I am NO man: A letter of thanks to J.R.R. Tolkien.

Saturdays are awesome.

We wake up late. Eat breakfast late. Stay in our pj's late.

This past weekend we watched The Lord Of The Rings: The Return Of The King with our daughter.
She hadn't seen it and was very excited to see the movie.

What I was love is that she had the chance to watch a film with a strong, female character: Eowyn. Tolkien writes the roles of his characters incredibly well and he writes his women beautifully.

In an era when men had a higher place in society (the 50's/ midcentury) and had more civil rights than women---

Tolkien wrote his women strong, resilient and breathtaking.

I've always been grateful for this, especially now having a daughter. A daughter who loves princesses and happy endings. I want her to have great examples of what a strong woman should be. I want her to watch cinema & read books about women who aren't weak or need something or someone to complete her. I want her to see characters who fall in love, but find love that requites strength, honor and respect. I want her to know about women who inspire me and my hope is that she is inspired, too.

There's this scene at the end of The Return of the King, where the Eowyn, the niece of the king, is in front of the Nazgul also known as The Witch King of Angmar. He's a terrible beast. The pure embodiment of everything evil, that this world or the next has to offer.

In Tolkien lore, it was written as a prophetic caution:

"Do not pursue him [the Nazgul}
.....and not by the hand of any man shall he fall."

Disguised as a warrior, fighting for Middle Earth, Eowyn confronts the Nazgul as he is about to kill her uncle--the only living father figure she has:

Eowyn isn't without fear. You can see it in her eyes.

This is what I love about this scene. She has fear....

but she stares that fear in the face and overcomes it.

We all have fears. Every single one of us.

Even the ones that say they don't have any fear:

have fear.

When Eowyn is facing the beast and uncertain death; the Nazgul says to her:

"You fool. No man can kill me."

She responds with courage:

"I am NO man."

But what Eowyn is saying silently ---in her actions & her eyes:

"I will not run from my fear. I will stand here and defeat my fear."

This is why I'm grateful for Tolkien and his literature.

As a measure of thanks, Mr. Tolkien---

• thank you for creating women who are strong and resilient.
• thank you for creating women who stand in the face of fear and overcome it.
• thank you for creating women who aren't measured by what society expects of them, but live by their morals and convictions.
• thank you for creating women who are incredibly feminine and incredibly badass.
• thank you for creating women who can slay and destroy something that no man could.
• thank you for creating women who don't retreat and fall away when a man doesn't reciprocate the same affection-- but wait and hope for a man that is willing to love & mutually respect her.
• thank you for creating women who are proud of where they came from.
• thank you for creating women who not only know how to fight, but also love.

and thank you, Mr. Tolkien--

for creating women who inspire me and in turn will inspire my daughter.