In J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings, there is an evident lack of female characters throughout the story, though the women who are presented represent strength in many different ways through the roles they play. The three major female characters are Galadriel, Arwen and Éowyn, each of which are very important characters who play important roles in the story as well as for their own people.

Galadriel is the Lady of Light, the Elf Queen of Lorien. She is a very powerful character because she is thousands of years old. She is a part of the White Council, and she holds Nenya, one of the Elven Rings of Power. Galadriel welcomes the Fellowship into her home of Caras Galadhon in Lothlorien. She offers them protection and provides them with food, clothing, and rare gifts of Lorien. Galadriel is considered one of the most powerful elves in all of Middle Earth. She represents a more political role in the story, rather than an emotional or a physical side of women, due to her knowledge and power in Middle Earth. A lot of her power lies in her mysterious nature
and her overwhelming beauty.

The storyline involving Arwen is the most romantic of the three female characters. Though her role in the novels is not very significant as far as content, she is still an important character to the story. Arwen is the daughter of Elrond, the granddaughter of Galadriel, and the princess of Rivendell. The love story revolving around Arwen’s character involves the character Aragorn, who is the heir to the throne of Gondor. The relationship between these two characters seems folly because Aragorn is a mortal man, while Arwen is an immortal elf. Arwen can be seen as a powerful character for her emotional strength rather than physical. Her inner strength is shown when she marries Aragorn, becoming the Queen of Gondor, forsaking the immortal life of her people. Arwen is an excellent portrayal of the emotional yet strong sense of females in the story.

Éowyn is the niece of King Théoden of Rohan. She is a character who has been brought up to fight and to ride in case she was to become the last of the lineage for Rohan. She is a powerful character, shown through her will and her physicality. She is a woman, living in a man’s world, and will not succumb to the duties of a house wife. Éowyn believes in herself and has confidence that she can achieve great things, while those around her may not. Her character is very important because it shows the resistance to female subjugation in The Lord of the Rings. Éowyn states that she does not “fear either pain or death”, and all she fears is “a cage, to stay behind bars, until use and old age accept them, and all chance of doing great deeds is gone beyond recall or desire”. (ROTK, p.63) This quote definitely reveals the complexity and strength of her character. Éowyn proves her strength and abilities at the battle of Pelennor Fields, when she rides to war disguised as one of the Riders of Rohan, and slays the Lord of the Nazgûl.

Each of these women plays an important part in the story, as they add a female dynamic to the books. All of these female characters are strong in their own way, and it is important to show the strength and complexity of women through characters like Galadriel, Arwen and Éowyn in The Lord of the Rings. Even though the story is dominated by male characters, the females play just as big a role, and are held in high esteem throughout the story.

by Daughter_of_Kings

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