A recent article revisiting Éowyn's "I am no man" line from the 2003 film The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King reminded me how much I absolutely hated that scene. (You needn't bother reading the article. It's a fluff piece.) If someone had never read the books — especially if that person was a young girl longing for strong female characters — I could understand how they might watch the scene and excitedly think, "Wow! Éowyn is a bad-ass!" And she is. She absolutely is, but the theatrical adaptation doesn't begin to do her justice.

It's practically a cliché to say that the book is better than the movie but it's excruciatingly true here. The chapter the scene is taken from, The Battle of the Pelennor Fields, is masterfully written and contains some of my favorite passages in all of Tolkien's works. It's written from Merry's perspective. The Witch King, having struck down Théoden, finds Éowyn (disguised as Dernhelm) standing in opposition:

"Hinder me? Thou fool. No living man may hinder me!"

Then Merry heard of all sounds in that hour the strangest. It seemed that Dernhelm laughed, and the clear voice was like the ring of steel.

I've read that passage a hundred times and it makes my breath catch in my throat every damned time. The situation is bleak and dire but suddenly you know that something monumental is imminent.

"But no living man am I! You look upon a woman. Éowyn I am, Éomund's daughter. You stand between me and my lord and kin. Begone, if you be not deathless! For living or dark undead, I will smite you, if you touch him."

Seemingly alone, hopelessly outmatched, and utterly terrified by the Lord of the Ringwraiths — a fell creature who literally wields fear as a weapon — Éowyn is nevertheless unflinchingly defiant.

Also absent from the film is Merry's reaction:

Éowyn it was, and Dernhelm also. For into Merry's mind flashed the memory of the face that he saw at the riding from Dunharrow: the face of one that goes seeking death, having no hope. Pity filled his heart and a great wonder, and suddenly the slow-kindled courage of his race awoke. He clenched his hand. She should not die, so fair, so desperate! At least she should not die alone, unaided.

It's a deeply moving scene. Éowyn and Merry are the very embodiment of courage in the face of an overwhelming threat. These are strong characters, written and presented well. "I am no man!" would be a punchy one-liner in a mindless action flick. Here it's a wan, childish imitation of one of the most powerful and evocative scenes in the entirety of The Lord of the Rings.

#tolkien #LotR #adaptation #feminism