Post by Anne Aìwëhì on Apr 19, 2005 9:23:07 GMT -5
The actress who portrayed Èowyn looked especially pretty and daring in her amour, grasping her sword, her wide blue eyes peering from under her helm. Director Peter Jackson interprets Èowyn as the beautiful headstrong niece of a neglectful uncle, but should girls look on her admiringly?
Èowyn lives in her uncle’s, the King’s house, Meduseld. She learns how to make her needle fly in clever designs as only the women of her city can do. She was a happy maiden, tending to the royal horses and learning the ways of all the women in Rohan. Èowyn is well protected; and to respect her protector she is to obey him and not do anything that would endanger herself. She is to honor him, as all children are to honor their parents or guardian. But at the age of twenty-three, she shows immaturity in neglecting her duties. When Aragorn looks on her he thinks her ‘fair, but not yet come to womanhood’. He repels when he sees her flirtatious manner. “A year shall I endure for every day that passes until your return,” she thus spoke to her uncle but with eyes fixed on Aragorn. She blushes and trembles when she hands him the goblet of mead, and he looks on her ‘and he did not smile.’ He thinks of her attitude toward him foolish and tells her he is not interested many times. At one such time, she thanks him for supposedly riding so many miles out of his way to bring her news; but he answers “Indeed no man would count such a journey wasted and yet, lady, I would not have come hither, if it were not that the road which I must take leads me to Dunharrow.” As always, he speaks courteously and kindly as he tells her it was simply on his way. Eowyn gets the message for she looks at him as ‘someone who does not like what she hears’. Yet she remains persistent in flirting with him.
Immaturity becomes more evident in her disobedience. She believes that fame and glory can only be obtained in an honorable death on the battlefield. Longing to be a hero, she turns her ears to Wormtongue, her uncle’s advisor. He speaks of Edoras being week, and Eowyn takes this lie for truth without question. Why did she not ask her brother, the noble Èomer? Why did she not seek the wisdom of the older advisers, far superior to her in knowledge? Because Wormtongue’s words fit the desire of her heart, of wanting to be a hero. It would be a good thing for Edoras to be week because she wanted to save it. Èowyn pities her self, and believes that everyone misunderstands her.
“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?
“A time may come soon,’ said he (Aragorn) “when none will return. Then there will be need of valour without renown, for none shall remember the deeds that are done in the last defense of your homes. Yet the deeds will not be less valiant because they are unpraised.” And she answered: ‘All of your words are but to say: you are a woman, and your part is in the house…but I am of the House of Eorl and not a serving-woman.” Filled with pride she says ‘I am of the House of Eorl,’ and believes herself to not be like other women! Even Aragorn, the one she has worked so hard to fall in love with, cannot show her the arrogance of her words.
Disguising herself as a man, she rides onto the battlefield against the commands of the King, of Aragorn, and her brother. The King had told her to reign as queen while he was gone, and instead of obeying she rides off in disguise leaving her people queen-less. Left alone, Edoras has no one to rule and command it should any attack befall the city. Aragorn told her, when she asked him, that he would not give her permission to ride into battle without the consent of her uncle or her brother. She avoided her brother, not daring to ask permission because she knew he would say no. Eowyn tossed aside all of these commands. She went into battle with no hope; she wanted to die and be known to all as the heroine who fought in bravery. Eowyn intended to commit the great sin of suicide.
However, this argument has another side; was not the prophecy made that no man could kill the Witch-king, the King of the Nazgul? Then it must have been right of Eowyn to ride out and kill him, as no one else could, right? Think back to the story, the raging battle and screams of both horses and men…Gandalf is sitting upon his horse, preparing to ride out and kill the Witch-king, for no man could kill the Nazgul. But Gandalf is not a man. One of the Maia, an angel, sent to Middle-earth to lead the War of the Ring, Gandalf could kill the Nazgul. He undoubtedly would have if Pippin had not come running to him for help in saving Faramir from being burned to death. So should Faramir have been left to die while Eowyn obeyed and stayed home and Gandalf killed the Witch-king? If it had been Tolkien’s plan, he would have written it so.
Because of her disobedience her arm is broken and she falls ill. The Royal Guard and all of King Théoden’s Calvary are killed, the King himself dies, Merry falls ill and Eomer, whipped into a crazy fury, dives into the fight not caring if he dies, overcome with the grief of the death of the King and the supposed death of his sister. But, as God has done with each of us in our disobedience, He shows mercy to Eowyn. She heals not only in body but also in spirit. Faramir reveals her sin of self-pride to her once blind eyes: ‘“You desired Lord Aragorn, because he was high and puissant, and you wished to have renown and glory and to be lifted up high; but when he gave you only understanding and pity, then you desired to have nothing, unless a brave death in battle.”’ He spoke of her folly bluntly and she responds, ‘”The Shadow has departed! I will be a shieldmaiden no longer, nor vie with the great Riders, nor take joy only in the songs of slaying”’ Eowyn weds Faramir and they have a son. Was that not mercy? I Samuel 15:22 says ‘Behold, it is better to obey than to sacrifice.’ Where Eowyn thought it was better to sacrifice, her role was simply to obey. “Honor thy father and thy mother, as the Lord thy God hath commanded thee; that thy days may be prolonged, and that it may go well with thee, in the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee.”<br>
Èowyn lives in her uncle’s, the King’s house, Meduseld. She learns how to make her needle fly in clever designs as only the women of her city can do. She was a happy maiden, tending to the royal horses and learning the ways of all the women in Rohan. Èowyn is well protected; and to respect her protector she is to obey him and not do anything that would endanger herself. She is to honor him, as all children are to honor their parents or guardian. But at the age of twenty-three, she shows immaturity in neglecting her duties. When Aragorn looks on her he thinks her ‘fair, but not yet come to womanhood’. He repels when he sees her flirtatious manner. “A year shall I endure for every day that passes until your return,” she thus spoke to her uncle but with eyes fixed on Aragorn. She blushes and trembles when she hands him the goblet of mead, and he looks on her ‘and he did not smile.’ He thinks of her attitude toward him foolish and tells her he is not interested many times. At one such time, she thanks him for supposedly riding so many miles out of his way to bring her news; but he answers “Indeed no man would count such a journey wasted and yet, lady, I would not have come hither, if it were not that the road which I must take leads me to Dunharrow.” As always, he speaks courteously and kindly as he tells her it was simply on his way. Eowyn gets the message for she looks at him as ‘someone who does not like what she hears’. Yet she remains persistent in flirting with him.
Immaturity becomes more evident in her disobedience. She believes that fame and glory can only be obtained in an honorable death on the battlefield. Longing to be a hero, she turns her ears to Wormtongue, her uncle’s advisor. He speaks of Edoras being week, and Eowyn takes this lie for truth without question. Why did she not ask her brother, the noble Èomer? Why did she not seek the wisdom of the older advisers, far superior to her in knowledge? Because Wormtongue’s words fit the desire of her heart, of wanting to be a hero. It would be a good thing for Edoras to be week because she wanted to save it. Èowyn pities her self, and believes that everyone misunderstands her.
“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?
“A time may come soon,’ said he (Aragorn) “when none will return. Then there will be need of valour without renown, for none shall remember the deeds that are done in the last defense of your homes. Yet the deeds will not be less valiant because they are unpraised.” And she answered: ‘All of your words are but to say: you are a woman, and your part is in the house…but I am of the House of Eorl and not a serving-woman.” Filled with pride she says ‘I am of the House of Eorl,’ and believes herself to not be like other women! Even Aragorn, the one she has worked so hard to fall in love with, cannot show her the arrogance of her words.
Disguising herself as a man, she rides onto the battlefield against the commands of the King, of Aragorn, and her brother. The King had told her to reign as queen while he was gone, and instead of obeying she rides off in disguise leaving her people queen-less. Left alone, Edoras has no one to rule and command it should any attack befall the city. Aragorn told her, when she asked him, that he would not give her permission to ride into battle without the consent of her uncle or her brother. She avoided her brother, not daring to ask permission because she knew he would say no. Eowyn tossed aside all of these commands. She went into battle with no hope; she wanted to die and be known to all as the heroine who fought in bravery. Eowyn intended to commit the great sin of suicide.
However, this argument has another side; was not the prophecy made that no man could kill the Witch-king, the King of the Nazgul? Then it must have been right of Eowyn to ride out and kill him, as no one else could, right? Think back to the story, the raging battle and screams of both horses and men…Gandalf is sitting upon his horse, preparing to ride out and kill the Witch-king, for no man could kill the Nazgul. But Gandalf is not a man. One of the Maia, an angel, sent to Middle-earth to lead the War of the Ring, Gandalf could kill the Nazgul. He undoubtedly would have if Pippin had not come running to him for help in saving Faramir from being burned to death. So should Faramir have been left to die while Eowyn obeyed and stayed home and Gandalf killed the Witch-king? If it had been Tolkien’s plan, he would have written it so.
Because of her disobedience her arm is broken and she falls ill. The Royal Guard and all of King Théoden’s Calvary are killed, the King himself dies, Merry falls ill and Eomer, whipped into a crazy fury, dives into the fight not caring if he dies, overcome with the grief of the death of the King and the supposed death of his sister. But, as God has done with each of us in our disobedience, He shows mercy to Eowyn. She heals not only in body but also in spirit. Faramir reveals her sin of self-pride to her once blind eyes: ‘“You desired Lord Aragorn, because he was high and puissant, and you wished to have renown and glory and to be lifted up high; but when he gave you only understanding and pity, then you desired to have nothing, unless a brave death in battle.”’ He spoke of her folly bluntly and she responds, ‘”The Shadow has departed! I will be a shieldmaiden no longer, nor vie with the great Riders, nor take joy only in the songs of slaying”’ Eowyn weds Faramir and they have a son. Was that not mercy? I Samuel 15:22 says ‘Behold, it is better to obey than to sacrifice.’ Where Eowyn thought it was better to sacrifice, her role was simply to obey. “Honor thy father and thy mother, as the Lord thy God hath commanded thee; that thy days may be prolonged, and that it may go well with thee, in the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee.”<br>