Éowyn of Rohan

"Shall I always be left behind when the Riders depart, to mind the house while they win renown, and find food and beds when they return?"

—Éowyn, to Aragorn

Éowyn was a shieldmaiden of Rohan, daughter of Éomund and Théodwyn, younger sister of Éomer and niece of King Théoden. After the War of the Ring, she married Faramir and had one son with him, Elboron.

Like her brother Éomer, she was related to King Théoden through their mother, the King's sister. Her father was slain and her mother died of illness. Afterwards, Théoden took Éomer and Éowyn in his household and raised them as his children.

Éowyn means "horse lover" in Anglo-Saxon (the language Tolkien used to represent Rohanese). The name was derived from an old Welsh name, Øwyn - slightly altered to sound like "A-O-win". The name in Welsh means "Horse friend."

Éowyn's title was "Lady of Rohan", or "The White Lady of Rohan" due to her pale complexion. She also used the alias "Dernhelm" when riding with Rohan's army to Gondor.