#lady eowyn

[hjbirthdaywishes]

December 16, 2022

Happy 55 Birthday to Miranda Otto. 

[suzannahnatters]

all RIGHT:

Why You're Writing Medieval (and Medieval-Coded) Women Wrong: A RANT

(Or, For the Love of God, People, Stop Pretending Victorian Style Gender Roles Applied to All of History)

This is a problem I see alllll over the place - I'll be reading a medieval-coded book and the women will be told they aren't allowed to fight or learn or work, that they are only supposed to get married, keep house and have babies, &c &c.

If I point this out ppl will be like "yes but there was misogyny back then! women were treated terribly!" and OK. Stop right there.

By & large, what we as a culture think of as misogyny & patriarchy is the expression prevalent in Victorian times - not medieval. (And NO, this is not me blaming Victorians for their theme park version of "medieval history". This is me blaming 21st century people for being ignorant & refusing to do their homework).

Yes, there was misogyny in medieval times, but 1) in many ways it was actually markedly less severe than Victorian misogyny, tyvm - and 2) it was of a quite different type. (Disclaimer: I am speaking specifically of Frankish, Western European medieval women rather than those in other parts of the world. This applies to a lesser extent in Byzantium and I am still learning about women in the medieval Islamic world.)

So, here are the 2 vital things to remember about women when writing medieval or medieval-coded societies

FIRST. Where in Victorian times the primary axes of prejudice were gender and race - so that a male labourer had more rights than a female of the higher classes, and a middle class white man would be treated with more respect than an African or Indian dignitary - In medieval times, the primary axis of prejudice was, overwhelmingly, class. Thus, Frankish crusader knights arguably felt more solidarity with their Muslim opponents of knightly status, than they did their own peasants. Faith and age were also medieval axes of prejudice - children and young people were exploited ruthlessly, sent into war or marriage at 15 (boys) or 12 (girls). Gender was less important.

What this meant was that a medieval woman could expect - indeed demand - to be treated more or less the same way the men of her class were. Where no ancient legal obstacle existed, such as Salic law, a king's daughter could and did expect to rule, even after marriage.

Women of the knightly class could & did arm & fight - something that required a MASSIVE outlay of money, which was obviously at their discretion & disposal. See: Sichelgaita, Isabel de Conches, the unnamed women fighting in armour as knights during the Third Crusade, as recorded by Muslim chroniclers.

Tolkien's Eowyn is a great example of this medieval attitude to class trumping race: complaining that she's being told not to fight, she stresses her class: "I am of the house of Eorl & not a serving woman". She claims her rights, not as a woman, but as a member of the warrior class and the ruling family. Similarly in Renaissance Venice a doge protested the practice which saw 80% of noble women locked into convents for life: if these had been men they would have been "born to command & govern the world". Their class ought to have exempted them from discrimination on the basis of sex.

So, tip #1 for writing medieval women: remember that their class always outweighed their gender. They might be subordinate to the men within their own class, but not to those below.

SECOND. Whereas Victorians saw women's highest calling as marriage & children - the "angel in the house" ennobling & improving their men on a spiritual but rarely practical level - Medievals by contrast prized virginity/celibacy above marriage, seeing it as a way for women to transcend their sex. Often as nuns, saints, mystics; sometimes as warriors, queens, & ladies; always as businesswomen & merchants, women could & did forge their own paths in life

When Elizabeth I claimed to have "the heart & stomach of a king" & adopted the persona of the virgin queen, this was the norm she appealed to. Women could do things; they just had to prove they were Not Like Other Girls. By Elizabeth's time things were already changing: it was the Reformation that switched the ideal to marriage, & the Enlightenment that divorced femininity from reason, aggression & public life.

For more on this topic, read Katherine Hager's article "Endowed With Manly Courage: Medieval Perceptions of Women in Combat" on women who transcended gender to occupy a liminal space as warrior/virgin/saint.

So, tip #2: remember that for medieval women, wife and mother wasn't the ideal, virgin saint was the ideal. By proving yourself "not like other girls" you could gain significant autonomy & freedom.

Finally a bonus tip: if writing about medieval women, be sure to read writing on women's issues from the time so as to understand the terms in which these women spoke about & defended their ambitions. Start with Christine de Pisan.

I learned all this doing the reading for WATCHERS OF OUTREMER, my series of historical fantasy novels set in the medieval crusader states, which were dominated by strong medieval women! Book 5, THE HOUSE OF MOURNING (forthcoming 2023) will focus, to a greater extent than any other novel I've ever yet read or written, on the experience of women during the crusades - as warriors, captives, and political leaders. I can't wait to share it with you all!

[undeadlobster]

The vast majority of Eomer’s “Men”:

My headcanon is that due to the rural nature of Rohan and its overall decline, a huge number of the Rohirrim were actually women in disguise, not just Eowyn. And that it was an open secret that only the royal line didn’t know about that local lords fielded women riders to bolster their dwindling numbers

[merilles]

Ladies of the Ring 💍✨

[annajolras]

but no living man am i 🌿⚔️🐎

re-read the battle of the pelennor fields and had a lot of feelings.

[whiteladyofithilien]

Okay here to talk Eowyn and how the slights and disrespect she gets are more annoying than listening to Gollum talk to himself all day...

People who act like Aragorn dislikes/disdains her just because he doesn't return her romantic feelings are living in that incel mindset that women can only be admired as matrons or sexual objects. Aragorn the king of wholesome masculinity admires the heck out of Eowyn. Refers to her as the fairest thing in Rohan. He values her friendship and her place as a fundamental bullwark of her people.

People who act like she's somehow pathetic because she falls for someone who doesn't return her affection are not living in reality. They're lost in some Hollywood/porn centric view of romance where women are always sexually desired and if they aren't well then something is wrong with them. Faramir very clearly lays out what happened. She who had been treated rather like a utility in her household meets the last and greatest of the men of Numenor. Truly a man above all others. And of course she's bedazzled. Then there's the fact that he seems to truly see her (albeit on his side just platonic admiration and desire for friendship) and she matters and of course for someone who has been sidelined to tending to her aging uncle this draws her in. There's no fault on Aragorn but as any girl whose femininity and/or personhood has gone largely ignored will tell you it can be quite heady when someone actually notices you as a whole person, femininity included.

And finally her moment with the Witch-King being stolen from her like she did nothing. Ignores all these facts

1. Merry wouldn't have been there to stab him if not for her

2. It's very clearly a dual credit thing both in the passage and in the appendix footnotes

3. Nothing explicitly says that without Merry and his barrow-blade that she couldn't kill the witch-king. She's not a man while Merry is not a Man. The whole thing was based off of an elven prophecy which prophecies seldom are straightforward in their wording and don't even always come true (ask Treebeard) so there's nothing conclusive to say that her jamming a sword in his face wouldn't have done the trick with or without Merry. His role is certainly important because if nothing else prophecy or no he did distract the Witch-King with his blow allowing Eowyn to press an advantage but absolutely nothing there discredits her accomplishment in slaying the Witch-King of Angmar and people trying to act like Merry "made it easy for her" need to shove a barrow-blade where the sun don't shine

Small note here too. People who want to criticize her cooking are wrong in multiple aspects.

A. That's only in the films and a deleted scene at that.

B. It's sexist as hell to base a woman's merit off of her cooking skills. You go hamstring an oliphant and make a souffle then anonymous dudebro hating on Eowyn

C. If you think Eowyn's only accomplishments are "masculine" she does have a great talent with "feminine arts" as in she's a healer and gardener in Ithilien and by virtue of her spouse she's a freaking princess given Faramir is the Prince of Ithilien

So in conclusion if you want to diss Eowyn for any of the above mentioned off base arguments you can kiss Gollum's scrawny arse

[darkestwolfx]

So TAG meets LOTR... 📚

So what started as a jest has actually become quite an involved conversation! If you haven't seen the original it can be found here: https://www.tumblr.com/darkestwolfx/745511488198967296/goodness-if-this-idea-ends-up-trending-challenge

Now this isn't me saying I will write it by any means, but let's have fun whilst I debate!

I would say let's start with Scott, but I don't think there's much debate at this rate that he's Aragorn

Feel free to open a debate but you challenge @idontknowreallywhy at your own risk and Wolfie is not responsible for any loss of limb 😂

So let's kick things off instead with opinions on the ladies;

And I'll add another poll in a few days time and keep these rolling until we are through everyone 🤣 Let's see what the popular castings are!

[modernbaseball]

LOTR variety pack‼️🧝👩‍❤️‍💋‍👨🍎Some in progress some never to be touched again

[thranduilofsmirkwood]

[mxliv-oftheendless]

Lord of the Rings as Studio Ghibli Characters: Part 2!

I’m back with Part 2 of my post where I match characters from Lord of the Rings with characters from Studio Ghibli! So here we go!

Arwen – Sophie (Howl’s Moving Castle)

They’re both sweet characters who are kind to everyone, and who would go any lengths for the people they love. When it comes to the men they love, they love them with all they have, and the men see that and want to give them that love in return.

Also I had Aragorn as Howl so this seemed like the natural fit lol

Eowyn – San (Princess Mononoke)

They’re both warriors, or at the very least want to fight like ones, San for the forest and Eowyn for Rohan. They both have a fierce desire to fight and defend their homes, and they both have internal struggles as well (San with her identity and Eowyn is interpreted as having depression).

Rosie Cotton – Lisa (Ponyo)

Yeah I’m including Rosie what’re you gonna do about it lol nothing that’s what

While we don’t get much of Rosie in the movies, in the books, Rosie has a pretty good personality! She strikes me as being pretty tough (I mean, she survived the Shire nearly being destroyed) and she’s very sweet and loving towards others. And similarly, Lisa is a tough woman who’s raising Sosuke alone while her husband’s away, but she’s a great mom and immediately takes in Ponyo and cares for many people!

Faramir – Baron Humbert Von Gikkingen (The Cat Returns)

Okay admittedly this seems like an out of left field choice. But when you think about it, they both are people who have identity and the sense of self as part of their stories! The Baron always encourages Haru to trust herself and not lose who she is; while in the books, Faramir is incredibly secure in his identity and it allows him to reject the idea of taking the Ring for Gondor “to prove his quality”, something he doesn’t need to do because he already KNOWS his quality! Meanwhile in the films, Faramir learns he doesn’t have to prove his quality to his father and that his identity doesn’t have to be what his father wants.

Saruman – Yubaba (Spirited Away)

Saruman and Yubaba are similar in that they’re the opposite of Gandalf and Zeniba. Yubaba and Zeniba are equally powerful, but Yubaba is the one that uses her power for greedy purposes. And similarly, Saruman, who is a Maiar like Gandalf, decides to use his power to destroy and conquer.

Lady Galadriel – Granmamare (Ponyo)

They’re both extremely powerful women, and they always seem to know exactly what’s going on throughout the story. Galadriel is perceived as a higher being with her beauty and powers as a High Elf, while Granmamare IS a higher being (a goddess). Also they’re both played by Cate Blanchett and have malewife-energy husbands lol

Lord Elrond – Moro (Princess Mononoke)

(Okay, truth be told, Elrond was pretty difficult lol) To me, the vibes of these two are quite similar! They both have a history of being fierce warriors, and are higher beings in comparison to other characters—Elrond being an elf and Moro being a forest god—and they both help the main characters on their journeys. They also take in lost orphans and raise them as their own!

Theoden – Mahito (The Boy and the Heron)

Both of these characters have a theme of despair/grief in their stories and not giving into it. Mahito spends much of his film trying to come to terms with his mother’s death, and despite people’s best efforts, that process has some scars, but he is able to figure out the path towards healing. And rather like Mahito, Theoden spends much of his story struggling to not give in to his despair and to come back from how he was possessed by Saruman and used like a puppet; and in the end, he is able to reject despair, ride triumphantly into battle, and face death without shame.

And that’s all! Let me know if I should do The Hobbit characters!

[ladysparrow01]

Pick your faves from my faves game!

Challenge: make a poll with five of your all-time favorite characters and then tag five people to do the same. See which character is everyone's favorite.

I'm considering myself tagged by the lovely @dying-suffering-french-stalkers

I'm tagging: @flameandignite @trans-cuchulainn @frost0wl @benjhawkins @pentecostwaite and anyone else who would like to play ♡

[lady-of-imladris]

GAIN A SON

Synopsis: Théoden survives the battle and gets to meet Faramir, the man who has stolen his niece’s heart.

Word count: 1.8k

Pairings: Faramir/Éowyn

Warnings: Battle mention, drug mention, alcohol mention

Additional tags: Just some cute fluffy crack, I hope this is as wholesome and fun as I intended it to be.

Théoden could not believe it when he opened his eyes and found himself in a healer’s care. He had survived the battle. Éowyn and Éomer had survived. When Théoden awoke, Sauron had been destroyed and all was well in Middle Earth. The healers, however, seemed to be dancing around something, of that he was sure. It was Éomer, his nephew and heir who finally told him the truth. He would never walk again. When Snowmane, his beloved horse was slain by the fell beast, his legs were crushed by its weight, and while it grieved him greatly, Théoden was glad to be alive, and even gladder after hearing the other news Éomer had brought him.

“Éowyn is in love, uncle,” he said, grinning like an idiot. Théoden sank back against his pillows and stared at the ceiling for a while, smiling. “Éowyn is in love. I never thought I would see the day. Tell me everything, Éomer.” And Éomer did. Faramir was his name, son of Denethor, the late Steward of Gondor. Over tea and cake, the two men discussed it all, until they were interrupted by Éowyn and Meriadoc Brandybuck. “Washerwomen, the both of you!” Éowyn exclaimed, smacking her brother on the shoulder. “I have brought you better company, uncle. My brother is needed elsewhere.” Éowyn kept glaring at a giggling Éomer as they left.

“Master Brandybuck,” Théoden addressed the Hobbit, whom he counted among his dear friends, “you do not happen to know this Faramir, do you?” Merry sat down in the chair next to Théoden’s bed. “I do know him, he and my cousin Pippin are good friends. Although technically he’s Prince Faramir now I suppose. Strider will announce that soon.” “Strider?” he inquired. “You know him, tall fellow, fancy sword, has an army of ghosts-” “Aragorn? The King of Gondor?” “Yes, that one.” Théoden sighed happily. Éowyn was in love. With a prince even. Théoden decided at that very moment that he already loved this Faramir. Even though he had yet to meet him.

As the days passed, the king yearned to leave his bed. Someone had brought him a wheelchair and the king was never short of a volunteer to help him get around. So it happened one day, that Théoden and Éomer encountered Faramir and Éowyn on an afternoon stroll. Éowyn was not stupid, she knew that her brother had orchestrated this chance meeting. Now she had nowhere to run. “Éowyn!” her brother called out to her, “what a lovely surprise to see you. Uncle, I do not believe you have met Faramir yet.” Faramir felt his heart thumping in his chest as he bowed to the King.

“Your grace, it is an honour to meet you,” he offered politely. Théoden smiled warmly at the man, his eyes darting to Faramir’s left arm, to which Éowyn was holding on. “So you are the man who has managed to steal my dear niece’s heart.” “Uncle!” Éowyn exclaimed in shock, her cheeks flushing red with embarrassment. Faramir felt a feeling of unease in his entire body. This was not going well. “I would never presume to do such a thing, your grace,” he politely replied, trying to appear composed, “I was only so audacious as to take it upon myself to keep the Lady company during your recovery.” “Coward,” Éomer feigned a cough, making Théoden chuckle. “Why don’t we all have some tea in the garden?” the king suggested. Now that he had this elusive Faramir in his grasp, he would not let him go.

“Tell me about yourself, Faramir,” Théoden commanded, “how are you holding up? I was very sorry to hear of your father’s passing. He was a good man.” Faramir froze, holding his teacup in mid-air. Éomer stiffened in his seat and Éowyn failed at subtly rolling her eyes. “Did I say something wrong?” Théoden asked. He was utterly confused at the reaction of his kin. “Lord Denethor was sick, uncle,” Éomer offered an explanation. The King looked over at him, puzzled. “I thought he died during the battle?” Éomer shook his head. “What I meant was-” “My father has not been well for many years,” Faramir said. “The constant threat of Mordor had stirred a fear in his heart. When my brother passed, he became… distant.” “He tried to kill Faramir,” Éowyn proclaimed suddenly, fearing that they would continue to dance around the subject.

“In his defence,” Faramir added, “he believed me to be dead already.” Éowyn sighed. “Faramir, he had wanted you dead for years! He knew you were alive. They told him. He knew.” The King of Rohan found himself speechless. The boy had lost his mother at a very young age, his brother had passed away on the quest to destroy the ring, and his own father had wanted him dead. And still, everyone he asked had told him only the best of the Captain of Gondor. Of his bravery, his chivalry, his sense of humour. He had led the people of Minas Tirith during a time of great uncertainty, from the siege of the city until the return of the rightful king of Gondor. If only one person in all of Middle Earth deserved the love of his niece, it was Faramir.

Théoden enjoyed spending his days in Minas Tirith. He spoke often with the Hobbits, especially his friend Merry, and they smoked many a pipe together. The old king had decided to abdicate. It was time for Éomer to be king, and he accepted humbly, making his uncle promise to lend his counsel, as often as he required it. His niece Éowyn was happier than she had been in many, many years. She visited him often, sitting with him in the garden, or pushing him around the city in his wheelchair. Faramir accompanied her often. His initial nervousness was soon gone. Théoden came to love the boy like he did his niece and nephew, and though Faramir and Éowyn were not even officially courting, Théoden counted him among his family.

Faramir was officially named Prince of Ithilien on the day of Aragorn’s coronation and his wedding to the Lady Arwen of Rivendell. Even though they were still not officially courting, Éowyn stood beside Faramir and not with her brother and uncle. It seemed wrong to Faramir. A lady like Éowyn deserved to be courted properly. To be loved by someone who was not too cowardly to ask her brother - or her uncle - for her hand in marriage. Truthfully, he did not even know who to ask. It came to him after he had indulged in too much ale and even more pipeweed. He did not know, but maybe someone else did!

“Merry,” he turned to the hobbit, whose pipe he was sharing, “if I wanted to marry Éowyn, who would I ask, her uncle or her brother?” Merry looked utterly confused. “Why would you ask Théoden to marry you?” “What? No, I-” Merry started laughing so hard he almost fell over. “Took me a while, sorry. I honestly have no idea. But I know someone who will. Wait here, I will be right back.” Faramir remained in his chair and watched Merry, to his mortification, walk up to Théoden and King Éomer. He could see the exact moment at which they had understood what Merry was referring to. King Théoden slowly raised his hand and beckoned Faramir over to them.

Legolas, who was sitting across the hall whispered something to Aragorn, who, in turn, handed Gimli two gold coins. The elves had all heard the exchange between Merry and Faramir. Even Glorfindel, who was talking to Éowyn about her heroic duel with the Witch-king of Angmar. Time seemed to stand still as Faramir slowly made his way over to Théoden. He would strangle the Hobbit in his sleep! His palms were sweaty and he felt the blood rush in his ears as he sat down in the chair the King of Rohan had dragged over. Between the other two. “So,” Théoden began, “is there anything you want to talk to us about, son?”

Faramir cleared his throat. Éomer and Théoden were both leaning in slightly, fixing their eyes on Faramir’s face. “I wanted to ask if- I could potentially- even though I don’t deserve- ask you,” he turned to Théoden, “or you,” he turned to Éomer, “for the hand of- of the Lady Éowyn.” He looked down at the table, nervously tapping his foot, expecting to be ridiculed or sent away. Éomer laughed and clapped Faramir on the back. Théoden smiled. “You have to ask her yourself, son. But you have my blessing, even though that is irrelevant.” Faramir looked at Éomer expectantly. Would the king give him his blessing? Éomer shrugged. “Ask her.”

It was the next day when Faramir summoned all his courage and made his way to Éowyn’s chambers to collect her for their daily afternoon stroll, his mother’s ring in his pocket. He led her to the place where they had first stood together, looking east, anxiously awaiting news from the battle at the Black Gate. Éowyn wondered at Faramir’s nervousness, scolding him for smoking too much weed the day before. Something Faramir swore to her he would never do again, the effects having clearly affected his judgement. He took her hand in his, putting the other in his pocket to procure the ring.

Éowyn looked as though she might faint when she saw Faramir get down on one knee. “Éowyn, my dearest Lady,” he began. “Yes!” Éowyn exclaimed. “For Eorl’s sake, sister, you need to let him ask first!” Éomer’s voice came from a nearby window. Faramir jumped at the sound of his voice and Éowyn trembled with anger and embarrassment. After a moment, Faramir cleared his throat, preparing to start again. “Éowyn, my dearest Lady, I have known you for many months now, and have loved you from the moment I first laid eyes on you. I do not wish to be parted from you for even one day. Will you marry me?” Éowyn had tears in her eyes as she nodded rapidly. “Yes. Yes!” Faramir slid the ring onto her finger and she pulled him to his feet and into a sweet and passionate kiss, uncaring that Éomer was watching.

Théoden cried at their wedding until Merry pointed out to him that technically, he did not lose a daughter, but gain a son.

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[aspiringnexu]

Bungo Baggins 🤝 Celeborn 🤝 Faramir

Highly educated malewives who very much aren’t fans of fighting.

Belladonna Took 🤝 Galadriel 🤝 Eowyn

Feral warrior women who are very much fans of fighting.

[slobozan-shitposting]

Not to say I have a type, but blond women with swords who fight with men >>>

[merilles]

the shieldmaiden 💛⚔️

[annajolras]

Eowyn and Faramir 🌿🤍

Companion piece to my arawen modern au🥰