Éowyn

In The Two Towers, Éowyn, a daughter of the House of Eorl and the niece of King Théoden of Rohan, is introduced in Meduseld, the King's hall at Edoras. She was the daughter of Éomund and Théodwyn (Théoden's sister), and the sister of Éomer. When she was only seven years old, her father was killed fighting orcs, and her mother died of grief. Éowyn and Éomer were raised in her uncle's household as his own children.[T 1][T 2]

She longed to win renown in battle—especially since she was royal—but being female, her duties were reckoned to be at Edoras.[T 3] When Théoden's mind is poisoned by his corrupt adviser Gríma Wormtongue, Éowyn is obliged to care for her uncle, and his deterioration pains her deeply. To make matters worse, she is constantly harassed by Gríma, who lusts after her. When Gandalf arrives, he frees Théoden from Wormtongue's influence.[T 1]

Éowyn falls in love with Aragorn, but though he respects her, he does not return her feelings, as he is betrothed to the elf Arwen.[2][3] As Aragorn points out,[T 4] her duty is with her people; she has to shoulder the responsibility of ruling Rohan in Théoden's stead when the war-host of Rohan go to war.[T 1]

In The Return of the King, she disguises herself as a man and, under the alias of Dernhelm (from Old English dern meaning "secret, concealed"[4]), travels with the Riders of Rohan to the battle outside Minas Tirith in Gondor on her horse Windfola, carrying with her the hobbit Merry Brandybuck, who has also been ordered to remain behind.[T 5]

During the battle of the Pelennor Fields, she confronts the Witch-King of Angmar, Lord of the Nazgûl, after Théoden is mortally injured. The Witch-King threatens that he will "bear thee away to the houses of lamentation, beyond all darkness, where thy flesh shall be devoured, and thy shrivelled mind be left naked to the Lidless Eye". He boasts "No living man may hinder me",[T 6] whereupon Éowyn removes her helmet and declares:[T 6]

But no living man am I! You look upon a woman. Éowyn I am, Éomund's daughter. You stand between me and my lord and kin. Begone, if you be not deathless! For living or dark undead, I will smite you, if you touch him.[T 6]

The Nazgûl leader's flying steed attacks Éowyn, but she kills it, cutting off its head with her sword. The Nazgûl then shatters her shield and breaks her shield-arm with his mace, but is distracted by Merry, who stabs him behind the knee with a barrow-blade. Éowyn seizes the opportunity to strike the Nazgûl with a killing thrust "between crown and mantle". Then, as her sword shatters, his withering form collapses and he vanishes with a final cry of anguish.[T 6]

Éowyn passes out from the pain in her arm, and is believed dead until Prince Imrahil realizes she still lives.[T 6] Éowyn is brought to the Houses of Healing, hovering near death from the effects of having struck the Nazgûl.[T 3] There Éowyn meets Faramir, with whom she soon falls in love. Her outlook on life also changes: "Then the heart of Éowyn changed, or else at last she understood it. ... I will be a shieldmaiden no longer, nor vie with the great Riders, nor take joy only in the songs of slaying. I will be a healer, and love all things that grow and are not barren."[T 7]

After the demise of Sauron, Éowyn and Faramir marry and settle in Ithilien, of which Faramir is made the ruling Prince by Aragorn.[T 8] Faramir and Éowyn have at least one son, Elboron.[T 9]

Originally, Tolkien intended for Éowyn to marry Aragorn. Later, however, he decided against it because Aragorn was "too old and lordly and grim." He considered making Éowyn the twin sister of Éomund, and having her die "to avenge or save Théoden". He also considered having Aragorn truly love Éowyn and regret never marrying after her death. Tolkien once described Éowyn as "a stern Amazon woman".[T 10] Later he wrote: "Though not a 'dry nurse' in temper, she was also not really a soldier or 'Amazon', but like many brave women was capable of great military gallantry at a crisis."[T 11] (Here he alludes to Éowyn's statement to Aragorn: "But am I not of the House of Eorl, a shieldmaiden and not a dry-nurse?"[T 4])

In Old English, the language Tolkien used to represent his invented language of Rohirric, the word eoh means "war-horse" while wyn means "delight",[5] so Éowyn can be taken to mean "Delight in horses".[6] Her name in Rohirric is not given, but it would have started with the element Lô- or Loh-, meaning "horse".[7]

Julaire Andelin, in the J.R.R. Tolkien Encyclopedia, writes that prophecy in Middle-earth depended on characters' understanding of the Music of the Ainur, the divine plan for Arda, and was often ambiguous. Thus, Glorfindel's prophecy "not by the hand of man will [the Lord of the Nazgûl] fall" did not lead the Lord of the Nazgûl to suppose that he would die at the hands of a woman and a hobbit.[T 12] [8] Shippey states that the prophecy, and the Witch-king's surprise at finding Dernhelm to be a woman, parallel the witches' statement to Macbeth that he may "laugh to scorn / The power of man, for none of woman born / Shall harm Macbeth" (Act 4, scene 1), and Macbeth's shock at learning that Macduff "was from his mother's womb / Untimely ripp'd" (as Macduff was born by Caesarean section: Act 5, scene 8). Thus, Shippey notes, despite Tolkien's stated dislike of Shakespeare's treatment of myth, he read Macbeth closely.[9]

The scholar of feminism Penny Griffin writes that in the Peter Jackson film Return of the King, Eowyn is "probably the movies' closest approximation to an SFC [Strong Female Character]".[1] Her credentials for this, Griffin notes, include rebelling against the injunction to stay behind when the Riders of Rohan go off to fight, disguising herself as a man, riding to battle, and fighting the leader of the Ringwraiths. The feminist effect is spoiled, Griffin notes, when her story ends (according to Tolkien's text, not the film) with her disavowing battle and marrying Faramir to live "happily every after".[1]

Éowyn in Ralph Bakshi's 1978 animated film The Lord of the Rings

Nellie Bellflower voiced Éowyn in the 1980 Rankin/Bass animated version of The Return of the King.[10] Elin Jenkins voiced the character in BBC Radio's 1981 serialisation.[11][12] Éowyn appears briefly in Ralph Bakshi's 1978 adaptation of The Lord of the Rings.[13]

Éowyn is played by Miranda Otto in Peter Jackson's film series.

In Peter Jackson's films The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002) and The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003), Éowyn is played by Miranda Otto. Uma Thurman was slated for the role at one point.[14] Although Jackson cuts much of Tolkien's poetry and song, he adds a scene with Éowyn singing a dirge at Theoden's funeral.[15] The Tolkien scholar Tom Shippey states that the Hollywood studio sent a "script doctor" to New Zealand to bring Jackson's direction into line with their view, which was that since Aragorn needed a single love-interest, Arwen could be deleted, and "Aragorn should then marry Éowyn instead of politely dissuading her. ... The script doctor's advice was ignored."[2] Jackson does however make Aragorn far more romantic than do either Tolkien or Bakshi, devoting substantial viewing time to Aragorn's "modern love triangle", and providing "clear on-screen chemistry" with Éowyn.[13] The film scholar Sarah Kozloff writes that, if the film series can be seen as a melodrama, Jackson's Éowyn symbolizes the modern "tomboy/feminist" psychic figure, the role being played "in a realistic performance style".[16]

Éowyn's appearance on the Pelennor Fields has been compared to that of the shieldmaiden Hervor in the Battle of the Goths and Huns, as depicted in Hervor's Death by Peter Nicolai Arbo.[17]

The scholar of English Helen Young writes that while neither Tolkien nor Jackson give Éowyn any thanks for killing the Witch-King, Jackson's film version does at least invert the gender roles depicted by the Norwegian artist Peter Nicolai Arbo in his 19th century painting Hervor's Death, though when she falls as if dead, the film scene looks in her opinion much like that in the painting. The film reduces Éowyn's role as cup-bearer, which in Tolkien's text describes a genuine Germanic ceremony in which a woman embodied the weaving of peace. Young suggests this was because the screenwriters feared the audience would misinterpret the scene. The extended edition of the "Return to Edoras" scene however includes the ceremony for Théoden.[17]