Eowyn

Here's one of my new favorite passages from The Two Towers.

"Go, Eowyn sister-daughter!" said the old king. "The time for fear is past."
The woman turned and went slowly into the house. As she passed the doors she turned and looked back. Grave and thoughtful was her glance, as she looked on the king with cool pity in her eyes. Very fair was her face, and her long hair was like a river of gold. Slender and tall she was in her white robe girt with silver; but strong she seemed and stern as steel, a daughter of kings. Thus Aragorn for the first time in the full light of day beheld Eowyn, Lady of Rohan, and thought her fair, fair and cold, like a morning of pale spring that is not yet come to womanhood. And now she was suddenly aware of him: tall heir of kings wise with many winters, greycloaked, hiding a power that yet she felt.
For a moment still as stone she stood, then turning swiftly she was gone.

Dad was reading The Two Towers to us tonight, and he came upon that paragraph. I just love how Tolkien was able to capture the essence of Ewoyn in that one small paragraph. I'm also amazed at how well Peter Jackson was able to cast the role of Eowyn---the actress who played her was amazing. As Dad read this passage, I could see a clear picture of Eowyn in my head---and the actress in the movie matched it perfectly.
I also think it's interesting how Tolkien writes that Aragorn specifically saw Eowyn for the first time. I suppose he's setting us up for later meetings between the two.
Of course, I'm thinking of the movie again....gotta stop doing that! Die-heart LOTR fan that I am, I am ashamed to say I haven't read all the books myself. This is the first time Dad is reading the series to us, and it's quite different than the books. We all agreed that the scene where Gandalf casts Wormtongue/Saruman from Theoden's mind is better portrayed in the movie.............sorry Tolkien!!!!

Anyway, back to my original point: Eowyn is such a perfect beauty: fair and beautiful, yet stern and cold. Just as a Lady of Rohan should be.


More later!