The strongest warriors of The Lord of the Rings were not all men. In fact, most would agree that Éowyn is one of the hardiest fighters in the novel and Peter Jackson’s Hobbit and Lord of the Rings movies. Éowyn was a hugely feminist character in J.R.R. Tolkien’s time of writing. Tolkien’s seminal novel, The Lord of the Rings, was published in three parts between 1954 and 1955, a time when female soldiers were rare in fiction and the real world. High fantasy master Tolkien established a blueprint for strong women in Éowyn, creating a pattern that echoed across the legendarium.
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In the movies, Arwen is one of Lord of the Rings’ strongest Elves, although she wasn’t a fighter in the books. Likewise, in 2024’s The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim, Héra is a strong fighter, although she only took up one line in The Lord of the Rings, and not as a soldier. However, many strong women featured in Tolkien’s work across The Silmarillion, published posthumously in 1977, and The History of Middle-earth, the 12-volume series published posthumously between 1983 and 1996. Éowyn and Lúthien set an example for generations of fantasy writers to come.
9 Lobelia Sackville-Baggins
Hobbit
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Lobelia Sackville-Baggins proved her worth in the Scouring of the Shire. This hilarious halfling character found herself out of Bilbo’s favor after stealing his silver spoons from Bag End. She had been on awkward terms with the Baggins’ for years, in fact, bitter about not inheriting Bag End as Bilbo’s distant relative. But Lobelia, like Bilbo, was both a cunning thief and a feisty Hobbit.
Lobelia showed morals as well as guts in her later years, eventually leaving Bag End and a decent sum to Frodo to help Hobbits in need.
During the Scouring of the Shire, Lobelia found that she could finally lay claim to what she had desired for years – Bag End. Sharkey, otherwise known as Saruman, arrived in Hobbiton to start causing trouble and Lobelia fought back against his men with an umbrella. Lobelia showed morals as well as guts in her later years, eventually leaving Bag End and a decent sum to Frodo to help Hobbits in need.
8 Emeldir The Manhearted
Human
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Emeldir the Manhearted led the women and children of her house to safety after the Dagor Bragollach. This battle saw one of Lord of the Rings’ strongest armies face Elves and Men in a furious assault of fire and brimstone. Morgoth’s evil army displaced the House of Bëor, and Barahir had to fight the evil monsters left roaming Middle-earth. With his son, Beren, he became an outlawed hunter, while his wife, Emeldir, held the fort at home.
Emeldir’s son, Beren, inherited her bravery, marrying another of Middle-earth’s strongest women.
But Emeldir was far more than just a housewife. Called “the Manhearted,” she wanted to fight with her husband and son but ended up opting to protect the defenseless woman and children of the homestead. Leading them to safety through dangerous lands, Emeldir came to Brethil with her kindred. Emeldir’s son, Beren, inherited her bravery and took on Morgoth himself, while also marrying another of Middle-earth’s strongest women.
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7 Idril Celebrindal
Elf
Idril “Silver-foot” Celebrindal fought her way free of the Sack of Gondolin, proving her strength and valor in battle. Idril features heavily in The Fall of Gondolin, the 2018 publication collecting Tolkien’s various writings on the great city, including some that were included in The Silmarillion. Married to Tuor, Idril had to deal with the betrayal of one of Lord of the Rings’ most evil Elves, Maeglin.
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Maeglin’s unrequited love for Idril led him to betray the city’s top-secret location to Morgoth in return for his promise to subjugate the city and give him Idril as his wife. While Morgoth’s forces sacked the city to ruin, Idril took up a sword and hacked her way to the tunnel she had wisely carved out as an emergency exit. She gathered her people to her, “smiting marauders” as she went.
6 Haleth
Human
Haleth was described as an Amazonian figure leading one of the earliest tribes of Men in The Silmarillion. In the First Age, Haleth was the leader of one-third of the Edain, one of the earliest types of Men in The Lord of the Rings. Men awoke in Hildórien and some were corrupted by Morgoth, but others fought against him in the Battles of Beleriand. Those who fought against him were the Edain, and Haleth led one of their tribes.
Haleth went down in the lore of both Elves and Men as one of the greatest warriors of her time.
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Haleth’s tribe was the Haladin, who were also known as the House of Haleth and the Men of Brethil. Although Tolkien used the term “man” to describe all people, as was more customary in the 1950s, Haleth was a distinctly female soldier, who led the women of her house to be great fighters. Haleth went down in the lore of both Elves and Men as one of the greatest warriors of her time.
5 Éowyn
Human
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Éowyn broke the mold of female characters in the 1950s, who were subject to a “feminine mystique.” This term, coined by second-wave feminist Betty Friedan, refers to the one-dimensional satisfaction of women in ’50s media with their homebound existences. Éowyn refused to sit out the action, disguising herself to go to the War of the Ring with Merry. Her contribution was huge.
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|
Tolkienian Age |
Event Marking The Start |
Years |
Total Length In Solar Years |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Before time |
Indeterminate |
Indeterminate |
Indeterminate |
|
Days before Days |
Ainur entered Eä |
1 – 3,500 Valian Years |
33,537 |
|
Pre-First Age Years of the Trees (Y.T.) |
Yavanna created the Two Trees |
Y.T. 1 – 1050 |
10,061 |
|
First Age (F.A.) |
Elves awoke in Cuiviénen |
Y.T. 1050 – Y.T. 1500, F.A. 1 – 590 |
4,902 |
|
Second Age (S.A.) |
War of Wrath ended |
S.A. 1 – 3441 |
3,441 |
|
Third Age (T.A.) |
Last Alliance defeated Sauron |
T.A. 1 – 3021 |
3,021 |
|
Fourth Age (Fo.A) |
Elven-rings left Middle-earth |
Fo.A 1 – unknown |
Unknown |
The One Eru Ilúvatar works in mysterious ways, rewarding Éowyn’s singular courage and independence with her astounding victory, only possible due to her gender loophole. It was prophesied that the Witch-king wouldn’t fall by the hand of any man. This, of course, resulted in Éowyn saying “I am no man” as she vanquished him on the battlefield, a line more immortal than any of the Ringwraiths.
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4 Galadriel
Elf
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Galadriel is one of the best characters in The Lord of the Rings and one of the strongest in the novel and the movies. Although Arwen got more screen time in the movies to sell her better as Aragorn’s love interest, Galadriel was the real hero. She took on Sauron mentally, stealing intel from his mind, and scoured Sauron’s influence from Dol Guldur. Her gifts to the Fellowship were also invaluable.
Unfinished Tales
is the 1980 release compiled of
Lord of the Rings
stories at varying levels of completion from diverse eras.
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The rope and phial that Galadriel gave to Sam and Frodo got them out of a few tight spots. They would probably have died long before they made it to Mordor if it wasn’t for her. Tolkien made it clear that Galadriel was “greatest of the Noldor, except Fëanor maybe,” ensuring that readers could be left in no doubt as to her superiority. In Unfinished Tales, Galadriel was more of a classic fighter, defending ships in the First Kinslaying.
3 Shelob
Primordial Spider
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One of the most evil characters in The Lord of the Rings, Shelob was the terrifying giant spider set on digesting Frodo and Sam. Tolkien said that she took the shape of a giant spider, suggesting a dark, primordial soul of greater power than her simple arachnid form presented. She had children, so presumably could no longer shapeshift, although the Middle-earth: Shadow of War video game may disagree.
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Shadow of War paired Shelob with Sauron romantically, inventing Shelob’s fair form. Regardless of whether she could take a fair form or not and how, Shelob was one of LotR’s cruelest and strongest women. Shelob made deals with Gollum and Sauron that kept victims coming to her. But eating wasn’t enough, she liked to torture her victims, which Sauron demanded stories of from onlookers.
2 Lúthien
Half-Elf, Half-Maia
Lúthien was the daughter of a Maia and an Elf king and her accomplishments matched the grandeur of her lineage. Lúthien’s father, rather thoughtlessly, asked Beren for a jewel from their enemy’s crown as her bride price. Beren got himself imprisoned in Sauron’s tower, and Lúthien rescued him almost single-handedly. She had the help of Huan, a Hound of Valinor.
Love was the motivation and the reward for the very bravest of characters in Middle-earth.
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Lúthien defeated Sauron in the First Age and went on to defeat his master, Morgoth, next. Morbidly, she killed a vampire and werewolf in Morgoth’s service and used their skins to disguise herself and Beren to get into Morgoth’s court, where they proceeded to achieve their goal. But everything Lúthien did, she did for love, which is probably what made her strongest. Love was the motivation and the reward for the very bravest of characters in Middle-earth.
1 Ungoliant
Primordial Being, Possible Maia
Ungoliant may be the strongest of Middle-earth’s female characters, having nearly defeated Morgoth in single combat. Ungoliant would have succeeded, had Morgoth not screamed so loudly that Balrogs came rushing to his rescue. Defeating one of Lord of the Rings’ 15 Valar is no mean feat, suggesting that Ungoliant may have been one of the Maiar that were “well nigh as great” as the Valar.
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Ungoliant’s species wasn’t clear. While she was never listed as a Maia, she appeared to be able to shapeshift, which only Ainur seemed able to do in the legendarium. Regardless, she could consume light and convert it into her own unique weapon – a fog or “web” of darkness that drenched its victims in fear. She grew in size and power with everything she ate, which became apparent when she sucked up the light of Valinor in her destruction of the light-emitting Two Trees in one of the earliest stories in The Lord of the Rings.
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The Lord of the Rings is a multimedia franchise consisting of several movies and a TV show released by Amazon titled The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power. The franchise is based on J.R.R. Tolkien’s book series that began in 1954 with The Fellowship of the Ring. The Lord of the Rings saw mainstream popularity with Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit trilogies.
Movie(s) The Lord of the Rings (1978) , The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring , The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers , The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King , The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey , The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug , The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies , The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim Created by J.R.R. Tolkien First Film The Lord of the Rings (1978) Cast Norman Bird , Anthony Daniels , Elijah Wood , Ian McKellen , Liv Tyler , Viggo Mortensen , Sean Astin , Cate Blanchett , John Rhys-Davies , Billy Boyd , Dominic Monaghan , Orlando Bloom , Christopher Lee , Hugo Weaving , Sean Bean , Ian Holm , Andy Serkis , Brad Dourif , Karl Urban , Martin Freeman , Richard Armitage , James Nesbitt , Ken Stott , Benedict Cumberbatch , Evangeline Lilly , Lee Pace , Luke Evans , Morfydd Clark , Mike Wood , Ismael Cruz Cordova , Charlie Vickers , Markella Kavenagh , Megan Richards , Sara Zwangobani , Daniel Weyman , Cynthia Addai-Robinson , Lenny Henry , Brian Cox , Shaun Dooley , Miranda Otto , Bilal Hasna , Benjamin Wainwright , Luke Pasqualino , Christopher Guard , William Squire , Michael Scholes , John Hurt TV Show(s) The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Character(s) Frodo Baggins , Gandalf , Legolas , Boromir , Sauron , Gollum , Samwise Gamgee , Pippin Took , Celeborn , Aragorn , Galadriel , Bilbo Baggins , Saruman , Aldor , Wormtongue , Thorin Oakenshield , Balin Dwalin , Bifur , Bofur , Bombur , Fili , Kili , Oin , Gloin , Nori , Dori , Ori , Tauriel , King Thranduil , Smaug , Radagast , Arondir , Nori Brandyfoot , Poppy Proudfellow , Marigold Brandyfoot , Queen Regent Míriel , Sadoc Burrows Video Game(s) The Lord of the Rings Online (dupe) , Middle-Earth: Shadow of War , The Lord Of The Rings: Gollum , The Lord of the Rings: Return to Moria Expand
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