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Steelsheen  by Ecthelion of the fountain 1 Review(s)
LeithianReviewed Chapter: 10 on 4/17/2025
I have greatly enjoyed your take on Eowyn, and the way you have carved her backstory and motivations. This story, especially the last chapters made me think a lot, about Eowyn, and female portrayal in media, in general. Thank you for giving Eowyn back her agency in her life, and the ability to make her own choices.

(By the way, I hated the scene between Eowyn and Wormtongue in the Two Towers movie, your version is way better)

“𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘪𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘊𝘢𝘱𝘵𝘢𝘪𝘯 𝘛𝘩𝘰𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘨𝘪𝘭, 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘳𝘦𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘶𝘯𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘦𝘥 𝘧𝘰𝘳—𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘩𝘰, 𝘪𝘵 𝘴𝘦𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘥, 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘢𝘵 𝘭𝘢𝘴𝘵 𝘢𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘥 𝘮𝘶𝘤𝘩 𝘰𝘧 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘭𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘥—𝘮𝘺 𝘫𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘯𝘦𝘺 𝘩𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘣𝘦 𝘮𝘢𝘥𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘴𝘢𝘧𝘦𝘵𝘺.”

Wow. You have given another explanation for why Eowyn turned to Aragorn, after knowing him for only a short time. It is possible that she found out that he was Thorongil, the legendary warrior.

“𝘐 𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘱, 𝘔𝘢𝘳𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘭,” 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥, 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘮 𝘪𝘯 𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘥, 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘣𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘥 𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘧𝘦𝘤𝘵. “𝘐 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘳𝘪𝘥𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 é𝘰𝘳𝘦𝘥.”
𝘌𝘭𝘧𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘮 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘵 𝘩𝘦𝘳—𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘭𝘺—𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘦𝘺𝘦𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘨𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯. 𝘕𝘰𝘵 𝘪𝘯 𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘦, 𝘯𝘰𝘳 𝘪𝘯 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘧𝘶𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘭𝘰𝘸 𝘥𝘢𝘸𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘧 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘦𝘦𝘯: 𝘢 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘧𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘥, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘺𝘦𝘵 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦.
“𝘔y 𝘭𝘢𝘥𝘺, 𝘐 𝘤𝘢𝘯𝘯𝘰𝘵—”
“𝘋𝘰 𝘪𝘵,” 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥 𝘲𝘶𝘪𝘦𝘵𝘭𝘺. “𝘍𝘰𝘳 𝘏𝘪𝘭𝘥. 𝘍𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘯𝘰 𝘤𝘩𝘰𝘪𝘤𝘦. 𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘮𝘦.”

I liked this interaction and the reason you included it. It does make a lot of sense that Elfhelm knew about her presence in the eored.

I miss Hild. She was so determined and so full of life, and I was very sad when she died.


Author Reply: Dear Leithian: my most sincere thanks for your kind support and encouragement—as always!

While the seed of this story was sown by the discovery that Morwen’s date of death was never recorded, I have long felt that Éowyn’s motivations have been treated with too much presumption and oversimplification—both in the film adaptation and, to some extent, even in the book itself. So much of what she might have thought and felt was expressed through the voices of those around her, yet Éowyn herself was given so few words of her own. I have my own interpretation of her, and I feel it may be best shared in the form of a story.

I wrote a fanfic about Théodred and Éomer more than ten years ago, titled Brethren, in Chinese. Éowyn appeared in that tale, but it was told chiefly through the eyes of her cousin and her brother, and thus could not truly reach into what she herself had endured. I now feel rather satisfied to have filled that gap. :) Once the other ongoing new story is complete, I may even be able to translate those earlier works as well—they offer an interesting contrast, covering certain shared events, yet presenting a markedly different perspective.

I hated the scene between Eowyn and Wormtongue in the Two Towers movie: To me, it felt overwrought—overly dramatic without capturing the true nature of either character. I’m glad you’ve enjoyed my version instead! It draws on all that is said by Saruman, Gandalf, and others, though pieced together anew.

You have given another explanation for why Eowyn turned to Aragorn: If we go strictly by the book, her shift in affection seems rather sudden: she stops at the doors of Meduseld, looks long upon Aragorn, and then suddenly turns away and enters the hall. When she reappears, waiting upon Théoden, her heart already seems inclined toward him. It is a swift turn, is it not? I chose to fill that space in my own way. :)

I liked this interaction and the reason you included it: Elfhelm definitely knew of her presence in the éored—and of Merry's presence. I’d always wondered why he would help her. Elfhild, and her story, was a possible answer I hinted at in my earlier fic Brethren, though it was not fully explored there. Now I finally have the chance to give her tale its due—for I imagine Éowyn was not the first woman to try, only the one who at last prevailed. And it seems right to give voice to those who came before her.

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