Meriadoc “Merry” Brandybuck (Dominic Monaghan) and Peregrin “Pippin” Took (Billy Boyd) might seem like simply entertaining comic relief characters in theLord of the Ringsmovies. Yet they are crucial to the story. The story ofLord of the Ringswould be different without these two Hobbits. It might not seem like it at first, but ifLord of the Ringsfans think about Merry and Pippin’s respective roles in the story, they’ll see that Middle Earth would not have been saved without their input.
Merry and Pippin start the story being good friends and relatives of Frodo Baggins (Elijah Wood). Merry and Pippin are Frodo’s cousins. This is not emphasized in theLord of the Ringsmovies, which focus more on the bonds offriendship between the Fellowship of the Ring members, but it is part of the story in the books. Merry and Pippin are also each other’s cousins. Merry is a rather intelligent young Hobbit, and in the books is a significant part in what becomes known as “the Conspiracy” to help Frodo. This conspiracy is made up of Merry, Pippin, Samwise Gamgee (Sean Astin), and Fredegar “Fatty” Bolger (Norman Cates). Pippin is not seemingly as bright as his relative Merry, but he makes up for it with a ton of bravery and loyalty.
RELATED:LOTR: Do Hobbits Celebrate Christmas?
In boththeLord of the Ringsbooksand the movies, Merry and Pippin are not necessarily meant to be members of the Fellowship. In the books, they were going to be sent back to the Shire to tell the people there about Frodo’s journey. However, Gandalf manages to convince Elrond to let them join the Fellowship, as Gandalf believes the loyalty they show Frodo will be necessary. In the movies, they, along with Sam, sneak into the Council of Elrond at Rivendell. Once Frodo volunteers to take the Ring to Mordor, Merry, Pippin, and Sam volunteer to go with him. At the end, when the Fellowship breaks up, it is only Sam who accompanies Frodo to Mordor.
Yet Merry and Pippin, even when they’re far from Frodo, play a vital role inthe story ofLord of the Rings. It is Merry and Pippin that Boromir (Sean Bean) is slain defending. The two Hobbits are then kidnapped by orcs and Uruk-hai but manage to escape when Éomer’s men attack the orcs and Uruk-hai. They flee into Fangorn Forest, where they meet an Ent named Treebeard (John Rhys-Davies). At the Entmoot in theLord of the Ringsmovies, the Ents initially refuse to help Merry and Pippin. Then Pippin gets the idea to ask Treebeard to take them to Isengard because that’s the last place Saruman will think to look for them.
Once Treebeard sees how many trees have been cut down by Saruman and his orcs, he calls for the other Ents and decides to attack Isengard.In theLord of the Ringsbooks, the Ents are convinced at the Entmoot to help Merry and Pippin. The Ents then attack Isengard, leading to the downfall of Saruman. So, therefore, without Merry and Pippin’s existence, Sauron never would’ve lost such a powerful ally. Merry and Pippin are given the job of guarding Isengard after Saruman’s fall, and it is there that they reunite with several members of the Fellowship, including Gandalf (Ian McKellen). It is also then that Merry meets King Théoden of Rohan (Bernard Hill).
After Gandalf takes Pippin to Gondor after Pippin looks in the Palantir and hasan encounter with Sauron, Merry becomes Théoden’s squire. He then goes to the Battle of the Pelennor Fields without Théoden’s knowledge with an undercover Éowyn. Here, he helps her slay the Witch-King by stabbing the Witch-King in the knee with his sword. Therefore, without Merry’s involvement, Éowyn wouldn’t have been able to kill the Witch-King, and Sauron wouldn’t have lost another powerful ally.
Meanwhile, in Gondor, Pippin becomes a Guard of the Citadel after meeting Denethor (John Noble), the Steward of Gondor and Boromir and Faramir’s (David Wenham) father. While there, Pippin serves Denethor and befriends Faramir. When Denethor builds a pyre for him and an unconscious Faramir, Pippin’s quick thinking by getting Gandalf saves Faramir from a grim fate. Unfortunately, Pippin and Gandalf cannot save Denethor, but perhaps it’s better that he met his fate beforeAragorn arrived to claim the throne of Gondor. That might’ve been hard for Denethor. It is, therefore, thanks to Pippin that Faramir survives. And Faramir is a great character and a strong ally for the heroes in the fight against Sauron. Without Pippin, they would’ve lost such a good ally.
After the War of the Ring, Merry and Pippin both get married and take onmore responsibility within the Shire. Merry becomes the Master of Buckland in the year 11 of the Fourth Age, while Pippin becomes Thain of the Shire in the year 13 of the Fourth Age. Merry and Pippin return to Gondor near the end of their lives and are buried there, eventually resting beside Aragorn once he passes on.
Merry and Pippin might seem like they are not crucial characters, yet they are definitely important tothe story ofLord of the Rings. Without these two brave and loyal Hobbits, Middle Earth wouldn’t have been saved in the end. And that would’ve been such a shame. Though it might not seem like they played much of a role in defeating Sauron, they had a part to play, like all of the characters ofLord of the Rings. The story would’ve suffered without them.
MORE:LOTR: If Hobbits Love Things That Grow, Why Are They Enemies Of The Old Forest?
