Don't forget that it was only because of Merry that Eowyn was able to do what she did. She would have died without much of a battle, were it not for that sneaky Hobbit.

Many have argued that it was Merry who killed the WK, and thus the prophecy came true that it was not a man, but a Hobbit, which killed the WK. When you think about it, its kinda like someone pushing someone else out into the road so the murderer in the car can run them over. Both are contributing to the death, even though the killing blow comes from only one of them.

As for the subject of Eowyn, I think its not as complex as all that. Tolkien showed that women can do great things as well, if given the chance, and Eowyn did a great thing. Therefore she has both earned the right to enter into the traditional female role, as well as the respect given to mighty warriors. Eowyn had already proven herself, why would she need to continue down the warrior line?

I found this article while surfing.
I reprint it here because it is germaine to the topic.
Please give all credit to Kara Gardner and "The One Ring."

Eowyn - Macho Men & Warrior Princesses
By Kara Gardner, The One Ring http://greenbooks.theonering.net/guest

...Articles on TheOneRing.net have focused on Tolkiens women characters. This is a sticky issue, and one that takes some courage to tackle. In their hurry to defend Tolkien, Counterpoint writer Anwyn and a recent Special Guest are both anxious to distance themselves from feminists. In contrast, I would like to announce at the outset that I am a staunch feminist and proud to be one. I have also read LOTR every year since I was nine years old and consider Tolkien my favorite author. Just as I can find Aragorns coronation stirring without wanting to live in a monarchy, I can also enjoy LOTR while recognizing that Tolkiens views on gender are not precisely my own. I would like to go farther than this, however, and suggest that Tolkiens works can actually provide us with a model for masculinity that is strongly pro-feminist. Tolkien reminds us that the most honorable tasks for a man are creating, healing and protecting. These ideals can serve as a desperately needed model in an age when masculinity is increasingly equated with homophobia, bulging muscles and random violence.

Both recent web articles point out the role of women as inspiration for Tolkien. Anwyn writes that "its only natural that Tolkien would paint women into his mythos as he saw them in his own world: to be placed on a pedestal, to be drawn on for support in times of trial, to be looked up to as a cherished ideal." The Guest writes, "[Aragorn is] fighting for the women of Middle-earth and for the things that the women represent." Although I agree that this is an element in Tolkiens work, I dont believe that it should be used in his defense for two reasons: First, the history of our century teaches us the dangers of treating women as ideals in need of protection. In very recent history, Southern lynch mobs murdered black men to "protect" white women from rape. Women were excluded from juries to protect them from the graphic details of trials. During the Vietnam War, women were protected from the draft, but this protection often meant that they were not allowed to actively object to the war, only to support and nurture those who did. Finally, while an artists muse might inspire his work, she is never allowed to be an artist herself. It is important to remember that someone who is protected cannot take risks, and that to treat someone as an ideal is to deny their essential humanity along with their right to fail and make mistakes.

Second, I believe that Tolkien was explicitly aware of the dangers of over-idealizing and over-protecting women. Éowyn, for example, falls into despair because she is trapped in the role of waiting on Théoden and must leave the defense of her principles to men who fall short in their task. Furthermore Arwen, arguably the most idealized of Tolkiens characters, is allowed profound doubts and failings. Her weakness and regret at Aragorns death gives her sacrifice poignancy and courage that it would never have if she were simply an ideal type. Despite my objections to treating women as the object of protection, I find that fighting to protect and preserve rather than to conquer and destroy is one of the strongest messages in Tolkiens work. This is not to imply that Tolkien is reactionary. His characters do not fight to preserve the world unchanged but rather to save what they can "so that those who live after may have clean earth to till." Tolkiens heroes fight because they must and not for glory, honor or abstract ideals. The two exceptions to this rule are Éowyn and Boromir. Boromir is concerned with personal glory, while Éowyn sets out in search of honorable death in battle. I believe that these two characters serve to highlight the two most strongly feminist characters in the LOTR: Éowyn the Healer as opposed to Éowyn the Warrior and Boromirs foil, Faramir.

Treating Éowyns decision to hang up her sword as a pro-feminist decision will no doubt seem misguided. The fact that we treat Éowyn the warrior as the stronger character, however, shows the degree to which our culture equates violence with power. Éowyns decision should remind us that healing can take more skill than fighting and living can take more courage than dying. I do not mean to embrace by analogy the backlash argument that women won their rights in the 1970s and should now exercise their right to be housewives. Éowyn does not give up the freedoms she has won, nor does she decide that she was wrong to fight. Her actions parallel the choices of many male characters. Sam, for example, turns to gardening and raising children when his role in the war is over. For men and women alike building and healing are ultimately as important as wartime courage.

The second strongly feminist character in LOTR is Faramir. Im sure that it will also seem odd to take the man "who tamed a wild shieldmaiden of the North" as a model for a pro-feminist man. Faramir is important, however, as a contrast to his brother Boromir. Compare what Faramir says about his culture and his brother to the model of masculinity that modern media present: "We now love war and valour as things good in themselves, both a sport and an end; and though we still hold that a warrior should have more skills and knowledge that only the craft of weapons and slaying, we esteem a warrior, nonetheless, about men of other crafts. So even was my brother, Boromir." In contrast to his brother, Faramir says, "I do not love the bright sword for its sharpness, nor the arrow for its swiftness, nor the warrior for his glory. I love only that which they defend: the city of the Men of Númenor."

Faramir embodies an ideal of manhood that is centered on protecting and understanding and doing useful and creative work. This ideal is an excellent antidote to the Steven Segal archetype -- a man who is manly because he flexes his muscles, beats up people who disrespect him and slaps womens butts. Consider the fact that the movie tough-guy is almost always fighting for revenge. He is usually out to pay someone back for his murdered partner/buddy/family/wife, but those people are already dead and safely (except for the occasional flashback) out of the way. Faramir, on the other hand, is fighting to protect his home from a present threat. While he is a warrior hero to his people, he is also a soft-spoken scholar-geek with the courage to love a strong woman like Éowyn and win her love with patience and kindness. Faramirs brand of courage makes pop-culture toughness look like little boy posturing by comparison.

Ultimately, I think that it pays to be cautious about much of what Tolkien says about gender but not to reject his core message. If, like Tolkien, we reject the idea that violence and manliness are one and the same, then The Lord of the Rings begins to look like a model for a feminist society. Tolkiens books are filled with warriors, martyrs, scholars, craftspeople, builders, poets, musicians, healers, rulers, gardeners and parents. These are all roles that both men and women can embrace.

Anorlas posting on this subject seems to resonate with my own beliefs echoed through my wife and daughter.
Eowyn is a victim of chauvanistic attitude yet she commands the respect of her king and people as a capable ruler.  Her ride to war, (still seems suicidal to me) is one of the great deeds of the age.  And even if Merry's thrust with the blade from the Barrow Mounds undid the Witch Kings spell, her courage in slaying the foul steed of the Nazgul, her refusal to lay down her sword, indeed driving into the Witch King, is an act of supreme courage and a heroic legacy.

Maybe not one of the mightiest deeds of the age, but Eowyn did not break and run before the fear generated by the Fell Beast and the Witch King like so many before her. Until this time only Glorfindel could put the Witch King to flight. Maybe it was that she could only stab him because of Merry's stroke with the Blade of Westerness, but it was she that gave the Witch king pause in the battle. In Tolkien's words the Witch King faced this girl wracked with doubt at her words. She gave Merry time to over come his own fear and wish to flee long enough for the Hobbit to crawl forwards and administer his wounding blow.

It is interesting to me that the idea that I think Bear is trying to raise, the feminist themes of varying cords in Tolkien's work, is immediately reduced to a commentary on whose sword actually struck the death blow to a mighty adversary of the quest of the ring. Rather than swim the deep waters of gender stereotyping and the dark undercurrents of our minds that sometimes drive us to heroic deed, unintentional though that deed may be, we discuss the physical act of violence.

It is hard to will the body to stand and fight in the face of evil or certain death. It is harder still to tame the mind. Arwen, Galadriel and Eowyn all do this thing. They face tribulation, humilliation and temptation and prevail to the greater good for themselves and others. I think that is a mighty statement on Tolkiens behalf. As an author, which many of us are on some scale, we tend to write about what we know and are comfortable with. Men tend to make the heros of their stories men vise versa for women writers. I have several half finished stories with a woman as warrior and "good" main character. I have yet to create a female villian and have killed off one of my two main "good" male leads. Reciprically, I have an entire army of male villians in mind. I don't mean to be so biased. I just understand the inner workings of a woman's mind and can better relate the entaglement of thought, emotion and motivation they experience. To say that men are motivated strictly on whose bi-ceps are largest is folly. To say they are emotional and easily led is as well. The comfort level just isn't there. My male characters tend to be power hungry and ruthless or great teddy bears with swords, therfore I avoid them as much as possible. That Tolkien could incorperate in his women a believable confusion of motivation, thought, pain and triumph is a token of his mastery and speaks to his understanding of his fellow "man".

The truth is neither side of our species is simply motivated. We do as we know best at any given moment and opperate in that moment to whatever end we desire or need. It is said that neccessity is the mother of invention. It is also the mother of despair and heroics, depression and progress. As individuals we decide how we are inclined to react to the stimuli.

As a child my family was plagued with poverty. We fished in the river and hunted deer to eat. My uncle and grandmother dutifully tended a small garden behind our house for our veggies. I've never had tomatoes as good as theirs. (I think is was the horse poop.) I was taught that the men who had jobs got the best of the food, the biggest portions and the most attention. I remember their clothes being laid out for them while the bathed in warm water my mother or grandmother drew in a tub for them. I'm torn here. I respect the women of my family and could not ever be as good a wife or mother as they were, however, the thought of drawing water for my husband and laying out his clothes, not to mention going hungry so he could have the extra portion, turns my stomach. The women didn't work though, and I do. My husband and I do for each other but I have to say that he probably gives more than he gets. Of this I am not proud.

Instead of cooking and cleaning, I found my forte in ground tracking and marksmanship. I'm active now in surrounding community efforts of finding stray horses, cows and even a person on one occasion. The men who don't know me are usually defensive when I show up to help with a search. The men of my family never blinked an eye, even though am the only woman in our family who hunts. The other women found it tiresome and vulgar. I, on the contrary, find it calms me. I don't gain joy from death but in the providing for my family. It was a lot more rewarding than my 9-5 that I am currently grinding away at but the reward was physical and immediate. No waiting for the paycheck that is electronically deposited and then spirited away by the e-payment gods.

To say that I find a common thread with Eowyn is not saying enough. I battled my way through this life providing for my family, even when I thought some of them didn't deserve it, and then creating a family of my own to provide for, though the method is quite different. I'm better with a blade than a spatula and long for a purpose other than the menial, mundane task of simply surviving. I want to live. I want the glory of leading even in times of peace and plethera. I have sacraficed my wood mongering for the coddeling of young and spouse at times to the point of my own mental undoing. I ache for the cool air on my face, the sun on my back and a clear trail beneath my feet.

I have said too much already but will end with this. At some point we all struggle to survive in this battle of the time clock we dilligently undertake every day when the alarm sounds. Some of us make it. Others we lose somewhere along the way to depression, fatigue or boredom. To accept your situation and survive is a noble thing. To rise above it and excel into the freedom of fullfillment and happiness is damn near impossible but I refuse to relenquish my sword.

Death!! Death!! Death!!

lol Glorfindel,

You don't want me in a kitchen. You could mortar a house with my bisquits.

She is a complex character, but she is being used by the powers that be to fulfill something that only she could. Kill the Nazgûl.

And what is wrong with becoming a Homemaker? Not everybody is cut out to be an entrepreneur. There are lots of women who are happy just to be "homemakers" and "At-Home Moms"

The Book never even mentions the Shield maiden concept. That is something in the movie.

Looking at the discussion once again we have wandered off.  Suddenly we jump to it being a slam at stay at home moms. 
Where the heck did that come from?
In the Houses of Healing Eowyn tells Faramir she is a sheildmaiden and not to look to her for comfort...are we calling her a liar?

Her is another article that puts Tolkien's creation of Eowyn's character in a historical social context.

At home and abroad: Eowyn's two-fold figuring as war bride in The Lord of the Rings
(Mythlore, Fall-Winter, 2007 by Melissa Smith)

RAISED IN THE COMPANY of great warriors, in a society that has taught her to glorify the battle-arts, Eowyn, Lady of Rohan, seems an unlikely choice as a participant in The Lord of the Rings' single romantic storyline. Noble, cold, and stern, she desires to find death, not to renew life; she searches for glory, not healing. Yet, amid the carnage and hopelessness of combat in The Return of the King, J.R.R. Tolkien develops a courtship centered on Eowyn, one that is ultimately imbued with the same wartime ethos that surrounded the young women of World Wars I and II. (1) Eowyn, shield-maiden of the Rohirrim, and Faramir, a former captain newly succeeded to the title of Steward of Gondor, figure principally in what is popularly termed a "wartime romance"--a relationship characterized by an accelerated intimacy attributed to the pressures and fears of war, including the uncertainty of prolonged separation and death. As Tolkien constructs it, however, Eowyn's attachments are not so simplistically binary: Aragorn, son of Arathorn, has also attracted her affections, creating a system that actually allows for a comprehensive representation of the several incarnations of the World Wars' "war brides." Eowyn's respective relationships with Aragorn and Faramir thus cast her in the dual roles of war bride-left-behind and foreign war bride, and while comparison of her experiences with the courtship, marriage, and assimilation experiences of women in the war-torn twentieth century reveal her to be a negative example of the former, she is clearly, for Tolkien, a positive exemplar of the latter.
Though not usually pinpointed as a social issue in past periods of international warfare, the principles that lie behind the concept of the "war bride" make it a timeless and world-encompassing phenomenon--perhaps every bit as old as the span of human history. (2) Yet the term "war bride" is itself a relatively new one, seeming to rise into prominence in the social and cultural upheavals of the First World War that Tolkien experienced so intimately. Indeed, the first citation of the term's use in the Oxford English Dictionary--a project that famously provided Tolkien with his first post-war job (3) (researching for the W's, no less [Gilliver, Marshall & Weiner 7])--is dated 1918, the year the Great War ended ("War"). OED aside, the term appears often in the literature and even in the pop culture of the time. Writing during the First World War, for example, a woman named Ruth Wolfe Fuller, whose husband was drafted into the United States army two months after their marriage, subtitled her brief reminiscences, "The Experiences of a War Bride." Even earlier, in September of 1914, a short play entitled "War Brides" was written by Marion Craig Wentworth and was staged for the first time in January of 1915 (Wentworth 6). Detailing the choices of women in a war-torn country, Wentworth's drama enjoyed some notable success in the climate of the times. Little different is the climate of the Second World War; the term "war bride" surfaced repeatedly in the media, in movies like I Was a Male War Bride (1949), starring Cary Grant, and in popular radio shows, like "Fibber McGee and Molly." In one episode of "Fibber McGee," aired on 3 March 1941, Fibber receives a letter informing him that he is to report for induction into the army, as he has been drafted into the Armed Services. Although the letter turns out to be a copy of his original World War One draft notice, Fibber is convinced throughout the episode of the letter's contemporary authenticity. Upon hearing of her husband's seeming re-call into the army, his wife Molly cries, "Imagine me! A war bride! Again!" Molly's dismay at the prospect of a repetition of her experiences confirms that the previous war had produced a social figure that was being recognizably reproduced in 1941. War brides from Molly's generation even saw enough common experience between themselves and the new brides to introduce themselves on those terms--one newlywed from London who had made Canada her new home wrote, "I recall that the day after I arrived a friend of my husband's family came to call. She told me that she had been a war bride from the first World War" (Hibbert 147)
Of the two waves of newlyweds, the focus of research generally tends to the war brides of WWII because of the greater scope of the phenomenon during this time--war brides were documented as entering America from over fifty different countries, including nearly 30,000 from Great Britain (Shukert & Scibetta 2), both during and after the war. By accepting the definitions of a war bride as provided by Ruth Fuller and the OED, it can be judged that these war brides generally belonged to one of two categories: the newlywed wife left in the homeland by the soldier, as Ruth Fuller defines herself (Fuller 6), or a bride of foreign origin married after a necessarily hasty engagement to a serviceman of the occupying, usually friendly, country (Shukert & Scibetta 2). The slightly derisive connotation saddled upon the term "war bride" (4) emerged from the widespread popularity of these latter "lightning marriages" (19) during the war--hasty alliances made attractive to native young women by the war-created shortage of marriageable men and to soldiers by the loneliness of being abroad (Glenn 60). While the motive for the marriage may have appeared questionable to an older generation with more traditional courtship ideals (5) (and who, with the character of Hedwig in Wentworth's "War Brides," would probably have said, "You make a mock of marriage!"--lines 270-71), "[t]ime was precious for lovers who made the most of every minute [...] before one or both had to return to ships or planes or stations to fight the war again" (Shukert & Scibetta 18). Tolkien was aware of and understood this trend, explaining in response to a criticism of Faramir and Eowyn's too-speedy courtship: "In my experience feelings and decisions ripen very quickly (as measured by mere 'clock-time', which is actually not justly applicable) in periods of great stress, and especially under the expectation of imminent death" (Letters 324). This summary directly defines the psychology of wartime marriages that produced the war brides of WWI and II.
Eowyn's first figuring as a war bride is as the beloved wife left alone in the soldier's land of origin. Although not Aragorn's wife, (6) the representation of this initial relationship is portrayed through the interactions of the two while Aragorn sojourns at Dunharrow before passing through the Paths of the Dead. (7) The White Lady's reactions at times mirror those of Ruth Fuller, whose husband is called away to training camp, and then France, during WWI. Further comparisons can be drawn with the experiences of Edith Tolkien, whom Tolkien married "shortly before he was posted to France" (Croft 14) on 22 March 1916. (8) Eowyn receives the news of Aragorn's perilous proposed journey in much the same manner that Fuller accepts the news of her husband's recruitment: shock, followed by a frightening internal struggle. Lady Eowyn stares at Aragorn "as one that is stricken" and goes white upon hearing of his plans. Though she confides her fears to no one, she is later observed to be in a "great torment of mind" (LotR V:2 766). Similarly, Fuller recalls an overall feeling of "helplessness" concerning the difficult decision she is forced to make--should she and her husband claim exemption? (9)--in the face of the "mass of conflicting emotions" which beset her (Fuller 4-5). Eowyn's torment is attributed to her fear, not only that Aragorn will never return from his endeavor, but also that the course he is choosing will not bring him honor; she begs him instead to ride boldly to battle (LotR V:2 766). Fuller is also interested in the glory of her husband: she and her husband ultimately choose not to claim exemption because to do so would be a "compromise with honor" (Fuller 5).
The women are also united in their desire to accompany their loved one, and again joined in their grief at being parted from him. Eowyn pleads, "Lord [...] if you must go, then let me ride in your following. For I am weary of skulking in the hills, and wish to face peril in battle." Aragorn refuses her wish, replying, "Your duty is with your people" (LotR V:2 766-67). (10) Indeed, the role of the war bride at home is to set aside grief and "carry on" single-handedly, as Eowyn does in her watch over her people, preserving as closely as possible the status quo. When her king inquires how she fares, Eowyn replies, "All is well. [...] All is now ordered, as you see. And your lodging is prepared for you" (V:3 778). Fuller, too, cannot bear to be parted from her husband, and taking a job in Boston to be near his training camp, she must still bid him a permanent farewell as he crosses the ocean for France. She is determined, however, to "do her bit" (Fuller 31), allowing herself only a minute or two for tears and immediately embarking upon a sort of private mission in her involvement with the Red Cross (42) and enduring in her day-to-day existence (35). Still, however busy they might be, the lonely women hunger for news of the action and their loved ones. Eowyn terms her isolation an exile (LotR V:2 766) and listens eagerly to the descriptions of the battles and of her relatives' deeds as related to her by Aragorn's men (765). Likewise, Fuller plans with her husband for the sending of cablegrams before he even departs (Fuller 25) and comes to rely upon them to make France seem "not so far away" (41). Motivated by a similar sentiment, Tolkien "adopted a code of dots" which allowed him to communicate his location to Edith while she, in her turn, "traced his movements on a large map pinned to the wall" (Garth 144). Eowyn's vigil upon the walls of Minas Tirith, waiting for Aragorn's return, is also a reflection of this war bride characteristic. "Does not the Black Gate lie yonder?" she asks Faramir, demonstrating her faithful watchfulness, "And must he not now be come thither? It is seven days since he rode away" (LotR VI:5 940). This anxiety, as all three women demonstrate, is the fate of the war bride.
Although Eowyn, as we have seen, represents what we might call the Anglo-Saxon equivalent of a modern homebound war bride, she fails to be an exemplary one. Ruth Fuller meant her book as a prescription to women dealing with wartime separation from their spouses: "[T]he women of the Country [have] a very definite and necessary part to play; they [are] to maintain optimism and courage, keeping the Lamp of Inspiration trimmed" (Fuller 14-15), she opines, declaring also the "great need for cheery courage and patriotic loyalty among the women" to buoy up the confidence of the as yet amateur soldiers (18).
"Morale is a woman's business," concurs a smiling face on a WWII advertisement in New Zealand (Montgomerie 24). Thus, while their men waged physical battles, women battled the intangible, spiritual foes of uncertainty: falling spirits, and the strain of helpless anticipation. Eowyn's experiences, (11) temperament, (12) and desires (13) are in direct opposition to compliance with this mode of thinking, and with negative results. She bitterly complains of her lot: "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?" (LotR V:2 767). Here, she and Edith find in common their reluctance to put up a plucky facade. Edith, shunted from village to village (14) and finally fed up with her circumstances, which now included a new baby, called hers a "miserable wandering homeless sort of life" (qtd. in Garth 246). Eowyn's own powerful expressions of discontent are not beneficial to Aragorn's spirits. Instead, he is greatly troubled--"[H]e kissed her hand and [...] rode away, and did not look back; and only those who knew him well and were near to him saw the pain that he bore" (LotR V:2 768). She also attempts to divert him from his duty, (15) calling his quest to seek the Paths of the Dead "madness" (766). Edith too, seems to find more to be thankful for in Tolkien's convalescence than in his military service--"Every day in bed means another day in England," (16) she reminded him (qtd. in Garth 232). Eowyn later abandons her place with her people, seeking honor of her own on the battlefield, (17) whereas Fuller finds her little duties as an army Hostess exhilarating (Fuller 20) and regards it as her obligation to send her husband away with a smile (9). Perhaps delving into his own wife's discontented experiences for inspiration, Tolkien, who would probably claim along with C.S. Lewis that he had no insider knowledge of "the mysteries of the Bona Dea" or her doings during wartime (Carpenter 153), seems to reflect on the hardships and ill effects of female passivity in his stern Lady of Rohan. Eowyn, in her petulance and reluctance to accept her role, is clearly not the model war bride typified by Ruth Fuller. (18)
Though unsuccessful as the war bride-left-behind, Tolkien offers Eowyn a second chance to distinguish herself, this time as an "international" war bride, through her relationship with Faramir. Unlike the war brides that waved goodbye as their husbands were posted overseas, foreign war brides were not forced to experience to the same degree the demoralizing passivity that caused so much difficulty for Eowyn in her relationship with Aragorn.
Her new role caters instead to her strengths, requiring the intrepid spirit and desire for activity so prominent in her character. A study of Japanese war brides noted that "many of the women had shown a taste for independence before [their] marriage[s]" to Anglo soldiers in Japan (Glenn 61). This is certainly true of Eowyn, whose war deeds and disobedience demonstrate a hunger, rather than a mere taste, for independence. The position of the Japanese girls is, of course, reversed in The Return of the King; Eowyn has entered Faramir's country in the name of war, rather than he hers, but the courtship between the two nevertheless has many similarities to descriptions of courtship as experienced by young soldiers and their lovers in foreign lands. The noble pair's relationship develops quickly, beginning with an almost immediate declaration from Faramir. In but their first interview together, Faramir half-confesses, half-requests, "[I]t would ease my care, if you would speak to me, or walk at whiles with me. [...] Neither flower nor lady have I seen till now in Gondor so lovely, and so sorrowful" (LotR VI:5 939). This direct type of approach to a relationship was common amongst the young soldiers on tour. A war bride from Sussex describes her surprising experience with a fast-moving Canadian: "I met my [future] husband at a local hotel where I'd been invited to a party. He introduced himself and, after an hour or so, informed me that I would like living in Canada after we were married" (Hibbert 32). Such forward acknowledgement of interest is uniquely acceptable in wartime romances, when relocation and even death loom large in the future, and relationships must grow quickly if they are to endure separation. "There was a sense of urgency about the whole thing," one bride explains, "You never knew whether you'd be there tomorrow" (19). The love of Faramir and Eowyn transpires rapidly indeed, and mere days (19) after meeting, the two have confessed their love. Her dual roles clash, however, and the idealistic faithfulness of the war-bride-left-behind does battle with the readiness of the foreign war bride, making her remarkably resistant to becoming attached too quickly. She is not immediately overwhelmed by "a man in uniform"--or rather, she has already been impressed by a man in uniform, in the form of the Heir of Isildur. It is Faramir who pursues while Eowyn muses quietly on her love for Aragorn. True to war bride form, however, the uncertainty of both Aragorn's return and reciprocal affection influences her to surrender her heart to Faramir, who so willingly offers the latter. As one girl from Scotland observed, the reason GIs were so attractive to Scottish girls was the fact that "they were there-all young Scottish men were gone into service" (Shukert & Scibetta 7). To most civilian girls, absence--and the pressures of wartime--made the heart willing to accept the more available romantic offerings.
To a participant in the war marriage fervor, the betrothal of Eowyn and Faramir would also have looked familiar. Enlisted men were obliged to complete a very long and sometimes exhaustive application process to their superiors in order to marry while on duty. In other words, it required the approval of fellow men-at-arms in order to make a marriage possible (23). Those present to offer them congratulations upon the exchange of wedding vows were also usually limited to fellow servicemen and -women; soldiers were stationed far from family and were not frequently allowed leaves of absence. Catherine Roberts-Swauger relates, "My bridesmaids were buddies stationed with me at Old Sarum. [...] We were married in the little church of St. Mary's on the grounds of Tidworth House. The uniforms of the United States on one side and the Air Force Blue of the Royal Air Force on the other. A young GI sang Oh, Promise Me and I Love You Truly" (27). In similar fashion, Faramir and Eowyn receive approval for their union from their battle-mates and celebrate their happiness at a feast meant to commemorate the deeds of valor performed on the battlefield, especially those of the deceased Theoden. Eomer announces, "[T]hey shall be trothplighted before you all," and the health of the pair is drunk by all of the company of valiant hearth-companions (LotR VI:6 955). Eowyn continues to figure as a war bride as she is betrothed and toasted in a gathering of soldiers.
A major concern for the war brides of the two World Wars was the process of assimilation. Acceptance by the husband's family and culture was a difficult barrier to overcome, (20) and the prospect was especially intimidating for wives who spoke a foreign tongue (Glenn 64) or had been on the side of the enemy during the war. Parents were sometimes very adamant against their daughter's association with soldiers because they feared the girl would accompany the soldier to his homeland upon the war's termination and never be seen again (Shukert & Scibetta 24). Some of these young girls were even ostracized by their countrymen: "the local papers in Edinburgh did not write articles in favour of the local girls marrying GIs. On the contrary, we were made to feel like traitors!" (25) remembers Beverly Schoonmaker. Colored a turncoat in their homelands, many women faced ill receptions in their husbands' countries as well. "Even middle-aged women seemed resentful that I had 'caught' one of their boys. 'Pity they didn't wait to marry a nice, clean, American girl,' I was told by a professor's wife," (80) Brenda Hasty recalls. The welcome was even more unkind if the new relatives considered the bride to be of inferior stock. Reports one woman: "Mother-in-law was a fine woman. [...] But a shadow had fallen over her life. Her son, in the eyes of the villagers, had degraded himself by an alliance with l'ennemi. He had betrayed them by wedding une Anglaise. She was kind to me, but I was not on a level with une bonne Canadienne" (Hibbert 110). Others were treated with respect, though as oddities: "We had the dubious distinction of being placed on the train (21) ahead of the natives," recounts Gwen Chushcoff, "and [we were] led through a huge crowd [by a woman] calling officiously 'Make way for the War Brides.' [...] Needless to say we felt like freaks" (Shukert & Scibetta 80-81). Whether welcomed with joy, animosity, or indifference into their new families and countries, nearly all felt apprehensive of the drastic change in locale:
es club each week, where we were shown films and
given lectures about our new country, and these were a help. But
the fears still crept in. What had we done? (Hibbert 36-37)

Eowyn, though a foreigner, is able to overcome the problem of language through her learnedness in the Common Speech, but she voices her anxieties about acceptance in her new home and removal from Rohan by saying wistfully to Faramir, "Then must I leave my own people, man of Gondor? And would you have your proud folk say of you: 'There goes a lord who tamed a wild shieldmaiden of the North! Was there no woman of the race of Numenor to choose?'" (LotR VI:5 944). Here Eowyn's fears exactly prefigure the experiences of her modern counterparts, in which the dread of resentment, the discomfort of being considered inferior or abnormal, and the anxiety of separation from home are all addressed. Some of these fears are well founded--both Aragorn and Faramir at some point express the sentiment that the Rohirrim are a lesser race (Straubhaar 102). For his part, Faramir describes them as loving war and valor for its own sake--a diminished state, according to him--and while Gondorians are from a High race, the Rohirrim are Middle Peoples, Men of the Twilight (LotR IV:5 663). (22) Interestingly, Eowyn is ultimately successful as a foreign war bride because of her ability to adapt; (23) she renounces the "lower" ways of the Rohirrim, declaring, "I will be a shieldmaiden no longer, [...] nor take joy only in the songs of slaying. I will be a healer, and love all things that grow and are not barren" (VI:6 943). Thus changed, she can perform with ease her role as the hand of revitalization to a darkness-inflicted land and as Princess within her new culture, having been well-schooled by her upbringing in a royal house. (24) Figuring so prominently in their society, (25) Faramir and Eowyn's marriage, like many wartime marriages, is viewed as the positive unification of two cultures. "Thus [...] is the friendship of the Mark and of Gondor bound with a new bond, and the more do I rejoice," (VI:6 955) exclaims Eomer upon the couple's betrothal. Similar sentiments were later expressed by those commending the value of the intercultural marriages inspired by wartime activities: "Thomas O. W. Brevner, New Zealand Consul in New York, told a New York Times reporter, 'It's a jolly good thing. It brings us all closer together. There's nothing like a baby or two to break down international barriers'" (Shukert & Scibetta 20).
The analogy or comparison of Eowyn to the war brides of Tolkien's time adds further proof to the influence of the World Wars on Tolkien's works. However, the promotion of the idea that the women men leave behind can only cope by defeminizing themselves and abandoning their traditional roles (and necessitating the introduction of foreigners in order to restabilize society), as supported by Eowyn's failure to fulfill the role of war bride-left-behind, is a very unsettling one to all but the most ardent feminists--unless one reads it as a subtle condemnation, on Tolkien's part, of war as a disturber of a valuable social equilibrium. It certainly reveals, however, his sympathies with the difficulty of the role that war imposes upon women, striking down the theory that Tolkien is simply a narrow-minded misogynist who dooms the women in his work to weakness and failure. Knowing from experience that the war would defeat the women's attempts to maintain the status quo despite their best efforts, he diminishes Eowyn's original role, focusing instead on her potential to rebuild and renew. His heavy focus on Eowyn's success as a foreign war bride thereby magnifies Eowyn's courage in taking up a new life in a new culture, perhaps symbolizing the way in which the women of his time aided the reforging of society after the war, and the bravery with which they and their husbands faced a new post-war culture, determined to look forward and heal the ravages that war had wreaked upon their way of life. It is this same spirit that would make the White Tree flower again.
(Melissa Smith "At home and abroad: Eowyn's two-fold figuring as war bride in The Lord of the Rings". Mythlore. FindArticles.com. 29 Oct, 2009.)

Bringing the character of Eowyn to life before her destruction of the Nazgul Witchking and her transformation in Minas Tirith does have a post war reflection that may have influenced Tolkien's creation...can't she be...What?

I am very much with you Bear, that the Nazgul-lord was slain by Eowyn (with obvious aid from Merry).


'No one denies that Merry's blade from the Barrow-Downs did un-knit the spell which protected the Witchking from ordinary weapons...'

However I do deny this much

I say the spell knit the Wraith's will to his sinews. In my opinion (this point has been debated often enough) Eowyn could have struck without Merry's aid and still 'killed' her foe, if that blow had been a lethal strike.

And therein lies the problem. Generally speaking it's a test of will, or can be. One has to master him or herself against unreasoning fear (instilled by the Nazgul-lord) just to stand up to the guy, never mind defeat him in battle, and one has to make a strike really count. The Witch-king has a huge advantage in personal combat before it even begins!  

I think the reason why the Nazgul-lord feared Boromir is because this Boromir was (Appendix A): '... a man strong in body and in will'

Eowyn did manage to render a lethal strike, which destroyed her sword (Merry did not inflict a lethal blow buy a painful wound, and his blade also perished), but she was able to do so not because a spell of protection had been lifted, but rather because the Wraith could not (at this crucial moment) now will his body to defend himself, due to Merry's enchanted blade -- the connection or 'spell' between will and sinew was broken.

As the description you quoted shows, Eowyn's reaction to Merry's aid was not exactly lightening quick (Merry cries out her name twice, and she 'tottering, struggling up'), yet the Wraith does nothing to avoid her strike.

Of course I know there are many who might disagree with my interpretation, but in any case I agree that Eowyn did the 'deed' (meaning the act of bringing the Witch-king to nothing), despite that she needed Merry's help.

 

The problem with Glorfindel's prophecy is this:

"Far off yet is his doom, and not by the hand of man will he fall."

Now, if we take this literally, its saying 'not by the hand of man will he fall', rather than 'not by the hand of a man will he fall', meaning that it implies the race of men, not the gender, and thus Eowyn would be discounted from that.

Of course, it could be an oversight, but I think it warrants speculation at the least.

I don't think the wording of the prophecy points to Eowyn or Merry, but rather it's intended to include both in my opinion.

The prophecy includes both Eowyn and Merry according to the characters in the story at least (Appendix A, footnote concerning the prophecy of Glorfindel), and I see no good reason not to follow that lead. Tolkien is having his fun here!

In any case, keep in mind the prophecy was not delivered in English, nor did Glorfindel write it down. Of course JRRT would be quite aware of the ambiguity in English concerning the spoken word 'm(M)an' but he was not at liberty to spell it the way I just did, in an English transcription (obviously no one can tell if Man or man is meant just by hearing the word).

If the characters in the story think the wording is vague enough to include both Eowyn and Merry, I think it's safe enough to assume the original spoken prophecy allowed for this.

Galin wrote:

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If the characters in the story think the wording is vague enough to include both Eowyn and Merry, I think it's safe enough to assume the original spoken prophecy allowed for this.

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Is there any mention of Glorfindel's prophecy in LotR (not including the Appendixes)?

Apart from the prophecy itself, are there any other references made to the prophecy by other characters?