I Fear Neither Pain Nor Death: Éowyn's Journey

The first essay in a 5-part series on the Lady of Rohan.

The original version of this essay was first posted on my blog, roadstainedfeet.wordpress.com.

“She, born in the body of a maid, has a spirit and courage at least the match of yours.…”

Gandalf to Éomer, The Return of the King

I was ten years old, sitting in the dark theater with my knees drawn to my chest in excitement. I watched as the stalwart warrior-king shouted to his men, “Rally to me! To me!” But moments later, after a monster from the sky threw the stout-hearted king and his horse, only one warrior came to his aid.

The warrior, already un-horsed, was short and slim. She stood tall and resisted the supernatural terror that incapacitated a brave young hobbit and half a dozen human soldiers. Her voice shook as she said, “I will kill you if you touch him.” Her terror was clear, but she stood her ground and killed the monster before receiving a severe blow from the Witch-king of Angmar. She knew she was about to die when he growled, “You fool. No man can kill me.”

Just then, a halfling wielding an ancient Elven blade stabbed the Nazgûl in his calf, bringing him to his knees.

And then came the moment that defined power, courage, and womanhood for that ten-year-old girl in the movie theater:

Éowyn pulled off her helmet.

Her blonde hair cascaded to her shoulders.

“I am no man,” she said, and stabbed the wraith.

The Nazgûl, the foe who had stabbed Frodo, beaten [movie] Gandalf, and killed King Théoden, was dead.

When I was a girl, Éowyn seemed perfectly strong and self-actualized to me. As I grew older and finally read the books, and read them closely, I saw how broken, how afraid, and how bitter she is when she goes out to fight. Her inner conflicts are deeper than just wanting to fight beside the men of her family, and they aren’t resolved when she kills the Witch-king.

Éowyn hungers for glory and love. She hates that her life in Rohan gives her neither, and she only finds peace when she rejects the glorious path of the warrior for the humble calling of a healer.

This essay series will follow that journey.

First, a conversation between Éomer and Éowyn gives a lackluster reason for not sending women into battle. It’s not in the books, but it is a great addition in the movies that expands on the loving, protective relationship between Éomer and Éowyn.

In the extended edition of The Return of the King, Éomer tells Éowyn that the hobbit Merry will flee the horrors of battle, implying that Éowyn would do the same.

“I do not doubt his heart. Only the reach of his arm,” Éomer snickers.

“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?” she asks, and her brother turns a serious eye to her.

“You know as little of war as that hobbit. 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, Éowyn.”

His point about the brutality of war is valid for the audience. We love watching warriors take down bad guys but don’t grasp what it’s like to see human bodies torn apart. Many of us haven’t even witnessed our meat getting butchered or seen a violent conflict in person. Esquires of Rohan we are not, except perhaps in metaphor.

Considering whom Éomer is talking to, though, his speech is insufferable. Éowyn is staying behind to lead her people if Théoden and Éomer fall. That leadership will involve military action. If the Rohirrim die, Théoden has instructed Éowyn to mount the final defense of Edoras. That battle would be more horrific than the one the men ride to because children would die there.

“But I am of the House of Eorl and not a serving-woman. I can ride and wield blade, and I do not fear either pain or death,” Éowyn tells Aragorn in the book.

It’s not fear – for we are brave – or inner weakness – for we have wills of steel – but a smaller body frame and weaker upper body strength, that has kept women off the battlefield. Medieval warfare would put us at a serious physical disadvantage.

Historically, women are the final defenders of the weakest members of society. In every age, when empires fall, women have watched their children and aged parents die before being raped and killed themselves. The Rohirrim are riding out to prevent that, but if they fail, Éowyn will witness worse “blood and screams and horror” than Éomer.

Of course, what Éomer means is, “Please give me the chance to protect you from such horrors. Go home and be safe. I love you.”

Éowyn does not fit neatly into the debate about women in combat. The characters around her did their utmost to protect her from the front lines, yet had they succeeded, the Witch-king would have won the day. However, it’s clear in the book that her duty to king and country was to stay behind and lead her people in Edoras rather than sneak onto the battlefield.

Through Éowyn, Tolkien articulates the true issue women have faced throughout history. The question is not whether a woman should share roles with a man, but why her role, whatever that is, is not valued in the first place.

In the next post, I’ll explore Éowyn’s bitterness. Though she is a shield-maiden and a great lady of a proud nation, she has not been accorded the renown she desires.

The third post will delve into Éowyn’s desire to love, to be loved, and to be proud of what she loves. In Aragorn she sees everything she wants in a man and a king, but he cannot return her love.

The fourth post will be about her femininity on the battlefield. From bringing Merry along with her to laughing at the Witch King, Éowyn acts distinctly as a woman when she goes to war.

The final post will examine why her glorious victory on the battlefield does not satisfy her. With Faramir’s help, Éowyn grows from wanting death and glory to wanting to heal people.