Judith, Éowyn, and the Alloying Effects of Sexualized Violence

Critics have argued that J. R. R. Tolkien uses his northern heroic characters to fix the broken heroism of Old English characters. However, I suggest that Tolkien does not pursue the same motivation in constructing his heroines. Rather, women demonstrate a distinct form of “alloyed” northern heroism due to their experiences of marginalization. When we compare the heroic actions of the Old English Judith to Tolkien’s Éowyn, while demonstrating northern heroic qualities, both Judith and Éowyn must additionally contend with threats of gendered, sexualized violence. Judith’s fight against Holofernes is not only a fight against an opposing political power, it is also implicated in struggles against sexual subjugation and the harassment of women. When she fights, she risks permanent social and cultural marginalization, losing her status as a “chaste woman.” The outcome of Éowyn’s fight against the Witch-king is similarly determined by her role as a woman. Her initial social role as cup-bearer shapes how her heroism is read, as does the Witch-king’s threat of sexualized violence and her ultimate return to the private sphere. Together, these elements construct a gendered arc that has no parallel among Tolkien’s male characters.