch King but not without a of of help. She might not have been able to if it were not for Merry stabbing the Nazĝul .

So in conclusion, both texts, movie or book, whichever you prefer, still says that Éowyn killed the King of the Ringwraiths. But not without some big help from Merry, of course. So I think that both of them did, it. Neither one would have been able to do what they did without each other.