The Morgul Knifing, a botched job?

[Inziladun]

Gandalf's words seem to indicate the splintering of the blade was intentional.

'They tried to pierce your heart with a Morgul-knife which remains in the wound.

Many Meetings (emphasis added)

The splinter working its way toward the heart slowly, causing a gradual fading effect, seems to have been the aim all along. Frodo would steadily lose his connection to the world of light, undergoing whatever physical and spirtual changes were necessary. I would think a stab to the heart would have caused simple death.
As for the WK's aiming for a specific part of Frodo, it doesn't seem he would have been trying for the neck. Frodo was throwing himself toward the ground when he was stabbed, so the intended point of penetration would need to be lower than where Frodo actually obtained his wound, in his shoulder.

[Alfirin]

Originally Posted by Inziladun

Gandalf's words seem to indicate the splintering of the blade was intentional.

Many Meetings (emphasis added)

The splinter working its way toward the heart slowly, causing a gradual fading effect, seems to have been the aim all along. Frodo would steadily lose his connection to the world of light, undergoing whatever physical and spirtual changes were necessary. I would think a stab to the heart would have caused simple death. .

It still seems like an awful lot of metal to use. If all you need is a splinter why not an arrow, or a dart. Unless maybe it's meant to splinter, but one can take the reaminder back and re-forge it (or sharpen it till it has a point again) and it's re-usable then (in which case dropping it is still a mistake).

Originally Posted by Inziladun

As for the WK's aiming for a specific part of Frodo, it doesn't seem he would have been trying for the neck. Frodo was throwing himself toward the ground when he was stabbed, so the intended point of penetration would need to be lower than where Frodo actually obtained his wound, in his shoulder.

In that case, maybe he was aiming for Frodo's back an equally mortal spot. All I was trying to say was that the shoulder seems a lousy spot

[Inziladun]

Originally Posted by Alfirin

It still seems like an awful lot of metal to use. If all you need is a splinter why not an arrow, or a dart. Unless maybe it's meant to splinter, but one can take the reaminder back and re-forge it (or sharpen it till it has a point again) and it's re-usable then (in which case dropping it is still a mistake).

You'd think a ranged weapon would have been more practical, since the Nazgûl did use poisoned darts. They nearly killed Faramir with one. Maybe the Morgul-knife's power was derived from the hilt of the weapon, where the evil writing was.

[Alfirin]

Originally Posted by Inziladun

You'd think a ranged weapon would have been more practical, since the Nazgûl did use poisoned darts. They nearly killed Faramir with one. Maybe the Morgul-knife's power was derived from the hilt of the weapon, where the evil writing was.

In the hilt, now why didn't I think of that. That solves the whole re forging thing/wasted magic metal thing, you don't have to reforge it; attach the hilt to any blade (we see it on a dagger, but the hilt is probably the right size for a swrod blade as well unless the dagger is fairly small) and it gets infused with the dark power. then when your done just attach a new blade which is fairly simple You also notice that only the dagger's blade vaporizes in the daylight the hilt stays intact .