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Originally Posted by Boromir88
Now this I find interesting is because if the Witch-King could not be harmed or killed by other blades, why would he fear Boromir?
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If I may, I'll put forth a feeble theory that may well be ripped to shreds in a couple posts... Perhaps at that time, the Witch-King had not reached his full potential in terms of where power was concerned? He'd already been the Witch-King for a very long time, but perhaps he gained power as Sauron gained power over the course of the story told in the main part of LOTR. Sauron's power, especially over the ring and those directly concerned with it, increases as it is brought closer to him. It makes sense that as Sauron's Ring gains power, all of his creations would, and I include the Witch-King in that.
Or, it may have been that perhaps the Witch-King was a little more cautious back then...and when he saw a warrior with an unusual level of ability and a strong will, like Boromir, he got a little nervous.
By the time we encounter the Witch-King in ROTK, he's very confident in his abilities, cocky, even. Where did his caution go? Perhaps over the years, he'd become more and more confident because everywhere he showed his face, people cowered, died...He'd probably bested any number of warriors who attempted to kill him by the time he entered the battle for Gondor. Also, he wasn't really his own person, either. Sauron probably had considerably tightened his hold on the Witch-King by then. Obviously, the Witch-King was always under the control of Sauron, from the moment he put that Ring on his finger...but I imagine that Sauron may have given him a longer leash at times, and that the late third age wasn't one of those times.
The Witch-King probably couldn't be killed by any old weapon, but I think that the focus has been a little narrow. I think that probably a very well-made, possibly magical, possibly elf-made weapon, like Glamdring, in the hands of a powerful, highly-competent, possibly magical warrior could probably kill the Witch-King. It just might not have been as easy as the Eowyn-Merry team made it look. I expect that Gandalf could have killed the Witch-King, but it probably would have taken all the skill he had and probably a very long time to do so, and may well have cost him his life. I do think that he had a realistic view of the situation: he knew that he was probably the best choice for the job (at least logically...I bet Eowyn and Merry didn't exactly make any "Most likely to kill the Witch-King" lists), but he also had reasonable view of the outcome: he may have been able to beat his adversary, but it was also likely that he would have been destroyed in the attempt. I'm not sure they'd have been evenly matched...but I think that Gandalf has an advantage over the Witch-King in that he's not particularly afraid for himself: I doubt he fears death--his main fear probably was the loss of Middle-earth.
Alternatively, the Witch-King could have just lost physical form when bested by any other blade than the sword of Westernesse...he couldn't be killed, but his spirit couldn't run about with no way to manifest itself, either...and it may have been a painful state to be in. Gandalf and Elrond caused this once, using the river. In the long run, it didn't make much difference, but it might have been an inconvenience to the Wraiths...and to their master. Sauron probably wasn't too happy to see them return without Frodo, but also without bodies or transportation. And where did Sauron's blame for that incident fall? Probably, at least initially, with the captain of the Wraiths: our friend the Witch-King. So that could have been a source of fear for the Witch-King: the fear of displeasing Sauron. Can't imagine he's a particularly pleasant fellow on a good day, so I'd hate to see him angry...
Another question my pondering of the Gandalf vs. Witch-King debate brought to mind was this: Would Merry and Eowyn have won in a fair fight? Sure, Merry had the blade of Westernesse, but he lacks the skill that only years of practice can bring. His size is probably a disadvantage as well (almost anyone's would be, since the Witch-King is very strong)... and in a fair fight, the Witch-King probably would be the victor. The only reason Eowyn and Merry had a chance was that Eowyn was distracting the Witch-King enough that Merry had the chance to strike a blow from behind. Not, of course, to diminish Eowyn's role in the whole thing: She's strong, brave, tough, and a skilled fighter...but in any other circumstance, she would have lost. As it was, both were severely injured in payment for their win.
I feel like I'm making no sense, so I'll go back to lurking...