Meriadoc, or Merry, Brandybuck was a hobbit of the Shire, the son of Saradoc Brandybuck. He was an adventurer and later the Master of Buckland. When Merry was young he was a close friend of Frodo Baggins, and thus he went with Frodo to Rivendell in 3018 of the Third Age. He was also selected to be a member of the Company of the Ring, and he stayed with it until he and Pippin were captured by Orcs in 3019. When the Rohirrim attacked the band of Orcs Merry and Pippin escaped into the forest Fangorn, where they met Treebeard and befriended him. It was the words of Merry and Pippin that persuaded Treebeard to call an Entmoot, and later to have the Ents storm Isengard. Merry later swore allegiance to King Théoden, and rode with his company to the Battle of the Pelennor Fields, though the King had required that he stay behind. It was Éowyn, disguised as a Man called Dernhelm, whore bore him to the battle, and later they slew the Lord of the Nazgûl together. Merry was severely injured from this, and nearly died of the Black Breath of the Nazgûl, but was saved in the end by Aragorn.

After victory in the War of the Ring Merry was made a knight of Rohan and rewarded substantially for his brave deeds. Upon returning to the Shire he was the leader of the Battle of Bywater. Merry became the Master of Buckland when his father died in 12 of the Fourth Age, and soon after married Estella Bolger.

Merry, along with his friend Pippin, were the tallest hobbits in history, more than four and a half feet tall, for they had drunk the Ent-draught with Treebeard.