Lord of the Rings : Faramir/Eowyn {under the sunlit sky}

[findingfaramir.livejournal.com]

Title: Under The Sunlit Sky
Author: Jess (findingfaramir)
Email: findingfaramir[@]lanthir-lamath.net
'Ship: Faramir x Eowyn
Fandom: Lord of the Rings
Spoilers: Entire trilogy, books and movie.
Thanks: To J.R.R. Tolkien for writing books that have changed my life.
Notes: This is un-beta-ed because I have no friends who would put up with reading this much about LotR. So, any inconsistencies/weird stuff/repeats are all mine. Sorry if it’s confusing.

*Note: This is based exclusively on the books, as they get about ten seconds of screen time in the movies. Also because the books are the real canon, after all, and I will admit to being a bit of a Canon Nazi. 





INTRODUCTION

The War of the Rings
The Lord of the Rings tells the story of Frodo Baggins and his extraordinary quest to save Middle Earth from a terrible evil. It tells the story of Aragorn, the future king of prophecy, who must lead the people in defense of all they hold dear. It tells the story of Gandalf, the demi-god in the guise of an old man, a wizard who guides his children of ages to their places in destiny and history. It is the story of many, many people, some great and some small, who come together and fall apart, and come together again. It is *the* epic fantasy and the ultimate inspiration for nearly everything one sees in that genre today. It is also a beautifully told story, steeped in history, language and emotion.

A Very Long Engagement

My first introduction to LotR was at the tender age of 11, when I was given the books by my Gandalf-fanatic father. I took one look at the set of three huge books and I imagine my eyes lit up. And by the end of the Two Towers, my favorite character affections had been firmly cemented on Faramir. So I was delighted when he met Eowyn and fell hard and fast for her. Not only was he a warrior, a scholar, a friend, a loving brother and angst-ridden devoted son, he was a romantic.

As I grew older and fonder of the psychoanalysis of fictional characters, their relationship began to interest me on a deeper level than “Awwww, how sweet! Love in the midst of war!”

Eowyn is the girl who sets her sights on a man she cannot have, more in love with the idea of him than the man himself. Faramir is a man who has lost so much in life but still has faith and hope. He pities her beauty and grief at first, and then falls in love with her. Eventually he makes her see that real love – not just her high, unrequited love for Aragorn and the frightening lust of Grima Wormtongue – does exist. He shows her there is joy in more than battle glory, and she gives him somebody to heal in the place of those he could not, and a love that is uniquely for him.

They are a beautiful couple and I love both of them to obsession, so I will now share with you the reasons why they are so wonderful.

CHARACTERS

The Scholar And The Soldier : Faramir

Name: Faramir, Prince of Ithilien and Steward of Gondor
(Faramir translates to ‘sufficient jewel’)
DOB: III 2983 (died IV 82) – he was 35 at the time of the War of the Ring.
Parents: Denethor II and Finduilas of Dol Amroth

“And she looked at him and saw the grave tenderness in his eyes, and yet knew, for she was bred among men of war, that here was one whom no Rider of the Mark would outmatch in battle.”
-The Return of the King, JRR Tolkien

Faramir, in brief, is the Second Son and a quiet hero of the highest order. He’s intelligent, kind, courageous, and has a remarkable lack of abuse issues for somebody with his family history. I’ve been in love with Faramir since I read Lord of the Rings when I was twelve, and I haven’t stopped since. I admire his nobility and his constant capacity for hope, and I love his determination to heal – not only himself, but those around him and the land itself – after the loss of his father and brother to their own folly and private pains.

A Morning Of Pale Spring : Eowyn

Name: Eowyn, White Lady of Rohan and Ithilien
DOB: 2995 TA
Parents: Eomund and Theodwyn of Rohan (her mother was King Theoden’s youngest sister)

“Slender and tall she was in her white robe girt with silver; but strong she seemed and stern as steel, a daughter of kings.”
-The Two Towers, JRR Tolkien

Eowyn is one of the strongest female characters I’ve ever come across. She drives herself to glory and she seizes it when she kills the Witch King of Angmar, essentially winning the battle for the Pelennor. But she also matures immensely throughout the story, especially in her emotions. She goes from being a brave, beautiful, stubborn and dangerously obsessive girl to a hero and a healer, a woman finally comfortable in her own power and able to see and understand more of the world around her.

THE STORY

They Met And Learned To Love

In the last months of the war, Faramir aids Frodo and Sam as they cross Ithilien in their journey to Mordor and Mount Doom. They witness the successful ambush of a Southron army by Faramir’s Rangers; as this was the goal of his stay in the wilds, Faramir then returns to Minas Tirith. He led the last defense of Ithilien and the subsequent retreat when that city was overwhelmed. He was wounded in the field and overcome by the Nazgul’s Black Breath, already worn down by grief and the attempt to save as many pf his men as possible. He is unconscious and taken to his father, who goes mad with grief and throws himself on a pyre. Denethor attempts to kill Faramir as well, but is foiled by Pippin, Gandalf and the tower guard Beregond (who is later the captain of Faramir’s guards in Ithilien). Faramir was taken to the Houses of Healing, where he was healed by Aragorn after the Battle of the Pelennor.

When King Theoden was released from Saruman’s possession, he made ready to ride to Gondor’s aid in the south. Eowyn was appointed as regent, to watch over the women, children and elderly – and to hold Rohan against the Enemy, if the worst should happen. Eowyn, however, was infatuated with Aragorn and tired of being left behind. She decided to ride with her uncle’s army in disguise as a Rider named Dernhelm. During the Battle of the Pelennor she defeated the Witch-King of Angmar, the Lord of the Nazgul, but was sorely wounded. She was also brought down by the Black Breath, and taken to the Houses of Healing in Gondor. There, she too was healed by Aragorn the night after the battle was won (in great part thanks to her).

“For you and I have both passed under the wings of the Shadow, and the same hand drew us back.” – Faramir, The Steward and The King, RotK

…

And thus, we have our set-up. Both are in the Houses of Healing, and both have just lost so much of what was important to them. Eowyn seized her glory but did not find the death she had wanted, and Faramir was left as the last member of a family wreathed in tragedy and discontent.

Eowyn is deeply unhappy in the Houses, once again feeling caged and useless; she longs to join Aragorn and her brother in battle. When she argues with the Warden, he takes her to Faramir, who is now the ruling Steward.

“And coming, the Warden spoke his name, and he turned and saw the Lady Éowyn of Rohan; and he was moved with pity, for he saw that she was hurt, and his clear sight perceived her sorrow and unrest... He looked at her, and being a man whom pity deeply stirred, it seemed to him that her loveliness amid her grief would pierce his heart.”

Faramir listens to her but cannot let her leave;

“She did not answer, but as he looked at her it seemed to him that something in her softened, as though a bitter frost were yielding at the first faint presage of Spring. A tear sprang in her eye and fell down her cheek, like a glistening rain-drop.”

They must wait together, and see what the coming days will bring. But Eowyn wishes to look east, where all those hopes lie, and Faramir takes pity on her.

“And here you will find me, walking and waiting, and also looking east. It would ease my care, if you would speak to me, or walk at whiles with me.”
Then she raised her head and looked at him in the eyes again; and a colour came in her pale face. “How should I ease your care, my lord?' she said. 'And I do not desire the speech of living men.”

“Would you have my plain answer?” he said.

“I would.”

“Then, Éowyn of Rohan, I say to you that you are beautiful. In the valleys of your hills there are flowers fair and bright, and maidens fairer still; but neither maiden nor lady have I seen till now in Gondor so lovely, and so sorrowful. It may be that only a few days are left ere darkness falls upon our world, and when it comes I hope to face it steadily; but it would ease my heart, if while the Sun yet shines, I could see you still. For you and I have both passed under the wings of the Shadow, and the same hand drew us back.”

“Alas, not me, lord!” she said. “Shadow lies on my still. Look not to me for healing! I am a shieldmaiden and my hand is ungentle.” -RotK, JRR Tolkien


But Faramir’s hope has been rekindled, and he has found a purpose: to bring Eowyn back from herself. He is not discouraged by her reply and pursues her, talking first to Merry to learn more of her story. He then spends the next five days walking with and talking with her, slowly warming her heart and fueling her hope. Eowyn also begins to understand, subconsciously, that here lay a chance for real, genuine happiness and healing.

Turning Point : The Starry Mantle
On the fifth morning, Eowyn is standing beside him on the wall, wearing

“a great blue mantle of the coulour of deep summer-night, and it was set with silver stars about the hem and throat.” -RotK, JRR Tolkien


This cloak belonged t his mother, Finduilas of Amroth, who died when he was only five; this was probably one of the only things he had left of her and that he gave it to Eowyn is a symbol of his deep attachment. Faramir is a man who knows his own mind; now that he’s fallen for Eowyn, he’s going to make her fall for him.

“But think not ill of me, if I say to you: they have brought me both a joy and a pain that I never thought to know. Joy to see you; but pain, because now the fear and doubt of this evil time are grown dark indeed. Éowyn, I would not have this world end now, nor lose so soon what I have found.” -RotK, JRR Tolkien


But Eowyn is not ready to acknowledge her feelings, although she returns this speech with a warm smile – she is too overwhelmed by the darkness that approaches and is always on her mind. Eowyn lacks Faramir’s steadfast hope, and she is less ready to believe than he is. She does not quite understand how he can be so peaceful with whatever outcome there is to the battle. She also has to struggle with her now conflicting feelings for Aragorn and Faramir; she thinks she still wants Aragorn, still worships him, but subconsciously she is falling fast for Faramir.

“And as they stood so, their hands met and clasped, though they did not know it.” -RotK, JRR Tolkien


Faramir remembers a dream he had of Numenor (the island country from Gondor’s founders escaped in the wake of its destruction and sinking) and of the great wave that consumes; he relates this to Eowyn.

She is frightened, and “suddenly she drew close to him.” -RotK, JRR Tolkien


But Faramir comforts her, and declares that even though his mind tells him that the darkness with consume all, because that seems to be the result of logical thought, his heart tells him differently because he has found her.

“But my heart says nay; and all my limbs are light, and a hope and joy are come to me that no reason can deny. Éowyn, Éowyn, White Lady of Rohan, in this hour I do not believe that any darkness will endure!' And he stopped and kissed her brow.” -RotK, JRR Tolkien


At the same time, the ultimate goal has been achieved: Gollum fell into Orodruin with the Ring, and the Army of the West was left battered but alive at the Black Gates. Faramir is healed and takes up his duties as the Steward, Merry leaves to join the army in Ithilien and Eowyn lingers in the Houses of Healing, although Eomer has sent for her as well.

Faramir wonders over this, not quite sure why she refuses to go to her brother. Eowyn meanwhile wanders the halls and gardens of the House, loosing the color and spirit she had gained in Faramir’s company. So, he goes to confront her, unsure himself of her reasons and afraid of knowing them.

He tries to be subtle, as he always is, but she grows frustrated and asks him to speak plainly. Faramir accedes and voices his thoughts bluntly, perhaps even more so than she had expected. He lays out the possible reasons for her to stay, making his own feelings clear. Eowyn is sullen and unsure, probably not even sure of her reasoning herself, merely staying because she cannot decide what to feel or think.

“ ‘Then if you will have it so, lady,' he said: 'you do not go, because only your brother called for you, and to look on the Lord Aragorn, Elendil's heir, in his triumph would now bring you no joy. Or because I do not go, and you desire still to be near me. And maybe for both these reasons, and you yourself cannot choose between them. Éowyn, do you not love me, or will you not?'
'I wished to be loved by another,' she answered. 'But I desire no man's pity.’ ”

Faramir takes over the conversation at this point, and makes her look him in the eyes as he speaks. When highly emotional, Faramir has a tendency to be thorough to the extreme and he lays out the matter of Aragorn and tears apart her self-loathing and despair. He takes her to task for scorning what he offers in the belief that it is pity, and enumerates the reasons he loves her – as a “lady high and valiant,” and a “lady beautiful, I deem, beyond the even the words of the Elven-tongue to tell.” (Which is also a clever little slap at Aragorn, raised by Elrond, in love with Arwen, and deeply meshed in all things Elvish.)

Faramir then lays down his ultimatum (something else he tends to do when emotionally pressed, such as his last confrontation with Denethor, when he accepts the mission to Ithilien).

“But now, were you sorrowless, without fear or any lack, were you the blissful Queen of Gondor, still I would love you. Éowyn do you not love me?”

And then the sun breaks through clouds and there is much said of beauty and happiness and acceptance, as Eowyn comes at last to understand herself, and to recognize her love for Faramir.

“And again she looked at Faramir. 'No longer do I desire to be a queen,' she said.
Then Faramir laughed merrily. 'That is well,' he said; 'for I am not a king. Yet I will wed with the White Lady of Rohan, if it be her will. And if she will, then let us cross the River and in happier days let us dwell in fair Ithilien and there make a garden. All things will grow with joy there, if the White Lady comes.'

'Then must I leave my own people, man of Gondor?' she said. 'And would you have your proud folk say of you: "There goes a lord who tamed a wild shieldmaiden of the North! Was there no woman of the race of Númenor to choose?"'

'I would,' said Faramir. And he took her in his arms and kissed her under the sunlit sky, and he cared not that they stood high upon the walls in the sight of many. And many indeed saw them and light that shone about them as they came down from the walls and went hand in hand to the Houses of Healing.”

They married, and had at least one child, a son named Elboron, and at least one grandchild – Barahir, who wrote the ‘Tale of Arwen and Aragorn’.

And they lived, for the most part, happily ever after.

INTERPRETATION

I tried to analyze as I went with the ‘Story’ portion, to get the bare bones laid out before really getting my teeth into the dynamics between this pair. On that note, here’s the meat of the essay. Enjoy!

To understand Faramir’s actions and feelings it is important to understand where he’s coming from, emotionally - a very deep and loving bond with his brother Boromir and a strained, abusive and political relationship with his father. In the end, he was unable to save either and I think that he developed a bit of a complex from that.

He probably considers himself partly responsible for Boromir’s death – or at least for Boromir’s taking the trip to Rivendell, when it was he who had the dreams – despite the fact that Boromir insisted upon being the one to go. Denethor, of course, blames Faramir, and this speeds his own descent into despair and madness.

And then he wakes up and realizes that both of them are dead, both for horrible and tragic reasons. That sort of thing can’t possibly be healthy. But before long he is distracted by Eowyn’s presence. She gives him hope and eases the pain of loss and of being left to watch the battle and think of Frodo’s desperate journey across Mordor.

Being the perceptive son of Numenor he is, Faramir sees Eowyn’s problems very quickly: she has no self esteem, a death wish, and an unrequited, misunderstood love for Aragorn. He pities her at first, but after learning more from Merry the pity becomes a profound respect for her accomplishments and a grief for her inability to see more than what she has lost. She tells him that her hands are ungentle, and he sets himself the task of convincing her that they aren’t.

Eowyn needs somebody like Faramir, who can understand her passion and share in it, but also has a passion for peace. Faramir has an enormous capacity to forgive, and guilt-plagued, restraint-weary Eowyn needs that forgiveness. Aragorn, I think, would not have been able to overlook her errors as a leader - she abandoned her people when she rode to war, however brave that act was. She is more of a coward than she likes to think, although it is a different sort of fear than physically turning away from a fight.

The Aragorn question, in my opinion, is actually quite simple: it is not a question of Aragorn deserving a strong, forward woman like Eowyn, it is the fact that Aragorn needs Arwen. He needs a queen, and that Eowyn could never be. Aragorn’s wife has to symbolize everything about the victory, about the future of Gondor and the waning of the Elves. She has to be more than a mere woman. She has to be Arwen. Aragorn’s destiny and long journey demand it. And those demands would tear Eowyn apart; she would be miserable.

As Aragorn explains to Eomer, she loves him as the great Captain, like a boy would idolize a war hero. She believes he could give her freedom, but the truth is he would only take it away by making her his wife and queen.

The one who can truly offer her freedom is Faramir, who pursued her. He fell in love with her first, and the relationship was his to develop. This gave him what he needed to give her what she needed – enough control to be truly free. With Faramir in Ithilien, she can be – will be required to be – both a healer and a warrior. Faramir, who does not have the same demands of destiny, the same pull of years of Elvish upbringing, can give her what Aragorn gave up the ability to give a long time ago.

They balance each other - Faramir has been fighting, and more importantly winning, emotional and mental battles all his life. But he is an extremely capable warrior when the occasion demands and thus is able to earn Eowyn’s respect Also, Eowyn is very similar to Boromir in a lot of ways, and Faramir has experience being a foil to that type of personality.

I find this one of the most incredibly romantic things possible: he heals her and in doing so heals himself, proving to himself that he can save somebody from their own mind in a way he was unable to save his father and brother. His pure selflessness brings him his reward, which is a theme of Tolkien’s work – he rewards his characters.

These rewards and victories are symbolized by nature; Faramir and Eowyn’s restoration of the once-beautiful Ithilien, Aragorn and Arwen’s renewal of the White Tree, and Sam’s restoration of the Shire. The relationships themselves are also symbols of the regrowth and rebirth of Middle Earth, and of people coming together for the new times – Aragorn and Arwen join the long sundered half-elven lines, Faramir and Eowyn (and Eomer/Lothiriel) cement Gondor and Rohan.


WHY

This couple has had a huge impact on me personally (and has probably skewed my views of romance way too far from reality) – there’s something really beautiful about it.

Also, I enjoy how unique it is in Tolkien’s work – most romances, especially between people who have demonstrated emotional need for fulfillment, as Eowyn and Faramir have – do not work out so deftly. Faramir is the only Tolkien character of any race to succeed in convincing his chosen that she does, in fact, love him and not whatever mystical man she was chasing before. Consider, if you will, the situation of Finduilas and Turin; she turns away from the elf who has loved her for centuries to swoon over the destined-to-marry-his-sister-and-die-messily Turin, who certainly doesn’t return her feelings and who eventually abandons her for revenge. That elf - whose name I can’t remember at the moment, will go look it up - is unable to turn her affections away from Turin and she is killed (messily).

The situations are not identical, but there are other love stories in Middle Earth that do not end nearly so happy as Faramir and Eowyn’s. Even Arwen and Aragorn must cope with mortality at the very end.

And then, there’s the fact that Tolkien himself saw something important in Faramir and Eowyn’s courtship and relationship – otherwise it would have gotten stuffed in the appendices with ‘The Tale of Arwen and Aragorn’. Because F/E is unique in the Tolkien-verse, it was a message he wanted to get across – healing and understanding, and being able to move on.

Basically, I love these two because they take so many injured and bad things, so many broken hopes and dreams, and turn them into a profound and loving relationship.

And the literary analysis geek in me loves them for the sheer amount of weight behind what is, on the surface, some very pretty poetry.

FANDOM

I’m not very firmly entrenched in the fandom –especially the current one, which is labyrinth-like and divided into several factions that coexist more or less peacefully.

I don’t read a lot of fanfiction because I’m satisfied with the original text, which, for me, says all it needs to. So here’s what I’ve been able to scrounge up.

Websites:
Emyn Arnen - A huge site dedicated completely to F/E. Includes a forum and a decent fanfiction archive. Good source for images, quotes, and talking.

Fanfiction:
Still Would I Love You
Knight’s Service
Also – here http://fanfiction.emyn-arnen.net/viewuser.php?uid=31 are Tanaqui’s other F/E stories, also very sweet; several are a continuation of Knight’s Service.
Mantle of Stars
A Good Number
Faithful Star

Art:
Anke Eissman does some incredibly amazing illustrations, including a lot of gorgeous Faramir/Eowyn. Definitely my fix for visuals.

Comments

[misscam.livejournal.com]

Nicely summed up.

[cendrillo.livejournal.com]

That's beautiful. I went and bought the extended edition of the ROTK dvd specifically so that I could catch what would prolly be a rather brief Faramir/Eowyn.

And reading that in the book made me giddy. Faramir and Gandalf are my two favorites, so I only wished the best for either.

Which they did get, thank God.

That was a beautiful analysis, though. I fear the fanfiction for LOTR because, as you said yourself, the original text is wonderful. Then again, I have a bias towards fanfic-ing any sort of novel. Especially near classics.

Not that I don't write fanfic, mind you. Just in fandoms that are... open.

Anyway, I've babbled off course. Great work.

~Cendri

[findingfaramir.livejournal.com]

Yes, I feel the same way about fanfiction. I have major knee-jerk reactions to anything that remotely skews my view of the characters. I pretty much forced myself to try and find some for this essay because it seemed to be what people expected at the end. The only stuff I really like in LotR fic is really obscure Silmarillion fic that takes a few throw away lines and makes something that works beautifully. Oh so hard to find, though!

Faramir/Eowyn in the books always makes me giddy - I suspect that my perception of romance has been royally screwed over by this. :)

Thank you for the comment!

[just-jimbo.livejournal.com]

I'll bet you could find fanfic you'd really like that would maybe take them beyond where they were left by Tolkien. There's a lot of great LOTR fanfic.

I think your essay was very well done. I would have liked at least a reference to the movies, though, since that's where so many of the fans came from, and there's nothing wrong with that (since the movies were so well done).

Do you picture the characters looking like the movies, or did you not like those choices? I notice you have a movie icon.

I'm curious when a 'book fan' is faced with a huge fandom of movie-goers. I know this sometimes becomes an issue. It's interesting to read fans who are suspicious of fanfic, especially in one of these manifestos.

I really like the character of Faramir (books and movies), because he's such a straight-arrow and such a thinker. His affect on Eowyn is wonderful, and I don't think it reduces her in any way.

[findingfaramir.livejournal.com]

Don't get me wrong, I love the movies to pieces and I've seen them a million times. I just didn't feel that there was any real reason to mention them here because the F/E in them is two lines and a shared smile. And I love the actors, who I think did an excellent job with the material in the time they were given. I will admit to wishing David Wenham had black hair sometimes but I never remember that when I'm watching him as Faramir.

Fanfic isn't something I dislike in general - it's just that my mood varies by fandom and by whatever my first encounters are. I'm just afraid, I suppose, of having to bleach my brain too often before I find stuff that really is good, although it probably is out there. And being so attached to the books I just have high standards for what good, long - it's easy to find good one shots and drabbles, harder to find chaptered stories - involves. And without reading the books and absorbing the details and language I just think it would be really difficult to capture the same feel.

Anyway! Thank you for the comment and the questions, because I love to talk about this stuff. :) So sorry if this rambles a bit!

[frightened-auk.livejournal.com]

Very nice. I like your comment on Faramir saving himself through saving Eowyn - i've had arguments with a friend who feels the F/E relationship is very antifeminist (he sees her, "saves" her, and she "gives up her greater ambitions" with Aragorn etc), and i think you've captured the heart of why it isn't. Faramir needs Eowyn as much as Eowyn needs Faramir. And that is a beautiful and romantic thought (and very Tolkienesque).

I do disagree with you on a couple points. There's this one:

(Which is also a clever little slap at Aragorn, raised by Elrond, in love with Arwen, and deeply meshed in all things Elvish.)

Tongue-in-cheek, sure ^_^ but slighting Elessar had to be the last thing on Faramir's mind, he's a dyed-in-the-wool Numenor/Noldor fanboi.

And also, as far as the uniqueness goes; while Turin's side perhaps doesn't do so well for itself, remember that the rest of the family actually has a lot going for it. There are epic loves all through the Sil. Melian gives up Valinor for her love of Thingol, Idril and Tuor ride happy and heroically into the sunset, and we can't forget Beren and Luthien, the most passionate, devoted, and heroic couple in the history of Middle Earth who braved the throne room of Morgoth for love of each other and got a second life, and the promise of continued union after death. Hm. I feel a Beren/Luthien manifesto coming on.

I think the lesson here is only interracial dating has any prayer of working out o.O You're right, F/E is unique in Tolkien.

And a question - in what ways do you find Eowyn similar to Boromir?

[findingfaramir.livejournal.com]

Hello! Thank you, I dislike it when people call Faramir/Eowyn antifeminist and go on about how she can't really love Faramir because she decides to be a healer instead of a warrior. But the thing is, she realizes that she doesn't have to be a warrior to be amazing and loveable. Also, I think I remember seeing a quote from Tolkien somewhere about Eowyn not being an 'Amazon' as such, but rather a woman who could do courageous things when she had to.

And RE: the tongue-in-cheek bit, hee, that was more me being weird because I'd been working on this for a couple hours straight. Um, lemme see if I can explain my thoughts here, which is hard ot do sometimes! :) I think it's less of slight and maybe a bit of a gentle reminder of how very different Aragorn is, and why he can't see her in that romantic light she wanted.

And on uniqueness, I was thinking along the lines of an unrequited love that worked out happily, with the person who falls in love first winning the heart of the other. Beren and Luthien is mutual, Tuor and Idril is mutual - but oh, gosh, what's his name. The elf who was in love with Luthien, I'm blanking on his name but I know it starts with a D - he ends up disappearing for the rest of time. And Maglin comes to a (deservedly so) nasty end after failing to take Idril. And both Finduilas and Gwindor get screwed over by her falling for Turin.

*blinks* Yeah, apparently two people of the same race just don't know how to deal with each other. :)

As for Eowyn and Boromir, well, mostly it's that they both have that drive to take things into their own hands, whether or not its the right thing to do. Boromir insists on going to Rivendell, Eowyn insists on going to the Pelenor. They're stubborn and a little self-absorbed, but very passionate. They act on instinct - so does Faramir, to an extent, but it's instinct backed up by his 'true son of Numenor powers whee' gig. They both do the most obvious, important thing while Faramir is subtle and doesn't mind being in the background.

Anyways! Thank you for the comment, and I apologize if I've talked too much here! But I love to debate over Tolkien and sadly, do not have the opportunity often.

[oyceter]

Aw, thanks! I imprinted very early on Eowyn when I read the books in sixth grade, and I've always, always loved the Eowyn and Faramir story in RotK. (alas, not enough in the movie by far!)

[kathyh]

he heals her and in doing so heals himself, proving to himself that he can save somebody from their own mind in a way he was unable to save his father and brother.

Great point. I hadn't really thought of it quite like that but you're so right.Excellent summary of my favourite relationship in all of Tolkien's works. Many thanks.

[burntcopper.livejournal.com]

Like many, I did seethe mightily when PJ reduced their appearance toa small grin at each other, because F/E is the non-angst, non-starcrossed, non-class friction (yes, Sam and Frodo, I'm talking to you two) *normal* relationship. Faramir and Eowyn : fabulous role models (Eowyn's normally held up as the 'well, when I was looking for role models as a little girl, there was this blonde girl who fought and then realised it was useless to pine over the bloke who wasn't interested and went for the bloke who liked her....')

[mushroom18.livejournal.com]

Aaaaah, I love Faramir and Eowyn. Their love story in the extended DVD was brief, but I still felt the same whimsical air as the one in the books. :)

[dropsofgleam.livejournal.com]

//The Aragorn question, in my opinion, is actually quite simple: it is not a question of Aragorn deserving a strong, forward woman like Eowyn, it is the fact that Aragorn needs Arwen. He needs a queen, and that Eowyn could never be. Aragorn’s wife has to symbolize everything about the victory, about the future of Gondor and the waning of the Elves. She has to be more than a mere woman. She has to be Arwen. Aragorn’s destiny and long journey demand it. And those demands would tear Eowyn apart; she would be miserable. //

Yes. Yes. YES!!!! * hugs you and weeps *

Many people can't see that, as honest as her feelings for Aragorn were, Eowyn would've been extremely unhappy if she had pursued him. She would've never been able to really develop herself if she were the Queen of Gondor. Arwen, who's already Aragorn's rock to rest upon, fitten in perfectly - and Eowyn was a good woman who deserved to move on and search a happiness of her own.

Great essay about my LotR OTP. Thank you. :D

[the_rck]

Sadly, the fic links seem to be broken.

[findingfaramir.livejournal.com]

Ack. I must have done something weird with the html. Sorry! I'l go in and fix it later. Thanks for letting me know. :)

[leahcinnamon.livejournal.com]

Completly unrelated, I think I'm in love with your icon. Would you care to share the source material?

[profshallowness.livejournal.com]

Thank you for this reminder of the loveliness that is this couple. The elements of healing that you discuss and how the relationship is based on real knowledge of each other's character always gets to me.

I did find the lack of consistency in tense in the parts explaining their histories confusing though.

[http://users.livejournal.com/____starglass/]

I officially LOVE YOU!!!

[kate-swynford.livejournal.com]

A very good essay. When I first read the book I found this storyline very romantic (visually, so to speak), but I didn't like Eowyn very much and I didn't believe she could really love Faramir the way he deserved to be loved. It took me a long time to "get" this relationship. I guess it came with age and experience, and I realized (again) just how complex Tolkien's work really is. It never fails to amaze me. I grew to like Eowyn, and the movies helped that a lot as well as several fics by Altariel and Isabeau of Greenlea, although I am not very much into LOTR fanfiction. I think you've captured all the subtleties of the Faramir/Eowyn romance very well.

And ditto for Anke Eissman's work! These are the best LOTR illustrations I've come across.

[fivil.livejournal.com]

I arrive late but at least I'm here.

This was such a good essay. It brought out all the important moments and the interpretation was lovely and so spot-on. It showed that you don't just ship, you also think and analyze the characters. And it showed that with Tolkien, there is something there to analyze, something profound to understand about these characters and their relationship.

Lovely, lovely.

[ladynorbert.livejournal.com]

*squee* Sorry, I know I'm coming in amazingly late, but I only just started exploring this community's archives. I really really love your manifesto -- F/E is my favorite Tolkien ship and you've illustrated it beautifully!

[ladylavinia.livejournal.com]

It's interesting that Faramir and Eowyn became my two favorite LOTR characters . . . even before Tolkien hooked them up together. It was disappointing that we only saw 10 seconds of them together in the movie. However . . . there is the Extended version of ROTK to consider.

[ladililn.livejournal.com]

Awww. One of my all time favorite couples. Good job.

[doranwen.livejournal.com]

I really liked this. I fell in love with LOTR about the same time you did. Though I did get into some fanfic later--at first, just humor and silly stuff (I was 14, so it was understandable). I went through the entire ff.n category of LOTR back when they had 200-some fics (it was fantasy classic that only fantasy fanatics had read or heard of then, the movies weren't even being made yet), and found several really good authors which I've continued to follow to this day. Among their work, I have found several good fanfics continuing or adding to Faramir and Éowyn's story, which I can provide links for if you would like. There's one I have in mind that is simply *excellent*--it does show how Denethor's abuse of him affected him some, and goes into battle-weariness some. It's exceptionally well done.

[slashedsilver.livejournal.com]

Beautiful. I fell in love with the couple before I even read the books, so the quotes you picked made me shiver with delight. What a poetic writer Tolkien is. And you, too, for taking up the challenge to put Eowyn and Faramir's relationship into words.