Revisiting "Alloyed" Heroism: Reading Women as Characterizations of J.R.R. Tolkien's "Northern Heroic Spirit"

Abstract

Drawing on existing scholarship in Tolkien and Old English studies, this thesis explores how Tolkien’s concept of “northern heroic spirit” might be applied to Tolkien’s own characters and to the Old English literary figures from which he drew inspiration. While previous discourse surrounding northern heroism has foregrounded— or often exclusively considered— men, I argue that women demonstrate a distinct form of “alloyed” northern heroism due to their experiences of marginalization and, as such, offer further possibilities for how northern heroism might function. By comparing Tolkien’s Éowyn to the Old English, Judith, through the lens of northern heroism, I seek to demonstrate the adaptability of medieval literary theory. And, in doing so, I seek to further the contemporary conversation in medieval scholarship which challenges the notion that medievalism and its branches are inherently masculinist.