"You are a lady high and valiant and have yourself won renown that shall not be forgotten; and you are a lady beautiful, I deem, beyond even the words of the Elven-tongue to tell. And I love you... Eowyn, do you not love me?"
--Faramir, "The Steward and the King"
Before I talk about my fondness for Aragorn/Eowyn, I want to include this, since so many people have emailed me about it, and because I think every Eowyn fan would love to know it. In the History of Middle Earth series compiled by Christopher Tolkien from his father's drafts, we learn that Tolkien's original plan was to have Aragorn marry Eowyn, and that Arwen wasn't introduced until the final chapters of RotK. I've typed up the best passages from the book, and you can read them here. Enjoy!
It's one of the most hotly debated topics among LotR fans. Did Aragorn have feelings for Eowyn, repressing them because he had promised himself to Arwen? Did Eowyn really love Aragorn? Did she really love Faramir? Which man would make her happier?
For my own part, I love Faramir, and I think the story of him and Eowyn is romantic and satisfying -- and I do believe that she loves him. Buuut... there's another part of me that will never stop regretting the thrown-away romance between Eowyn and Aragorn. Not so much for her sake (because she ends up with wonderful Faramir), but for Aragorn's (because he ends up with a prissy Elf-Seamstress).
There is textual evidence that Aragorn was attracted to and intrigued by Eowyn, and some -- including me! -- would argue that he was drawn to her. Consider these passages:
Thus Aragorn for the first time in the full light of day beheld Eowyn, Lady of Rohan, and thought her fair, fair and cold, like a morning of pale spring that is not yet come to womanhood. (The King of the Golden Hall)
He looked down upon her fair face and smiled; but as he took the cup, his hand met hers, and he knew that she trembled at his touch . . . his face now was troubled and he did not smile. (TKotGH)
Aragorn looked back as they passed towards the gate. Alone Eowyn stood before the doors of the house at the stair's head; the sword was set upright before her, and her hands were laid upon the hilt. She was clad now in mail and shone like silver in the sun. (TKotGH)
"I do not choose paths of peril, Eowyn. Were I to go where my heart dwells, far in the north I would now be wandering in the fair valley of Rivendell." (The Passing of the Grey Company) -- I put this one in to be fair; besides, I'm not denying that Aragorn loves Arwen, just that he has also developed feelings for Eowyn.
"I would not see a thing that is high and excellent cast away needlessly."
"Nor would I," he said. "Therefore I say to you, lady: Stay!" (TPotGC)
Then she fell on her knees saying, "I beg thee!"
"Nay, lady," he said, and taking her by the hand he raised her. Then he kissed her hand, and sprang into the saddle, and rode away, and did not look back; and only those who knew him well and were near to him saw the pain that he bore. (TPotGC)
Tolkien wrote these scenes brilliantly, because they can yield completely opposite, equally valid interpretations. Is Aragorn troubled because he's developing feelings for Eowyn, or because he doesn't want her to fall in love with him? Or both? Hmmm!
Why did Tolkien cut out what could have been one of the coolest love stories in literature, marrying his hero to a forgettable minor character? Um, I don't know. But I am glad that he decided against his next idea, which was to have Eowyn die when she avenged Theoden and killed the Witch-King. Just as Faramir "came walking through the woods of Ithilien," I think their love story dawned on Tolkien.
And for that, I can forgive him for matching Aragorn with that elf... almost.
So... my final opinion?
Eowyn/Faramir... with a soft, wistful sigh for Eowyn/Aragorn. =)
If you like Aragorn and Eowyn, or the idea interests you, you might want to visit my A/E fansite and fanlisting, A Shadow and a Thought.