When creating The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, Peter Jackson, and his team had the difficult task of introducing the Rohirrim and getting the audience invested in their stories while simultaneously continuing the plot from The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring. It was crucial that the newly introduced characters had scenes to establish their motivations and personalities. Jackson clearly did an excellent job, as King Théoden, Éomer, and Éowyn quickly became fan favorites. One of how the film got viewers to care about the Rohirrim was by setting up character arcs that would not be paid off until the trilogy’s final installment, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King. For example, The Two Towers showcased Théoden’s reluctance to work together with Gondor, which he overcame in the following film when he led the Rohirrim to Minas Tirith.

Éowyn’s character arc in Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings films revolved around a desire to prove herself and break free from the societal expectations placed upon her. This arc began with a scene just before the Rohirrim left for Helm’s Deep, in which Éowyn and Aragorn discussed what the former feared. This conversation has become one of Éowyn’s most iconic moments from the trilogy, along with her duel against the Witch-king during the Battle of the Pelennor Fields, but it was not part of Jackson’s original plan. As revealed in the cast commentary track for The Two Towers, their conversation was once significantly different, and Éowyn actress Miranda Otto fought to change it into the version that fans know today.

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Éowyn’s Conversation With Aragorn Was Going to Occur Later in the Film

The scene, titled “A Daughter of Kings,” began with Éowyn practicing some sword swings in Meduseld. Aragorn complimented her skills, and she explained, “The women of this country learned long ago, that those without swords can still die upon them. I fear neither death nor pain.” Aragorn asked what she did fear, and she replied, “A cage. To stay behind bars until use and old age accept them and all chance of valor has gone beyond recall or desire.” She wanted to fight to protect her kingdom, but her loved ones, such as Théoden and Éomer, would not allow her to do so. She felt stifled and worried that she would accomplish nothing with her life. Aragorn assured her that she was “a shieldmaiden of Rohan” and that a cage would not be her “fate,” foreshadowing her pivotal role in the War of the Ring. As Otto explained in the cast commentary, this scene was originally going to be shorter and take place at a different point in the film.

Éowyn’s fear would have been one of the topics discussed while the Rohirrim traveled to Helm’s Deep, like Aragorn’s surprising age and the nature of Dwarven women. Otto felt that this version of the scene was not impactful enough, though she did not specify why. Perhaps it lacked a sense of intimacy since it was not a private conversation between Éowyn and Aragorn, or perhaps its proximity to funny moments like Gimli falling off his horse robbed it of emotional weight. Whatever the reason, Otto was disappointed, because she believed — correctly so — that the conversation was crucial to Éowyn’s characterization. She pushed for the scene to be changed, and she must have made her case well because Jackson chose to turn the conversation into its own dedicated scene earlier in the film.

Éowyn’s Conversation With Aragorn Deviated From the Novel

The dialogue for Éowyn’s conversation with Aragorn was lifted almost directly from the novel version of The Lord of the Rings, yet in Tolkien’s version of the story, it took place at yet another point. It was in The Return of the King rather than The Two Towers, just before Aragorn entered the Paths of the Dead. Éowyn lamented that she was to be left behind once again, and unlike in the film, Aragorn did not encourage her, instead urging her to remain where she would be safe. In Jackson’s The Return of the King, Éowyn indeed spoke to Aragorn before he entered the Paths of the Dead, but the topic of their conversation was her feelings for him rather than her desire to fight. Aragorn’s heart belonged to Arwen, so he told Éowyn, “It is but a shadow and a thought that you love. I cannot give you what you seek.”

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By placing the scene about Éowyn’s fear earlier in the story, the film gave Aragorn a better understanding of Éowyn, recontextualizing their later scenes together. In the cast commentary, Otto went on to explain that this scene was the moment in which Éowyn truly fell for Aragorn because he respected and validated her. One of the many factors that led to The Lord of the Rings films’ success was the cooperation between everyone involved. The actors cared enough about the story to suggest changes, and the director and writers valued this input. The original version of Éowyn’s conversation with Aragorn probably would have been functional, but it might not have connected so deeply with so many viewers if not for Otto’s conviction.

The Lord of the Rings

First Film

The Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring

Latest Film

The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies

Summary

The Lord of the Rings is a long-running fantasy franchise created by J.R.R. Tolkien. The core series consists of four primary books: The Hobbit, The Fellowship of the Ring, the Two Towers, and The Return of the King, all of which have been adapted into films. The Lord of the Rings core franchise centers around Frodo Baggins, a living being known as a hobbit, and a group of heroes from the various kingdoms such as the kingdom of man, the kingdom of dwarves, and the kingdom of elves. Together with the great wizard Gandalf, the group will embark on a perilous quest across Middle Earth to take The One Ring to Mount Doom to destroy it, before it can corrupt anyone and return to the hands of the evil entity known as Sauron, hellbent on conquering all of Middle Earth. The original novel/prequel films, The Hobbit, stars Frodo’s uncle Bilbo Baggins as he embarks on a quest from the comfort of his home and seeks the treasure of a dragon known as Smaug. Bilbo stumbles upon The One Ring on his quest, and finds himself amidst a great war. The most recent media for the franchise is the currently airing The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, airing exclusively on Prime Video.

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