J.R.R. Tolkiens' Warrior Woman: Éowyn - Part 6 - Men's Reactions to Women Serving as Soldiers

Previously in my series analyzing Éowyn in J.R.R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings in light of historical counterparts, I discussed the experiences of women soldiers.  Click [HERE] for that post.  In this part, I will share a few examples of how men reacted to women fighting on a battlefield.

Victorian women went to great lengths to disguise themselves in order to serve in the military, an endeavor that was off limits to them.  They cut their hair short in order to assume a male appearance   They enlisted under male names.  And they imitated male mannerisms as well as engaged in masculine interests in order to fit in with their male comrades.   Yet, despite the care some of these women put into developing and maintaining their disguise, many nevertheless fell victims to the poor fortunes of war — along with other means — which exposed their true identities.  Men privy to this revelation always exhibited some sort of reaction, which varied   Some were sympathetic.  Some were complimentary.  Yet others did not hesitate to voice their opposition to women stepping outside their traditional gender roles and serving on the battlefield.

J.R.R. Tolkien's Warrior Woman: Éowyn - Part 5 - Experiences as a Soldier

In my previous posts, I discussed the backgrounds of Éowyn and her historical counterparts.  Research reveals a life of trauma and torment for many of these women that they escaped by joining the military.   Click [HERE] for the prior installment.  In this article, I am going to detail their experiences as soldiers.

J.R.R. Tolkien's Warrior Woman: Éowyn - Part 4 - Escape

In my previous articles, I introduced Éowyn and examined possible bases for her character and background while illustrating how these concepts parallel those involving women soldiers of the Civil War.  In this piece, I will discuss how these women's dire need for escape from their tumultuous lives ultimately led them to serve clandestinely in military roles.

J.R.R. Tolkien's Warrior Woman: Éowyn - Part 3b - A Background of Cages - Unrequited Love

In my previous article in this series (click HERE), I discussed Éowyn's familial dynamics and how the challenges she faced at home mirrored those that several women soldiers of the Civil War endured.  These trials included growing up without one or both parents and coping with abusive family members.   This blog post reveals another element that pushed these women deeper into despair and ultimately on a path to war:  unrequited love.

J.R.R. Tolkien's Warrior Woman: Éowyn - Part 3a - A Background of Cages - Family Dynamics

In my previous articles, I introduced Éowyn and discussed possible bases for her character in The Lord of the Rings.  In this post, I will continue my examination of J.R.R. Tolkien's warrior woman by exploring her background while illustrating similarities that several women soldiers of the Civil War shared.  This concept is important because life history often dictates decision making.  The first post in this series can be found [HERE].

J.R.R. Tolkien's Warrior Woman: Éowyn - Part 2b - The Basis for Her Character

In previous installments in my series on Éowyn, I introduced her (click HERE) and provided examples of women from mythology and history that may have inspired Tolkien to create her (click HERE).  In this article, I continue discussing women warriors the British  author may have also been aware of since they were from his homeland.

J.R.R. Tolkien's Warrior Woman: Éowyn - Part 2a - The Basis for Her Character

In my previous installment, I provided an introduction to my series where I will discuss Éowyn — Tolkien's fictional warrior woman in his masterpiece, Lord of the Rings — as she relates to women who served as soldiers in the Civil War.  Click [HERE] for part one.  Following is the second installment.

J.R.R. Tolkien's Warrior Woman: Éowyn - Part 1 - Introduction

I first met Éowyn after wandering into Middle-earth in the early 90's when I was in high school.  Enthralled, I consumed J.R.R Tolkien's fantasy masterpiece, The Lord of the Rings.  In its most basic form, the work is a tale of good and evil.  But as a reader journeys through its three volumes — The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers, and The Return of the King — complex layers emerge as characters confront not only the darkness that is trying to "rule them all" through the one ring, but also the demons within themselves.  Indeed, we struggle alongside  Men, Elves, Dwarves, and others as they cope with fear, greed, weakness, temptation, tragedy, pride, despair, sorrow, betrayal, grief, and dysfunctional familial dynamics as they attempt to make the right decision amidst chaotic and stressful situations.  We agonize and weep when they fail, celebrate when they triumph, and rejoice when hope is restored.  Their strength and perseverance inspire us.

Thus it was regarding Éowyn. And what is ironic is that she captured my attention before I discovered women soldiers of the Civil War.  Indeed, my interest in these two topics developed mutually exclusive of each other at different times.  But in this multi-part article, I am going to merge them by illustrating how the characteristics, motivations, and experiences of women soldiers of the Civil War are mirrored by those of Éowyn.  I am also going to explain how Professor Tolkien molded and shaped Éowyn's character into the woman who appears in the books today.  Readers will undoubtedly find the changes interesting.