Gandalf seemed not at all sure he could best the head Nazgul. From RoTK:
Wow, Qadgop: there’s a factoid about Arda that you don’t know off the top of your head?!? I am sooo disallusioned! 
ARGH! For the last time!
There was no known specific, literal prophecy concerning the Witch-King of Angmar’s death. He was simply puffed up with his own power and Eowyn was just spitting his own words back in his non-existant face.
The WK of A was not really a match for the full might of a Maiar, but then, he never had to face one, either. Neither Gandalf nor even the Balrog were at their true height. He was probably more than enough to take down any mortal being, and without those blades, forged with the intent purpose of killing him and his, even Gandalf might not have had so easy a time of it.
To whom are you argh-ing ?
And what of the words of Glorfindel to Eärnur?
My questions:
- What relationship is Isildur to Aragorn?
- How old was Isildur when he cut the ring off Sauron?
- How old was he when he lost the ring and died?
- If he was Aragorn’s father, how old was he when Aragorn was born?
- Did he have unnatural long life like Aragorn? Was this from his bloodline or because he possesed the ring or a combination of both?
Isildur was Aragorn’s great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great…grandfather. Isildur was 232 years old when the Last Alliance defeated Sauron. He lost the Ring and died 2 years later, in TA 2. His youngest son Valandil, in the care of the Elves at Rivendell, became the king of Arnor upon his death (he had actually been heading for Arnor with his three eldest sons when he was ambushed and killed, along with them). Aragorn (born TA 2931) is the descendant of Isildur through Valandil, and his father was Arathorn II, Chieftain of the Dunedain of the North.
The long lifespans of Isildur and the Dunedain of the North came from their bloodline and their lifestyle. The men of Gondor lost their long lifetimes more by fading into decadence than through any mixing of blood.
Excellent, thank you.
The Descent of Aragorn II Elessar Telcontar, King of the Reunited Realms of the Dunedain
Kings of Arnor, the North-Kingdom
Elendil
Isildur
Valandil
Eldacar
Arantar
Tarcil
Tarondor
Valandur
Elendur
Eärendur
Kings of Arthedain, after the Division of Arnor
Amlaith of Fornost
Beleg
Mallor
Celepharn
Celebrindor
Malvegil
Argeleb I
Arveleg I
Araphor
Argeleb II
Arvegil
Arveleg II
Araval
Araphant
Arvedui
Chieftains of the Dunedain of the North, after the destruction of the North-Kingdoms
Aranarth
Arahael
Aranuir
Aravir
Aragorn I
Araglas
Arahad I
Aragost
Aravorn
Arahad II
Arassuil
Arathorn I
Argonui
Arador
Arathorn II
Aragorn II (Elessar)
So you see, there were an awful lot of "great-"s in there… 
squeegee, I think you are correct. It appears I mis-remembered Glorfindel’s words to Earnur as having come from Malbeth.
I could only find two prophecies by Malbeth, on involving Arvedui, and one involving the Paths of the Dead.
I suppose I could be recalling something from HOMES, but I think it more likely I was mistaken.
I actually sort of got the sense that they were not necessarily tangling physically, but more on the level of a test of wills. Gandalf’s flaming spirit of hope inspiring people vs. WK’s dark doom driving on the orcs and spreading fear. That was why the arrival of the riders was sort of a “win” for Gandalf, even if they didn’t come to blows directly. Not sure who would win given that neither can really be killed.
Damn, I had no idea Isildur was so old. How old, then, was Elendil when he died?
Wait a sec. Wiki can be killed – never mind that he’s already dead. As proof I offer that he was killed by Eowyn. And Gandalf had already died once, so I’d think he could be killed again. He’d come back again, of course, but probably not in time for second-breakfast.
A little bit after this Gandalf says to Gimli:"…‘Dangerous!..And so am I, very dangerous: more dangerous than anything you will ever meet, unless you are brought alive before the seat of the Dark Lord.’" This implies that he is at this point more powerful than any being in ME but Sauron.
I agree with you that when Gandalf says he can’t be harmed by any weapon the Three Hunters posses that doesn’t mean he can’t be harmed by other weapons.
Elendil was 322 when he was killed in battle at the Siege of Barad-dûr. In other words, he wasn’t a doddering coot. Of course, neither was Isildur. It could be claimed that he was cut down in the prime of life. Elros (Elrond’s brother who chose to become a Man instead of an Elf), from whom the line of Numenorean nobility sprung, lived to be 500 years old.
Hmmm, point taken. I’d forgotten that part. This must be what Qadgop was thinking of.
However, Gandalf then goes on to say that Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli are also dangerous as well, which blunts the meaning for me. ISTM that Gandalf’s basically having fun with Gimli, who’d just said that Fangorn sounds very dangerous.
My question:
At the end of TTT when Faramir decides to let Sam and Frodo continue their journey, he is told that if he lets them go his life would be forfeit. I know the relationship between Faramir and his father was not exactly healthy, but why was his life in forfeit?
Okay, question-I saw the movies, now I’m reading the book (I only hope I can finish it before it’s due even after I renew it!)
What is the deal with that Tom Bombadil guy? Is he relevant? Because it seemed really weird and I didn’t see the point.
Bombadil is a bit of a sideshow, not all that relevant to the story. I didn’t much care for that part of the book, but there is a good deal of foreshadowing and character development for the hobbits during the whole Bombadil section, so it’s not entirely a throw-away. A purvey-Bombadil-fancier will be along presently to bite my head off.