| “ | The fires of Isengard will spread. And the woods of Tuckborough and Buckland will burn. And all that was once green and good in this world will be gone. There won't be a Shire, Pippin. | „ |
| ~ Merry to Pippin, regarding the War's consequences upon the world. |
| “ | You can trust us to stick to you through thick and thin - to the bitter end. And you can trust us to keep any secret of yours - closer than you keep it yourself. But you cannot trust us to let you face trouble alone, and go off without a word. We are your friends, Frodo. | „ |
| ~ Merry to Frodo before going with him in the Quest. |
| “ | How can that be your decision?! (Treebeard: This is not our war!) But you're part of this world! Aren't you? You must help, please! You must do something! | „ |
| ~ Merry's speech to the Ents. |
Meriadoc "Merry" Brandybuck is a major character in J.R.R. Tolkien's famous, epic adventure novel, The Lord of the Rings, and its film adaptations.
He is a Hobbit from the Shire, and one of the three ones that accompanied Frodo during his quest to destroy the One Ring, an artefact created by the Lord of Darkness, Sauron, that could be used to conquer Middle-earth once and for all, alongside Sam and Pippin. He is the eight member of the Fellowship of the Ring, a Knight of Rohan, and the slayer of the Witch-king of Angmar, alongside Lady Éowyn.
He was portrayed by Dominic Monaghan in the movies.
His Good Ranking[]
What Makes Him Close to Being Pure Good?[]
In General[]
- He insisted on accompanying Frodo after the Counsel of Elrond, becoming the eighth and ninth members of the Fellowship along with Pippin.
- Was with the Fellowship during the first stages of the Quest of the Ring.
- Stabbed the Witch-king's back knee with his Blade of Westernesse at the cost of being exposed to the latter's Black Breath, ending his magical protection and distracting him with the pain, allowing Eowyn to finish him off, thus, being responsible for the death of a Near Pure Evil and one of the fiercest enemies on the battlefield, giving the Gondor and Rohan armies an advantage.
- When Frodo was going (and not coming back) to the Immortal Lands, he and Pippin appeared, saying he wouldn't get rid of them that easy, saying goodbye to Frodo properly and accompanying Sam in the Journey back home, making the loss of the friend much less hurtful to all three.
Movie only[]
- He and Pippin raged at the Cave Troll, bouncing on his back and stabbing him with their swords when Frodo apparently got impaled.
- Tried to avenge Boromir when he died protecting Pippin and him, along with Pippin.
- Was the one to motivate the Ents to attack Isengard, as they wouldn't do it due to not considering it their war, but he made them see how it would affect everybody regardless, making him indirectly responsible for the fall of Isengard. While it was Pippin's plan that they used to bring down Saruman, Pippin himself didn't want to get into conflict, and thus, Merry also motivated him into fighting back, and consequently, bringing up the plan to attack Saruman.
Book only[]
- He kept Bilbo's secret of disappearing, never telling it to anyone.
- When he realized Frodo was saying "farewell" to some of his favorite places, he started a conspiration to figure out what was happening to his cousin and friend, with Sam being his "chief-investigator".
- He and the Conspirators intended to protect both Frodo and the Ring without him knowing.
- He went with Frodo and Sam in the adventure by himself from the very beginning, unlike the movies, along with Pippin.
- Arranged many preparation for the journey, such as provisions and transportation.
- Warned his companions about the Black Rider.
- He almost got the riddle of the Moria Door right (albeit accidentally) thus helping Gandalf figure it out.
- He deceived Grishnákh into thinking he had the One Ring, allowing him and Pippin to scape into Fangorn forest.
- He was the primary leader of the resistance and uprising against Saruman and his Ruffians when they took over the Shire, co-leading the battle of Bywater along with Pippin, thus playing a big part in freeing the Shire and defeating Saruman.
- He spent the last days of Éomer's life by his side (along with Pippin) after the War of the Ring.
- He and Pippin spent their last days making company to Aragorn and Arwen, as honor guests in Gondor.
What Prevents Him From Being Pure Good?[]
- In the movies, despite being more cautious and responsible than Pippin (he cites to Aragorn that he's usually the one who bail Pippin out of troubles throughout their shennanigans), he proved himself just as mischievous at times; he joins the latter in stealing one of Gandalf's fireworks and later stealing food from Farmer Maggot together, and never seems to be sorry for either. Both moments don't exist in the novels.
- He fails the admirable standards to Frodo and Sam, who, with similar resources, destroyed the One Ring and freed Middle-earth from Sauron forever, along with other heroic deeds. However, Merry's actions of killing the Witch-king of Angmar and being essential to defeat Saruman (either by getting the Ents to raid Isengard in the movie, or co-leading the battle against him during the Scourging of the Shire) still make him stand out enough for Near Pure Good.
Trivia[]
- His most famous deed, and one of the goodness zones that allow him to qualify as Near Pure Good, is, along with Éowyn, killing the Witch-king, who is, ironically, a Near Pure Evil. Another ironic thing is that Theoden, whose murder is considered one of MEHs for Witch-king, is also Near Pure Good.
External Links[]
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 Near Pure Goods
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Both Peter Jackson Books | ||