So this month's theme had me stumbling around, and I will admit that I changed my mind. I had originally decided on a character from Malory Towers but then ... I changed my mind and the heroine I have chosen is from a book series that I absolutely love. I'm so happy I changed it!
Éowyn is a character created by J.R.R. Tolkien and appears in both The Two Towers and Return of the King. Respectively, they are the second and concluding book of the The Lord of the Rings trilogy of Middle Earth stories.
Éowyn is from the Kingdom of Rohan and is the niece of King Théoden, as well as the sister of Éomer. Éowyn and Éomer were orphaned at a young age and were then raised in the count of their uncle, alongside their cousin Théodred, after the death of their parents. Éowyn was brought up as a woman of the court, but she doesn't just want to be a member of the court. She wanted to be a soldier ... she wanted to protect her people alongside her cousin, uncle, and brother. King Théoden, however, doesn't want her to do so, but she manages to do it anyway. She wants to protect the people who cannot defend themselves.
The need to not have to depend on men makes the Lady of Rohan determined to defy both the odds and the people who wish to stop her. I wish I could be more like that and be able to stand up for what I believe in, even if my family is against it. That's one thing that I admire about Éowyn. The fact that she can stand up for herself, and do what she believes in, is something very powerful indeed. She is portrayed as a kind and noble woman, but really she must have been a source of admiration for the women and children of Edoras right when they needed one.
When Théoden is overpowered by Saruman, Éowyn steps up and feels that she has to do whatever she can to try and free her uncle from the hold that Saruman has on him. She shows a soft, emotional side when her cousin is brought back critically injured after an attack that he lead on Orcs goes wrong. When Gríma Wormtongue tells her that she is alone and has been abandoned, she sees right through him. Showing that the Lady of Rohan is courageous and determined, she calls him a snake to his face before she leaves the room to distance herself from him.
When the Battle of Helm's Deep happens towards the end of The Two Towers, Éowyn wishes to fight but is sent into the caves ... despite her insistence that she is able to just as well as any man in the Rohirrim army and the Elves and Dwarves who come to assist when Helm's Deep is threatened by Saruman's Orcs. This shows, once again, both how determined Éowyn is to defend her people and her anger at being forced into a typical woman situation of making sure everything was ready for the men who returned from the battle. In some ways, I feel that this moment defined Éowyn's journey in Return of the King and that she knew that, when the time came, she would stand against everyone's wishes and fight alongside her uncle and brother.
Return of the King is the book where Éowyn comes into her own and becomes the heroine that she really longs to be. The final book is where the first of two climactic battles for Middle-Earth comes to a conclusion in front of the Kingdom of Gondor, at the Battle of Pelennor Fields. Éowyn decides that now is the time to prove herself and she secretly disguises herself as a Rohirrim fighter and rides, hidden within the riders.
I love how in the third book Éowyn proves just what a prolific fighter she is as she battles against multiple Mordor Orcs at once. When King Théoden is mortally wounded by the Witch-King of Angmar, Éowyn steps up to fight him and (with the help of Merry Brandybuck) she soundly defeats the Witch-King. Between her physical injuries and mental despair, she does succumb to the Black Breath close by her uncle. King Théoden's last words to Merry were that she had been "dearer than a daughter" to him. Thankfully, Éowyn was found alive and taken to the Houses of Healing where she would go on to make a full recovery.
Éowyn was then made a shieldmaiden of Rohan for her bravery. She was a true heroine despite many people trying to stop her. She was brave enough to defy the people... her own family who try to stop her being what she wants to be. In the end, she becomes a heroine and almost dies in the process. She is brave, loyal, determined and a role model. That is why Éowyn is my choice for female heroine.
Until next time!
Adele xx