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As the second son of Master Rorimac, Merimac probably lived in Brandy Hall
Pronunciation
me'rimac bra'ndybuck
Meaning
Uncertain1

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  • Updated 21 November 2017
  • This entry is complete

Merimac Brandybuck

Old Rory’s younger son

Rorimac Brandybuck was the Master of Buckland at the time of Bilbo's Farewell Party. He had two sons: Saradoc, the elder, who was due to inherit his father's title and position, and Merimac, the younger. Saradoc was in turn the father of Meriadoc of the Company of the Ring, and so Merimac was Meriadoc's uncle. Merimac was present at Bilbo's Party, and lived on through the War of the Ring to reach the age of eighty-eight.


Notes

1

The Meri- in Merimac's name possibly comes from Old Welsh for 'great', but -mac is obscure. We do know that the -mac ending was used in actual Hobbit-names (as opposed to the more familiar 'modernised' versions) so it is possible that Merimac is only a partial translation of this Hobbit's name.

The similarity of 'Merimac' to 'Merrimac' or 'Merrimack' - place names in the United States - is a linguistic coincidence. Those come from Native American words meaning 'place of swift water', and would be quite inappropriate as names for the Brandybucks, which are generally Welsh in origin, or at least in style. (It's impossible to be sure, of course, that Tolkien wasn't influenced by those relatively familiar American names, but even if that is the case, the etymological origins cannot be the same.)

See also...

Berilac Brandybuck

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About this entry:

  • Updated 21 November 2017
  • This entry is complete

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