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We expect women to take care of themselves and be tough. Female heros today (at least in the US) are people like Buffy and Sydney from Alias. And yes, they are awesome and kick butt and everything, but they leave girls like me out in the cold. Even magazines and "women's shows" like Oprah reward out and out violence with "Hero" labels. This leaves quite a few women (like me) feeling like we're not tough or we have to do things that are against our nature to get ahead. I am NOT tough. I could never do anything remotely resembling anything violent. I hold my own, sure, I mean, I'm no doormat, but women like Eowyn and Buffy just don't inspire me.

I don't believe it is a woman's place to be in a war, because any decent man could not kill or hurt a woman.

Well, my answers differ between the books and movies.

In the books, I much prefer Eowyn. I do like Arwen, but I identify with Eowyn much more, how she kept her emotions inside, was prone to despair, fell in love with Aragorn, and eventually married Faramir. I believe that I understand her better, even though, and perhaps because, she had more faults than Arwen.

Now in the movies, it’s a different story. I think that both of them were misrepresented, neither looked like their character. (I’m not talking about costumes or makeup, those were awesome!) But I’d have to say that Liv Tyler acted more like Arwen, than Miranda Otto acted like Eowyn. She made Eowyn an almost normal girl, showed her emotions freely…I really didn’t get the idea that she was “cold”, or “stony”. In fact she seemed like a warm, likeable woman, who was rather feisty. Admitted, it was no easy role, but the thing about Eowyn is that she’s suppose to have suppressed her emotions and harbored her grief and frustration inside, and this leads her nearly to despair. I saw none of this in the Eowyn of the movies. She also didn’t look like I imagined a Norse noble woman; her beauty was too much the “cute” kind. So, in the movies, I think that Arwen was best. (it’s hard for me to say that )

Eowyn. Definately. She is going against a lifetime of tradition even if she was trained to use a sword it was never expected that she would have to or would want to use it. There is nothing wrong with someone seeking glory if they want it. She has spend years being overshadowed by the simple fact that she is a woman. Arwen had everything and anything she always wanted... So she had to give a little to get the man she wanted big deal. The choice was physical death or death of her heart. It really isn´t a big decision either way she decided.