Question: Why was Merry's hand burned when he stabbed the back of the witch king's leg?
LorgSkyegon
29th Dec 2018
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)
Answer: Because of what the Witch King is made of, his blood (or whatever) burns the skin of a mortal. Maybe even being too close will cause burns.
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Answer: It's what is known as the Black Breath.
Phaneron ★
That's caused by his breath and I don't think he breathes from his leg.
lionhead
It could be wrong, but the reference page I read specified that despite its name, the Black Breath is not actual breath, but an aura that the Nazgul project.
Phaneron ★
How was Merry even able to stab the witch king's leg anyway? It's been said that no man can kill the witch king.
Merry doesn't kill the witch king, but he hurts him. His power has grown, giving him more of a presence in the real world, a presence that can be hurt.
lionhead
Going back to the books for more explanation: First: it wasn't a protection. It was a prophecy/prediction by Glorfindel a millennium earlier. Second: the weapon Merry had in the books was a barrow-blade recovered by Tom Bombadil while saving the Hobbits from the barrow wights and had been enchanted directly against the Witch King. Since the scene (and Tom) were not in the film, they went with a more specific interpretation. The Witch King was not killed by a man, but by a Hobbit and a woman.
LorgSkyegon