[Atariel]

i have several points to make, some of which are a bit silly, so if you'll just bear with me:

1) the menstrual cycle. You can hardly expect a woman to want to be trudging over mountains, or fighting off orcs, or doing anything strenuous when they're either pre-mentstrual, menstrual or post-menstrual (and this happens to take up a lot of time)

2) the girliness. yes, i know that there are girls who come along and aren't scared of a thing. but i hardly think that anyone would want to traipse through Moria in the pitch black and dust, getting their dress dirty. Becuase, inevitably, they would be wearing dresses.

3) the male camaraderie. Were there a woman in the fellowship, chances are they would fall in love with someone, or have an argument with someone. Women are notoriously *****y, and this would break up the whole male Wherever You Go, I Go thingy.

4) the death and destruction. i'm not necessarily the MOST feminine person in the world (not saying that i'm particularly masculine, though) but i still go to pieces if someone dies, even just in films. women tend- TEND, mark that- to be more sensitive than the average bloke, and a wailing, moaning girlie isn't so convenient when trying to escape from rampaging orcs.

5) the unrealisticness. all the women in M-E seem to be very feminine. yes, EVEN eowyn. who would really choose to put their life on the line? and i don't actually think that the elves- who were perhaps traditionalists- would have allowed women to be at the Council of Elrond. AND the men folk (fathers, brothers, whoever was in charge of the woman)would hardly have permitted them to go, anyway, in case she died or fell in love with someone unsuitable.

i think people have to remember that middle earth had a very medieval soceity, and that the idea of a woman having an important role in, ultimately, a violent cause is laughable