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Éowyn

2008-02-22T14:08:36Z

83.25.210.63:

{{men infobox
|image= [[Image:Breogán - Eowyn - Revisited.jpg|250px]]
|name= Éowyn
|othernames= White Lady of Rohan, Dernhelm, Lady of the Shield-arm
|birth= 2995 Third Age
|death= Some time during the early fourth age.
|race=Men
|gender=Female
|height=Unknown
|hair=Blonde
|eyes=Grey
}}

'''Éowyn''' ([[Third Age]] 2995 – [[Fourth Age]] ?), the '''Lady of Rohan''', was also known as the [[Lady of the Shield-arm]], the [[White Lady of Rohan]]<sup>[[#Notes|1]]</sup>, and Lady of Ithilien. She was a member of the [[House of Eorl]] and the niece of King [[Théoden]] of [[Rohan]]. She was the daughter of Théoden's sister, [[Théodwyn]], and [[Éomund]]. Her brother was [[Éomer Éadig]].

== History ==
Following the [[Battle of the Hornburg]], Éowyn was left to care for [[Meduseld]] while Théoden and Éomer led the remaining [[Rohirrim]] to save [[Minas Tirith in Gondor|Minas Tirith]]. King Théoden in fact named her ruler of [[Rohan]] in his and Éomer's absence when the Doorward [[Háma]] recommended that one of "The House of Eorl" should rule. (As Théoden first only thought of male members, and he and Éomer were the last males of the House, but Háma reminds them of Éowyn, who is "fearless" and that "all love her".) Frustrated by unrequited love for [[Aragorn II|Aragorn]] and longing for the glory of battle, she disguised herself as a man, and under the alias of '''Dernhelm''', traveled with the Riders of Rohan, carrying with her [[Meriadoc Brandybuck|Merry]], who was also ordered to remain.

During the battle of [[Pelennor Fields]] she fought by King Théoden, and when he was injured during combat with the [[Witch-king of Angmar]], she and Merry scrambled to help him. Confronting the Witch-king, who boasted that "no living man may hinder me," she removed her helmet, exposing her long blond hair and declaring,

<blockquote>''"No living man am I! You look upon a woman."''</blockquote>

Just as MacDuff disconcerted Macbeth by revealing he was not "of woman born", Lady Éowyn found the loophole in the 1,000-year-old prophecy by [[Glorfindel of Rivendell|Glorfindel]], fulfilling that the Witch-king would not be slain by a man. However, the Witch-king actually recited the prophecy incorrectly: he said that "no living man may hinder me," though the prophecy actually said that "Not by the hand of Man ''will'' he fall." Glorfindel's prophesy, unlike his own version, implies that the Witch-king will eventually fall, and the Witch-king likely overestimated his own power and believed he would never be defeated.

Lady Éowyn slew the Witch-king after Merry stabbed him behind the knee. Strictly speaking, Merry is also "no man," being a [[Hobbit]]. However, the stab behind the knee likely wouldn't have been fatal, even if it did break the bonds that "bent his unseen sinews to his will." The consensus seems to be that Merry's stab made the Witch-King vulnerable while Eowyn's slash actually resulted in death. She was granted the title "Lady of the Shield-arm" after the Battle in recognition of her triumph over the Witch-king.

Lady Éowyn was severely injured in this fight, and because of the poisonous effect of the Nazgûl, she faced near-certain death; however, she was treated in time by Aragorn during his brief rest in [[Minas Tirith in Gondor|Minas Tirith]]. Since she didn't yet recover completely, she couldn't join Aragorn's army on their way to [[Mordor]]. However, while recuperating in the [[Houses of Healing]], she met [[Faramir son of Denethor II|Faramir]], with whom she fell in love. After the demise of [[Sauron]], the happily wed couple settled in [[Ithilien]], of which Faramir was made the ruling Prince. Éowyn was not known as the Princess of Ithilien, rather as the Lady of Ithilien. They had at least one son (likely [[Elboron]]), and their grandson was [[Barahir grandson of Faramir|Barahir]], who wrote ''The Tale of Aragorn and Arwen'' in the Fourth Age. The date of Éowyn's death is nowhere recorded.

Éowyn's role in the stories challanges conventional stereotypes of the role of women. She succeeds where a man would have failed in slaying the [[Witch King]] and throughout the books even when recovering from the wounds bought in that conflict rebels against being left behind while the men go off to win glory in war. Her role more than any other female within the mythology challanges accusations of sexism commonly levelled at [[J.R.R. Tolkien|Tolkien]] and in many ways (intentially or not) displays attitudes ahead of his time in regards to social equality.

== Etymology ==
Éowyn means "Horse-joy" in Anglo-Saxon, the language Tolkien used to represent [[Rohirric]].

== Pronounciation ==
The first syllable of Lady Éowyn's name sounds like "eh-ah," with the "ah" just barely pronounced. As in Scandinavian, the ''y'' in the second syllable is the same sound as the German letter ''ü'' or the French ''u''. The actors in [[Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings]] consistently pronounce her name as well as the names of [[Éomer]] and [[Théoden]] in a manner inconsistent with most reconstructions of Old English pronunciation.

== Portrayal in Adaptations ==
[[Image:Eowyn in Peter Jackson's The Two Towers.jpg|thumb|[[Miranda Otto]] plays as Éowyn in [[Peter Jackson's The Two Towers]].]]
[[Image:Eowyn from Ralph Bakshi's The Lord of the Rings.jpg|thumb|Éowyn as portayed in [[Ralph Bakshi's The Lord of the Rings]] animated film.]]
In [[Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings]], Éowyn is portrayed by [[Miranda Otto]]. Jackson's adaptation shows two different explanations for Éowyn's injuries after fighting the Witch-king. In the Theatrical Release, her wounds are less severe than in the novel; she is conscious but hurt, as opposed to unconscious. In the extended scenes of the Extended Edition, she '''''is''''' near death: her brother finds her and grieves, and later we see her being healed in the Houses of Healing, where she shares a tender moment with Faramir.

In [[Ralph Bakshi's The Lord of the Rings]] Éowyn is briefly seen, but has no major speaking parts. In [[Rankin/Bass' The Return of the King]], Éowyn is voiced by actress [[Nellie Bellflower]].

== See Also ==
* [[:Category:Images of Éowyn|Images of Éowyn]]

== Notes ==
1. Éowyn was known as "Lady of Rohan" in Rohan, but as "White Lady of Rohan" in Ithilien (due to her pale complexion).

[[Category:Rohirrim]]
[[Category:Characters in The Lord of the Rings]]

Arwen

2008-02-22T14:01:45Z

83.25.210.63:

{{half-elf infobox
| image=[[Image:Anya Valle - Evenstar.jpg|250px]]
| name=Arwen
| quenya=
| titles=Undómiel, Evenstar, Queen of Gondor.
| birth=[[Third Age 241|T.A. 241]], [[Rivendell]].
| realm=[[Gondor]].
| death=[[Fourth Age 121|F.A. 121]].
| age=2,901 [[Years of the Sun|years]].
| gender=Female.
| parentage=[[Elrond]] and [[Celebrían]].
| heritage=[[Half-elven]] father, [[Elf]] mother.
| spouse=[[Aragorn II]].
| children=[[Eldarion]] and several daughters.
| hair=Dark.
|}}
{{quote|[[Frodo Baggins|Frodo]] saw her whom few [[mortals]] had yet seen; '''Arwen''', daughter of [[Elrond]], in whom it was said that the likeness of [[Lúthien]] had come on earth again; and she was called [[Undómiel]], for she was the [[Evenstar]] of her people.|''[[The Fellowship of the Ring]]'', [[Many Meetings]]}}
'''Arwen Undómiel''', often called '''Arwen Evenstar''', was the betrothed of [[Aragorn II]] in [[J.R.R. Tolkien|Tolkien's]] ''[[The Lord of the Rings]]''. She is the daughter of [[Elrond]] and [[Celebrían]] (and therefore grand-daughter of [[Galadriel]]). She rejects her [[Elves|Elven]] immortality (which she had the ability to do, since she was a [[half-elven|half-elf]], thus having the choice to be counted as an elf or a man) to marry Aragorn and die with him.

== History ==
The romance between Aragorn and Arwen is reminiscent of that between the Man [[Beren Erchamion|Beren]] and the Elf Lúthien, but as with many other tales of the Third Age, theirs is considered to be a pale copy of the deeds of earlier ages (Lúthien, for example, once defeated [[Sauron]] to rescue Beren). Still, few other marriages between Man and Elf are recorded in the annals of Tolkien.

A very young Aragorn encountered Arwen for the first time at [[Rivendell]], where he had been living; she had been staying with her grandmother in [[Lórien in Middle-earth|Lórien]]. He fell in love with her when he first saw her, but it was not until they met many years later in Lórien that she fell in love with him.

Arwen's first appearance in ''The Lord of the Rings'' is at Rivendell, when the [[Hobbit|Hobbits]] arrive there, and Aragorn is seen with her at one point—the first hint of their relationship. Later, when the [[Fellowship of the Ring|Fellowship]] come to [[Lórien in Middle-earth|Lothlórien]], he remembers their earlier meeting.

She enters the story again when, before taking to the [[Paths of the Dead]], Aragorn is met by a group consisting of [[Dúnedain]], his people, from the North, and Arwen's brothers, [[Elladan]] and [[Elrohir]]. They bring to him a banner on black cloth: a gift made by the hands of Arwen, and a sign that encourages him to take the difficult path. When it is unfurled at the [[Battle of the Pelennor Fields]] to reveal the emblem of [[Elendil]] in ''[[mithril]]'', gems, and gold, it is the first triumphant announcement of the King's return.

Arwen is mostly a minor character in Tolkien's ''Lord of the Rings'', but she is nevertheless described in detail in the Appendices after the third volume, ''[[The Return of the King]]''. She does, however, play a role in the plot which is disproportionate to the number of scenes in which she appears. When [[Éowyn]] falls in love with Aragorn it is his fidelity to Arwen that forbids him from reciprocating, thereby motivating Éowyn's subsequent actions during the [[Battle of the Pelennor Fields]] which have major repercussions for the defence of Middle-earth. Arwen continually serves as inspiration and motivation for Aragorn, who must become King before he may wed her—not an insignificant task, considering the many long years he devotes to this cause.

Arwen was actually a very distant relative of Aragorn, being his first cousin sixty-three times removed. By their marriages the long-sundered lines of the [[Half-elven]] were joined. Their union also served to unite and preserve the bloodlines of the Three Kings of the High Elves ([[Ingwë]], [[Finwë]], and brothers [[Olwë]] and [[Elwë]]) as well as the only line with [[Maiar]] blood through Arwen's great-great-great grandmother, [[Melian]].

Arwen gave up her life in 121 of the Fourth Age, at [[Cerin Amroth]] in Lórien, after the death of Aragorn.

== Etymology ==
''Arwen'' means "Noble Maiden" in [[Sindarin]] (from ''[[ara]]-'' = "noble" and ''[[wen]]'' = "maiden"). Her [[epessë]], "'''Undómiel'''", means "Evenstar", from ''Undómë'' "evening twilight" and ''[[elen|el]]'' "star".

== Portrayal in Adaptations ==
[[Image:Arwen from Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings.jpg|thumb|left|[[Liv Tyler]] plays as Arwen in [[Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings]] Trilogy.]]
Arwen does not appear in [[Ralph Bakshi]]'s 1978 adaptation of ''[[Ralph Bakshi's The Lord of the Rings|The Lord of the Rings]]'', nor in the 1980 [[Rankin-Bass]] adaptation of ''[[Rankin-Bass's The Return of the King|The Return of the King]]''.

In [[Peter Jackson]]'s [[Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings|''The Lord of the Rings'' film trilogy]], Arwen is played by [[Liv Tyler]]. Various additional scenes pertaining to Arwen are inserted, some of which deviate from the books and some of which seem inspired by the ''Tale of Aragorn and Arwen''.

In the first film, she sneaks up to find Aragorn and single-handedly rescues [[Frodo Baggins]] from the [[Black Riders]] at [[Bruinen]], thwarting them with a sudden flood, summoned by an incantation. In the book, it was [[Glorfindel]] who put Frodo on horseback and sent him alone to flee the Black Riders, and Elrond and [[Gandalf]] who arranged the flood. In the book, Frodo makes his own stand against the Black Riders; in the movie Arwen defends him. During this flight, Arwen wields the sword Hadhafang, stated to have once been wielded by her father in film merchandise. This sword, however, does not appear in the books at all; in fact, in the books, Arwen is never mentioned as armed (but she ''could'' have armed and defended herself as need; see below).

Following the aforementioned scenes, the deviations include a scene in which Aragorn is injured and has a dream about Arwen (who kisses him), a scene where Arwen has a fight with her father about leaving for [[Valinor]], and a scene where she (with [[Figwit]]) actually departs for Valinor and then suddenly returns when she sees an image of her future son, Eldarion. (In the books, it can hardly have been surprising to Arwen that she and Aragorn might have children together, since she herself is the descendant of two similar unions.)

Also, and perhaps most importantly, she apparently becomes sick with grief in the film version of ''The Return of the King'' — possibly over Aragorn's seemingly hopeless cause and his impending death — soon after she rides back from the road to the [[Grey Havens]]. Elrond takes the reforged [[Narsil]], now [[Andúril]], to Aragorn at Dunharrow, and tells him that her fate has become bound with the [[One Ring]], and that she is dying. However, no explanation is ever given for these statements, not even in the Extended Editions. Later, after the Ring is destroyed, Arwen shows up at Aragorn's coronation looking no worse for wear.

====Reaction====
[[Image:John_Howe_-_Arwen.jpg|thumb|''Arwen'' by [[John Howe]].]]
Arwen had a very small visible role in the books outside of the Appendix (due to Tolkien conceiving the character late in the writing; Aragorn was originally supposed to marry Éowyn, as related in ''[[The History of Middle-earth]]''). In addition to making Arwen a more visible character, the change employs the principle of "economy of characters". Characters like Glorfindel (the Elf who helps Frodo by lending him his horse and later aiding his companions in driving the Ringwraiths into the water in the book), who appear once and perform only a few tasks, are often excised from film interpretations.

In earlier copies of the script (when the movies were supposed to be filmed in two parts under a different production company), Arwen actually fought in the [[Battle of the Hornburg|Battle of Helm's Deep]] and brought the sword Andúril to Aragorn. Some attribute the elimination of her character from the sequence to an early script leak. Another story is that Liv Tyler herself felt that the character's involvement in Helm's Deep was inappropriate, and convinced Jackson and his team to leave her out of the sequence, although the team did film at least part of her planned appearance at Helm's Deep.

These changes have met with mixed reactions. Many fans were upset because they seemed to pander to the lowest common denominator — that in order to make Arwen a "worthwhile" or "strong" character, she had to be a warrior — while in the books, her strength stems from her brave choice to forsake immortality and live a mortal life with Aragorn, which did not involve martial skill. Furthermore, there is already a skilled female warrior present in the story — namely Éowyn, but she first appears in the second part of the film trilogy. Some fans felt it odd to make it a point to insert a female warrior into a story which already had a prominent one, because this detracts from Éowyn's bravery in riding to battle. Also, he dominance at the Ford scene detracts from Frodo's bravery in the book (though admittedly the film Frodo is barely conscious - a case of Jackson "upping the ante"). However, in the second and third films in which Éowyn appears, Arwen's martial abilities are not shown at all.

Some criticize ''The Lord of the Rings'' for including few named female characters (though of course unnamed women are present, along with unnamed men) and thus accuse Tolkien of sexism. However, in the essay ''Laws and Customs among the Eldar'', which appears in ''[[Morgoth's Ring]]'', Tolkien writes that male and female Elves are in fact viewed in Elven society as equals, save for the fact that only the females are capable of childbearing and are thus viewed as literally holding the future of their people in their hands. It is for this reason that they traditionally refrain from going to war (although they are still trained in all the aspects of combat taught to male Elves), usually occupying themselves during wartime as healers. As the text itself states:

:''In all such things, not concerned with the bringing forth of children, the ''neri'' and ''nissi'' (that is, the men and women) of the Eldar are equal – unless it be in this (as they themselves say) that for the ''nissi'' the making of things new is for the most part shown in the forming of their children, so that invention and change is otherwise mostly brought about by the ''neri''. There are, however, no matters which among the Eldar only a ''nér'' can think or do, or others with which only a ''nís'' is concerned. There are indeed some differences between the natural inclinations of ''neri'' and ''nissi'', and other differences that have been established by custom (varying in place and in time, and in the several races of the Eldar). For instance, the arts of healing, and all that touches on the care of the body, are among the Eldar most practised by the ''nissi''; whereas it was the elven-men who bore arms at need. And the Eldar deemed that the dealing of death, even when lawful or under necessity, diminished the power of healing, and that the virtue of the ''nissi'' in this matter was due rather to their abstaining from hunting or war than to any special power that went with their womanhood. Indeed in dire straits or desperate defence, the ''nissi'' fought valiantly, and there was less difference in strength in speed between elven-men and elven-women that had not borne child that is seen among mortals. On the other hand many elven-men were great healers and skilled in the lore of living bodies, though such men abstained from hunting, and went not to war until the last need.'' '''''(Morgoth's Ring, The Second Phase, Laws and Customs Among the Eldar)'''''

== See Also ==
* [[:Category:Images of Arwen|Images of Arwen]]

[[Category:Half-elven]]
[[Category:Characters in The Lord of the Rings]]
[[de:Arwen]]
[[fi:Arwen]]

Arwen

2008-02-22T14:00:50Z

83.25.210.63:

{{half-elf infobox
| image=[[Image:Anya Valle - Evenstar.jpg|250px]]
| name=Arwen
| quenya=
| titles=Undómiel, Evenstar, Queen of Gondor.
| birth=[[Third Age 241|T.A. 241]], [[Rivendell]].
| realm=[[Gondor]].
| death=[[Fourth Age 121|F.A. 121]].
| age=2,901 [[Years of the Sun|years]].
| gender=Female.
| parentage=[[Elrond]] and [[Celebrían]].
| heritage=[[Half-elven]] father, [[Elf]] mother.
| spouse=[[Aragorn II]].
| children=[[Eldarion]] and several daughters.
| hair=Dark.
| eyes=Grey
|}}
{{quote|[[Frodo Baggins|Frodo]] saw her whom few [[mortals]] had yet seen; '''Arwen''', daughter of [[Elrond]], in whom it was said that the likeness of [[Lúthien]] had come on earth again; and she was called [[Undómiel]], for she was the [[Evenstar]] of her people.|''[[The Fellowship of the Ring]]'', [[Many Meetings]]}}
'''Arwen Undómiel''', often called '''Arwen Evenstar''', was the betrothed of [[Aragorn II]] in [[J.R.R. Tolkien|Tolkien's]] ''[[The Lord of the Rings]]''. She is the daughter of [[Elrond]] and [[Celebrían]] (and therefore grand-daughter of [[Galadriel]]). She rejects her [[Elves|Elven]] immortality (which she had the ability to do, since she was a [[half-elven|half-elf]], thus having the choice to be counted as an elf or a man) to marry Aragorn and die with him.

== History ==
The romance between Aragorn and Arwen is reminiscent of that between the Man [[Beren Erchamion|Beren]] and the Elf Lúthien, but as with many other tales of the Third Age, theirs is considered to be a pale copy of the deeds of earlier ages (Lúthien, for example, once defeated [[Sauron]] to rescue Beren). Still, few other marriages between Man and Elf are recorded in the annals of Tolkien.

A very young Aragorn encountered Arwen for the first time at [[Rivendell]], where he had been living; she had been staying with her grandmother in [[Lórien in Middle-earth|Lórien]]. He fell in love with her when he first saw her, but it was not until they met many years later in Lórien that she fell in love with him.

Arwen's first appearance in ''The Lord of the Rings'' is at Rivendell, when the [[Hobbit|Hobbits]] arrive there, and Aragorn is seen with her at one point—the first hint of their relationship. Later, when the [[Fellowship of the Ring|Fellowship]] come to [[Lórien in Middle-earth|Lothlórien]], he remembers their earlier meeting.

She enters the story again when, before taking to the [[Paths of the Dead]], Aragorn is met by a group consisting of [[Dúnedain]], his people, from the North, and Arwen's brothers, [[Elladan]] and [[Elrohir]]. They bring to him a banner on black cloth: a gift made by the hands of Arwen, and a sign that encourages him to take the difficult path. When it is unfurled at the [[Battle of the Pelennor Fields]] to reveal the emblem of [[Elendil]] in ''[[mithril]]'', gems, and gold, it is the first triumphant announcement of the King's return.

Arwen is mostly a minor character in Tolkien's ''Lord of the Rings'', but she is nevertheless described in detail in the Appendices after the third volume, ''[[The Return of the King]]''. She does, however, play a role in the plot which is disproportionate to the number of scenes in which she appears. When [[Éowyn]] falls in love with Aragorn it is his fidelity to Arwen that forbids him from reciprocating, thereby motivating Éowyn's subsequent actions during the [[Battle of the Pelennor Fields]] which have major repercussions for the defence of Middle-earth. Arwen continually serves as inspiration and motivation for Aragorn, who must become King before he may wed her—not an insignificant task, considering the many long years he devotes to this cause.

Arwen was actually a very distant relative of Aragorn, being his first cousin sixty-three times removed. By their marriages the long-sundered lines of the [[Half-elven]] were joined. Their union also served to unite and preserve the bloodlines of the Three Kings of the High Elves ([[Ingwë]], [[Finwë]], and brothers [[Olwë]] and [[Elwë]]) as well as the only line with [[Maiar]] blood through Arwen's great-great-great grandmother, [[Melian]].

Arwen gave up her life in 121 of the Fourth Age, at [[Cerin Amroth]] in Lórien, after the death of Aragorn.

== Etymology ==
''Arwen'' means "Noble Maiden" in [[Sindarin]] (from ''[[ara]]-'' = "noble" and ''[[wen]]'' = "maiden"). Her [[epessë]], "'''Undómiel'''", means "Evenstar", from ''Undómë'' "evening twilight" and ''[[elen|el]]'' "star".

== Portrayal in Adaptations ==
[[Image:Arwen from Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings.jpg|thumb|left|[[Liv Tyler]] plays as Arwen in [[Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings]] Trilogy.]]
Arwen does not appear in [[Ralph Bakshi]]'s 1978 adaptation of ''[[Ralph Bakshi's The Lord of the Rings|The Lord of the Rings]]'', nor in the 1980 [[Rankin-Bass]] adaptation of ''[[Rankin-Bass's The Return of the King|The Return of the King]]''.

In [[Peter Jackson]]'s [[Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings|''The Lord of the Rings'' film trilogy]], Arwen is played by [[Liv Tyler]]. Various additional scenes pertaining to Arwen are inserted, some of which deviate from the books and some of which seem inspired by the ''Tale of Aragorn and Arwen''.

In the first film, she sneaks up to find Aragorn and single-handedly rescues [[Frodo Baggins]] from the [[Black Riders]] at [[Bruinen]], thwarting them with a sudden flood, summoned by an incantation. In the book, it was [[Glorfindel]] who put Frodo on horseback and sent him alone to flee the Black Riders, and Elrond and [[Gandalf]] who arranged the flood. In the book, Frodo makes his own stand against the Black Riders; in the movie Arwen defends him. During this flight, Arwen wields the sword Hadhafang, stated to have once been wielded by her father in film merchandise. This sword, however, does not appear in the books at all; in fact, in the books, Arwen is never mentioned as armed (but she ''could'' have armed and defended herself as need; see below).

Following the aforementioned scenes, the deviations include a scene in which Aragorn is injured and has a dream about Arwen (who kisses him), a scene where Arwen has a fight with her father about leaving for [[Valinor]], and a scene where she (with [[Figwit]]) actually departs for Valinor and then suddenly returns when she sees an image of her future son, Eldarion. (In the books, it can hardly have been surprising to Arwen that she and Aragorn might have children together, since she herself is the descendant of two similar unions.)

Also, and perhaps most importantly, she apparently becomes sick with grief in the film version of ''The Return of the King'' — possibly over Aragorn's seemingly hopeless cause and his impending death — soon after she rides back from the road to the [[Grey Havens]]. Elrond takes the reforged [[Narsil]], now [[Andúril]], to Aragorn at Dunharrow, and tells him that her fate has become bound with the [[One Ring]], and that she is dying. However, no explanation is ever given for these statements, not even in the Extended Editions. Later, after the Ring is destroyed, Arwen shows up at Aragorn's coronation looking no worse for wear.

====Reaction====
[[Image:John_Howe_-_Arwen.jpg|thumb|''Arwen'' by [[John Howe]].]]
Arwen had a very small visible role in the books outside of the Appendix (due to Tolkien conceiving the character late in the writing; Aragorn was originally supposed to marry Éowyn, as related in ''[[The History of Middle-earth]]''). In addition to making Arwen a more visible character, the change employs the principle of "economy of characters". Characters like Glorfindel (the Elf who helps Frodo by lending him his horse and later aiding his companions in driving the Ringwraiths into the water in the book), who appear once and perform only a few tasks, are often excised from film interpretations.

In earlier copies of the script (when the movies were supposed to be filmed in two parts under a different production company), Arwen actually fought in the [[Battle of the Hornburg|Battle of Helm's Deep]] and brought the sword Andúril to Aragorn. Some attribute the elimination of her character from the sequence to an early script leak. Another story is that Liv Tyler herself felt that the character's involvement in Helm's Deep was inappropriate, and convinced Jackson and his team to leave her out of the sequence, although the team did film at least part of her planned appearance at Helm's Deep.

These changes have met with mixed reactions. Many fans were upset because they seemed to pander to the lowest common denominator — that in order to make Arwen a "worthwhile" or "strong" character, she had to be a warrior — while in the books, her strength stems from her brave choice to forsake immortality and live a mortal life with Aragorn, which did not involve martial skill. Furthermore, there is already a skilled female warrior present in the story — namely Éowyn, but she first appears in the second part of the film trilogy. Some fans felt it odd to make it a point to insert a female warrior into a story which already had a prominent one, because this detracts from Éowyn's bravery in riding to battle. Also, he dominance at the Ford scene detracts from Frodo's bravery in the book (though admittedly the film Frodo is barely conscious - a case of Jackson "upping the ante"). However, in the second and third films in which Éowyn appears, Arwen's martial abilities are not shown at all.

Some criticize ''The Lord of the Rings'' for including few named female characters (though of course unnamed women are present, along with unnamed men) and thus accuse Tolkien of sexism. However, in the essay ''Laws and Customs among the Eldar'', which appears in ''[[Morgoth's Ring]]'', Tolkien writes that male and female Elves are in fact viewed in Elven society as equals, save for the fact that only the females are capable of childbearing and are thus viewed as literally holding the future of their people in their hands. It is for this reason that they traditionally refrain from going to war (although they are still trained in all the aspects of combat taught to male Elves), usually occupying themselves during wartime as healers. As the text itself states:

:''In all such things, not concerned with the bringing forth of children, the ''neri'' and ''nissi'' (that is, the men and women) of the Eldar are equal – unless it be in this (as they themselves say) that for the ''nissi'' the making of things new is for the most part shown in the forming of their children, so that invention and change is otherwise mostly brought about by the ''neri''. There are, however, no matters which among the Eldar only a ''nér'' can think or do, or others with which only a ''nís'' is concerned. There are indeed some differences between the natural inclinations of ''neri'' and ''nissi'', and other differences that have been established by custom (varying in place and in time, and in the several races of the Eldar). For instance, the arts of healing, and all that touches on the care of the body, are among the Eldar most practised by the ''nissi''; whereas it was the elven-men who bore arms at need. And the Eldar deemed that the dealing of death, even when lawful or under necessity, diminished the power of healing, and that the virtue of the ''nissi'' in this matter was due rather to their abstaining from hunting or war than to any special power that went with their womanhood. Indeed in dire straits or desperate defence, the ''nissi'' fought valiantly, and there was less difference in strength in speed between elven-men and elven-women that had not borne child that is seen among mortals. On the other hand many elven-men were great healers and skilled in the lore of living bodies, though such men abstained from hunting, and went not to war until the last need.'' '''''(Morgoth's Ring, The Second Phase, Laws and Customs Among the Eldar)'''''

== See Also ==
* [[:Category:Images of Arwen|Images of Arwen]]

[[Category:Half-elven]]
[[Category:Characters in The Lord of the Rings]]
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