Éothíriel

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Éothíriel
GENERAL
Middle Earth
Character	Éomer
Character	Lothíriel
Canonical?	Canon
Status of Relationship	Married; both are dead
IN FANDOM
Type (?)	Het

Éothíriel is the het ship between Éomer and Lothíriel from the Middle Earth fandom.

Canon

Éomer was the King of Rohan, having succeeded his uncle King Theoden during the War of the Ring. Lothíriel was the daughter of Prince Imrahil of Dol Amroth. Éomer was born eight years before Lothíriel. When they married, Éomer was in his early thirties and Lothíriel in her early twenties.

Éomer met and befriended Lothíriel’s father Imrahil during the Battle of the Pelennor Fields. Éomer’s sister Éowyn also married Lothíriel’s cousin Faramir. As such, Éomer and Lothíriel could have been introduced to one another through either or both of these relationships. This likely would have occurred either while Éomer was in Gondor during and after the war, or during later diplomatic visits such as when Imrahil was among those who attended Theoden’s funeral feast in Rohan.

In any event, Éomer and Lothíriel were wedded in the final year of Middle Earth’s Third Age. They had at least one son who would succeed Éomer as king. Éomer would live and reign for 65 years, and Lothíriel is not implied to have ever separated from him. It is unknown whether Lothíriel outlived her husband, or whether she might have died before him.

Children

Éomer and Lothíriel had at least one child together, a son whom they named Elfwine. He was noted for taking after his grandfather Imrahil. Elfwine succeeded his father as King of Rohan, and was the second king of the third line.

Fanon

Éothíriel is a surprisingly popular ship in the Middle Earth fandom. All we know about it comes from either the Appendices of The Lord of the Rings or material published by Christopher Tolkien after the death of his father J.R.R. Tolkien. There are thus no scenes between the two in the written works. Adaptations of The Lord of the Rings have at times barely included Éomer, and Lothíriel’s only appearance in such a work to date is The Lord of the Rings Online, which has not touched on the relationship between the pair.

It may well be, however, that part of the appeal of the pairing lies in the little canon material that exists, leaving fic-writers and other creators room to explore the concept more freely than with more prominent pairings. Works featuring the ship often take advantage of what is known about Éomer and Lothíriel’s families. Aside from the aforementioned connections with Imrahil and Faramir, Lothíriel has three brothers, and someone enjoy imagining their varied reactions to Éomer before and after Lothíriel marries him. The implied closeness between Éomer and his in-laws makes it likely that there would have been visits to and from Dol Amroth for the couple, likely easing any sorrow Lothíriel might feel at leaving home.

Another topic explored in works involving the ship is the exact nature of Éomer and Lothíriel’s marriage. While some see it coming about in a fashion similar to Arawen and Farawyn, others think it likely that Éomer and Lothíriel’s union may have been politically motivated. This concept may add a level of tension to the relationship, though with the pair ultimately coming to love each other in spite of the circumstances. The birth of their son Elfwine, and their relationship with him, is another popular topic.

Another popular concept is that Éomer and Lothíriel may bond over a shared love of horses. Éomer is King of Rohan, a land renowned for its riders and horses alike; the name of the realm literally means “Horse-country.” Lothíriel’s homeland of Dol Amroth, though a coastal region, is similarly famous for its cavalry, the vaunted Swan-knights led by her father and his predecessors. It thus seems entirely plausible that Lothíriel was also acquainted with horses, giving her and Éomer a common interest.

There are nearly 500 written works for the pairing on AO3, 100+ of which are rated Mature or Explicit.

Fandom

FAN FICTION

Éomer/Lothíriel tag on AO3