Female Protagonist Challenge - Shield maid of the Rohirrim: Tales Told in Rohan, by Himring

[hhimring]

Title: Tales Told in Rohan (cont

Comments

[hhimring]

I'm glad you found these interesting!
I don't know the history of the Appendixes to the Lord of the Rings as well as some other bits in HoME, so I don't know whether there might have been more names of female characters in the early drafts of the section on Rohirric history, but somehow I suspect there might not have been.

[elwenlj]

These are great. I'm going to have to go back and read that part of the appendices again. And it's a shame that, as in the real world, women who step away from the "normal" role of mother and wife are often unacknowledged.

The reference to Grima made me shiver, I have to say.

[hhimring]

Thank you!
Of course, Tolkien never had space to explain absolutely everything in his appendices. But some of his omissions do seem rather significant!
Good to hear that the reference to Grima was so effective. I think that by the time Saruman got his claws into him, Grima had already assembled quite a bit of potentially hurtful knowledge about the royal family, although he wasn't intending to use it treasonously yet.

[curiouswombat]

Oh excellent! These fit really well both here and with their original prompts.

[hhimring]

Thank you! I'm glad you think they fit!

[engarian]

It's a very good question indeed. "Why didn't they have names?" falls right at the feet of male-centric historians. Perhaps Eowyn can do something about that when she marries that Gondarian scholar in the future.

- Erulisse (one L)

[hhimring]

I'm sure she will have something to say to Faramir about that! The names of female fighters probably have a better chance of getting recorded in the future, after Eowyn!

[shirebound]

'The songs speak of Frumgar and Fram, of Leod and Eorl. But when they speak of shield maids, there are no names...'

There are now, thanks to Eowyn. This is a very nice series.

[hhimring]

Yes, Eowyn's name definitely is going to figure both in the chronicles of Rohan and Gondor and so are the names of others!
Thank you!