The Strongest Female Characters In Middle-Earth

Key Takeaways

• Strong women shape Middle-earth’s history, from Melian to Galadriel, play crucial roles.
• Luthien’s heroic exploits resonate in
  The Lord of the Rings
  , influenced by her mother, Melian.
• Elanor Gamgee inherits courage and social standing, becoming a powerful figure in the Shire.

Middle-earth is only one small part of Tolkien’s vast universe, but it’s where the events of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journeyand The Lord of the Ringstrilogy take place, and virtually all of the most important characters have lived there in the thousands of years between the pursuit of the Silmarils and The War of the Ring.

Plenty of the movers and shakers in Middle-earth are women, starting in the realm’s earliest history and carrying right through to the later times when the last of the Elves finally sailed into the West. The protectors of Doriath, the foe of Morgoth, and the slayer of the Nazgul were exploits carried out by the strongest women in Middle-earth.

1 Melian

Wife Of King Thingol And Mother Of Luthien

• Appears In:The Silmarillion, The History of Middle-earth, The Children of Húrin, Beren & Lúthien

Out of all the notable characters in Middle-earth, Melian is one of the few who has yet to appear in any on-screen adaptations. A Maiar on the same level as the Wizards who would follow in her footsteps, Melian chose a different life when she arrived in Middle-earth. The Vala she served was Yavanna, and when she met Prince Elwe, who would eventually become King Thingol, she took on a mortal form to be his queen.

Melian not only protected her husband’s kingdom using her power, but she also mentored a young Galadriel, who would use the same magic to protect her realm of Lothlorien. Melain and Thingo had one child, a girl named Luthien, who would challenge her mother when it came to heroic exploits.

2 Luthien

Defeated Morgoth And Saved A Silmaril

• Appears In: The Silmarillion, Beren and Lúthien

The story of Beren and Luthien takes place eons before The War of the Ring, but the legend still echoes in the Third Age. In a scene in The Lord of the Rings, Aragorn is singing a song called “The Ley of Luthien” and explains the basic plot to Frodo, part of which includes the main character becoming mortal and dying.

Although Luthien succeeded in recovering one of the stolen Silmarils, their quest ended in tragedy when Beren was killed. He was sent back from the Halls of Mandos, and it was Manwe, the King of the Arda, who offered Luthien the choice of becoming mortal and living out her remaining days with him. Their offspring and relatives are some of the most powerful and famous characters in The Lord of the Rings.

3 Galadriel

Mentored By Melian

• Appears In: The Fellowship of the Ring, The Return of the King, The Silmarillion, Unfinished Tales

Galadriel is one of the highest-profile characters in The Lord of the Rings,and her importance to the overall story can’t be understated. Her story begins in Valinor, her birthplace, but she eventually travels to Middle-earth where she was first a guest of Melain and Thingol before establishing her own kingdom.

Galadriel learned most of her magic and wisdom from her family, which was made up of Noldor elf royalty, along with Melain the Maiar, one of her closest friends and mentors in Middle-earth. She would pass on her knowledge to her granddaughter Arwen, and was a crucial protector and guide to The Fellowship of the Ring.

4 Eowyn

A Shieldmaiden Who Slew The Nazgul

• Appears In: The Two Towers, The Return of the King

She called herself a shieldmaiden of Rohan, and more than proved to be worthy of the title as a soldier and fighter. Eowyn and her brother, Eomer, were the only thing standing between Saruman seizing total control of King Theoden when Aragorn appeared in Edoras, and she followed their army to the Battle of Pelennor Fields.

Eowyn isn’t just strong because of her defeat of the Nazgul, however. When Eomer was in exile, she was essentially trapped in the castle with her sick uncle and his even sicker close advisor, the poisonous Wormtongue. She always rejected Wormtongue’s ideas and advances, standing firm against his treachery until her brother was able to return.

5 Arwen

Luthien Reborn

• Appears In: The Fellowship of the Ring, The Return of the King, Unfinished Tales

The love story between Arwen and Aragorn is intended to be an echo of the ancient legend of Berent and Luthien, partly because Arwen eventually chooses to live as a mortal as her ancestor did. She spent most of her life in Lothlorien after her mother returned to Valinor, and would have learned the arts of magic and crafting from both sides of her family.

Arwen was also mentored and trained by Galadriel, who was a descendant of Noldor royalty and taught by Melian the Maiar. In the movies, there’s a much better depiction of the powers she would have had, and although her powers are referred to in the books, she never gets to use them.

6 Belladonna Took

A Famous Name In The Shire

• Appears In:The Hobbit (mentioned only)

Belladonna Took is Bilbo Baggins’ mother, and she only appears through secondhand accounts in The Hobbit and genealogical tables in the LotR Appendices. It’s obvious by her last name that this is how Bilbo and Frodo are related to Pippin, who also hails from the Took family. Gandalf seems to think that her Took influence makes Bilbo Baggins a natural-born adventurer.

Belladonna’s wealthy family, and her marriage to Bungo Baggins, which brought some of that money to the locals, made them the Shire’s power couple. Together, they built up the local community and constructed one of the biggest and most luxurious homes in Bag End, the neighborhood that eventually took on their name.

7 Elanor Gamgee

Inherited Sam’s Courage And His Social Standing

• Appears In:The Lord of the Rings “Appendix B, The Tale of Years, The Third Age, Later Events Concerning the Members of the Fellowship of the Ring.”

The oldest daughter of Samwise Gamgee and Rosie Cotton, she was also known as Elanor the Fair. Some examples of the titles she held include Keeper of the Red Book of Westmarch, Maid of Honor to Queen Arwen, and the wife of Fastred of Greenholm.

Elanor was often likened to an Elf instead of a Hobbit because of her golden hair. She was a powerful and influential figure not only in her home of the Shire, but also in the court of King Elessar and with the Wardens of Westmarch. These were knights and nobles who were charged with guarding the Shire after Sam Gamgee left for the Undying Lands, and Elanor’s husband Fastred was the first.