Meriadoc Brandebout — Wikipedia

Meriadoc Brandybuck, Meriadoc Brandibouc

Meriadoc Brandibouc ( Meriadoc Brandybuck in the original version and Meriadoc Brandebouc in the first translation of Francis Ledoux), says Merry , or Kalimac Brandagamba In hobbitic, is a fictitious character of the land of the environment, the imaginary place of the novel The Lord of the Rings of J. R. R. Tolkien .

He is a hobbit, cousin and friend of Frodon Sacquet, who accompanies the latter when he has to leave the county to reach Fondcombe and put the unique ring in the shelter. When Elrond’s council finally decides to destroy the ring in the fire of Mount Destin, Merry insists until he is allowed to be part of the fraternity of the ring, just like his cousin Peregrin Touc, said Pippin. With the fraternity, he tries to cross the Caradhras, crosses the Moria, visits the Lothlórien where Galadriel offers him a silver belt, then is captured by the Uruk-Hai with his pippin cousin while Boromir dies while trying to protect them. Merry and Pippin manage to escape and take refuge in the Fangorn forest where they meet the ENT Barbebois, with which they go to war against Isengard. Merry then entered the service of Théoden, King of Rohan, as auyer, and participates in the war of the ring. During the Battle of the Champs du Pelennor, he fulfilled his greatest fact of arms, helping Eowyn to shoot the King-Sorcier of Angmar. Back in county after the war, he is one of the leaders of the Battle of Belleau who hunts Sharcoux. Having become a master of the country of goat, he returned to Rohan then in Gondor at the end of his life, and is buried in the house of kings.

Merry appears in the majority of adaptations of Lord of the Rings , both radio and cinematographic, or on other media. Peter Jackson’s film trilogy strongly accentuates his comic interest, as well as that of his pippin cousin, a much less marked line in the novel.

Meriadoc Brandibouc, known as Merry, was born in 2982 of the third age, or 1382 in the County calendar, he is a hobbit, the only child of Saradoc Brandibouc and Esmeralda Touc, therefore descending from two important families of the county, and intended in fact to become the master of the country of goat. He is part of a group of friends, including his cousin Peregrin Touc, known as Pippin, Folco Boffine, Fredegar Bolgeurre and Frodo Bessac.

When Frodo is forced to prepare his departure from the county towards Fondcombe, to wear the unique ring, Merry and Fredegar take care of simulating his move in the country of Bouc. Frodo leaves, accompanied by his gardener Samsaget Gamgie, says Sam, and Pippin, but Merry decides to join the group. In Brie, they meet Aragorn who presents themselves to them under the name of surveyor ^{[ first ]} .

During the Elrond Council, which decides that the unique ring must be destroyed, Merry and Pippin insist on integrating the fraternity of the ring, and they thus live many adventures, losing on the Gandalf path. When the fraternity burst, Boromir, after being tempted by the ring, tries to redeem itself by defending, in vain and at the cost of his life, Merry and Pippin that the Uruk-Hai of Saruman seek to to remove ^{[ 2 ]} .

Merry and Pippin end up escaping the Uruk-Hai. They meet the ENT Barbebois in the forest of Fangorn – which makes them drink a drink, making them both become the greatest hobbits of all time -, and manage to decide those of its species to attack the Isengard. They are then recovered by Gandalf-that they believed dead-who takes them to Helm’s throat to live the battle of the Ferté-au-Cor ^{[ 2 ]} . Merry stays with Aragorn and the Roirrim, while Pippin leaves with Gandalf to Minas Tirith. He gradually becomes friends with King Theoden, who makes him his squire. The king refuses, however, that Merry is leaving for the Battle of the Champs du Pelennor, but Eowyn, his niece, takes him with her. Not very useful during the battle, Merry however allows Eowyn to shoot down the sorcier King, stabbing the latter with a Western blade. The blow to the Nazgûl and the effect of his black breath hurt Merry who is revived by Aragorn in the healing houses ^{[ 3 ]} .

Too weak, he does not leave for the battle of the black door. After the destruction of the ring and the fall of Sauron, he is back with the other three Hobbits in Comté, where he is one of the leaders of the Battle of Belleau, which releases the county of the Sbires de Sharcoux. He was, then called Meriadoc the magnificent ^{[ 4 ]} . On the death of his father, in 11 Q. A. , he became the master of the country of goat and two years later, with the Thain Pippin and the mayor Samsagace Gamegie, he was appointed adviser to the northern kingdom by the king by the king by the king by the king by the king by the king by the king Aragorn II Roll ^{[ 5 ]} .

Subsequently, Meriadoc writes several works testifying to considerable culture and curiosity, such as a County herbarium , whose section About pipe grass is extracted, as well as others, as County Words and Names On the relationships between the language of the hobbits and that of the roirrim. And 63 Q. â. , aged 102, he left the county with Pippin to the Rohan, called by King Eommer. They attended the latter’s death in the fall, then descend to Gondor, where they died shortly after and are both buried in the house of kings. Aragorn II Elessar dies in 120 Q. A. And it is said that it is buried by their side ^{[ 5 ]} .

Design and evolution [ modifier | Modifier and code ]

Tolkien takes a long time to choose the names of the hobbits, as well as their family tree, except in the case of Merry, for whom everything is fixed from one of the first drafts in the chapter featuring Tom Bombadil. He is previously called Marmaduke , but is from the start recognized as a good birth ^{[ 6 ]} .

Features [ modifier | Modifier and code ]

Although Tolkien does not say it explicitly, the reader understands in the first chapters that Merry received a fine education. He comes from an important family from the county, being the only son of the master of the country of goat, and is intended to play a noble role ^{[ 7 ]} . He is a cultivated character, who knows how to discuss many subjects. He is passionate about cards and books, he also knows many stories about the county. He is also a large organizer and he has a lively spirit ^{[ 8 ]} .

Merry has a notion of ” family ” fairly developed ^{[ 9 ]} . He keeps a close link with Pippin, but he is above all the one who does his best to help Frodo, accompanying him in the quest for the ring when he is not his, ready to fight not for glory But to defend his friends. He is the one who participates most at the start of Frodo du Comté ^{[ 8 ]} . He is also the only one to have discovered the existence of the unique ring that Bilbo, then Frodo, held secret.

When the county leaves, Merry is thirty-six years old, three years older than the age of majority for a hobbit ^{[ 6 ]} .

Names and titles [ modifier | Modifier and code ]

In the preface and the appendages of Lord of the Rings , Tolkien presents himself as a contemporary translator of Red Book of Western Walking Written by Bilbo and Frodo, and explains that he even translated the names in English. He explains that «Meriadoc Brandybuck» is not the real name of the character, but it is the translation he has chosen from the Western name «Kalimac Brandagamba» ^{[ ten ]} .

The surname « Merry » is the equivalent of its supposedly real nickname, ” Time ” , which means “Pleasant, happy” . «Meriadoc» is simply a name for which there is a meaningful nickname ” cheerful ” ^{[ 11 ]} . The choice of «Meriadoc» could be an allusion to the legendary Breton chef Conan Mériadec, founder of the house of Rohan, because the character of Merry is very close to the kingdom of Rohan de Tolkien. For Paula Marmor, who studied the hobbits, if the county can be assimilated in the south-east of England, the country of goat would rather send the Armorica. The choice of name «Meriadoc» , recalling the «Connanus Meriadocus» quoted by Geoffroy de Monmouth in his History of the Kings of Britain , would be part of this logic of rapprochement ^{[ twelfth ]} .

The name ‘ Brandybuck » would be the English equivalent of « Brandagamba » . The latter could have been translated by ‘ marchbuck » ( ‘ march » in the archaic sense of “Border” ), but Tolkien would have preferred to keep a similarity with the name of the river «Branda-Nin» ( «BARANDUIN» in Sindarin), whose English name is ‘ Brandywine » ^{[ Note 1 ]} (to reflect his alternative name, “Bralda-Him” , literally “Capiteer beer” , in reference to its brown-gold color) ^{[ 11 ]} .

Theoden calls Merry «Holdwine» , and hobbit is known as such in the Rohan archives. This name probably derives words in old English ‘ hold » And ‘ wine » , which mean respectively ” faithful ” And «Which» ^{[ 13 ]} .

Simplified family tree [ modifier | Modifier and code ]

Adalgrim Touc

Rorimac Brandibouc

Primrose Brandibouc

Drogo Bessac

Paladin Touc

Esmeralda Touc

Saradoc Brandibouc

Frodo Bessac

Peregrin Touc

Meriadoc Brandibouc

Estella Hoist

Fredegar Hoist

Duo with pippin [ modifier | Modifier and code ]

Merry and Pippin form a couple of learning characters. They are very close, to the point that certain actions and words initially written for Pippin are then attributed to Merry, but they each have a clean personality ^{[ 6 ]} . Like Sam, Merry and Pippin regularly allow J. R. R. Tolkien to relax the readers. The hobbits are described from the start of the novel as bons-living, but each role has its comic moments ^{[ 14 ]} .

Merry and Pippin are the characters who grow most in maturity. They are the closest to the typical literary hero, their story according to the starting – Retour start sequence described by Joseph Campbell, although the characters have been adapted to correspond more to the contemporary hero ^{[ 7 ]} . The two have something to learn: Pippin must dominate his instincts, while Merry must gain confidence in him ^{[ 6 ]} .

Tolkien reveals their learning by making the two drink a drink of the Ents, which makes them become the greatest hobbits ^{[ 15 ]} . A little later, the two hobbits tell their story, they were able to make her mature. Although Aragorn takes up certain details, they know how to provide analyzes of themselves, as “I don’t know what Saroumane believed it was happening; But, anyway, he knew what to do » ^{[ Trad 1 ]} de Merry, taken up a little after by Pippin: ” And anyway, He didn’t understand them , and he made a serious mistake to not take it into account in his calculations. »» ^{[ Trad 2 ]} .

After having been separated in the fifth book, they are put back in parallel: while Merry attaches himself to the King of Rohan, saying to Théoden “you will be for me as a father”, Pippin finds himself serving with the intendant of Gondor, Denethor ^{[ Note 2 ] , [ 16 ]} .

Weapons [ modifier | Modifier and code ]

Merry’s sword is destroyed by the blood of the sorcier king:

“Now his weapon was well on the ground, but the blade smoked like a dry branch thrown into the fire; and as he looked at her, she twisted, died, and was consumed ^{[ 17 ]} . »

In Beowulf , the sword of Beowulf, forged in the time of the giants, melts after being soaked in the blood of the mother of Grendel, descendant of Cain (around 1492-1504). This scene therefore contributes to the inscription of the Lord of the Rings in a medieval literary culture ^{[ 18 ]} . A broken blade is still heralding misfortune, and Merry realizes that he is seriously injured shortly after the blade was consumed ^{[ 19 ]} .

Cinematographic [ modifier | Modifier and code ]

In the 1978 animated film adapted from Lord of the Rings By Ralph Bakshi, Merry is doubled by Simon Chandler in original version ^{[ 20 ] , [ 21 ]} and by Georges Poujouly in French version ^{[ 20 ]} . For rotoscopy, we know that Bakshi used actor Billy Barty for several hobbits ^{[ 20 ]} , but it is not said that this is the case for Merry. In the first versions of the script from United Artists , the organization was modified: the story began with the meeting between the EN Sylvebarbe and the duo Merry and Pippin, and the latter two then had the role of narrators in the history of the community of the community ^{[ 22 ]} .

In the 1980 cartoon The Return of the King From Jules Bass and Arthur Rankin Jr., few characters are credited, Merry is doubled by Casey Kasem, radio host and voice of the character of Sammy in Scooby-Doo . The scenario is modified on many points: we see Merry sent to Théoden de Minas Tirith as a messenger carrying the red arrow, following which he fights alongside Pippin during the Battle of the Champs de Pelennor ^{[ 23 ]} .

In the film trilogy of Peter Jackson, released between 2001 and 2003, the role of Merry is held by the British actor Dominic Monaghan ^{[ 24 ]} . The character is different from that of the book. Its role is reduced ^{[ 25 ]} , as much in number of scenes as in importance. It gains a comic aspect, and seems both younger and more sensitive to war than in the book ^{[ 26 ]} . His departure from the county is precipitated, there are no preparations as calculated as in the book, and he becomes aware of the dangers only gradually afterwards ^{[ 27 ]} . In the French version it is actor Vincent Ropion who lends him his voice ^{[ 28 ]} .

Its most developed aspect becomes that of ” big brother ” or of « parent » Pippin. When the latter asks to eat in Moria, Merry immediately meets his need. In The two towers , while they are in the Fangorn forest, Pippin asks ” What is this noise ? »» , and it’s up to Merry to remember the old stories about the trees ^{[ 29 ]} . When they are prisoners of orcas, Merry worries about what his more impulsive cousin risks doing ^{[ 30 ]} .

In the cinema version of King’s return , we do not see Merry offering his services to Théoden: in fact, he finds himself in the battle almost by chance ^{[ thirty first ]} . This is “corrected” in the long version. Subsequently, he accompanied the army to the black door, while in the book, he remains in Minas Tirith to cure his injury received during the attempt to kill the sorcier King of Angmar.

Radio [ modifier | Modifier and code ]

In the radio adaptation broadcast on the BBC Radio 4 in 1955 and 1956, Michael Collins lent his voice to Merry ^{[ 32 ]} .

In the adaptation broadcast on the National Public Radio In 1979, Merry was interpreted by Pat Franklyn ^{[ 33 ]} .

The radio adaptation broadcast on the BBC Radio 4 in 1981, calls on actor Richard O’Callaghan, of which this is one of the only roles on the radio, to double it ^{[ 34 ]} .

In 1992, for Tales from the Perilous Realm , a radiographic adaptation of Tolkien’s tales is Matthew Morgan (in) who doubles Merry for the two episodes of Adventures of Tom Bombadil ^{[Ref. necessary]} .

Others [ modifier | Modifier and code ]

Merry also appears in several video games, especially in The Fellowship of the Ring , released at the end of 2002, where he was doubled by Quinton Flynn, or The Lord of the Rings: the quest for Aragorn , released in 2010, in which American actors Eric Artell and Andy Pessoa lend them their voice.

The character also inspired the illustrators, like John Howe ^{[ 35 ]} , Catherine Karina Chmiel ^{[ 36 ]} , Michael Wm. Kaluta ^{[ 37 ]} , Stephen Hickman ^{[ 38 ]} or Ted Nasmith ^{[ 39 ]} .

Games Workshop made several figurines for its battle game The Lord of the Rings , most of them forming a lot with Pippin ^{[ 40 ] , [ 41 ]} , some with the entire ring community ^{[ 42 ] , [ 43 ]} , but also more specific scenes, such as the ambush to Amon Hen ^{[ 44 ]} or meeting with Sylvebarbe ^{[ 45 ]} .

Notes [ modifier | Modifier and code ]

Original quote [ modifier | Modifier and code ]

References [ modifier | Modifier and code ]

• J. R. R. Tolkien ( trad. Francis Ledoux, Tina games), The Lord of the Rings [« The Lord of the Rings »] [Detail of editions] .
• (in) Jim E. Smith and J. Clive Matthews , The Lord of the Rings : the Films, the Books, the Radio Series , Virgin, 2004 , 234 p. (ISBN  0-7535-0874-5 And 9780753508749 ) .
• (in) Lynnette R. Porter , Unsung Heroes of the Lord of the Rings : from the page to the screen… , Greenwood Publishing Group, 2005 , 224 p. (ISBN  0-275-98521-0 And 9780275985219 , read online ) .
• (in) The Boyland Sea, « The Lord of the Ring » , in Jerry Beck, The Animated Movie Guide , Chicago Review Press, 2005 , 348 p. (ISBN  1556525915 And 9781556525919 , read online ) , p. 154–156 .
• Leo Carruthers , Tolkien and the Middle Ages , Paris, CNRS Éditions, 2007 , 331 p. (ISBN  978-2-271-06568-1 ) :
  • Dorota Kotowicz, “The proper names in the Lord of the Rings » , In Tolkien and the Middle Ages, op.cit. ;
  • Cecile Bottle , “Weapons and armor in The Lord of the Rings » , In Tolkien and the Middle Ages, op.cit.

• (in) Michael D. C. Drout , J.R.R. Tolkien Encyclopedia : Scholarship and Critical Assessment , New York, Routledge, 2007 , 774 p. (ISBN  978-0-415-96942-0 And 0-415-96942-5 , read online ) , especially:
  • Janet Brennan Croft , « Merry » , In J.R.R. Tolkien Encyclopedia , p. 419–420 .

• Vincent Ferré , Tolkien: On the shores of Middle -earth , Pocket, coll. ” Now “, 2002 , 354 p. (ISBN  2-266-12118-9 ) .
• (in) Fleming Rutledge , The battle for Middle-Earth : Tolkien’s divine design in Lord of the Rings , Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing, 2004 , 373 p. (ISBN  0-8028-2497-8 And 9780802824974 , read online ) .
• (in) Jane Chance , The Lord of the Rings : the Mythology of Power , Lexington (Ky.), Presses of the University of Kentucky, 2001 , 2 ^{It is} ed. , 162 p. (ISBN  0-8131-9017-7 And 9780813190174 , read online ) .