Eowyn - Blog Posts
The Kiss, by Fatharani Yasmin on ArtStation
!!!! screaming, crying, etc.
Then the heart of Éowyn changed, or else at last she understood it. And suddenly her winter passed, and the sun shone on her.
THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE RETURN OF THE KING (2003) dir. Peter Jackson
THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE TWO TOWERS (2002) dir. Peter Jackson
There's a bit of a role reversal with Faramir and Eowyn, in terms of how their narratives include tropes and plot points that are often traditionally applied to characters of the other sex.
Eowyn goes to war because she refuses to be left behind to be burned inside the house when the battle is done, as is often the fate of women.
Faramir actually is nearly burned alive at the hands of the patriarch of his family when said patriarch believes the battle is over and hope is lost. While Eowyn is out on the battlefield, fighting, Faramir is stuck inside the home, burning.
Between the two, Eowyn is the one we see go on more of an inner journey. She changes more over the narrative, and has to deal more with her own flaws and personal demons, as well as the injustices inflicted upon her. The climax of her story comes with a great moment of heroism and courage in battle. She is rescued by a hobbit, but as an ally in battle, not as a damsel in distress.
Faramir in the books doesn't feel tempted by the ring, and is almost a paragon of virtue. About as much as a Man in Middle Earth can be. He's closer to Arwen and Galadriel than Eowyn is, in his near perfection, in how he inspires and guides others. He is also rescued by a hobbit, but in that moment he is helpless, a damsel in distress. He is rescued because others love him for his virtue and goodness.
So often it's the other way round. Not only is the woman usually the one trapped inside, in need of rescue, while the man is out there fighting, the woman's heroism traditionally comes from the list of virtues she possesses, while the man's heroism comes from his deeds and the things he accomplishes. The man fights, the woman inspires.
But during the Battle of Pelennor fields, it is Eowyn who fights, and while she does inspire Merry, she inspires him not as a paragorn, but as an example of courage that Merry finds himself compelled to live up to. He is inspired to fight by her side, instead of fighting for her.
Faramir is sick and unconscious. His agency is denied him by his father, who decides on his behalf there's nothing left for him to live for. And it is a rush for the heroes; Pippin and Beregond, to save Faramir, and it is explicitly stated that Beregond only broke the law because he was inspired to do so out of his great love for Faramir, which is shared by all. In that moment, Faramir's role is closer to the traditional fairy tale princess, whose goodness inspires the heroes into fighting for her during her peril.
And afterwards, it is Eowyn who has to fight to find meaning in life again, to choose joy and hope over despair, which Faramir, with his loving kindness, wisdom, and gentleness, inspires her to do.
I love that, and love thinking on how that affected their relationship going forward.
Eowyn must have liked that with Faramir, she's not being married to someone who will require her to take on every aspect of the so called "woman's role" (necessary, but limiting) which has been inflicted on her at her own expense by the men in her life, so they can be free to partake in the "man's role". Perhaps in turn, Eowyn's predisposition for more martial pursuits; even if she has embraced healing and gardening and no longer lives for battle, would also mean she can take on some of the certain necessary duties that Faramir finds taxing.
Between the two, there must have been a more equal division of labour and responsibilities, and therefore more freedom on both sides. Neither one of them fully suits the roles that society has assigned to them due to their gender, and in marrying each other, they no longer have to.
Then suddenly he beheld his sister Éowyn as she lay, and he knew her. He stood a moment as a man who is pierced in the midst of a cry by an arrow through the heart; and then his face went deathly white, and a cold fury rose in him, so that all speech failed him for a while. A fey mood took him.
some quick lotr studies :]
prints
“‘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.’” I love women so much you have no idea
Y’all are too hard on Éowyn for marrying Faramir as if having a husband will somehow strip her of her individuality.
Have y’all MET Faramir? This is NOT a guy who saw the attractive Princess of Rohan from afar and was like “I want her to be my ball and chain.”
This is the guy who fell in love with her while she was at her lowest, physically and mentally. He fell in love with her when she was beaten, exhausted, weary, wounded, grieving, and depressed. He fell in love with her when he found out what she did on that battlefield. He fell in love with a kindred spirit, the only person who could truly understand him and his own sufferings. He saw her for exactly who she was - someone strong and brave and bold and unconventional and independent - and that is what he loves about her. When he says “you are beautiful,” he is speaking to her soul too, and not just her face.
As her husband, he will only dote on her and seek her opinions on everything. He already treats her as an equal and cultivates her true self; who says he’ll suddenly stop doing that when they’re married? He would rather die than suppress or hold back the powerful mind and spirit that he fell in love with in the Houses of Healing!
If he was like most other men, would she have married him? Heck no! She has standards, and he meets them.
She married the only guy who would ever let her be herself. This girl got it right. She did not settle, and her being with him does not take anything away from her.
THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE TWO TOWERS 2002 | dir. Peter Jackson
Tolkien is the kind of guy to love tropes and the reasoning behind them, so much so that he brings them into his stories only to completely flip the tropes on their heads.
The Girl doomed by the narrative only for Eowyn to find a new life, purpose, and happiness.
The Burglar who gets the whole kingdom into trouble with a dragon, setting up the Main Character to save the day... only for Bilbo Baggins the Burglar to BE the Main Character to help win BACK the kingdom from the dragon.
The Evil Stepmother filled with cruel jealousy over Snow White's beauty...only for Galadriel to be very loving to her granddaughter thank you very much. (Yes, that was a thing)
I do love that you can see the influence of Tolkien meaning for Eowyn to die throughout her arc. That girl just screams "doomed by the narrative". She's set up for this grand yet tragic death, and wants for nothing else than a grand exit and a glorious end to all things.
But having her live is so much more interesting. And having her live to find happiness especially. She seems like a tragic character. She thinks herself a tragic character. She is overwhelmed by a sense of doom and helplessness. Her narrative is overwhelmed by a sense of doom and helplessness.
But she isn't doomed.
Turns out, decent healthcare, clued in and concerned family members, and a decent support base, go a long towards towards un-dooming her narrative.
Hello, tumblr user. Before you is a tumblr post asking you to name a female fictional character. You have unlimited time to tag a female character, NOT a male one.
Begin.
My favourite thing about Éowyn and Faramir is that when Éowyn tells Faramir she’s in love with Aragorn, his response is basically “well duh, who isn’t.” He truly gets Éowyn, not only because he has similar experiences with despair and grief, but also because the two of them feel the exact same way about Aragorn.
Strictly, canonically speaking, Faramir isn’t in love with Aragorn, but his old-school Medieval fealty has the level of passion and intensity that a modern reader tends to associate with romantic love. (Though of course he isn’t an outlier in a series about passionate friendship and fealty.) The first time Faramir ever saw Aragorn, in the Houses of Healing, “a light of knowledge and love was kindled in his eyes” and he immediately volunteered to do anything his king asked of him, even though he had just woken up from life-threatening illness and probably didn’t have the strength to get out of bed under his own power. And what he offers to Éowyn, among other things, is this: you can continue to love Aragorn as your king and captain, we can both love him that way, and love each other with a quieter peacetime love.
Yes! I’m also tired of these jokes. Stop mocking Éowyn, she was just trying to make a nice gesture. It’s not even like she was responsible for feeding everyone and failed, it wasn’t her task or job.
I think my least favorite overused joke in the lotr fandom is the fact that Éowyn can’t cook well. And I don’t even it in the fashion of perpetuating the idea that women should cook, but just like thinking about it logically…. She really never had a need to cook herself before making their way to Helm’s Deep. I mean think about it, she’s royalty, so she hasn’t ever had to cook herself. And say even despite the royal blood that her mom cooked, she died when Éowyn was young so there wasn’t much time for her to learn from her mom. Let my girl live🙏🙏
I do love that you can see the influence of Tolkien meaning for Eowyn to die throughout her arc. That girl just screams "doomed by the narrative". She's set up for this grand yet tragic death, and wants for nothing else than a grand exit and a glorious end to all things.
But having her live is so much more interesting. And having her live to find happiness especially. She seems like a tragic character. She thinks herself a tragic character. She is overwhelmed by a sense of doom and helplessness. Her narrative is overwhelmed by a sense of doom and helplessness.
But she isn't doomed.
Turns out, decent healthcare, clued in and concerned family members, and a decent support base, go a long towards towards un-dooming her narrative.
My fav!!!
Happy Merrywyn day 💙⭐️
Which Lord of the Rings characters say fuck:
Aragorn: definitely says fuck, and has to catch himself and tone it down when he becomes king
Boromir: yes. "They have a fucking cave troll."
None of the hobbits do; at least, not at first. Pippin picks up swears from Boromir, and Sam will swear under duress
Gimli: swears all the time, but mainly in Khuzdul. He definitely tries to teach Khuzdul swears to Legolas
Legolas: swears very rarely, and usually in Sindarin, which sounds so pretty that it goes unnoticed. Gimli often tries to goad him into swearing
Gandalf: knows all the swears, but doesn't say them
Galadriel: used to swear when she was younger, but that was thousands of years ago, and she no longer does.
Eowyn: swears constantly. every other word.
Faramir: swore once, and still regrets it.
Gollum: doesn't know any swears, but would say them if he did.
@fadedkat