One of the greatest love stories in film is the romance between Aragorn and Arwen in The Lord of the Rings. In the most turbulent of times, their love for each other is a ray of light in the darkness, giving hope for a brighter future. Their story, much like the legendary Beren and Luthien, proves that even an immortal and a mortal can find happiness against all odds.
However, not all Lord of the Rings lovers agree with this pairing. Many fans feel that Aragorn made a mistake when he rejected Éowyn, the niece of King Théoden of Rohan. In many ways, Éowyn is a perfect match for Aragorn. So why didn’t they end up together at the end of the trilogy? Let’s take a moment to speculate what might have been.
Lord Of The Rings: 6 Impressive Things Aragorn Did Before Joining The Fellowship
Aragorn has many great accomplishments in The Lord of the Rings, but his legend begins long before that fateful quest.
Aragorn Was Attracted To Éowyn In The Books
There were many changes made in The Lord of the Rings from the books to the movie trilogy, including the relationship between Aragorn and Éowyn. In the book and the movie The Two Towers, Éowyn and Aragorn met when he arrived in Rohan with Gandalf, Gimli, and Legolas. She fell in love with Aragorn, and confessed her feelings for him in The Return of the King. Sadly, Aragorn turned down Éowyn, and later married Arwen after the War of the Ring when he took his place as the king of Gondor.
However, fans of the movies may be interested in a piece of information from the book which was left out of the film. In The Two Towers novel, there is a paragraph that describes Aragorn’s reaction as he sets eyes on the shieldmaiden of Rohan for the first time.
“Very fair was her face, and her long hair was like a river of gold. Slender and tall she was in her white robe girt with silver; but strong she seemed and stern as steel, a daughter of kings. Thus Aragorn for the first time in the full light of day beheld Éowyn, Lady of Rohan, and thought her fair, fair and cold, like a morning of pale spring that is not yet come to womanhood.”
In short, Éowyn made an impression on the Ranger from the moment he first saw her. It may not have been for long, but there was certainly an attraction from the beginning on Aragorn’s part. Although he did reject her affections eventually, it may have been out of a sense of duty rather than Aragorn’s personal feelings.
Éowyn Might Be A Better Match For Aragorn
For some Lord of the Rings fans, the fact that Aragorn and Éowyn do not become romantically involved is a source of frustration. The two of them have a lot in common, after all. Both of them are skilled with a sword, and both want to fight to protect their people. Aragorn is one of the few people who admires Éowyn for her warrior spirit, and encourages her to follow her heart. Éowyn comes from royalty, as does Aragorn, and a marriage between them would be beneficial for both of their kingdoms. Finally, unlike Arwen, Éowyn and Aragorn are both mortal, and neither would have to suffer a prolonged mourning should one of them die.
At one point, even Tolkien himself considered making Éowyn and Aragorn an item. According to “The History of Middle-earth,” the author had a few different ideas in mind for the couple. One was that Éowyn was actually King Théoden’s daughter instead of his niece, and she would marry Aragorn at the end of the series. In another, more tragic direction, Tolkien thought about killing Éowyn during the Battle of Pelennor Fields. After her death, Aragorn would come to realize that he really did love her, though it was far too late.
In the end, however, the version that Tolkien chose was for Arwen to be Aragorn’s lady love. Perhaps he thought that an ethereal elf princess was more appealing in a high fantasy setting, or maybe he just wanted to add a bit more drama with a love triangle.
Aragorn & Arwen's Romance Was More Prominent In The Movies
It’s tough to be an Aragorn and Éowyn shipper, especially whenever the beautiful Arwen appears on screen. In the movie trilogy, Aragorn and Arwen share a number of intimate and iconic romantic scenes together. The moment that Arwen gives Aragorn her Evenstar necklace in Rivendell, it feels like a love story from a fairy tale. Even when they are apart, Arwen finds a way to visit Aragorn in his dreams, reminding him of their love for one another and helping him find his strength for the journey ahead.
The books, however, are another story. In The Lord of the Rings novels, Arwen is barely even mentioned. The first time she appears in The Fellowship of the Ring is when she is sitting silently next to Elrond, and the only other time she shows up again is at the end of The Return of the King to marry Aragorn. It’s a bit tough for readers to understand why Aragorn would choose a woman whom he has barely interacted with, when there is a lovely warrior woman right in front of him who loves him dearly. Honestly, if the trilogy’s writers had not expanded Arwen’s role so drastically, convincing the audience that Arwen and Aragorn were meant to be would have been impossible.
- Created by
- J. R. R. Tolkien
- Current Series
- The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power
- Where to watch
- HBO Max
- Movie(s)
- The Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring, The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
- Video Game(s)
- The Lord of the Rings Online (dupe), LEGO Lord of the Rings, The Lord of the Rings: The Third Age, The Lord of the Rings: Return to Moria, Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor, Middle-Earth: Shadow of War, The Lord of the Rings: War in the North, The Lord Of The Rings: Battle For Middle-Earth
The Lord of the Rings is one of the most iconic names in entertainment. The franchise started with novels from J. R. R. Tolkien before being adapted onto the big screen by Peter Jackson in one of the most critically-acclaimed film trilogies of all time. There have also been numerous The Lord of the Rings video games of varying quality.
Checkbox: control the expandable behavior of the extra info
LOTR: Eowyn And Arwen Both Had Epic Battle Scenes Cut From The Movies
These are some of the most frustrating things to have been taken out of the movies