- “"Shall I always be left behind when the Riders depart, to mind the house while they win renown, and find food and beds when they return?”
- ―Éowyn to Aragorn
Lady Éowyn is a major character on The Lord of the Rings series. She is the lady of Rohan who was fostered by her uncle. Being a fair lady personality wise, she believes in justice and equality. Knowing how to handle a sword, Éowyn is one of the bravest women in all the realms of Middle-Earth after being fostered by her uncle. She is famously known for being the destroyer of the Witch-King of Angmar and falling in love with Faramir, who she later married.
Roles
Éowyn appears as a minor character in The Two Towers, a major character in The Return of the King, a very minor character in the 1978 film, The Lord of the Rings, supporting protagonist in Rankin-Bass' 1980 animated film, The Return of the King, and one of the supporting protagonists of The Lord of the Rings film trilogy by Peter Jackson, appearing in The Two Towers and The Return of the King respectively.
Portrayals
In the 1980 animated film, Éowyn is voiced by Nelli Bellflower and in the Middle-earth Film Saga, is portrayed by Miranda Otto
Background
Éowyn was born in Rohan, TA 2995, as the daughter of Théodwyn and Éomund, the niece of King Théoden, sister of Éomer and cousin of Théodred. However, as a young girl, her father was killed in battle.
Théodwyn later died of an unknown illness, heavily implied to be a broken heart because of her father's death. She would not truly smile for a matter of years. Théoden took custody over her and her brother and became a father figure to them both and grew up with her cousin as a brother figure.
Personality
According to one of her uncle's men, Háma saw Éowyn as a fearless woman and all loved her and recommended her to rule in her uncle's stead while he went into battle. Éowyn was in fact the right woman for the job. In temperament she was idealistic, spirited, brave and high-minded, but very lonely, having sacrificed her own happiness for years to care for her sick uncle and meet the responsibilities of a shield-maiden. Éowyn was also a rebellious young woman, for she wanted to have the chance to fight. However, she was always turned down to fight in battle. (In the films, when Rohan was attacked by the wargs, Éowyn insists to fight alongside her uncle and Aragorn but Théoden orders her to lead the people to Helm's Deep. Éowyn was indeed fearless as Hama said she was, for she went into a battle fierce and true.
She developed a friendship with the hobbit, Merry Brandybuck, when he was separated from Pippin and was protective of him during the battle, as she and him were to stay together. They both proved to be a perfect team, as Merry and Éowyn were able to fight off several of the orcs. Though they were separated, Merry managed to save her from the Witch-king, using his blade to kill him, showing a strong friendship between them both. Éowyn was also very close with her uncle, Théoden, whom she considered her father because her biological one had been killed in battle and her mother, Théodwyn died of grief. She felt that Théodred was like a second brother to her, due to being raised together by Théoden, as she cried with grief when she found out that her cousin had died during the night.
Tolkien Books
Éowyn appears as a minor character in JRR Tolkien's The Two Towers, Éowyn was in charge of taking care of her sickly uncle, Théoden, whose mind had been poisoned by Grima Wormtongue and placed under Saruman's spell. She too was victim of Wormtongue, who continuously stalked her.
However, Éowyn and Théoden are able to recognize each other once Théoden is no longer under Wormtongue's influence. She was later left to rule the Golden Hall while her uncle, brother and their army is away
Middle-Earth Film Saga
The Lord of the Rings
The Two Towers
Éowyn has an expanded role in the film. She first appears in the film, where she sees her wounded cousin, Théodred has been mortally wounded. Éowyn is later even more depressed, as her Uncle Théoden is in a catonic state and her brother is banished from Rohan. She grieves by his bedside and calls Wormtongue a snake as he attempts to seduce her. Fleeing outside, Éowyn spots Aragorn, Gandalf, Legolas, and Gimli approaching. After Théoden is healed by Gandalf, newly resurrected as the White Wizard, Éowyn and Théoden embrace one another as her uncle finally recognizes her face. She later attends Théodred's burial and takes care of two children whose village had fallen victim to wildmen pillaging every village in their path.
Éowyn develops romantic feelings with Aragorn, who remains cordial with her but only sees her as a friend and forms a friendship with Gimli. Before a Warg attack sent by Saruman, Éowyn asks Aragorn of the woman who gave him the necklace. Aragorn reveals that his lover is leaving Middle-earth to be with her people. Éowyn says nothing, and she continues walking. During the warg attack, Éowyn leads her people to Helm's Deep. When she inquires about Aragorn, Éowyn is informed by Gimli that he fell off a cliff during the skirmish. However, she is relieved to see him alive, as she embraces him after the Battle of Helm's Deep, which she was hiding during the battle.
It is assumed that Éowyn leads her people back to Rohan while her uncle, brother and the Fellowship go to Isengard due to her already waiting for them in the next film.
The Return of the King
During the party celebrating the victory at Helm's Deep, she offers Aragorn wine. Théoden realizes that she is in love with him and tells her that he is an honorable man but Éowyn insists that they are both honorable men. Théoden tells her she deserves to be happy. When Merry is separated from Pippin, he and Éowyn become friends and she supports him to battle. She is the only one who encourages him and thinks he has a right to go to war and she wishes to go too. Her brother doesn't share Éowyn's optimism and warns her not to encourage Merry, as it is not their fight. However, Éowyn believes that Merry has any right like any other man. Before the battle, she learns that Aragorn is departing. Aragorn realizes that she has feelings for him and tells her that he can not give her what she seeks (love), leaving her heartbroken. She later disguises herself as a man and takes Merry with her on her horse.
Before the Battle of Pelennor Fields, Éowyn disguises herself as a man and bears Merry with her. However, the two are separated on the battlefield. She sees her dying uncle at the mercy of the Witch-king and his fell beast and rushes in to defend him. However, the king briefly gets the upper hand before Merry stabbed him in the back, getting poisoned in the process. Éowyn uses this opportunity and defeats the Witch-king. Her brother finds her among the dead and Aragorn heals her. While she and Faramir are recovering at the House of Healings, they fall in love with each other and begin a relationship.
The couple appear at Aragorn's coronation, thus displaying that Éowyn and Aragorn have remained as friends.
Other appearances
Relationships
Aragorn
Éowyn was first in love with Aragorn.
They first met in Rohan when he came with the wizard Gandalf, the Elf Legolas and the Dwarf, Gimli, and seemed to have grown a friendship. She once made a terrible soup, but Aragorn still took it trying not to hurt her feelings and pouring it out. On the eve of battle, Aragorn later rejected her love affection toward him, as he was already in love with someone else. When Aragorn rejected her softly, Éowyn ran away heartbroken and soon knew that there would never be any love for Aragorn. While Aragorn did not love her, he did grow to care for Éowyn, as he healed her in the House of Healings. After she met and fell in love with Faramir, they continued a friendship.
Faramir
After Éowyn was poisoned by the Witch-king while killing him with Merry, she was sent ot the House of Healings, where Aragorn healed her, Faramir and Merry. Éowyn first saw Faramir when she stood by her window and he was looking at her from afar. When the Battle of the Black Gate took place, Éowyn and Faramir began to realize they were in love with each other and bonded. They officially become a couple while Éowyn remains friends with Aragorn. They attend Aragorn's coronation, implying they are either engaged or are in a normal romantic relationship. They later had a quiet moment as the Forces of both Gondor and Rohan advanced to the Enemy, which Faramir and Éowyn grew fond of each other. They are officially a couple in the end, seeing she and Faramir attended Aragorn's coronation together.
The two will eventually married and had a son named Elboron.
Gallery
Trivia
- At one point, Éowyn and Aragorn were meant to fall in love with each other and marry. However, Tolkien decided that Aragorn would be "too old and lordly and grim." Instead, he ended up pairing her with Faramir instead.
- At another point, Éowyn wanted to marry Aragorn but he refused.
- On the original draft, Théoden did not have a niece, but rather a daughter named Idis. However, the character was removed and replaced in favor of Éowyn.
- In the expanded family tree, Lothíriel is both Éowyn's sister-in-law through Éomer and her cousin-in-law through Faramir.
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