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Year of Graduation
2025
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
MA: Children's Literature
Directing Professor
Dr. C.W. Sullivan III
Abstract
Using dramatic elements and patterns from the traditional literatures of his Northern European culture, including the Old English poem Beowulf and Shakespeare’s Macbeth, J.R.R. Tolkien tells an ancient tale anew in The Lord of the Rings, the tale of a dragon slain by an unlikely hero, in this case the Shield Maiden, Éowyn, and an even more unlikely assistant, a Hobbit named Merry.
Éowyn enters Tolkien’s complex narrative in the middle, where she is caught politically between the bright deeds of her ancestors and the darkness and doubt that surround her king and kin, caught geographically between the treason of Isengard on the west and the evil of Mordor on the east, surrounded by war and violence threatening her home of Rohan and all of Middle-earth. Éowyn, sister daughter of King Théoden, is beloved and held in high regard, yet constricted by her charge to stay behind in Théoden’s stead, although she desires to ride forth into the field of battle. Her decision to ride into battle and the courage she displays on the Fields of the Pelennor are pivotal moments crucial to the outcome of Tolkien’s story. Through her pride and love, her determination and skill, her wisdom and her empathy, and most of all, her courage and resiliency, Éowyn steps out of the growing shadows and into the light of her own heroic story.
Recommended Citation
Loving, Angela L., "A Stout Heart and a Good Blade: An Examination and Reconsideration of Éowyn in J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings" (2025). Children's Literature (MA) Theses, Hollins University. 10.
https://digitalcommons.hollins.edu/matheses/10
Contact Information
lovingal@hollins.edu
Purpose Statement
The purpose of preserving this thesis document is to provide a definitive record of student progress upon completion of the degree. This text will not reflect any revisions to the manuscript made after degree completion. For the most current version of the work, please contact its author.