Merry Brandybuck

## **Meriadoc "Merry" Brandybuck**

**Meriadoc "Merry" Brandybuck**, was one of the original and youngest members of the Fellowship of the Ring. He was the husband of Estella Bolger, the younger cousin to Frodo Baggins and the older cousin and best friend of Peregrin "Pippin" Took.

In the fall of TA 3002, Merry and Pippin run into Frodo and Sam when they are stealing from Farmer Maggot's crops. They were later pulled into the Quest to destroy the One Ring and save middle-earth. Merry refused to go back to the Shire and would have rather of stuck with Frodo. They later lost Gandalf when he fought the Balrog known as Durin's Bane. He was also gifted with the daggers that Lady Galadriel gave them. After the Fellowship split, Merry was captured along with Pippin after Boromir was mortally wounded. He and Pip ran from their captors, w here they escaped to Fangorn and met Treebeard. They were at first not able to go on, as Treebared almost took them back to their way home. They later sat on top of his branches as they fought the Orcs of Isengard.

Merry was later separated from Pippin for the first time and became an esquire of Rohan from the King Theoden's blessing. He later fought with Lady Eowyn, the King's niece in the Battle of Pelennor Fields, which both of them had been able to defeat the Witch king of Angmar. After the War of the Ring, Merry was reunited with Frodo and Sam, making the Fellowship hole again. When the Hobbits returned home, Merry settled down in the Shire and later married Estella Bolger. They had at least one son.

## Personality and traits

Before journeying through all of Middle-earth, Merry used to be something of a troublemaker, and he was the one who got Pippin in trouble, notably his idea to steal a firecracker from Gandalf's cart. However, he felt a sense of responsibility over Pippin, saying he was always the one to get him out of trouble. Merry's mischevious and adventurous nature was a trait he gained from his mother, Esmeralda, who was of the Took family. The Tooks were regarded as being adventurous and had mischief. He often pulled pranks with Pippin.

Merry appears to be well-versed in Middle-earth lore, as he was able to tell Pippin about the legends of the Old Forest and how the trees grew and came alive. Later, when he and Pippin were inadvertently rescued by Treebeard, Merry knew what their rescuer was and correctly called him a  Shepherd of the Forest.

Over the course of the journey, Merry develops a sense of maturity and loyalty to his friends, to both the friends he has known forever and his newer ones. For example, he joined the Fellowship of the Ring immediately after Sam, showing his unwillingness to abandon Frodo. When the Ents would not help the fight with Sauron, Merry was unwilling to abandon them in their time of need. He even tells Éowyn that his only hope is seeing Frodo, Sam and Pippin again and didn't want Frodo to be found by the Orcs. Merry also grew to care for Éowyn, and immediately came to rescue her by stabbing the Witch-king in the back before he hurt her any further.

Merry was also one of the few hobbits to have blonde hair, green eyes, and fair skin. According to Pippin, Merry was three-foot-eight and the tallest of the two of them.  After drinking water from Fangorn, Merry grew taller.

## References

1. ↑ Merry's title given to him by Eomer
2. ↑ Nicknamed by Treebeard.