Éowyn
She has been seen, too, as one of the few strong female characters in the story, especially as interpreted in Peter Jackson's film trilogy, where her role, played by Miranda Otto, is far more romantic than Tolkien made her.
[T 3] When Théoden's mind is poisoned by his corrupt adviser Gríma Wormtongue, Éowyn is obliged to care for her uncle, and his deterioration pains her deeply.
[T 4]Éowyn disguises herself as a man and, under the alias of Dernhelm (from Old English dern meaning "secret, concealed"[5]), travels with the Riders of Rohan to the battle outside Minas Tirith in Gondor on her horse Windfola, carrying with her the hobbit Merry Brandybuck, who had also been ordered to remain behind.
Tolkien Encyclopedia, writes that prophecy in Middle-earth depended on characters' understanding of the Music of the Ainur, the divine plan for Arda, and was often ambiguous.
[10] The scholar of literature Melissa A. Smith notes that Tolkien wrote in response to criticism that "In my experience feelings and decisions ripen very quickly (as measured by mere 'clock-time', which is actually not justly applicable) in periods of great stress, and especially under the expectation of imminent death".
[11] She appears initially as a medieval romance heroine, a "woman clad in white",[T 1] standing silent and obedient behind King Théoden's throne.
"[T 1] But, Thum writes, this too is swiftly gainsaid: "Slender and tall she was ... but strong she seemed and stern as steel, a daughter of kings.
[5] Thum comments that this unconventional mask conveys Éowyn's rebellious nature far more powerfully than would any overt account of her thinking.
[11] Jessica Yates wrote that Éowyn meets all the requirements for a classic woman warrior: a strong identity; skill in fighting; weapons and armour; a horse; special powers, seen when she turns the Ringwraith's prophecy of doom back onto him; and being modest and chaste.
[12][13] Carol Leibiger added that Éowyn is the only strong human female in The Lord of the Rings (Galadriel and Arwen being Elves), noting that her rejection of the woman's place in the home leads her to fulfil the prophecy about the leader of the Ringwraiths, the Witch-King of Angmar, that "not by the hand of man will [he] fall".
[14] Melissa Hatcher wrote in Mythlore that The Lord of the Rings has as a central theme the way that "the littlest person, a hobbit, overcom[es] the tides of war": that the real power is that of healing, protecting, and preserving.
[12] She described Éowyn as "a complete individual who fulfills Tolkien's theme of peace, preservation, and cultural memory.
"[12] Hatcher cited the philosopher Gregory Bassham's list of the six essential ingredients of happiness in Middle-earth, namely "delight in simple things, making light of one's troubles, getting personal, cultivating good character, cherishing and creating beauty, and rediscovering wonder", and stated that these are all seen in Éowyn and the Hobbit Sam, the gardener who inherits Frodo's Bag End and restores the Shire, "but in very few others".
[19] Although Jackson cuts much of Tolkien's poetry and song, he adds a scene with Éowyn singing a dirge at Théodred's funeral.
[2][21] The scholar of English Helen Young writes that while neither Tolkien nor Jackson give Éowyn any thanks for killing the Witch-King, Jackson's film version does at least invert the gender roles depicted by the Norwegian artist Peter Nicolai Arbo in his 19th century painting Hervor's Death, though when she falls as if dead, the film scene looks in her opinion much like that in the painting.
The film reduces Éowyn's role as cup-bearer, which in Tolkien's text describes a genuine Germanic ceremony in which a woman embodied the weaving of peace.
[23] Feminist scholar Penny Griffin writes that in The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, Éowyn is "probably the movies' closest approximation to an SFC [Strong Female Character]".
The feminist effect is spoiled, Griffin notes, when her story ends (according to Tolkien's text, not the film) with her disavowing battle and marrying Faramir to live "happily every after".
[24] The scholar of literature Maureen Thum comments that Jackson "stresses what Tolkien implies" by portraying Éowyn's feelings for Aragorn and her skill in battle.
[25] Thum writes that Tolkien's narrative, having Éowyn ride to war under the name "Dernhelm", meaning "secret helmet", far more powerfully conveys her rebellious nature than would any explicit description of her thinking.
