Ladies of the Ring
70How we can tell that J.R.R. Tolkien was born in Queen Victoria's reign:
The "Lord of the Rings" is a high heroic fantasy adventure which has done exactly what Tolkien had originally intended, to provide a mythology for England (and to a large extent, the English-speaking world) to rival the Scandinavian Eddas, the German Ring Cycle or Finland's Kalevala.
However, Tolkien himself was born in Victoian times and it shows in his treatment of LoTR's female characters.
The story concerns a magic ring, secretly forged to control the 19 other rings held by elves, dwarves and men, which can only be destroyed by dropping it into the mouth of the volcano where it was originally forged. To help the ring carrier (Frodo Baggins) on his way a Company assembles (The Nine Walkers), which comprises 4 Hobbits, 2 men, an elf, a dwarf and a magician (who may, or may not, be human).
How many of these Walkers are female? Given that women comprise 50% of humanity, you might expect at least one or two. There are none.
So, how many women do appear in the LoTR? I can only count 5.
The first is Rosie Cotton, a Hobbit barmaid, with whom Sam Gamgee (Frodo's gardener and companion) has an "understanding". She doesn't have a character as such, she is just a stereotypical 'country barmaid' for most of the time and when Sam comes back home from his adventures, provides food and slippers like a good Victorian wife should.
Next is Goldberry, the daughter of the River King and so probably a water nymph of some kind. She is married to Tom Bombadill (with whom, unfortunately, she didn't make it into any of the LoTR films). Again, although she wanders through the countryside by herself (a most un-Victorian behaviour) , she is shown only as making the hobbits welcome at her home and providing food and shelter, again, like a perfectly correct Victorian housewife should.
The third female actually does take a more prominent position, the powerful elf Lady, Galadriel. Everyone refers to her powers and, indeed, we are told that she carries one of the three rings of power held by the elves, but, when it boils down to it, all she does is provide shelter to the Walkers, advice and to give Frodo the equivalent of a Magnalite torch!
Arwen Evenstar is a mostly elf lady who is desperately in love with Aragorn, the lost king of Gondor. Because at the beginning of the books, he is unable to claim his throne, he feels that he cannot offer to marry Arwen. As the story progresses, though, Arwen takes matters into her own hands and gives up her Elven birthright and the chance to emigrate to the Undying lands in the West, to marry Aragorn - and then when he eventually dies, to go wandering into the woods of Lorien, where she 'fades away' and presumably dies of a broken heart. ('Too, too Victorian for words, my dear')
The last strong female character I can find in the books is Eowyn, daughter to Theoden, King of the Mark of Rohan. She is treated even worse than poor Arwen. She complains that she wants more than to be 'mewed up in a bower' and once free of Grima Wormtongue's unwelcome attentions, she too fixes her sights on Aragorn. (Can't think why - he's a prat)
He tells her (very kindly, I must admit), that she has no chance at all, since he's promised to Arwen. After Theoden recovers from Wormtongue's morale breaking harangues, the warriors of the Mark ride to Gondor's assistance - and Eowyn rides with them. Dressed as a warrior, she takes part in the subsequent battle and, although unable to save her father's life, she does actually kill the King of the RingWraiths, something that no man can do.
What is her reward for all her heroism? She marries Faramir, younger son of the Steward of Gondor who, although by far the most attractive of all the Gondorian characters, will probably keep her mewed up in a bower, only taking her out so that she can open schools and church fetes!
Faramir is the son of the Steward of Gondor (Aragorn is the actual King there, although the Stewards have ruled for years). Eowyn is the daughter of the king of Rohan and so, a princess in her own right (not to mention having a pretty good claim to rule Rohan herself, since Theoden's only son was killed just before the story opened), so she really has to marry beneath her, by Victorian standards - and, considering that Victoria was Queen of England when Tolkein was born, why couldn't he have made Eowyn the future Queen of Rohan?.
Tolkien, being a Victorian, probably couldn't imagine a world like today's, where some women actually volunteer to go to war and others are highly placed government and business leaders, but surely he could have given us a few more active female participants?
It seems that the Victorians did love their melodramas and novels to have sad endings (think of 'East Lynn' - or try not to!) and so, although LoTR ends with the destruction of the evil ring, a lot of the characters do not get the endings to which their efforts might have entitled them.
In some ways, this is a good idea. Once the battle is over, everyone has to get on with living their lives as best they can and LoTR doesn't end like most fantasies - happily ever after - but with people coping as best they can.
It is just such a pity that the Ladies of the Ring had to cope in a very Victorian mileau, when the books themselves were written so much later.
