Eowyn, Day One
Today, RL has got in the way and all I can manage is a brief post on why Eowyn is one of my favourite characters in LotR, despite the precious little screentime she gets.
1. I really, really like female characters with swords and women who dress as men in order to do the things they're not allowed to do. It's been so long since I first read LotR that I can't remember whether this fondness preceded meeting Eowyn, but looking at my favourite heroines, my god do I have a type.
2. That conversation with Aragorn, before the Riders go off to war, which I intend to do a whole post on because it's just that awesome. Suffice it to say, Eowyn doesn't like doing the things that are traditionally seen as female and she has no patience with men who refuse to listen. (This was also the point in the books where I came closest to thoroughly disliking Aragorn, because screw him and his 'Oh no, I can't possibly let you ride with me. Uh. Because I'd need your father's permission and he's not here! That's totally why!')
3. Her loyalty to her king and kin. In pretty much all chivalric literature, a huge deal is made out of the loyalty of the various male characters, but the female characters are hardly ever given a chance to demonstrate theirs, other than by staying virtuous and true while their knight is away. Eowyn adheres to the notion of fealty and honour that has always been the preserve of male knights. OK, admittedly some might argue that if she was that loyal, she should've obeyed Theoden's orders and not ridden out with the Riders, but then there's that scene on the battlefield. 'Faithful beyond fear' is how she's described. Lets just say, loyalty is one of my all-time favourite narrative tropes and Eowyn is a wonderful example of it. (Note to self: Must do a post looking at the parallels between her and Merry at some point.)
4. Some people complain about her pining over Aragorn. To which I say, 'Pining? Hah!' Yes, she cares for him very much, but I would argue that she's more in love with the ideal of who he is - rightful king, noble warrior, man of honour - than with the man himself, and that because he exemplifies the traits she most admires and seeks to emulate herself. And then there's Faramir, whom she actually loves as a person, with no need to idealise him.
4b. Interesting point: of her two 'love interests' (hate that term), you've got Aragorn, who is the noble warrior and who personally I've always found rather flat - he's sort of there to be the Rightful King and to help the quest, but I never got much personality from him - and then you've got Faramir, who, by repeated contrast with Boromir, we come to see as only a warrior by necessity. Now that I think about it, this could be interpreted as Eowyn abandoning her warrior ideals and taking up a more 'feminine', peaceful role, but I'd like to think Tolkien wouldn't do such a thing, not after that beautiful, wonderful speech she makes to Aragorn about being no one's dry-nurse. I can hope, right?
I suspect there's going to be quite a lot of meta here about gender roles and historical context, two of my favourite things.
1. I really, really like female characters with swords and women who dress as men in order to do the things they're not allowed to do. It's been so long since I first read LotR that I can't remember whether this fondness preceded meeting Eowyn, but looking at my favourite heroines, my god do I have a type.
2. That conversation with Aragorn, before the Riders go off to war, which I intend to do a whole post on because it's just that awesome. Suffice it to say, Eowyn doesn't like doing the things that are traditionally seen as female and she has no patience with men who refuse to listen. (This was also the point in the books where I came closest to thoroughly disliking Aragorn, because screw him and his 'Oh no, I can't possibly let you ride with me. Uh. Because I'd need your father's permission and he's not here! That's totally why!')
3. Her loyalty to her king and kin. In pretty much all chivalric literature, a huge deal is made out of the loyalty of the various male characters, but the female characters are hardly ever given a chance to demonstrate theirs, other than by staying virtuous and true while their knight is away. Eowyn adheres to the notion of fealty and honour that has always been the preserve of male knights. OK, admittedly some might argue that if she was that loyal, she should've obeyed Theoden's orders and not ridden out with the Riders, but then there's that scene on the battlefield. 'Faithful beyond fear' is how she's described. Lets just say, loyalty is one of my all-time favourite narrative tropes and Eowyn is a wonderful example of it. (Note to self: Must do a post looking at the parallels between her and Merry at some point.)
4. Some people complain about her pining over Aragorn. To which I say, 'Pining? Hah!' Yes, she cares for him very much, but I would argue that she's more in love with the ideal of who he is - rightful king, noble warrior, man of honour - than with the man himself, and that because he exemplifies the traits she most admires and seeks to emulate herself. And then there's Faramir, whom she actually loves as a person, with no need to idealise him.
4b. Interesting point: of her two 'love interests' (hate that term), you've got Aragorn, who is the noble warrior and who personally I've always found rather flat - he's sort of there to be the Rightful King and to help the quest, but I never got much personality from him - and then you've got Faramir, who, by repeated contrast with Boromir, we come to see as only a warrior by necessity. Now that I think about it, this could be interpreted as Eowyn abandoning her warrior ideals and taking up a more 'feminine', peaceful role, but I'd like to think Tolkien wouldn't do such a thing, not after that beautiful, wonderful speech she makes to Aragorn about being no one's dry-nurse. I can hope, right?
I suspect there's going to be quite a lot of meta here about gender roles and historical context, two of my favourite things.