Free from the Cage: the Evolution of Eowyn's character

Women and Romance in Lord of the Rings: Part 4

Eowyn’s character is easily the most developed and complicated female character of the four women in the Lord of the Rings and the Hobbit. Her character’s storyline is loaded with romantic interactions between no less than three men in the films, and these romantic interactions are a large part of how she is developed as a character. However, unlike Tauriel and Arwen, she does not rely only on her romantic connections and interactions with male characters in order to develop as a character, and she gets much more screen time and development than Galadriel. In fact, a crucial part of her character is that she grows beyond the first two romances and develops independently without any reliance on a romance with a man in the story. Her character grows and thrives, and even though her character’s story ends in a romantic relationship with Faramir, her character is not restricted to this romance after her previous development. Eowyn is involved in romantic relationships, but her character is not dependent on these romances, allowing her to have a much more memorable and compelling storyline.

Eowyn’s first romantic interaction in the movies is less of a romance and more of a perverted, one-sided fantasy that Grima Wormtongue has towards her. Grima Wormtongue becomes a servant of Saruman, and he manipulates Theoden, the king of Rohan, in the hope of getting Eowyn as a prize once the corruption of Rohan is complete. Eowyn is essentially being stalked by Grima, seen as a prize to be taken. When Eomer confronts Grima about his obsession with his sister, Eowyn holds no place in this conversation and has no voice to defend herself. Instead, she is the subject of Grima’s gaze, and Eomer, another man, is the one to defend her as he tells Grima, “too long have you watched my sister. Too long have you haunted her steps.” A man talks to another man about Eowyn’s fate, and at this point in her storyline, Eowyn is little more than an object to be defended or fantasized. She has no voice of her own, only the topic of discussion between men. However, after Eomer is banished, she defends herself and begins to have more control of her own fate.   

After Eomer is banished, Grima takes more direct action and goes to Eowyn, offering false and shallow comfort to Eowyn as she mourns the death of the king’s son. Grima puts his hand on her shoulder, an act immediately creepy and unpleasant for Eowyn and the audience. She quickly throws his hand off of her and yells, “leave me alone snake,” but Grima persists. Though he does not physically force himself on her, he attempts to manipulate her as he switches from fake comforting words and instead tries to isolate her, saying, “but you are alone.” He tries to remind her of her fear of loneliness and helplessness. After his disgusting and creepy speech to her, he touches her face and strokes her neck. At first, she seems like she has fallen victim to his lies and slimy rhetoric, standing there almost frozen, looking scared and helpless. However, after a few moments, her face hardens, and she says, “Your words are poison.” Now that she is allowed to speak for herself, it is clear than even when she is afraid, she will not accept this slimy behavior. She strides from the room and out the front doors of the hall, where she stands in the wind as it whips her hair in front of her face. Her own desperation and fear mimics Rohan’s helplessness and despair as she watches the flag of Rohan tear off in the wind and land on the ground near Legolas, Gimli, Gandalf, and Aragorn as they ride in the front gates. At this point, Rohan and Eowyn alike are both trapped and helpless, and it is clear that Eowyn feels unable to control her own destiny, especially in the face of all the men around her trying to control it for her. Eowyn’s character feels like little more than a victim struggling to stay afloat. She stands up for herself as much as possible, but she is still seen as vulnerable and unable to do much to change her situation.

When Aragorn arrives, Eowyn’s mentality changes, and she begins to show her strength and protest the lack of agency allowed to her by the men around her. Aragorn quickly establishes himself as a mysterious, strong, goodhearted and kind stranger come to help her and her people, and he is a kind voice and a patient ear for Eowyn who has so often been pushed to the shadows, a subject of conversation but not able to have her own voice. Eowyn is a strong yet also frail character during her time with Aragorn. She establishes herself as a fighter, skilled with the blade and afraid of “neither death nor pain.” She is strong and brave and ready to fight, but she is simultaneously still afraid and more timid. She tells Aragorn that she fears “a cage. To stay behind bars until use and old age accept them and all chance of valor has gone beyond recall or desire.” She knows that she can be useful, and she wants to fight alongside her king and the rest of the men, but all her life, she has been pushed aside, not allowed to fight nor demonstrate her valor. Aragorn acts as a hopeful voice, telling her that, “You are a daughter of kings, a shield maiden of Rohan. I do not think that will be your fate.” Arwen looks almost shocked at his words. Later, when she dreams of being frozen, only able to face the darkness, Aragorn comforts her again and puts pleasant thoughts in her head full of nightmares and fears. Before Aragorn arrived, Eowyn’s life and fate was controlled by men. When Aragorn listens and comforts her, he gives her hope that she will not be trapped and useless, instead able to control her own fate and keep herself free from the cage. Her relationship with Aragorn is one that builds her character through hope and kindness as she struggles against her own fears, but though it does a great deal to grow her character, her romance with Aragorn still has many issues.

 Aragorn is a warm and kind voice, a welcome change from Eowyn’s fears, but he is still a man that ends up controlling her and relegating her to the very cage that she wishes to escape from. Eowyn begins to become more independent and complex around Aragorn, but she is still hesitant and awkward around him, a young girl around a much older love interest. She grows more independent, partially because his hope and presence bring her out of her fears, but her connection with Aragorn also limits her. Eowyn clings to him and his kind words even though he restricts her in similar ways that all the men before him have limited her. Before they reach Helms Deep, Theoden, Eowyn’s adopted father, tells Eowyn to lead the people to Helms Deep instead of helping them fight the Wargs. This is something that Eowyn has experienced her whole life, hence her fear of being relegated to a cage and unable to be useful and prove her valor. Though she resists, she gives in to Theoden’s wishes, used to these restrictions from her father. Aragorn, on the other hand, is the man who has been telling her than she will not be committed to this cage, yet in his attempts to protect her, Aragorn tells Eowyn to leave the fight and go with the other women, just as Theoden told her earlier. She objects to her station with the other women and children, saying “You do not command the others to stay. They fight beside you because they would not be parted from you. Because they love you.” Eowyn is pushing back against Aragorn’s double standards, and she is starting to truly take action and reject the cage that others have been trying to put her in for her entire life. Though she does what Aragorn asks of her and goes to be with the women and children, her initial defiance against their orders is crucial to her character development.

When Eowyn loses hope in Aragorn returning her love, she is finally able to break free from him and other men controlling her life and begin to truly show her growth. After the battle, Eowyn’s infatuation with Aragorn is lessened (but not broken). She has seen his love for Arwen, and she also begins to realize that he traps her in her role as a woman just like Theoden and other men in her life did. However, she still sees a possibility that he will return her love, so she continues to pursue him. While she continues to stay attached to him, her character remains stuck to that relationship as well, so when Aragorn finally rejects her, her detachment from Aragorn and their strange relationship actually keeps her free her from the cage and allows her to become her own independent woman. When Aragorn turns her away, he says, “It is but a shadow and a thought that you love. I cannot give you what you seek. I have wished you joy since first I saw you.” In a way, Aragorn himself is acknowledging that he is trapping and limiting Eowyn, for she deserves more than what he can give her. Though heartbreaking for Eowyn at first, his rejection is also freeing, allowing her to find what she seeks by being disconnected from Aragorn. After Aragorn leaves, she refuses to let men tell her what to do any longer. When she joins the army of Rohan, taking Merry with her, she becomes her own woman and takes control of her own fate. 

 Eowyn and Merry ride to war together, and their platonic relationship bolsters both of their characters more than Eowyn’s romances ever did. Hobbits and women are both underestimated people, belittled by men and told to stay on the sidelines while the real warriors fight. Eowyn encourages Merry as he becomes a fighter for Rohan, but Eomer scoffs her efforts, saying, “you should not encourage him… I do not doubt his heart, only the reach of his arm. When the fear takes him, and the blood and the screams and the horror of battle take hold, do you think he would stand and fight? He would flee, and he would be right to do so. War is the province of men, Eowyn.” It is clear that Eomer sees hobbits and women alike as unfit for war. Though their hearts may desire the glory and the bravery, Eomer believes that both hobbits and women in the thick of battle would quail and run in the face of the violence and horror.

Eomer is expressing a common sentiment among many people, both in fictional worlds and real life. Eomer and many men see that women have no place in fighting or war or dirty business because they are about life and hope and purity, not death and destruction and pain. The other women in Lord of the Rings fit into this category, such as Arwen whose life with Aragorn demonstrates hope and the return of happiness and goodness to the world. Eowyn, on the other hand is more complicated. Eowyn constantly asks the men around her why she cannot fight for those that she loves, and she asks this on Merry’s behalf as well, saying, “Why should Merry be left behind? He has as much cause to go to war as you. Why can he not fight for those he loves?” Eowyn argues that Merry has a reason to fight, just as men do, and that gives him a right to go to fight. Though she talks about Merry, she is also talking about herself, implying that she too wants to fight for those she loves and has just as much reason to go to war as men. Eomer snubs her and says nothing more on the matter. However, Eowyn and Merry will prove that they are able fighters in war, not people who run in the face of the horrors. They are fighting for love and hope as well as courage and protection, demonstrating that the best of heroes work with courage and love together, not one or the other.

Eowyn and Merry are motivated to fight to protect those that they love, not for glory or honor as many men fight for. Early on, Eowyn clearly wants to show her valor and seek renown when fighting, protesting her station looking after the women and children by saying, “What renown is there in that?” However, when she rides to Gondor with Merry, her motives switch to become much more powerful and wholesome as Merry and Eowyn fight to protect those they love. After they join the riders to Gondor, Merry says “I know there is not much point now in hoping. If I were a knight of Rohan, capable of great deeds, but I’m not. I’m a hobbit, and I know I can’t save middle earth. I just want to help my friends. Frodo. Sam. Pippin.” Merry believes that he is small and a nobody, just as he has always been told, and he only wants to help his small group of friends. He believes that he isn’t capable of courage or hope because he is small and only motivated by helping his friends, but in the end, their desire to protect those that they love makes both Merry and Eowyn stronger than those who fight for bravery and honor alone. Just before the battle at Gondor begins, Eowyn whispers, “Courage Merry, courage for our friends.” They are not trying to be courageous to be tough or like all of the men riding with them, instead fighting with a courage motivated by their love for their friends. Other characters’ motivation to fight is far less powerful. Legolas and Gimli seem largely motivated to fight out of a strange competition between the two of them and their kill count. While this is a hilarious competition that continues throughout the trilogy, it does not hold the same power and passion as Eowyn’s desire to protect those that she loves. Eowyn and Merry’s love ends up being more powerful than the valor of the great knights that both of them had earlier admired so much. 

 Eowyn’s motives are substantial and meaningful, and they end up being a main reason that she is able to defeat one of the most powerful enemies of middle-earth: the Witch-King. Any analysis about Eowyn’s worth as a character would be incomplete without her well-known line, “I am no man.” Her most important moment has nothing to do with romances, yet it relies on her identity as a woman. However, it is not just the power of her womanhood that allows her to defeat the Witch-King. She never would have even gotten into that fight if it had not been for her desire to protect Theoden. Everyone else fled from the Witch-King even as he attacked Theoden, their king, but Eowyn stands between the Witch-King and her father figure, saying, “I will kill you if you touch him.” The fear in her eyes is evident as she fights this enemy that is much more formidable and powerful than she is, but she continues to stand against him in order to protect her father figure Theoden. 

Theoden’s relationship with Eowyn is that of a father trying to protect a daughter, and though Theoden’s desire to protect restricts Eowyn, their relationship is still crucial to Eowyn’s character and her growth. Throughout their relationship, both of them are trying to protect one another. Some of Eowyn’s first moments are seen trying to help and protect Theoden as he suffers from Saruman’s control, and she tries to go to his aid when Gandalf is purging Saruman from his system. Eowyn, however, is mostly helpless to do anything to help him for most of the story, largely because of the restrictions that Theoden himself puts on her. He is not her natural father, instead taking her in after her parents died. He does his best to raise her as his own, protecting her however he can, but sometimes in his attempts to protect her, he limits her. In many ways, Theoden’s protections of Eowyn are the cage that she fears so much. He keeps her from the fighting in order to protect her, but she wants to fight to be able to protect him and the rest of Rohan. Eowyn feels trapped, but even while she feels restricted by Theoden’s rules, it is clear that they care for one another very much. Some of Theoden’s first words when he is released from Saruman’s power are her name, and his last word is her name. He also clearly trusts her with great responsibility and power. Though he keeps her out of war to protect her life and keep her from pain, he tells her right before he rides into battle that, “I have left instructions—the people are to follow your rule in my stead. Take up my seat in the golden hall. Long may you defend Edoras if the battle goes ill.” He knows that she is a capable leader, and even when he keeps her out of physical danger, he does not relegate her to the sidelines and ignore her, instead giving her duties that help protect the rest of his people. He has great faith in her, but he also wants her to be happy. When Eowyn asks what other duties he asks of her, he tells her, “I would have you smile again, not grieve for those whose time has come. You shall live to see these days renewed. And no more despair.” Theoden makes his mistakes in parenting as he pushes Eowyn away from the fighting, but everything he does, he does trying to balance his desire to protect her and to see her happy. He desperately wants her safe and happy, and Eowyn is motivated by the same desire. 

Eowyn’s desire to save her father figure is what gives her the motivation and power to defeat the Witch-King. Eowyn rushes to his aid, disregarding her own danger and fear, and Merry goes to help and protect Eowyn. Merry stabs the Witch-King when Eowyn seems to be failing. Merry is fighting to save Eowyn, someone he has grown to care about, and by protecting her, he helps bring him down enough so that Eowyn can kill him. She utters her immortal words, “I am no man,” just after she takes off her helmet and reveals her identity as a woman. Her role as a woman and an outlier help her defeat the Witch-King, but an often neglected factor is that Merry and Eowyn defeat the Witch-King together because they are fighting with a desire to protect those that they care about. Together, a woman and a hobbit unite with the intent to protect those they love, and in doing so, they become more powerful than many of the sources of evil in Middle-Earth. 

 Eowyn is at the peak of her character development during the Battle of Pelenor and when she defeats the Witch-King. The battle still raging around her, she goes to her father, who lies dying trapped beneath his horse, and she still wants to help him, saying, “I’d like to save you.” Ever since her first appearance, she desires to help Theoden. Theoden and Eowyn’s relationship as basically father and daughter makes this encounter much more powerful for her character than if it was a romantic relationship. She had been with Theoden for many years, whereas her other two “romances” were only for a short while and much less substantial. On the battle field, even after defeating the Witch-King, her focus is still on helping her father figure whom she loves very much. When Theoden sees her, he does not fuss about her safety or make any comment as to why she disobeyed his orders. He shows again the love for Eowyn and the trust that he puts in her, and he replies to Eowyn’s desire to save him by saying, “You already did.” He acknowledges that she saved him here on the battle field and implies that she has been saving him his entire life. Though Theoden ends up dying from his wounds seconds later, Eowyn was finally able to take direct action to fight and protect those that she loves. She saves Theoden from a horrible death at the hands of the Witch-King, and his last words to her are not those of a father worrying about her safety and trying to restrict her fighting. Instead, his last moments are saying goodbye to a loved one and communicating how much he cares for her. Eowyn has grown as a character, finally able to fight to protect those she loves, and now she must also grow from the death of someone that she loves.

As Theoden dies, Eowyn experiences the pain of war and death around her. Theoden’s death is horrible and heart-wrenching, but in the end, this is a crucial moment of character growth that she has created herself. She is free from the cage that she feared so much, and she liberated herself by taking control and fighting against helplessness. After years of being told what to do by others and waiting for someone else to help free her, she tires of those trying to protect her by keeping her locked in the cage. She takes action herself, ignoring the men around her who told her no. Though it exposes her to more pain and death and suffering, she had already experienced that in her life, unable to do anything about it as she was forced to stand by and watch. Now she has the ability to act and try to protect people, and her freedom is all thanks for her decision to stop letting people try to protect her by keeping her locked in the cage.

After Eowyn’s defeat of the Witch-King, her character does not experience nearly as much growth as she regresses partially back into the theme of women in romantic relationships. She is saved unwittingly by Aragorn in battle after she was already wounded, and then Aragorn heals her from her injuries. Though she does take on a bit of a damsel in distress feeling because of this, she does not become romantically involved with Aragorn again. In fact, this scene which could have been much more sexualized and romanticized instead focuses on Eowyn and her struggle with sadness after the battle and Theoden’s death. She does not revert back to depending on Aragorn for validation and comfort, instead shown standing alone after she is healed. She retains her freedom that she gained herself when she became fighter in the Battle of Pelenor. Eowyn is alone for only a short while however until she becomes romantically involved with Faramir. 

Though she as a woman should not have to be in a romantic relationship in order to be valid and complete, her relationship with Faramir is different than her other two “romances.” This one is mutual and wholesome. Wormtongue was a perverted creep who lusted after her, and she had little control over that situation. Aragorn was a place of comfort and safety, but it was one-sided and still trapped her in dependence. When she interacts with Faramir, it is more like two people who need each other equally, both relying on one another for comfort and happiness in a dark time. Faramir experienced his own great loses when his brother and father died, and he is in a place of despair similar to Eowyn’s. Eowyn tells him, “The city has fallen silent. There is no warmth left in the sun. It grows so cold.” Both of their expressions show this despair that is reflected in the silence and cold, but Faramir responds, “It’s just the damp of the first spring rain. I do not believe this darkness will endure.” Eowyn and Faramir smile at one another, and though they are small smiles, it is clear that being together and talking is a comfort to both of them. Faramir and Eowyn are both mourning the recent loss of the family members. After the suffering that they have endured, they are able to act as almost therapy for one another, a source of comfort in a cold world. This scene is less than a minute, but it demonstrates that they are able to give each other hope and a bit of happiness. Faramir isn’t just finding a broken woman to fix and grow his character; they are both grieving and broken and finding solace in the company of one another.

After the Battle of Pelenor, Faramir and Eowyn’s stories fade as the War of the Ring concludes, so the only other time this romance is seen is for a brief couple of seconds at Aragorn’s coronation as they stand next to one another applauding and sharing a look of great happiness between one another. Eowyn’s growth as a character mostly finished after Theoden’s death, and her only other parts in the story are these brief scenes with Faramir. A part of me takes issue with the idea that she had to end up with a man in order to be happy, but if she was going to be put back into another romantic relationship, as all the woman seem to be in Lord of the Rings, her relationship with Faramir was a good way to do so. Both were lost souls and had problems with their fathers, and they were each struggling with their role to try to protect the ones that they loved around them. Theirs is not a one-sided relationship, but instead one where they both benefit and grow and are able to be happy and at peace with one another. After so much suffering on both their parts, they each get a well-deserved happy ending. 

With only four main women in the Lord of the Rings trilogy movies, each of them play critical roles as a representation of women in the world. Out of the four, only Galadriel’s character is not deeply connected or reliant on romantic relationships for character growth. I long for more women characters in Lord of the Rings who are not so fully wrapped up in romance stories. Some romances are wonderful for the story, but as evident by the many men who function without any romances in their story arcs, it is not necessary for all characters to have romances for their characters to be meaningful. Though Lord of the Rings lacks a diversity in female characters and usually limits them to romantic plotlines, Eowyn’s character and her relationship with men is still a crucial representation of women in Lord of the Rings and fantasy settings in general. Eowyn escapes a very disturbing and one-sided relationship with Wormtongue, who rather than love, was obsessed and lecherous. She abandons an unrequited and complicated love interest in Aragorn and instead strikes out on her own, finally moving away from every man who is telling her what to do. She fights for friendship and hope, not just romantic love. Though she ends with Faramir in another romantic relationship, her time as a character completely unconnected with any romantic love was important not just for her character development but as a symbol of what all women could be allowed if not shackled down with their role as someone only relevant in romantic relationships. When Eowyn was free from her romantic relationships, she was able to become independent and grow to have one of the most iconic moments in the entire Lord of the Rings trilogy. The more women are disconnected from romances, allowing their characters to vary, the richer fantasy worlds can be.

For more thoughts about Eowyn as a character and her role in Romances, click here to check out a wonderful blog post on The Mary Sue!

This is the fourth part of a four part post. The previous three are Tauriel, Galadriel, and Arwen. For the full post, click here.