The shift that turns Éowyn’s fortunes doesn’t come from Aragorn’s healing, but from the words of another of J.R.R. Tolkien’s impeccably awesome characters: Faramir. The son of the Steward of Gondor and Boromir’s brother, Faramir is also wounded and brought to the Houses of Healing. There, he heals up and meets Éowyn. They talk for days, and slowly Faramir’s wise, uplifting words help soften the heart of his battle-hardened and scarred companion.

In “The Return of the King” book, at the end of Éowyn’s time spent healing alongside Faramir, Tolkien wrote, “Then the heart of Éowyn changed, or else at last she understood it. And suddenly her winter passed, and the sun shone on her.” Éowyn goes on to share this transformation with her new beau, Faramir, saying, “I stand in Minas Anor, the Tower of the Sun […] and behold! The Shadow has departed! I will be a shieldmaiden no longer, nor vie with the great Riders, nor take joy only in the songs of slaying. I will be a healer, and love all things that grow and are not barren.”

After the One Ring is destroyed, Éowyn goes back to her homeland to bury her uncle. Then, she returns to Gondor, where she and Faramir set up shop in the garden-like region of Ithilien (the same area where Frodo and Sam stew some rabbits), and she becomes known as the Lady of Ithilien. We know that she and Faramir have kids, too, as “The Lord of the Rings” talks about how their grandson, Barahir, helps record some of the histories of Middle-earth.

The last we hear of Éowyn is around the age of 37, when the appendices of “The Return of the King” say, “Great gifts are sent to [Merry] by King Éomer and the Lady Éowyn of Ithilien.”

So there you have it. Éowyn’s story is one that starts with tragedy and ends in triumph. The best part is that, for fans, her story isn’t over, as Miranda Otto will reprise the role once again when the Lady of Ithilien returns in the Warner Bros. anime “The War of the Rohirrim” at the end of 2024.