Why their were no women in the fellowship

[HerenIstarion]

and I'm not being sexist I'm a girl

Can it not work the other way round?

But, not to stray (or to stray just a little bit):

I consider myself a resonable merman. I set certain rules, and I expect those rules to be obeyed ~ King Triton to his daughter, The Little Mermaid.

The Midde-Earth [Free People] societies simply do not allow for such a thing. There are roles, yer honours, and there are certain rules. See also The Role of Women in The Lord of the Rings

[Bêthberry]

Oh, look, everyone knows that since Eve ate apples, women cannot be trusted. And it's got nothing to do with duplicity. It's that servient, helpmeet instinct coupled with (yes, coupled ) their gift to be receptive and stimulated by males. They would probably have been so desirous to be sympathetic and understanding not only to Gollem but to Saruman and even Sauron as well that, well, they would have been sucked in just like Saruman was by his desire for knowledge.

*coughs*

[Encaitare]

I sense that you are a fan of "The Little Mermaid," HI, or at least know it rather well... first the Flounder reference in the CbC thread, and now the one above...

The point you made was quite true, though. Although Middle-earth has a full share of strong women, they are generally not warriors (Eowyn being the exception). Since the Fellowship was supposed to be kept small, it would have been impossible to take along someone who wasn't able to give their all to the Quest or prove the most useful.

[tar-ancalime]

I don't know about these arguments that hold that women were excluded because of an unfortunate lack of warrior-princess-ness or even because of their moon cycles. Every member of the Fellowship was imperfect, and each gave to it according to his ability. The hobbits, for example, had to be carried down the mountain when the snow was too deep for them, and they made up 44% of the Fellowship. Their journey to Rivendell also was not exactly an advertisement for their worldliness or discretion. And they're not the only ones who don't always seem to be assets to the strength of the group.

Dwarves don't ride well, Elves have no stomach for caves, and the Gondorian never even said he was along for the whole journey. I don't think the Fellowship was ever about usefulness--I think it was symbolic, made up of all the Free Peoples (except Ents, evidently), and the number nine was arbitrarily chosen not for any practical purpose but to set Nine Walkers against Nine Riders. I really think that the purpose of the Fellowship was to show solidarity among the many races of Middle-Earth, to make a highly symbolic move against the Enemy, and only incidentally to help Frodo. Everyone knew that it would eventually come down to a hobbit, standing alone at the Sammath Naur, and that were he accompanied by a whole army the end of the journey would be the same.

[The Saucepan Man]

Originally Posted by Encaitare

Although Middle-earth has a full share of strong women, they are generally not warriors (Eowyn being the exception). Since the Fellowship was supposed to be kept small, it would have been impossible to take along someone who wasn't able to give their all to the Quest or prove the most useful.

Oh I don't know. A female member of the Fellowship would have been very useful when it came to cooking and washing travel-stained clothes. They would have been well advised to keep the map away from her, though.

*Ducks flying rolling-pins and assorted culinary equipment*

[Mithalwen]

Originally Posted by The Saucepan Man

Oh I don't know. A female member of the Fellowship would have been very useful when it came to cooking and washing travel-stained clothes. They would have been well advised to keep the map away from her, though.

*Ducks flying rolling-pins and assorted culinary equipment*

Culinary equipment? Many of us long ago gave up believing that the quickest route to a man's heart is through his stomach - straight through the ribs with a very sharp knife (and I am thinking of daggers rather than Sabatiers)is much more direct. Maybe the attraction of Aragorn for Arwen was the fact that here clearly is a man who would be undemanding in the housework department - largely because he lived in a hedge for preference. Possibly nature compensated Elves for their powerful senses of sight and hearing by leaving them seriously deficient in the olofactory department.

As for those of my own gender who claim that women didn't go on the quest because they menstruate - well you clearly didn't have the same variety of PE teachers as I did. Those slightly butch hags would insist that lots of fresh air and exercise were just the thing ... ok so my own approach favours hotwater bottles, and ibuprofen and alcohol - but it is a bit of a wimp-out. Just tough it out - I bet Eowyn wouldn't have not joined the ride of the Rohirrim because it was a bad time of the month. Anyway I am sure that elf women don't get cramps - I mean they wouldn't would they? They would be like the happy, smiley females in Tampax commercials - not as normal women who are more interested in finding someone whose throat they can rip out, than skateboarding.

But the real reason there were no women is because they would have got fed up with the typically male procedure for organising the quest (cf Judith in "The Life of Brian who so unreasonably wants them to do something about Brian immediately - since he is being crucified NOW- without all the committee meetings, discussions, resolutions and planning). They would have taken about 5 minutes to realise the only and obvious course of action, packed, arranged for someone to feed the cats, and gone. None of that two months of recce and faffing around and waiting for winter to get really nasty and making a couple of bods half way there in advance - female logic would have sent Frodo as excess baggage with Elladan and Elrohir...since they were going that way.....

[Lalwendë]

Oh I don't know. A female member of the Fellowship would have been very useful when it came to cooking and washing travel-stained clothes. They would have been well advised to keep the map away from her, though.

Grrr, I've risen to that particular bait...I've yet to meet a man who can read a map better than I can. I am a self-confessed map-nerd. Although I learned a long time ago never to criticise a man's map-reading, and just to keep smugly quiet while he chooses to go the wrong way...that's if he gets a chance to drive. I'm a decent cook though, I'll give you that.

Mithalwen - I reckon Aragorn would be quite well domesticated myself. All those years out in the wild having to take care of his own cooking and mending, being self-sufficient; I find a lot of ex-military men are surprisingly domestic. He'd surely be the one more inclined to do any work, I can't see Arwen doing much beyond a spot of light embroidery. I have a vision of Arwen lifting her feet in the air while Aragorn hoovers the carpet around her, "Don't move my love, I'll be done hoovering soon and then I'll get a cuppa on".

I bet Eowyn wouldn't have not joined the ride of the Rohirrim because it was a bad time of the month.

Perhaps the reason Eowyn joined the riders was because it was a bad time of the month?