TheLord of the Ringstrilogy is not exactly a hotbed of romance, either in the books or the movies. They’re far more concerned about the conflict surrounding the ring, and most of the characters featured in the story don’t even think about romance. But there are some characters where romance factors in: specifically, Aragorn, Arwen, and Éowyn.
In the movies, these three are in a love triangle. When Éowyn is introduced in the second movie,The Two Towers, there is a spark for both Éowyn and Aragorn. But Aragorn is also in love with Arwen and has been for decades, according to the appendices of the books ofThe Lord of the Rings. How did Éowyn and Aragorn become a possibility then? Let’s take a look.
Éowyn and Aragorn Are Heavily Teased in the Movies
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
While Éowyn and Aragorn never have a romance in the books, their relationship is heavily teased in the movies. Though there aren’t a great deal of scenes devoted to the pair, it is established that they care for one anotherinThe Two TowersandThe Return of the King. With the uncertainty surrounding whether Arwen went to the west with the other elves, it seems thatin the movies there is a possibility for a short time that Éowyn and Aragorn would end up together.
In fact, there are many fans who feel Éowyn would have been a better match for Aragorn. Clearly, she and Aragorn have a lot in common. She is a shieldmaiden of Rohan and therefore knows how to fight. She wants to do battle, which she states clearly in the books and the movies. Indeed, she disguises herself as a man and joins the fight outside Minas Tirith in Gondor inThe Return of the King. She is the one who manages to kill the Lord of the Nazgûl after her uncle, King Theoden, is mortally wounded, because, though no man can kill him, she is not a man.
Not only do Éowyn and Aragorn share a similar enthusiasm for battle, but they are both mortal as well. So, Aragorn would not have to feel guilty about being with someone who wouldn’t die as he would have with Arwen. Plus, both Éowyn and Aragorn are royalty, and a marriage would be beneficial for both the kingdom of Rohan and of Gondor.
But when it comes down to it, Éowyn and Aragorn don’t get together.Aragorn ends up with Arwenafter she decides against going to the East with her kind, and after the Battle of the Pelennor Fields,Éowyn falls in love with Faramir, the son of the former Regent of Gondor.
Lord of the Rings Star Viggo Mortensen Reveals What It Will Take for Him to Return in Prequel
Viggo Mortensen has revealed the conditions needed for him to reprise the role of Aragorn in The Hunt for Gollum.
Eowyn and Aragorn Ultimately Aren’t Meant to Be
If J.R.R. Tolkien had gone with his original plans forTheLord of the Rings,he would have had Éowyn marry Aragorn, according toThe History of Middle-Earth. But ultimately he decided that Aragorn was “too old” for Éowyn. This is one of the major reasons that Éowyn and Aragorn can’t be together. Though she is a maiden in her 20s, he is in his 80s at the time of the Battle of the Pelennor Fields. As Isildur’s heir, Aragorn is long-lived for a human, but the age difference is still extreme.
Tolkien also considered having Éowyn perish on the battlefield to save Theoden, only to have Aragorn realize he loved her after she died. But these plans also amounted to nothing. Instead, Éowyn is said to have an infatuation with Aragorn. “It is but a shadow and a thought that you love,” says Aragorn, politely turning her down in the movieThe Return of the King. “I cannot give you what you seek.“Though she thinks she loves him, her idealized view of him is not reality, and she eventually realizes that she cannot get what she wants from him.
Aragorn has been in love with Arwen since he was 20 years old, according to the “Tale of Aragorn and Arwen” in the books. The movies take pains to explain this. Though Arwen barely appears in the novels, she has a more active role in the movies. She gives Aragorn her Evenstar necklace and gives up her immortality to be with him. Plus, she seems like she is more equal to Aragorn, defending Frodo against the Nazgûl, which she doesn’t do in the books, and telling him that it is her choice to give the Evenstar to him when he attempts to give it back.
Lord of the Rings Stars Deliver an Unexpected Cast Reunion for New Food Series
Dominic Monaghan and Billy Boyd reunited with a certain wizard to film an episode of their upcoming food travelog.
Ultimately, though, it could be amatter of romancethat sees Aragorn with Arwen and not Éowyn. Since he was in love with Arwen since he was 20, Aragorn would have maintained his devotion and kept his promise to marry her. As long as Arwen is around, Éowyn doesn’t have a chance with him. In the end, Aragorn and Éowyn aren’t meant to be and, in the story of theLord of the Ringsas we know it, never were.
