Oxonmoot 2024

"The love between Éowyn and Faramir is one of the most engaging love stories in The Lord of the Rings as the reader is witness to their first encounter, and observes them growing closer. Nonetheless, the relationship is sometimes misunderstood as a rushed taming of Éowyn, and not all readers are able to appreciate the deep beauty behind Tolkien’s description of this budding love.
Key to unlocking the depth and beauty of their encounter is Tolkien’s usage of “looking”. Tolkien’s text had almost always positioned Éowyn as the unilateral object of others’ gazes. With Faramir, she is set free to look for herself. Inviting her gaze to stray where it longs, and eventually joining her, Faramir learns to look at the world together with Éowyn. With him, for the first time in the text, Éowyn is free to look where her heart longs, and her heart begins to long for the experience of looking out at the world together, as she emerges from under the shadow."