The Battle of Helms Deep is a battle still etched in the minds and hearts of the people of Rohan.
A victory hard fought, but not without great sacrifice.
Across the plains, hooves strike the ground, six horses carry their riders swiftly back to Edoras.
Aragorn, Theoden, Legolas and Gimli accompanied by Gandalf and Eomer who led the crucial reinforcements to turn the tide ride them.
Merry and Pippin, share the saddle with their companions, after their own victory at Isengard.
In Edoras, the flags wave with the wind.
The camera slowly sweeps and zooms onto the Golden Hall of Meduseld. Outside the kings dwelling, a single figure, clad in a white dress with a black corset stands reflecting, waiting. Her dress moving with the grace of the breeze.
No other soldiers, no sentries, not even citizens. Just one single female figure. Eowyn.
Even as the mountains stood still and tall and the world seemed to move again after war, for her, time seemed to linger a little longer.
There was always something holding her back, not herself personally, but people and circumstances.
Do you ever feel like Eowyn?
You know you have so much more in you, but certain things are preventing you from moving forward or even showing what you are capable of?
Maybe you are underestimated. Maybe feel like you’re forgotten.
You’re watching others move forward, making progress and you feel like your life is on pause, forced to watch other people move by and there’s nothing you can do about it, even for your own ambitions.
To make it worse, silence. No answers, no signs, not even a word or shift from God. You feel alone.
As you will learn from Eowyn, Loneliness can exist even in crowded places, but being unseen by others never means being unseen by God.
The Weight of Expectations
Before the War of the Ring, King Théoden’s mind and spirit were weakening. The influence of Saruman, alongside the corrupted and tainted words of Grima, slowly weakened him.
Eowyn was forced to stay behind to care for him, while the men rode off to war.
While she was committed to her uncle out of love and did her duties with nobility and honour, she still felt like she could do more.
In effect she was being responsible, but felt unfulfilled.
This is further reinforced in two pieces of dialogue from her. One from the Lord of the Rings book, the other from the Two Towers film.
Lord of the Rings book: “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?”
The Two Towers: When Aragorn asks her what she fears, she answers: “A cage. To stay behind bars till use and old age accept them. And all chance of valour has gone beyond recall or desire.”
Even Aragorn recognised her as a shieldmaiden and saw the mighty warrior in her long before others did.
Perhaps he recognised it because he carried a similar burden himself. Aragorn too was walking a path he had not yet fully embraced, the long road toward becoming the King of Gondor.
Her frustration was a desire to break out. She was not neglecting or belittling the responsibilities she had. But it was to unleash the full potential inside of her as a shieldmaiden and be recognised of who she truly was.
She had her duties, but she also felt a strong pull toward her calling, one that was often hindered by others who underestimated her.
This pattern is not unique to Éowyn’s story.
Throughout the Bible we see similar moments where people were overlooked before stepping into their calling:
- David was overlooked by his whole family, before he became king.
- Gideon viewed himself as weak before leading 300 men to victory
- Joseph was known as a simple carpenter, yet he became the earthly father of Jesus Christ himself.
Being underestimated and overlooked is painful. Usually, it is another person’s words that reinforce those words. Sometimes it is our own thoughts.
But what we shouldn’t do is allow those words to sink in and define us when we know we have a calling on our life.
In Eowyn’s case, her duty as a caretaker to Theoden was actually preparing her for the calling she knew she had inside of her. She just had to learn to overcome that fear before she was ready to walk into that calling.
When Fear Finds Your Voice
One of fear’s most powerful manipulations is limitation.
A pull that tells us to choose the safe option, to stay exactly where we are, to keep doing what we are doing because there is nothing greater beyond where we are now.
In fact, fear is a hidden force that others can’t see in us. It is an emotion that we all go through and no one is immune from it.
Elijah is someone who experienced this all too well.
After all of Jezebel’s prophets were killed at Mount Carmel, she effectively ordered a hit out on Elijah for his death.
When he heard this, he fled. In 1 Kings 19:3, it says that he ‘ran for his life.’ Of all the places to escape, he went into the wilderness and in part 4 he asks God to take his life.
Elijah was a prophet who performed and saw first-hand many great miracles:
- Raising a widow’s son back from the dead
- Outran a chariot all the way back to Jezreel
- Calling down fire from heaven to consume a water-soaked sacrifice.
He knew God was with him, worked through him and was bigger than anything he faced. But because of one threat, he fled away from everyone and everything.
What is important to understand is that this wasn’t cowardice, this was emotional fatigue.
The exhaustion Elijah experienced is not unique to prophets. It appears whenever someone carries a calling that the world tries to silence.
Éowyn must have felt this frustration when she couldn’t fight:
- Being told to lead the people to Helm’s Deep instead of helping the warriors during the Warg attack.
- Remaining in the caverns of Helm’s Deep instead of standing on the walls against the Uruk-hai.
- Hearing her brother Éomer declare that war is a place for men.
Perhaps this is you, you’re being rebuffed and overlooked, people are casting doubts on you and even you are starting to question whether they are right.
Don’t despair, don’t allow their opinions or your own negative thoughts cast shadows of doubt upon you.
You know yourself better than anyone and God knows you better than you know yourself.
You may feel overlooked or dismissed, but the story is not finished. The gifts placed within you were not given by accident.
Deep down, something inside refuses to go silent.
The calling remains. The courage waits.
And when the moment finally comes, when the battle arrives and the voice of fear loses its hold, you will know what to do.
When the time is right, you will ride.
The Decision to Ride
Merry watches with a heavy heart as the riders of Rohan ride off to Minas Tirith. He himself had been shunned by Theoden, effectively being told to stay behind.
For a moment, it seemed that the road to war would leave him behind.
Just when it looked like all hope for battle was lost for him, a rider reaches out with their hand and hoists him up on their horse.
Shocked, Merry turns his head to see who this mysterious rider is. In a quiet feminine voice, Éowyn whispers: “Ride with me.”
Merry’s heart is roused and filled with joy as he looks forward with renewed determination and speaks only two words: “My lady.”
In that quiet moment, something inside Éowyn had clearly changed.
This scene shows that Éowyn was tired of living in the cage she fears, especially one where the bars were other people’s judgements upon her. She broke free.
This was the moment when courage moved from thought to action.
In the previous scene, Theoden and Éowyn are having a sombre moment where Théoden tasks her with looking after the people in his stead and how he also wishes to see her smile again.
Yet despite his orders, she rode.
What she did was not an act of rebellion, but a step into her calling. A moment that was based on decision, not feelings.
Her decision happened quietly, almost unnoticed. Yet moments like this are often where true courage begins.
Sometimes stepping out in faith means going against people. Not out of resentment, but doing something you know you feel strongly that must be done, even if it means doing it alone.
Jesus constantly went against the status quo, people often demanded that he stop, but he continued on his mission, not letting the harsh tongues and hard stares prevent him from fulfilling his calling.
Perhaps like Éowyn you feel you have to put on a disguise. It may feel as though you have to carry out your calling quietly, away from the approval of others.
Going it alone is never easy, no matter how far in the journey you are, but don’t let the feelings of isolation and weariness burn you out.
When you have courage, it provides healing and recovery. Especially after many hard seasons of emotional toil.
After all: “He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak.” Isaiah 40:29.
Like Éowyn, there may come a moment when the only thing left to do is step forward.
Embrace also, the Christlike example of Jesus Christ: Shut out the voices, keep focused on God, speak his word and keep walking in your mission and calling.
A choice to move when fear says stay and once that decision is made, the road ahead begins to open.
The moment you choose courage, the journey begins and as you ride forward, with faith as your guide and the wind at your back, you will ride toward victory.
Facing the Shadow
The Rohirrim army arrives at Minas Tirith, taking position on a hill that overlooks the Pelennor fields.
In front of them lay the vast orc army, outnumbering both armies of Rohan and Minas Tirth. The city itself on fire, billowing smoke with signs of battle-damaged fortifications.
Both Éowyn and Merry were shocked and slightly fearful of what lay in front of them, despite themselves being surrounded by a large number of allies.
As the camera focuses on Merry’s reaction, Eowyn wraps an arm tightly around him as he breathes in and out, the fear begins to increase.
She quietly whispers one thing to him: “Courage Merry. Courage for our friends.”
When you face overwhelming odds in your own life, remember these words. Replace Merry’s name with your own.
Say this sentence out loud to yourself with your name inserted. These are words you can imagine God speaking over your own life.
Courage is found from within and when you look on the inside, that is where you find God.
Fear is a very real thing, it isn’t imagined.
Just as Theoden finishes a rousing speech, the riders ready their spears and horses to charge. The orcs also get their own line of pikemen ready to meet them.
Furthermore, Eowyn, once again, whispers another line of dialogue to Merry: “Whatever happens, stay with me, I’ll look after you.”
Merry manages a small smile and you can see his spirit lifted.
Once again, words that God would say to you directly. Whether in the face of overwhelming opposition or not, he is never leaving you to fight alone.
In fact, when the moment you feared eventually does arrive, your strength also follows.
At multiple points in the bible you will find people who went through the confronting fear stage before they experienced victory:
- David facing Goliath
- Esther risking her own life to save her people
- Daniel in the Lion’s Den
The list is extensive.
May this be the moment you embrace courage, the moment you discover how much fight and faith God has placed within you. Even if the battle must be fought more than once.
For Éowyn, the shadow of the orc army was only the beginning. A far greater darkness was still riding toward her.
I Am No Man
Leaning on a balcony within Minas Tirith, Gandalf reflects on a thought after Pippin encouragingly mentions how victory is certain because Minas Tirith has the White Wizard.
Yet Gandalf’s words invoke a sense of dread: “Sauron has yet to reveal his deadliest servant. The one who will lead Mordor’s armies in war. The one they say no living man can kill. The Witch-King of Angmar.”
For all Gandalf’s power and wisdom, even he spoke of the Lord of the Nazgûl with caution.
This is how villains define themselves to us, through notoriety.
Our biggest fears are often the moments when we retreat. They look too much to handle, too intimidating to face, too imposing to stand against.
But these moments are actually the ones that can inspire and define us.
The journey we have undertaken has led us here. The prayers, the waiting, the hard work, all of it has brought us to this moment.
The question we have to ask when the time comes is: Will we allow fear to get the better of us and retreat, or will we allow courage and faith to work through us and step into the destiny moment?
Eowyn witnessed the Witch-king’s fell beast mortally wound Theoden. While there was a shock and sadness on her face, she could have retreated and allowed her uncle to be left to the mercy of the spectre.
But as it leaned in to finish the job, she jumped in front armed with only a sword and shield. Metal and wood against claw and terror.
While she was successful in taking down the fell beast, she was then face to face with the horror itself armed with a sword and a menacing swinging mace.
She dodged a couple of strikes, but never landed a single blow. Eventually, she was knocked down with a shattered shield and damaged arm.
Grabbing her by the throat, he brings her up to meet the darkness through the mask, he whispers to her in a haunting tone: “You fool. No man can kill me. Die now.”
Just as all appeared over for Eowyn, it was the bravery of one young hobbit who decided the Witch-King’s fate.
Merry thrusts his blade into the Witch-Kings leg bringing him to his knees.
Eowyn stands, pulling off her helmet and as her hair falls to her shoulders, with vigour and valour, she says one of the most memorable lines: “I am no man.”
One thrust of her sword into the Witch-king’s hood, his armour deteriorates and his spirit vanishes. Tattered fabric and twisted metal are all that remain of him on the battlefield.
The Witch-King, the general of the whole army, was finally brought down by the combined courage of a hobbit and a woman who refused to allow others or circumstances to define her.
After the Battle
Even when the main battle seems over, a quieter battle still remains away from the battlefield.
The healing.
You fought long and hard, you pushed, you prayed for months, even years. You began to wonder if everything was in vain, but then you rose, you overcame and because you stood firm, you experienced not just the breakthrough, but the victory.
The battle had been won. Now fatigue has set in. You feel burnt out. Your hard work, commitment and effort have taken a toll and made you weary.
This is perfectly natural. Exhaustion usually comes after great victories whatever form they take.
This isn’t actually a sign you have done something wrong, quite the opposite, in fact. It means you have done something extraordinary. This is just part of the aftermath and know you need the rest.
Nearly everyone who survived the battle required aid on some level.
Eowyn was most certainly in dire need of attention and healing.
Despite her victory over the Witch-king, she began to succumb to her wounds, the Black Breath of the Nazgul hastening her demise.
Yet, all hope was not lost.
Aragorn, the rightful heir to the throne of Gondor came and tended to her. Using a combination of the athelas (kingsfoil) plant, boiling water and his kingly healing abilities, he brought back Eowyn from the cusp of death.
This in turn also revealed through a Gondorian proverb, his identity as the rightful king: “The hands of the king are the hands of the healer.”
This also mirrors how God can heal us when it looks beyond hope.
Whether we are going through a rough season or just coming out of one, there is nothing too difficult or too impossible for him. That is also why we can lean on him, he doesn’t just know how to heal, he also knows how to lead.
He knows how to bring about the victory.
Rest is important, do not dismiss it as a sign of idleness, it is necessary. Your body and mind regenerate, the spirit is strengthened and restored. Relief and relaxation follow.
Building on Eowyn’s story, she also found love in the form of Faramir who was also resting. Eventually they wed and stood side by side at Aragorn’s coronation.
Victory on the battlefield and joy in love. At last, she could enter her days of peace after countless trials in battle.
For the first time in many years, the shadow of war no longer followed her steps.
Step Forward in Your Calling
Éowyn’s journey from caretaker to shieldmaiden of Rohan is a deeply inspirational story.
Her beginnings in the halls of Meduseld, where it once felt like she would never break free, were a foreshadowing of who she would become: the slayer of the Witch-king, one of the most deadly and dangerous beings to walk Middle Earth.
Even her protection of Théoden during his fragile days in Meduseld foreshadowed the warrior she would become.
Just like her, your story is already known to God. He knows your beginnings and he knows your end. Part of the faith of the journey is walking with him in the in-between.
Fear will come, but it doesn’t hinder your calling. Courage, hope and faith will win the day when the darkness seems at its greatest.
You are stronger than the fear before you.
Walk each day with courage, keep pushing through when everything tells you to retreat. This isn’t the moment to be pushed back, it is the moment to push through.
Whatever your prayers are, whatever your dreams and visions, they are part of the finish. Keep a firm eye on them and let God guide you, his way toward them.
The obstacles will be challenging; the journey will be challenging and the unexpected will surely come.
But hold God’s hand tightly. Lean on his words for comfort, allow him to work through you and over you and always remember your God-given courage when the light seems to fade in your life.
The road ahead may still hold shadows, but it no longer holds the same fear. Sometimes the greatest courage is simply taking the next step forward.
As long as you still breathe, you can do all things through him who strengthens you.