Mayfair Royal Eowyn, EF Nib

New pen day. I unboxed the Mayfair Royal Eowyn in Pastel Rapids this morning, and the body might be the most unusual one I own.

I have an Eowyn tattoo, in fact, so this one was a must for me. “But no living man am I! You look upon a woman.” She rides to the Pelennor Fields disguised as a man because everyone in her life has told her where a shieldmaiden belongs, and then she stands over Théoden and takes down the Witch-king of Angmar, the one enemy prophecy said no man could kill. The line only works because of the loophole. Tolkien gave her a way through the thing built to stop her, and her story has always resonated for me as woman living in an often man-driven world.

It is so flowy and regal feeling, and is reverse threaded on the body to account for the threaded cap. Nothing else on my shelf reads like this. Pens shaped for fantasy usually feel like it in the hand. This one doesn’t. It balances well and sits where my hand wants it, which I didn’t expect from a body with this much going on.

My one honest note is grip, and it’s a me problem, not a pen problem. I hold my pens too close to the nib, so my nails catch at a funny spot. Working on that. Grip a little further back and I don’t think you’ll notice.

Pastel Rapids is better in person than any photo of it, mine included. The shifts are softer and the depth doesn’t come through on a screen. Worth knowing if you’re deciding from product images. The nib is a JoWo EF, and it does what a good JoWo does. Smooth from the first stroke. No tuning, no complaints.

I inked it with Sailor Date Gokoro. The color shift plays off the pastel so well, and that’s the pairing I’d point you to.

Mayfair releases these in small limited edition batches and they sell out. If a colorway speaks to you, grab it while it’s live! No FOMO for you!