Eowyn vs. Aragorn

[MatthewM]

I don't think Eowyn ever, ever had Aragorn. If you're talking in terms of love, especially. His wisdom surpassed and understood her almost child-like love for him, in my opinion. By the sword, I still don't think she would have Aragorn, although I love Eowyn, and she did kill the Witch-King, I must give the credit where it is due. But I still don't think she could have had Aragorn in any way, shape, or form. Sorry girls.

[Finduilas]

I think that the impression given in the movie was that Eowyn beat Aragorn. I think that Eowyn wouldn't have be able to for real, but I think that the movie makers wanted her to get Aragorn of guard. I watched that part last night, and it seems as if she puts his dagger out of the way, and then holds her sword to his throat.

For the record, I think that this was wrong for the movie makers to do, but will say, that other things that they did bothered me more.

[Kath]

I don't think she ever had him in the sense of having beaten him. I do think he was a little surprised. Probably figured she was just waving a sword around, had maybe had a little experience with it but nothing much, and was startled by the fact she really did know what to do with it. However, even with the position she had him in I think he would have regained the upper hand pretty fast if he had wanted to.

[Folwren]

I don't think that if it had been a serious encounter, Aragorn would have approached her in such a manner. Of course, in a real fight, he would win. But at that moment right then and there, did she not put him off his guard and have him in a rather tight place? (Anyway, didn't it appear so?)

I'm not asking you to think about it. I'm asking you, what was your impression, just watching it? Quit analizing it. What did you see?

I know I saw Eowyn put Aragorn off his guard and put him in a tight place that, had she continued the stroke, would have ended up with him killed. Yes, maybe Aragorn wasn't really fighting. Yes, maybe Eowyn did catch him by surprise. Yes, maybe Aragorn was just expecting her to back down and concede to his statement. It doesn't matter - Eowyn removed the dagger from between his body and her sword, and you can't deny it. If it was Aragorn's move, then he made an awful mistake.

-- Folwren

[Ataralasse]

I saw it go something like this...

First, she was just startled because she didn't hear him coming. She wasn't annoyed at him, just a tiny bit freaked. He is her crush, after all.

Then he says she has "some" skill with a blade. Ticked, she makes a move: she challenges him: "Try me." She wanted to show him that she had more than just "some" skill with a blade, or that whatever she might lack in skill she made up for in spirit or courage or whatnot. Aragorn refused to fight, and she began her short "The women of this country..." speech.

In short, I didn't really see it as a "who was in charge" sort of move. I saw it as a challenge. She didn't want to beat him yet. She wanted to fight him first.

Or maybe ... ::thinks::

Maybe she thought she already won, but she wanted to see what he'd do. Sort of like 'checkmate': you haven't actually captured the king (king? heh) -- you don't have to: he can't make any more moves. But Aragorn neither accepted nor rejected that she'd won, and that ticked her off. "The women of this country...&c."

Hmm ... I guess I'm sitting the fence on this one. >_<

[TheGreatElvenWarrior]

Originally Posted by Ataralasse

I saw it go something like this...

First, she was just startled because she didn't hear him coming. She wasn't annoyed at him, just a tiny bit freaked. He is her crush, after all.

Then he says she has "some" skill with a blade. Ticked, she makes a move: she challenges him: "Try me." She wanted to show him that she had more than just "some" skill with a blade, or that whatever she might lack in skill she made up for in spirit or courage or whatnot. Aragorn refused to fight, and she began her short "The women of this country..." speech.

In short, I didn't really see it as a "who was in charge" sort of move. I saw it as a challenge. She didn't want to beat him yet. She wanted to fight him first.

Or maybe ... ::thinks::

Maybe she thought she already won, but she wanted to see what he'd do. Sort of like 'checkmate': you haven't actually captured the king (king? heh) -- you don't have to: he can't make any more moves. But Aragorn neither accepted nor rejected that she'd won, and that ticked her off. "The women of this country...&c."

Hmm ... I guess I'm sitting the fence on this one. >_<

well that is true hmmm...

[Groin Redbeard]

I think the whole purpose of that scene was to show Eowyn's skill. Aragorn was in a relaxed posture, clearly just teasing her. Not to say that Eowyn's more skilled than Aragorn, but to say that she is not without skill.

[Knight of Gondor]

Originally Posted by Kath

I don't think she ever had him in the sense of having beaten him. I do think he was a little surprised. Probably figured she was just waving a sword around, had maybe had a little experience with it but nothing much, and was startled by the fact she really did know what to do with it. However, even with the position she had him in I think he would have regained the upper hand pretty fast if he had wanted to.

I agree; I don't think Aragorn was playing with her. He was interrupting her testosterone kick by catching her blade with his. (And yes, blade on blade, very bad.) He wasn't playing, and he wasn't trying to start something. He was just stopping the (irresponsible?) swooshing around to say something. I don't believe he expected her to swing his dagger (it was only his dagger, after all!) out of the way.

I think Ataralasse's analysis may be right; she may have been trying to show that she's not just playing around with a sword, that she really can handle it. A lesser lesser person would concede her point. A lesser person would immediately go back on the defensive to prove a point of his own. But Aragorn, son of Arathorn, heir to the throne of Gondor, has no point to prove to the lady of Rohan, and neither concedes nor contests the point.

Do I think she caught him off guard, yes. Do I think that she could have won that battle, no. Aragorn knew there was no serious threat; she did not mean him harm, and could not have beaten him if she had.

[Quempel]

Eowyn destroyed the witch king.
Frodo destroyed Sauron and Gollum.
Gandalf destroyed the Balrog.
Aragorn did what any king would do took the credit.

Could he best Eowyn, maybe, but he couldn't best the witch king, so maybe not. Of course he is old by the time he meets Eowyn, she could probably just out run him. Or feed him stew.

[Nimrodel_9]

Of course she had him beat. She's a woman, isn't she?

Very nice.

Yeah, she had him beat. Not to say that if they really went at it she would win. I think he was just not expecting it.

[Snowdog]

Did Eowyn have Aragorn whipped?
Maybe for awhile, starting with Aragorn's taking note of the beautiful blonde in white he saw. She likely thought she did, beginning with his taking the cup from her at the Helms Deep victory party. But most likely Aragorn just decided to take advantage of her for the time he was with the Rohirrim after tasting her cooking, for when he was done with her he tried sneaking off in the early morn down the Paths of the Dead.

Did Aragorn have Eowyn whipped? Apparently so since she was the one all broken up about his leaving.

Seriously... Surely Aragorn did not take the spar seriously, knowing she wouldn't hurt him. But then again he did have a habit of being caught at unawares by women...

[Beleg Cuthalion]

Originally Posted by Finduilas

For the record, I think that this was wrong for the movie makers to do, but will say, that other things that they did bothered me more.

Like the fact that he parried edge on edge in that scene? Very, very bad.

[Anguirel]

"What's this, a Ranger caught off his guard again? What do we pay you for?"

[Sir Kohran]

Originally Posted by Anguirel

"What's this, a Ranger caught off his guard again? What do we pay you for?"

"Shut up and drool over my good looks!"


As to whether Eowyn had beaten Aragorn...I really doubt that a warrior with at least sixty years experience, arguably the finest swordsman of his time, could be bested by a twenty four year old girl. I think he was just playing with her.

[Folwren]

Dang. He was playing a pretty dangerous game, then, and I think he lost.

[alatar]

Originally Posted by Sir Kohran

As to whether Eowyn had beaten Aragorn...I really doubt that a warrior with at least sixty years experience, arguably the finest swordsman of his time, could be bested by a twenty four year old girl. I think he was just playing with her.

Exactly! Just like Gandalf, lying prone on the floor, staffless, was just toying with the Witch-King. Remember, my pretties, this is Peter Jackson's universe, and sixty years of experience may have lost it all to one foolish misstep. And, from experience, there was a time as a bachelor when the presence of the female kind increased my stupidity quotient exponentially, decreased my dexterity and dropped my charisma by 5 points.

And regarding knives and princesses, there's that at the end of this post.

[Finduilas]

Originally Posted by Beleg Cuthalion

Like the fact that he parried edge on edge in that scene? Very, very bad.

Well, I will admit that I hadn't noticed that, at least I don't think I had noticed it, I might have. I was talking about... well, Foley probably wouldn't like me turning this into a thread of all the things I dislike

As to whether Eowyn had beaten Aragorn...I really doubt that a warrior with at least sixty years experience, arguably the finest swordsman of his time, could be bested by a twenty four year old girl. I think he was just playing with her.

Of course she couldn't, but he wasn't fighting. He was just playing with her, and therefore, when she twisted his blade out of the way, she surprised him, and since he wasn't fighting he let her win.

I just watched this the other night, she made the move, he had nothing to do with it. She decided she didn't want him blocking her sword so she dealt with it.