Merry's and Pippin's Parts in the War of the Ring Quiz

Answer: Orcs

As the Company of the Ring scattered Merry and Pippin ran, literally, into a mixed mob of orcs from Minas Morgul and Isengard, with orders to kill all but the Halflings. Merry wounded a few before the young Hobbits were disarmed and, when he arrived, Boromir killed several, but not enough to make a difference. One man, however strong his sword arm, couldn't stand against an orc host, especially one armed with bows.

But his death was not in vain. Earlier in the day, Boromir had tried to wrest the Ring from Frodo by force. By the time the fit of madness passed and he realized the folly and wickedness of what he had done, it was too late. Frodo was gone. Trying, even unsuccessfully, to protect the young Hobbits redeemed him. Aragorn certainly thought so. He died with Aragorn's reassurance and praise in his ears.

Answer: From Amon Hen to the eaves of Fangorn Forest

Three hundred leagues, nine hundred weary miles, the despairing Hobbits unwillingly accompanied the orcs from the slopes of Amon Hen, through the Emyn Muil and across the grassy plane of Rohan. Sometimes they ran with the whips of their captors behind them. Sometimes they were carried like sacks. Always they seemed to be in an endless nightmare. Merry remained defiant, but it was Pippin who seized the opportunity for escape when it came and devised the plan by which they gained their liberty.

Answer: Treebeard

The Ent Treebeard or Fangorn, for whom the great forest was named, took the Hobbits under his care. In turn they brought news of the outside world, news that at last stirred and wakened the old Ent's anger. They accompanied him to Entmoot and, once the Ents made their decision, proudly rode on Treebeard's shoulders as he led his people to war.

Answer: The tower of Orthanc in the vale of Isengard

Saruman, formerly the White and head of the White Council, had gone to the bad long before the war started. Delving too deeply into ring lore, he developed his own lust for the One Ring, and eventually set himself up, as he thought, as a rival to Sauron.

As such, he also became interested in hobbits. That is why the orders of his Orcs, the Uruk Hai, were the same as those of Sauron's Orcs, to take Halflings alive. At the same time, he lost all concern for the creatures and the green, growing things of Middle-earth.

His Orcs' depredations in Fangorn were of long standing and had recently increased. The wanton destruction of strong, healthy trees rankled the Ents, but only with the coming of Merry and Pippin to Fangorn did Treebeard's people mobilize to liberate Isengard.

Answer: True

Though they had briefly seen Gandalf, the two young hobbits were delighted to find Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli in the company of the King of Rohan who had come with Gandalf to speak with Saruman. They were even more pleased when their three friends stayed with them while the wizard and the king went off on important business.

Answer: Merry

Merry was very impressed with Théoden upon their first meeting at Isengard and, in the days that followed, developed a deep love for the fine and brave old king. He pledged fealty, essentially becoming a Rider of Rohan, and spent as much time as he could with the king. At Théoden's funeral, a grief-stricken Merry declared, "As a father you were to me."

Answer: Pippin

The remaining members of the Company of the Ring went with Gandalf and King Théoden to their parley with Saruman. While Saruman was occupied with his unwelcome guests Gríma, his longtime spy in Théoden's court and sometime advisor to the king, threw the palantír of Orthanc out of a high window. When the seeing stone bounded away and rolled into a puddle, it was Pippin that ran after it and brought it back. Gandalf took it from him with some alarm.

Later, when everyone in the camp was asleep, Pippin yielded to the compulsion to look in the palantír. Predictably, he was revealed to Sauron, his mind was overwhelmed and he fainted. Still, he managed to reveal only himself, and did not betray his friends though, as Gandalf tartly pointed out, that was largely a matter of luck. The Dark Lord was impatient and so did not hold converse with him long.

Gandalf couldn't stay angry at his young friend. Still, for safety's sake, he removed Pippin from Aragorn's vicinity.

Answer: Gandalf

After the incident with the palantír, Gandalf decided that the safest place for Pippin was Minas Tirith. The ride alone with the hobbit gave the wizard time to ponder and to come to some important conclusions. He also gave Pippin a history lesson explaining, among other things, that while the Lord Denethor of Gondor was called a steward, he was more powerful and came of far more ancient and high lineage than King Théoden of Rohan. Also, while Théoden was kindly, if doughty, Denethor was stern to the point of grimness.

Answer: He pledged himself to Gondor

Partly stung by the steward's scorn and sarcasm, partly moved by awe and respect, Pippin pledged himself to the service of Gondor. Though he was made Guard of the Citadel, Denethor said he would learn most quickly what the Halfling was fit for by keeping him at his side. Accordingly, at first Pippin served as Denethor's page in place of the lad who had gone off to join the city's defence.

After the steward's death, he took up his duties as a guardsman and soldier.

Answer: He did all of these things.

As the steward's page Pippin had, or in this crisis assumed, command over Denethor's servants, ordering them to bring no fire to the place till Gandalf arrived. Though reluctant, they obeyed... for a while. Fortunately, Pippin passed by the post where his friend Beregond was standing guard.

As he sped by in search of Gandalf, he told the guardsman what was happening. By the time the Hobbit found the wizard and brought him to the steward's tomb, it was almost too late. Growing frantic, Denethor seized a torch from an attendant and plunged it into the flammable material all around him. Gandalf was able to rescue Faramir, but the Steward died in a great conflagration that destroyed the ancient tomb known as the House of the Stewards.

Answer: No

To Merry's relief and gratitude, a young rider called Dernhelm offered to take him along on the riding of the Rohirrim. As it turned out, Dernhelm was actually the Lady Éowyn whom the king had intended to leave as regent. The disobedience of his niece and his page had momentous consequences, though Théoden did not live to see them.

Answer: The overthrow of the Lord of the Nazgul

Like so many archvillains, the Witch King, leader of the Nazgul was overconfident. He told Dernhelm sneeringly that he could not be killed by any man. It must have come as a tremendous shock when Dernhelm turned into Éowyn and, moreover, turned out to have a Halfling sidekick.

The mighty and fearsome Ringwraith who had terrorized Middle-earth for so long finally met his end at the hands of a courageous woman and a fiercely loyal hobbit.

Answer: False

It was Pippin, who was assigned to the Houses of Healing, who went in search of Merry when it was realized that the "Rider of Rohan" had not come in from the battle. Like Éowyn, Merry was injured in body and mind from contact with the king of the Ringwraiths. So, when the Rohirrim passed into Minas Tirith, he became lost in the unfamiliar, stony streets. Pippin found him wandering in a side-street and sent a passing message runner for help.

Answer: No

To his disgust, Merry was still recuperating in the Houses of Healing when Aragorn's force set out for Mordor. But, as his friends pointed out, he participated honorably in the Battle of the Fields of Pelennor. It was Pippin's turn to have some action and glory.

Answer: The Battle of Bywater

In the Battle of Bywater, last battle in the War of the Ring, under the command of Merry and Pippin the hobbits defeated and drove out the men Sharky, that is Saruman, had brought in to despoil the lovely, rich little Shire.

The Battle of Bywater was only the second battle ever to have been fought in the Shire. The first, the Battle of Greenfields, was largely distinguished by Pippin's ancestor, Bandobras Took, known as the Bullroarer, striking off the head of his goblin opponent, King Golfimbul, sinking a hole in one when the head landed in a rabbit hole a hundred yards away, and thereby inventing the game of golf.

The Battle of Helm's Deep, an assault by Saruman's orcs on a mountain stronghold, took place in Rohan. The tide was turned in favor of the defenders by the timely intervention of Ents with their Huorns, creatures that were more or less halfway between Ents and ordinary trees.

Dagor-nuin-Giliath (the Battle under Stars) took place in the First Age.