It
is known among my friends and even acquaintances that I am such a
Star Wars Fan Girl that when big Star Wars news breaks, I get texts,
messages and emails about it. That could not be more true than when
news broke on December 27, 2016 that Carrie Fisher (Princess Leia of
Star Wars) has passed away. Princess Leia was an amazing role model
for so many girls that were growing up at the same time I was. I
have no idea how many girls dressed up like Princess Leia for
Halloween of 1977, but I am certain there were a few. And though
Princess Leia did impress me as a little girl, I was already
following the footsteps of another princess.
One
of my earliest memories as a girl was watching the animated movie of
The Lord of the Rings. Whatever station was airing it stretched the
movie out to last at least 2 evenings maybe even 4. I was entranced
with the storyline of Frodo the Hobbit on his quest to rid the Ring
into the fires of Mount Doom. What hooked me even more so was the
character of Eowyn. The Princess of the Rohan people, who disguises
herself as a knight so that she can fight for her people and be with
the man she loved. After viewing the movie to its conclusion, I
would re-enact one scene over and over again. It is the scene where
the The Witch King is on its flying beast and it is getting ready to finish
Theodon. A knight (Eowyn in disguise) steps in front of Theodon to
protect him. The Witch King lets out a hideous, screeching laugh and
says “Thou fool does thou not know the prophecy no living man may
hinder me.” Eowyn steps forward sword in hand and says “No man
am I.” She pulls off her helmet revealing her golden hair which
falls down her back “I am a woman. I am Eowyn. Theodon's neice.”
The Confrontation of Evil
Eowyn destroys the Witch King and in the animated version (spoiler
alert) Eowyn marries Aragorn the man she loves. Imagine a six year
old girl wearing a pot on her head (if my mother didn't catch me), armed with a stick and her saucer sled facing her hill that looked like a mountain and pretending it was a the nightmarish Witch King. It must have been an entertaining sight for the neighbors.
I
grew up with that image. Anytime I would face what I considered a
major menace in my life, I would picture myself as Eowyn in battle
armor. Witch King, Nazguls and Orcs beware.
When
I read the books in middle school and reached the end of Return of
the King, I had the surprise of my life when (spoiler alert) Eowyn
does not end up with Aragorn. I actually threw the book against the
wall. “What on earth was wrong with this Tolkien guy?!” I
forgot about it and read it again as a young adult and had the same
reaction. The animated series had made such a strong impression on
me that I would completely forget that little detail until it was thrown at me again. It is here
that I need to apologize to those of you that were in the audience
when I viewed Peter Jackson's movie version of The Return of the King
and it is quite obvious that Aragorn ends up with Arwen and Eowyn
ends up with Faramir. I blew a gasket. “What?!!! She ends up
with Faramir!!!” I turned to my husband “I can't believe this!
Do we have to stay?” I'm thankful my husband encouraged me to stay
because the ending with the hobbits is beautiful.
So
what is the point of my ranting? I have lived my life with my
favorite princess slaying the dragon disguised as a knight and
getting the guy, who was a king disguised as a ranger. I desperately
wanted to learn how to fence just so that I could wield a sword. I
started studying the art of swordplay when I was in my twenties and
now part of my living is in stage combat shows and teaching stage
combat workshops.
Only two times in my life have I had short hair,
otherwise, I have had long hair trailing down my back. It became
blonde again when I turned 16. You can see how much this character
meant to me and the affect it had on my life.
Another one would arrive to join Eowyn when I was in my twenties. I was reminded of Eowyn when I saw a movie starring LeeLee Sobroski as Joan of Arc in a made for TV movie.
Why
was I drawn to these women, who wore armor, who fought in battles
against evil, who loved their kings dearly enough to put their lives
at risk and who had dreadful endings to their stories according to my
not-yet-catechized mind . Where was the reward for their well fought
fights?
Eowyn
Joan
Three
evenings in May of 2008 as I slumbered near EWTN studios located in
Irondale, AL, I would wake up from a startling reoccurring dream. I
was dressed in armor and facing an unseen menace that surrounded me.
In the dream is was so dark that I could not see in front of me, but
I knew that I was surrounded by this evil. I also knew that I was
not alone. I was back to back with a woman clad in armor and because
she was left-handed as I am we were completely protected. My shield
protected her sword arm and her shield protected my sword arm. I was
not afraid because I knew that I was not alone. I would wake up
before the battle began but I would say as soon as I did wake up “No
man am I. I am Eowyn.” I would laugh at myself for being silly
and then wonder to myself, “Who was the girl in the armor?
When
I became Catholic in April 11, 2009, I chose St.
Joan of Arc as my confirmation saint because in some way I thought
that she was the girl in armor that had my back in my dream or at least I liked that idea the it was Joan, who had my back. When I
discovered maybe 2 years later that Joan was supposed to have been
left-handed it has just supported my notion.
I
guess the imaginary Eowyn heroine figure led to my true life Joan of
Arc heroine figure. They have given me examples of how I can face
the darkness of evil by drawing my sword, pulling off my helmet to
reveal that I am a woman. I too wear armor...the armor of God and I
am His daughter.
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