Nikki Morrell
Shield-Maiden
Critics and readers alike have debated gender roles, specifically the role of women, in J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings. Though female characters are few, it is neither misogyny nor failure on Tolkien’s part. The story itself does not lend the appropriate setting for numerous female characters, especially considering its basis as a tale of war and battle. The story resides in the unification of male characters for a common goal of destroying evil and saving their world. Even today, wars are fought primarily by men; tales rooted in battle are usually tales about male figures. To consider the implications of the role of women, or even the roles of men, one must remember that “definitions of masculinity or femininity are not universal constructs but dependent upon shifting local, temporal, and cultural specificities” (Horner 6). Thus, Tolkien’s, or any other author’s, portrayal of a specific gender is primarily an amalgamation of that author’s life experiences. Readers should remember that it is not as if there are no female characters or as if the ones that exist are weak stereotypes. The female characters that do appear in The Lord of the Rings are worthy women who have great impact on the war with Sauron.
Nancy Enwright posits that, “The general lack of a female presence…does not imply that female power and presence are unimportant. On the contrary, Tolkien's female characters epitomize his critique of traditional, masculine and worldly power, offering an alternative that can be summed up as the choice of love over pride...” In her article, Enwright quotes various critics who vilify Tolkien for his stereotyping of the female. Critics such as Catherine Stimpson, as quoted by Donovan, states that Tolkien’s women are built on “the most hackneyed of stereotypes” (Donovan 106). Candice Fredric and Sam McBride regard Tolkien as “blatantly sexist,” believing that he lumps males into the category of worker-thinker-leader and women into homemaker-nurse-love interest (Enwright). And while these critics may have a few valid arguments, none of them are able to refute the powerful roles that the existing female characters hold. As Enwright proposes, Tolkien’s use of the female character as an embodiment of the theme of love over pride is central to understanding the novel. Critic Patrick Curry agrees with Enwright, he states that The Lord of the Rings “would be ‘seriously impoverished’ without its women characters” (Donovan 106).
Characters such as Arwen, Lobelia Sackville-Baggins, Galadriel, and especially Eowyn are contemporary characters. Tolkien’s knowledge of Medieval texts, as well as the time period in which he was living, exemplified more traditional stories with women in more traditional roles. As Shari Horner discusses in her work The Discourse of Enclosure, gender roles are often differentiated by “doing” and “performing”; it is through this classification that the “categories of masculine and feminine” are understood by a culture (7). Tolkien, in some ways, disregards this notion and creates a doing and performing character in Eowyn. In refute of most critics’ view of stereotypical female characters, Tolkien actually disregarded the typical female roles and created women who are strong, forceful heroines. While his work “cannot be expected to reflect contemporary women studies” (Donovan 106) as his life predated the feminist movement, he does somewhat support the feminist approach, specifically with the character of Eowyn.
The character of Eowyn is a reference to the ancient shield-maidens and valkyries of Norse myth. It is her character that acts as an example of Tolkien’s love of strong female characters. Though some critics view the character of Eowyn as stereotypical because she chooses to dress as a man in order to reject her feminine role, they fail to realize that it is not rejection of femininity; it is acceptance, and Eowyn is not only a female, she is a shield-maiden—both woman and warrior. She is a reflection of the Old Norse and Anglo-Saxon skjaldmeyjar, the battle-maiden. And as Leslie Donovan writes, she is reminiscent of Norse myth, specifically, the “valkyrie in her psychological configuration” (Donovan 122).
In Jenny Jochens’s book Old Norse Images of Women, she examines the shield-maiden and her place in literature. By comparing Jochens’s study to the character of Eowyn, the reader can better understand Tolkien’s application of the Norse character of the shield-maiden. Old Norse literature and myth features many women who choose to fight as professional warriors, many of whom dress as men. Perhaps the most famous is the character Hervor from the poem Hlǫðskviða (Jochens 97). In the work, Hervor is described as, “strong as a man, and as soon as she was able to do anything for herself, she would rather learn to use shield and sword than to work with embroidery and tapestry” (Jochens 99). Similarly, Eowyn is described as “Grave and thoughtful was her glance…stern as steel… fair and cold, like a morning of pale spring that is not yet come to womanhood” (Tolkien, Two Towers 504). Like Eowyn, Hervor leaves her home dressed and equipped as one of the men, she joins a group of warriors, and calls herself by a man’s name (Jochens 99). Interestingly, at the end of Hervor’s journey, when she tires of being a fighter, she doffs her men’s clothing, returns home, takes up womanly duties such as embroidery, and marries a suitor chosen for her (99). Implied in this story and others presented by Jochens, to be a female warrior, one must give up her femininity and her sexuality; however, Tolkien is able, in Eowyn, to create a woman who is both. Donovan writes that,
Where some critics view Éowyn’s character as either reflective of the powerlessness inherent in traditional female roles that trap women in their femininity or as indicative of her rejection of femininity through her warrior trappings… instead [she is] simultaneously a woman and a warrior. (Donovan 122)
Her masquerade as Dernhelm is not so that she will be seen as a man, but so that she might not be recognized by Theoden. More importantly, it is “an effort to fulfill her shield-maiden training and heritage, while maintaining her personal honor” (Donovan 123). In Tolkien’s first conception of the character of Eowyn, he has her ride into battle at Pelennor Fields with her hair “shorn upon her neck” (Tolkien, C. 1), which would have worked well except that by having her hair shaved like a man’s head might be, Eowyn loses much of her femininity; therefore, it seems as if Tolkien made a very specific choice in allowing Eowyn to look like the female that she is. The final edition of the book states, “…her bright hair was released from its bonds” (Tolkien, C. 1). In this small change, Tolkien better utilizes the Hlǫðskviða characterization; Eowyn is both woman and warrior.
Like the women warriors of Denmark, Eowyn courts the fame that is earned in military feats; so much so, that she forgets that she is a woman. She dresses as a man and perfectly fits the description of Denmark’s historical warrior females, “Those especially who had forceful personalities or were tall and elegant embarked on this way of life. As if they were forgetful of their true selves they put toughness before allure, aimed at conflicts instead of kisses…(Jochens 103-4). Eowyn grows up in a culture that values “physical prowess and strength in arms,” and as a result of this she feels devalued because she is a woman (Enwright 294). Tolkien, in his character of Eowyn, expresses sensitivity to what Eowyn must have experienced as a woman in the Rohirrim culture. Perhaps it is through the words of Gandalf that Tolkien best articulates those thoughts, “My friend [Eomer]…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…” (Tolkien, Two Towers 17). Enwright suggests that it is through Eowyn’s battle with the Nazgul that she demonstrates her skill and strength, especially with her reply to the Nazgul that she is no living man. Eowyn “turns gender expectations on their head” (Enwright 293). It is her feminine qualities, such as love, that gives her the ability to defeat the Nazgul. She is motivated to destroy the Nazgul by her love and compassion for Theoden and her people.
In addition to the female warriors of Denmark, the character of Eowyn also embodies the characteristics of the Norse valkyrie. Characteristics of the valkyrie include: divine origins or ancestry, noble status among her peers, superior wisdom, and above-average beauty (Donovan 110-1). From the time Eowyn was a young girl, she was given the knowledge of battle and fighting. Her arms are presented to her by King Thoeden. “Eowyn knelt before him [Theoden] and received from him a sword and fair corslet” (Tolkien, Two Towers 512). And it is in acceptance of these gifts that Eowyn also takes on the obligation of ruling and defending her people in the king’s absence. “This valkyrie-like obligation is evident as the warband sets off…in the image of Eowyn standing outside the doors with a sword ‘set before her, and her hands…laid upon the hilt’” (Donovan 122). She is often seen in a helm, warrior’s clothes, and fitted with a sword much like Brynhild, the famous valkyrie (122).
It is Eowyn’s reaction to being left behind to mind the kingdom that best parallels the valkyries and shield-maidens. She tells Theoden, “then let me ride in your following. For I am weary of skulking in the hills and wish to face peril and battle,” to which his reply is to remind her of her duty (Tolkien, Return of the King 767). She asks him, “Am I not…a shieldmaiden and not a dry-nurse?...May I not now spend my life as I will?...Shall I always be left behind when the Riders depart, to mind the house while they win renown?” (767). And though Theoden’s reply is a logical one, Eowyn is unable to see past the implications of her femininity: “All your words are but to say: you are a woman, and your part is in the house” (767).
Perhaps one of the most valkyrie-like actions of Eowyn is when she forsakes her post with her people to ride into battle. She fears that she will never receive the acclaim that comes from victory in battle and that she will remain as if within a cage until she is too old to win that renown. Her fear as described to Theoden 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” (Tolkien, Return of the King 767).
The character of Eowyn acts as an outlet for Tolkien to present a female character that embodies the strength and martial aptitude of the Norse shield-maidens and valkyries, yet, instead of simply copying, Tolkien adapts Eowyn’s character. She is not simply defined by her warlike skills; she is also demarcated by her feminine nature. She is molded to shape Tolkien’s wishes, as well as reflective of his contemporaries.
Works Cited
Donovan, Leslie A. "The Valkyrie Reflex in J. R. R. Tolkien’s the Lord of the Rings." Tolkien the Medievalist. Ed. Jane Chance. London: Routledge, 2002. 106-132. Questia. 25 July 2009 <http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=102739497>.
Chance, Jane, ed. Tolkien the Medievalist. London: Routledge, 2002. Questia. 25 July 2009 <http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=102739354>.
Enright, Nancy. "Tolkien's Females and the Defining of Power." Renascence: Essays on Values in Literature 59.2 (2007): 93+. Questia. 25 July 2009 <http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=5020676662>.
Horner, Shari. The Discourse of Enclosure: Representing Women in Old English Literature. Ed. Paul E. Szarmach. Electronic edition provided by James McNelis, Tiffin University.
Jochens, Jenny. Old Norse Images of Women. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 1996. Questia. 25 July 2009 <http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=14462789>.
Tolkien, Christopher. The History of Middle Earth. Electronic edition provided by James McNelis, Tiffin University.
Tolkien, J.R.R. The Return of the King. New York: Houghton Mifflin, 1994.
Tolkien, J.R.R. The Two Towers. New York: Houghton Mifflin, 1994.
No comments:
Post a Comment