Even though it's been years since they were released, the Lord Of The Rings trilogy has truly stood the test of time.
The storyline, the characters, the chemistry between the actors, the special effects — everything about these movies never fails to suck me straight into the world of Middle Earth.
But one of my favourite moments, hands down, takes place during Return Of The King.
Now, if it's been awhile and you need a little refresher, let me set the scene for you.
With Gollum as their guide, Frodo and Sam are still travelling towards Mordor to destroy the One Ring. Plus, they'll later run into ol' mate Shelob.
Meanwhile, Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli have departed from King Théoden and the Rohirrim army — who are marching towards Gondor to help them in a battle against the orcs — to recruit the Dead Men of Dunharrow.
Théoden and the Rohirrim continue towards Gondor, but with the aid of two extra soldiers — Éowyn and Merry.
Just as things are starting to look a little hairy in Gondor, Théoden's army arrive to join the battle. And this is where the action really ramps up a knotch.
Along with the Rohirrim, Éowyn and Merry come face to face with hundreds of orcs, oliphaunts and soldiers.
But they soon get separated after being knocked off their horse. While trying to find Merry, Éowyn comes to Théoden's aid, just as he's surrounded by orcs.
Things turn from bad to worse when the Witch-King comes out of nowhere and attacks Théoden, leaving him badly wounded.
Seeing her uncle in mortal danger, Éowyn watches on...
...and makes a snap decision to defend him, even though the Witch-King is near impossible to kill.
Éowyn manages to slice off the fell beast's head, but is taken down by the Witch-King's enormous mace-like weapon.
As the Witch-King strangles Éowyn, he berates her and says: "You fool. No man can kill me."
Sneaking up from behind, Merry stabs the Witch-King.
Éowyn then gets to her feet, takes off her helmet to reveal her ~true identity~ and delivers one of the best lines in Lord Of The Rings.
"I am no man."
*Yells and stabs the Witch-King.*
Like, the sheer energy of Miranda Otto saying that line? It's iconic, amazing, inspirational and still gives me shivers to this day.
For real though, you can hear and feel the agency of Éowyn's words in this scene. As one of the few female characters present in LOTR, she never lets her womanhood define her, instead letting her actions speak for themselves.
Watching this as a teenager was inspiring, but rewatching it as an adult packs a bigger punch because it's almost like a reminder to myself that I can do anything I set my mind to do.
And I'm not the only one that thinks so. Ask any Lord Of The Ring fan and they'll agree that this iconic scene deserves to win all the awards.
cultural impact: █ █ █ █ ＿ Éowyn´s iconic Everything "I am no man" else. scene.
Literally nothing is more epic than the witch king going "no man can kill me" and Eowyn just tossing off her helmet and saying "I am no man!!" And proceeding to stab the most powerful nazgul.. it simply slaps hard
Ladies, if he: - is underminded at every turn - lies to get what they want - rides with Merry Brandybuck - confronts the Witch-king of Angmar He is no man. You look upon a woman. Éowyn I am, Éomund's daughter. You stand between me and my lord and kin.
Éowyn ripping off her helmet and facing the Nazgul saying "I am no man" is the level of badassery I want to achieve. I love Galadriel with all my heart but that scene still gives me shivers
So, here's a toast to Éowyn and Miranda Otto — for being fearless and showing us the true power of a woman.
