Lord Of The Rings: What Happened To Merry & Pippin In The End? (Prepare To Cry)
Merry and Pippin are essential parts of the "Lord of the Rings" experience. They are present in the final scenes of both the books and movies. But what happens after the last page or the credits roll? Tolkien notes at the end of the book "The Return of the King," after Aragorn dies and is laid to rest in Rath Dínen (the hallowed burial grounds of Gondor's kings and stewards), "It is said that the beds of Meriadoc and Peregrin were set beside the bed of the great king." In other words, both Hobbit heroes don't rest in peace and quiet obscurity in the Shire — they end up lying amongst the royals of Gondor.
Remember, Merry and Pippin may not be on quite the same level as Frodo and Sam, who manage to destroy the One Ring. But they each contribute to the quest in critical ways — while adding plenty of light-hearted Hobbit humor along the way.
Merry enters the service of Théoden and rides with the Rohirrim to the Battle of the Pelennor Fields. He is present at the Black Gate when the One Ring is destroyed, and ends up back in the Shire to eventually see Frodo sail away for the Blessed Realm. Pippin has a similar trajectory. He becomes a soldier of Gondor, fights on the fields of the Pelennor, sees the One Ring destroyed, and ends up in the Shire bidding farewell to Frodo. After that, this pair of powerhouse Hobbits don't slow down, either.
The later career paths of Merry and Pippin
In the prologue to "The Fellowship of the Ring," Tolkien summarized the later career paths of Merry and Pippin by explaining that they "became the heads of their great families, and at the same time kept up their connexions with Rohan and Gondor." In the appendices at the end of "The Return of the King," we get further elaboration about what these two troublemaking Hobbit heroes are up to during these later decades of their lives.
Merry is called "the Magnificent," and he becomes the Master of Buckland, his homeland region on the edge of the Shire. He marries Estella Bolger, and the text in "The Return of the King" notes, "Great gifts are sent to him by King Éomer and the Lady Éowyn of Ithilien." Along with becoming a wealthy leader, Merry writes books about history and herblore — which Tolkien implies are partly responsible for informing the narrative of "The Lord of the Rings."
Pippin marries a Hobbit lass by the name of Diamond of Long Cleeve, and they have a son named Faramir. He becomes "the Took," i.e., the head of his extended family, and is made the Thain. The Fellowship of the Ring prologue says this is an ancient and important office, explaining that the owner of the title "was the master of the Shire-moot, and captain of the Shire-muster and the Hobbitry-in-arms." Pippin is also confirmed in his position as the military leader of his Hobbit militia by Aragorn himself, who makes both the Thain and the Master of Buckland two of his "Counsellors of the North-Kingdom." Sam, who becomes the Mayor of the Shire, is also part of that crew.
Merry and Pippin's last trip south
When Merry reaches the respectable age of 102, he receives a message from Rohan. "The Return of the King" explains thusly, "In the spring of the year [1484] a message came from Rohan to Buckland that King Éomer wished to see Master Holdwine once again. Meriadoc was then old (102) but still hale." The book adds that Merry's first reaction is to go to Thain Pippin, saying, "He took counsel with his friend the Thain, and soon after they handed over their goods and offices to their sons and rode away over the Sarn Ford, and they were not seen again in the Shire."
Merry and Pippin head south to Rohan, and only rumors come back about what happened to them. The hearsay (also recorded in "The Return of the King") says, "It was heard after that Master Meriadoc came to Edoras and was with King Éomer before he died in that autumn. Then he and the Thain Peregrin went to Gondor and passed what short years were left to them in that realm, until they died and were laid in Rath Dínen among the great of Gondor."
Merry and Pippin may not be the most central figures of "The Lord of the Rings," but they both play key roles in the story. They earn their stripes and are rewarded after the fact with titles, riches, and comfortable lives. In the end, their past adventures draw them in again, and they pass away in the lands that turned them into heroes of legend. They are even given the remarkable honor of being laid to rest next to the King of Gondor himself.