[Child of the 7th Age]

And yet I wonder. In some of Tolkien's very latest writings that are contained in HoMe, specifically Morgoth's Ring, Tolkien does depict two very strong female characters who are not Elves or Maiar. Neither of these is portrayed as being particularly beautiful. One is discussed briefly and the other in some depth. The first is Adanel, and the second is Andreth.

The women are not portrayed as warriors, but rather as holders of lore or wisdom. Andreth, in particular, is shown as a woman of great dignity and some bitterness over her failed love affair with the Elf Aegnor. She can speak easily and confidently with Finrod, and is obviously a woman of considerable intellectual depth. She and Finrod have been friends for some time.

How I would have loved to see such women depicted in LotR itself! They simply aren't there. I wonder why? Is it that Tolkien only matured to the point where he could see a human woman (as opposed to a Maiar or Elf) in this kind of light quite late in his life? Or is there another reason? Anyone want to venture a guess?

In any case, as a human woman myself, I treasure these later writings. It's very interesting to me that C.S. Lewis also underwent a trnsformation late in life in terms of his ability to see and depict female characters. His last novel, Till We Have Faces, is by far the most in-depth and complex in terms of his portrayal of the two main female characters. In this case, we understand that this happened after his own marriage.

But what about Tolkien? Is this just coincidence that these wise women appear in the later writings, but not in LotR? Or is it something more?

[ March 18, 2003: Message edited by: Child of the 7th Age ]