Overview
Éowyn’s story is about the search for a worthy death and the harder discovery that life can be worth living. Disguised as the rider Dernhelm, she faces the Witch-king whom no man can kill — and is not a man.
- Ancestry
- Daughter of Éomund and Théodwyn, sister of Éomer, niece of King Théoden.
Biography
A caged courage
Éowyn was born to Éomund and Théodwyn and raised in her uncle Théoden’s house after her parents’ deaths. She loved horses and war but was kept from both.
Dernhelm
Forbidden to ride to war, she disguised herself and took Merry as her companion, joining the host of Rohan at the Pelennor.
The Witch-king and after
She and Merry brought down the Witch-king; she was gravely wounded and healed in the Houses of Healing, where she met Faramir and chose love and healing over glory and death.
Arc & development
Character
Personality
- Brave
- Proud
- Impatient of restraint
- Loyal
- Capable of change
Abilities & limits
Strengths
- Skill with sword and horse
- Fierce resolve
Limitations
- Reckless longing for renown and death
- Wounded at the Pelennor
Deeds
- Rode to the Pelennor in disguise
- Slew the Witch-king with Merry
- Became Lady of Ithilien
Relationships
Places
LocationEdoras
The capital of Rohan, its golden hall Meduseld standing on a green hill below the White Mountains.
LocationThe Pelennor Fields
The fertile plain before Minas Tirith, site of the great battle that broke Sauron’s western army.
LocationMinas Tirith
The seven-tiered white city of Gondor, built into Mount Mindolluin, and the great fortress of the West.
In the histories
Appearances
The Return of the King“The Battle of the Pelennor Fields” and “The Steward and the King”
Sources
The Lord of the Rings · 1954–55
Three volumes: The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers, The Return of the King.
Related entries
CharacterThéoden
King of Rohan, aged prematurely by Gríma’s counsel, later restored and killed at the Pelennor Fields.
CharacterÉomer
Théoden’s nephew, a marshal of Rohan who becomes king after the war.
CharacterFaramir
Denethor’s younger son, a wise and gentle captain who resists the Ring’s temptation and befriends Frodo.
CharacterMeriadoc Brandybuck
A clever Brandybuck who rode to war with Rohan and helped slay the Witch-king at the Battle of the Pelennor Fields.
CharacterAragorn
The heir of Isildur, raised in Rivendell in secret, who becomes King Elessar and reunites the kingdoms of Gondor and Arnor.