Quote:
Originally Posted by William Cloud Hicklin
There's no room in Tolkien's world - call him "misogynist" if you like - for Warrior She-Elves (largely a very, very recent staple of RPGs, movies, comic books etc, plus ancient legend where, again, they were exceptional (Hippolyta, Atalanta) or divine (Athena, the Valkyries). Eowyn is a Thang precisely because she is completely unique and unexpected; as for female Elves, Tolkien merely says that "at need" they would fight to defend their children and homes. In this then they were not unlike the ancient Teutons, of whom Tacitus expressed as much surprise as his laconic style permitted; most enemy women, when the menfolk were defeated, simply accepted slavery meekly.
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Well said! There is also the story of Haleth who is another
exceptional case. Such cases existed, and these women are held in high esteem, but they were
exceptions. A female elf doesn't casually become the Captain of the Guard or whatever TauriElle's position was.