| Contact + Contact Form 
 Search + Search Form 
 Introduction + Aims & Scope + Structure + History 
 Announcements + Updates + Calls for Papers + New Lectures + New Publications 
 Alphabetical Index + Author Index + Speaker Index 
 Chronological Index + Ancient History + Medieval History + Modern History 
 Geographical Index + African History + American History + Asian History + European History + Oceanian History 
 Topical Index + Prosecution + Cases + Types + Offenders + Victims + Society + Research + Representations 
 Resources + Institutions + Literature Search + Research | 
				
					Start: 
					Alphabetical Index: 
					Author Index: 
						A | 
						B | 
						C | 
						D | 
						E | 
						F | 
						G | 
						H | 
						I | 
						J | 
						K | 
						L | 
						M | 
						N | 
						O | 
						P | 
						Q | 
						R | 
						S | 
						T | 
						U | 
						V | 
						W | 
						X | 
						Y | 
						Z | 
						Unknown
				 
				First published: October 1, 2025 - Last updated: October 1, 2025
			TITLE INFORMATION 
			
			Author: Gavin Foster
			
 Title: Judith, Éowyn, and the Alloying Effects of Sexualized Violence
 
 Subtitle: -
 
 Journal: Florilegium
 
 Volume: 38: Sexualized and Gendered Violence in the Middle Ages (Edited by Kathy Cawsey)
 
 Issue: -
 
 Year: 2025 (2021) (Published online: August 14, 2025)
 
 Pages: 115-127
 
 pISSN: 0709-5201 - 
				Find a Library: WorldCat | 
			eISSN: 2369-7180 - 
				Find a Library: WorldCat
 
 Language: English
 
 Keywords: 
				Medieval History | 
				European History: 
					English History | 
				Types: 
					Sexual Assault; 
				Representations: 
					Literary Texts / 
						Judith, 
						J.R.R. Tolkien
 
 FULL TEXT
 
			
			Links:
			- Project MUSE (Restricted Access)
 
 - University of Toronto Press (Restricted Access)
 
 ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
 
			
			Author: -
			
 Abstract: 
				»Critics have argued that J. R. R. Tolkien uses his northern heroic characters to fix the broken heroism of Old English characters. However, I suggest that Tolkien does not pursue the same motivation in constructing his heroines. Rather, women demonstrate a distinct form of "alloyed" northern heroism due to their experiences of marginalization. When we compare the heroic actions of the Old English Judith to Tolkien's Éowyn, while demonstrating northern heroic qualities, both Judith and Éowyn must additionally contend with threats of gendered, sexualized violence. Judith's fight against Holofernes is not only a fight against an opposing political power, it is also implicated in struggles against sexual subjugation and the harassment of women. When she fights, she risks permanent social and cultural marginalization, losing her status as a "chaste woman." The outcome of Éowyn's fight against the Witch-king is similarly determined by her role as a woman. Her initial social role as cup-bearer shapes how her heroism is read, as does the Witch-king's threat of sexualized violence and her ultimate return to the private sphere. Together, these elements construct a gendered arc that has no parallel among Tolkien's male characters.« 
				(Source: Florilegium)
 
 Wikipedia: 
				History of Europe: 
					History of England | 
				Literature: 
					English literature / 
						Judith (poem), 
						J. R. R. Tolkien, 
						The Lord of the Rings | 
				Literature: 
					Female characters in literature / 
						Éowyn | 
				Sex and the law: 
					Sexual violence
 |