Rhiannon
03-18-2004, 09:23 AM
Eowyn was born in 2995 T.A., the daughter of Eomund of Eastfold (the chief marshal of the Mark), and Theodwyn, the youngest and fairest daughter of Thengel and Morwen of Lossarnach, and beloved sister of Theoden, King of the Mark. Theodwyn and Eomund were married in 2989, and their son Eomer was born in 2991, four years before the birth of his sister Eowyn. When Eowyn was a child of seven years old, Eomund was killed;
At that time Sauron had arisen again, and the shadow of Mordor reached out to Rohan. Orcs began to raid in the eastern regions and slay or steal horses. Others also came down from the Misty Mountains, many being great uruks in the service of Saruman, though it was long before that was suspected. Eomund’s chief charge lay in the east marches; and he was a great lover of horses and hater of Orcs. If new came of a raid he would often ride against them in hot anger, unwarily and with few men. Thus it came about that he was slain in 3002; for he pursued a small band to the borders of the Emyn Muil, and was there surprised by a strong force that lay in wait in the rocks.
Eomund’s quick temper and impulsive nature were clearly passed to his young daughter, as her later actions show. But his early death was a great blow to his wife, and Theodwyn also died (possibly of grief), leaving the young Eomer and Eowyn to the care of their uncle Theoden;
Not long after [Eomund’s death] Theodwyn took sick and died to the great grief of the king. Her children he took into his own house, calling them son and daughter. ...Eomer and Eowyn grew up at Edoras and saw the dark shadow fall on the halls of Theoden. Eomer was like his fathers before him; but Eowyn was slender and tall, with a grace and pride that came to her out of the South from Morwen of Lossarnach, whom the Rohirrim had called Steelsheen. (The Lord of the Rings, Appendix A)
Little is know of Morwen Steelsheen, Eowyn’s grandmother, or what she did to earn her nickname, but the few references to her indicate that she was a woman of great internal strength and pride, as well as physical beauty, qualities remarked upon repeatedly in the various descriptions of Eowyn.
As Eowyn grew into a young woman, the forces of Sauron were growing in strength. The wizard Saruman had fallen to the Dark Lord’s power, and his influence reached the court of Meduseld in the form of Grima son of Galmod, called ‘Wormtongue’, Theoden’s counselor. Under Saruman’s spells, Theoden fell into an early dotage, relying on Eowyn for care. While still young her brother Eomer was made a Marshal of the Mark, and was given his father’s charge in the east marches. Her cousin and foster-brother, Theodred, like her father, was slain by orcs at the First Battle of the Fords of Isen, a mere week before the arrival of Gandalf at Edoras. The wizard found the king in a sorry state;
At the far end of the house, beyond the hearth and facing north towards the doors, was a dais with three steps; and in the middle of the dais was a great gilded chair. Upon it sat a man so bent with age that he seemed almost a dwarf; but his white hair was long and thick and fell in great braids from beneath a thin golden circlet set upon his brow. In the centre upon his forehead shone a single white diamond. His beard was laid like snow upon his knees; but his eyes still burned with a bright light, glinting as he gazed upon the strangers. Behind his chair stood a woman clad in white. (the first mention of Eowyn!)
Gandalf freed Theoden from Saruman’s spells, and revealed Wormtongue as a traitor (also uttering one of my favorite lines-- “Therefore be silent, and keep your forked tongue behind your teeth.”) Eowyn, however, was not released from the shadow that had taken her. Still suffering the lingering doubts left by Wormtongue’s influence, Eowyn found herself attracted to the newly arrived Aragorn, who represented to her greatness and freedom away from the weight of her duty and entrapping station.
Eowyn’s Situation: Eowyn had lost both her parents at a young age. She had watched and been able to do nothing as her king and uncle had fallen under the influence of Grima Wormtongue. Her cousin and foster brother had been slain. Her only remaining family, her brother, was rarely present and spent much of his time hunting orcs. Eowyn had no one of equal rank to turn to for help; she could not be seen to falter or show any weakness. She was forced to be strong alone. Because of her sex, she was also forced to be silent. Unlike her brother, she had no outlet for her frustration and terror, but was forced to keep it bottled up inside.
As Gandalf said to Eomer, “My friend, you had horses, and deeds of arms, and the free fields; but she, born in the body of a maid, had a spirit and courage at least the match of yours. Yet she was doomed to wait upon an old man, whom she loved as a father, and watch him falling into a mean dishonoured dotage; and her part seem to her more ignoble than that of the staff that he leaned on.” (The Return of the King, ‘The Houses of Healing’) Wormtongue’s poison had undermined Eowyn’s sense of self-worth, telling her that she has no value because, in a culture of warriors, she was useful only to ‘wait upon an old man’. Gandalf continued, “...But who knows what she spoke to the darkness, alone, in the bitter watches of the night, when all her life seemed shrinking, and the walls of her bower closing in about her, a hutch to trammel some wild thing in?” ...all her life seemed shrinking. Eowyn was being slowly suffocated, and no one was doing anything about it.
Eowyn’s reaction to these stresses was to build an emotional barrier. She withdrew in to herself, becoming outwardly cold and distant. Trapped by her rank and sex in a role to which she was unsuited, constantly exposed to the poison of Wormtongue, and in the absence of anyone in which she can truly confide, Eowyn became hard and bitter. “Slender and tall she was in her white robe girt with silver; but strong she seemed and stern as steel, a daughter of kings. Thus Aragorn for the first time in the full light of day beheld Eowyn, lady of Rohan, and thought her fair, fair and cold, like a morning of pale spring that is not yet come to womanhood." (The Two Towers, ‘The King of the Golden Hall’)
At that time Sauron had arisen again, and the shadow of Mordor reached out to Rohan. Orcs began to raid in the eastern regions and slay or steal horses. Others also came down from the Misty Mountains, many being great uruks in the service of Saruman, though it was long before that was suspected. Eomund’s chief charge lay in the east marches; and he was a great lover of horses and hater of Orcs. If new came of a raid he would often ride against them in hot anger, unwarily and with few men. Thus it came about that he was slain in 3002; for he pursued a small band to the borders of the Emyn Muil, and was there surprised by a strong force that lay in wait in the rocks.
Eomund’s quick temper and impulsive nature were clearly passed to his young daughter, as her later actions show. But his early death was a great blow to his wife, and Theodwyn also died (possibly of grief), leaving the young Eomer and Eowyn to the care of their uncle Theoden;
Not long after [Eomund’s death] Theodwyn took sick and died to the great grief of the king. Her children he took into his own house, calling them son and daughter. ...Eomer and Eowyn grew up at Edoras and saw the dark shadow fall on the halls of Theoden. Eomer was like his fathers before him; but Eowyn was slender and tall, with a grace and pride that came to her out of the South from Morwen of Lossarnach, whom the Rohirrim had called Steelsheen. (The Lord of the Rings, Appendix A)
Little is know of Morwen Steelsheen, Eowyn’s grandmother, or what she did to earn her nickname, but the few references to her indicate that she was a woman of great internal strength and pride, as well as physical beauty, qualities remarked upon repeatedly in the various descriptions of Eowyn.
As Eowyn grew into a young woman, the forces of Sauron were growing in strength. The wizard Saruman had fallen to the Dark Lord’s power, and his influence reached the court of Meduseld in the form of Grima son of Galmod, called ‘Wormtongue’, Theoden’s counselor. Under Saruman’s spells, Theoden fell into an early dotage, relying on Eowyn for care. While still young her brother Eomer was made a Marshal of the Mark, and was given his father’s charge in the east marches. Her cousin and foster-brother, Theodred, like her father, was slain by orcs at the First Battle of the Fords of Isen, a mere week before the arrival of Gandalf at Edoras. The wizard found the king in a sorry state;
At the far end of the house, beyond the hearth and facing north towards the doors, was a dais with three steps; and in the middle of the dais was a great gilded chair. Upon it sat a man so bent with age that he seemed almost a dwarf; but his white hair was long and thick and fell in great braids from beneath a thin golden circlet set upon his brow. In the centre upon his forehead shone a single white diamond. His beard was laid like snow upon his knees; but his eyes still burned with a bright light, glinting as he gazed upon the strangers. Behind his chair stood a woman clad in white. (the first mention of Eowyn!)
Gandalf freed Theoden from Saruman’s spells, and revealed Wormtongue as a traitor (also uttering one of my favorite lines-- “Therefore be silent, and keep your forked tongue behind your teeth.”) Eowyn, however, was not released from the shadow that had taken her. Still suffering the lingering doubts left by Wormtongue’s influence, Eowyn found herself attracted to the newly arrived Aragorn, who represented to her greatness and freedom away from the weight of her duty and entrapping station.
Eowyn’s Situation: Eowyn had lost both her parents at a young age. She had watched and been able to do nothing as her king and uncle had fallen under the influence of Grima Wormtongue. Her cousin and foster brother had been slain. Her only remaining family, her brother, was rarely present and spent much of his time hunting orcs. Eowyn had no one of equal rank to turn to for help; she could not be seen to falter or show any weakness. She was forced to be strong alone. Because of her sex, she was also forced to be silent. Unlike her brother, she had no outlet for her frustration and terror, but was forced to keep it bottled up inside.
As Gandalf said to Eomer, “My friend, you had horses, and deeds of arms, and the free fields; but she, born in the body of a maid, had a spirit and courage at least the match of yours. Yet she was doomed to wait upon an old man, whom she loved as a father, and watch him falling into a mean dishonoured dotage; and her part seem to her more ignoble than that of the staff that he leaned on.” (The Return of the King, ‘The Houses of Healing’) Wormtongue’s poison had undermined Eowyn’s sense of self-worth, telling her that she has no value because, in a culture of warriors, she was useful only to ‘wait upon an old man’. Gandalf continued, “...But who knows what she spoke to the darkness, alone, in the bitter watches of the night, when all her life seemed shrinking, and the walls of her bower closing in about her, a hutch to trammel some wild thing in?” ...all her life seemed shrinking. Eowyn was being slowly suffocated, and no one was doing anything about it.
Eowyn’s reaction to these stresses was to build an emotional barrier. She withdrew in to herself, becoming outwardly cold and distant. Trapped by her rank and sex in a role to which she was unsuited, constantly exposed to the poison of Wormtongue, and in the absence of anyone in which she can truly confide, Eowyn became hard and bitter. “Slender and tall she was in her white robe girt with silver; but strong she seemed and stern as steel, a daughter of kings. Thus Aragorn for the first time in the full light of day beheld Eowyn, lady of Rohan, and thought her fair, fair and cold, like a morning of pale spring that is not yet come to womanhood." (The Two Towers, ‘The King of the Golden Hall’)