Did Eowyn have an Elvish/Dunadan "magic" sword

[Lefty Scaevola]

We have no description of the shieldmaiden's sword, yet it had the power to wound and kill a Nazgul, supossedly only subject to to special weapons. Was her sword then "magical", and if so whence came it. I would have make a likely GUESS that it was made in Gondor, and perhaps brought (perhaps one of several) to Eodras by her grandfather Thengel, who spent his youth in Gondor.

[Cirdan]

I think we did this one, Lefty. The ledgend was that the withking could not be killed by a man. The book is somewhat fuzzy on the actual cause of death, since both a hobbit and a woman struck blows. The hobbit did strike the first blow with a "magic" sword, but the Stoors are a race of men, so it may be the the woman dealt the death blow. It is not completely clear whether "not by a man" is a gender reference, or a race reference.

[Lefty Scaevola]

A doom prophecy about who/what will strike the blow leaves untouched th nature of the weapon, which is several time indicated to require "spells" in order to attack the "magic" that holds the Nazgul together.

[Rían]

posting in great haste here, but I think it said somewhere that Merry's weapon, which was special, was the one that "un-knit the spell that held his sinews together" or something like that, and that sword then left the W.K. vulnerable to Éowyn's sword (which was a 'regular' sword). Can anyone with more time comment? or I'll get back later.

[Cirdan]

There is more about the witchking in the Appendix under the Numenorian chieftans and the battle at Fornost. If someone with a "People of Middle Earth" HoME add anything about this that would be nice. I'm still on BoLT 2.

[Linarryl]

Well, she had to have one to hurt the Nazgul I guess so she probably did. I'm 80% sure.

[Ñólendil]

The Witchking could be killed with a normal weapon, provided an abnormal one had struck him first. Merry, with his Númenorean blade, broke the spell that bound the Witchking's "sinews to his will". He was then able to be slain normally. This is why Merry and Éowyn were both equally important elements in that famous scene on the Pelennor.

[cian]

edit (apologies)

[Lefty Scaevola]

With the long alliance between Rohan and Gondor, it is almost certain that many Gondorian swords (and other Dunadan items) would be circulating among Rohan nobility and royalty, so IF necessary for the plot, one would be available for Eowyn.

[Eowyn of Rohan]

There is an AMAZING opinion posting given by Michael Martinez back in 1999 that deals with these very topics (ie. was it Merry or Eowyn that brought the Witch King down, was it a special sword, what did the prophecy have to do with it, how much did Gandalf know, etc).

It is a copyrighted opinion piece, so I can't paste anything here. Go to the below site to read the opinion. It's well written and very well worth the time.

http://www.sf-fandom.com/xoa/white_council/archive_11/2361.htm

[Ñólendil]

Good ol' MM.