Lúthien
Encyclopedia
Lúthien Tinúviel is a fictional character
in the fantasy
-world Middle-earth
of the English author J. R. R. Tolkien
. She appears in The Silmarillion
, the epic poem
The Lay of Leithian
, The Lord of the Rings
(although not directly) and the Grey Annals, as well as in other material.
(Sindarin
) princess
, the only child of Elu Thingol
, king of Doriath
, and his queen, Melian
the Maia
. Lúthien's romance with the mortal man
Beren
is one of the greatest stories of the Elder Days
and was considered the "chief" of the Silmarillion tales by Tolkien himself. Her character is revered even at the end of the Third Age
and honoured still by the likes of Aragorn and various other peoples of Middle-earth. The legacy that Lúthien left behind can be most clearly seen throughout the later ages in those who stem from her ancestry, including the Royal Family of Númenor
, being the line of Elros of which Arathorn and his son Aragorn
were descended, and Elrond
Half-elven who was Lúthien's great-grandson. She is described as the Morning Star of the Elves, a term meaning that she was the most beautiful of all her people at the height of their glory. In contrast, Lúthien's descendant Arwen
is called Evenstar, the Evening Star of the Elves, meaning that her beauty reflects that of Lúthien Tinúviel. Lúthien is also first cousin once removed to Galadriel
; as Galadriel's mother, Eärwen
of Alqualondë, is the daughter of Thingol's brother.
, but it can also be translated "blossom". Tinúviel was a name given to her by Beren. It literally means "daughter of the starry twilight", which signifies "nightingale
".
royalty through her father Elu Thingol and half-divine (of the race of the Valar
) through her mother Melian the Maia.
She was born in the year 4700 of the Years of the Trees according to the Grey Annals. But although this is given as her date of birth in the text, it is actually unknown exactly when she came into the world, meaning that this is an approximation. At her birth, the white flower niphredil is said to have bloomed for the first time in Doriath.
She fell in love with Beren
, a Man
of the House of Bëor
. Their first meeting was in the forest of Neldoreth, which lay within the guarded realm of Doriath
, hidden kingdom of Lúthien's father Elu Thingol and his Queen Melian. The kingdom was fenced by a barrier known as the Girdle of Melian which was formed by the power of Lúthien's Maia-mother and barred the entry of any save those granted access by the King and Queen. This meant that none except that privileged minority could find and even see the secret and hidden lands sheltered within.
Their relationship was doomed from the beginning as Lúthien was not just the cherished only daughter of Thingol
, the first and most powerful Elven-king in Beleriand
, but also the daughter of a Maia
, who had existed since before time and creation itself. Beren on the other hand, was a mortal man on the run from the Dark Lord Morgoth
and an outlaw, without father and exiled from the land of his kin. Whilst Lúthien had lived for thousands of years in the world already, Beren was young even by human standards.
Though Melian warned her husband against it, Thingol was determined not to let Beren marry his daughter, and set a seemingly impossible task as the bride price
: Beren had to bring him one of the Silmaril
s from Morgoth
's iron crown. He did not kill him outright since he had promised Lúthien that he would spare his life, and because of his renown. Beren left Menegroth immediately and Lúthien remained grieving.
, the Dark Lord's evil Regent. Because of this Lúthien decided that she must risk her life to save him, and face Sauron herself. She asked her friend Daeron for help, who thinking it was best for she whom he loved, betrayed her secret to Thingol. In angry love and fear the King had her locked in a prison up in the branches of the great beech tree of Doriath and had it patrolled by guards. Daeron was filled with remorse and so Lúthien forgave him. However she devised a plan to escape. Since her mother was a Maia (an angelic being) this conferred on Lúthien as half-Maia, great magical abilities. She grew her locks long and from them devised a spell that made her hair become a cloak that had the power of inducing sleep. With this she beguiled the guards and ran out of her prison.
and his brother Curufin
. Celegorm became enamoured of her beauty and plotted to force her into marriage to himself. But he concealed his true motives and appeared to her as a friend, willing her to firstly follow the brothers to Nargothrond
. She did so, but when she arrived they held her hostage and forbade her to talk to anyone save themselves. Celegorm wanted to gain family status with Thingol and Lúthien was the window through which he could grasp this golden opportunity, as well as being the loveliest woman in the world. But Huan took pity on her and decided to rebel against his master and free her. He was allowed to speak with words only three times ere he died, which was prophetically said to be by the "greatest wolf of all". Despite this he counselled her with words and together they escaped from Nargothrond.
They came to Sauron's Isle. Here Lúthien sang for Beren to hear. He answered her call, thinking that it was a figment of his imagination and in his grief at the loss of his friend sang in answer. Then Sauron hearing that Lúthien was there became filled with malice. He had heard of her beauty and wished to bring her prisoner to Morgoth, his master as a pretty toy to play with. So he sent wolf after wolf to slay Huan, but each time the hound killed them. Finally he sent his most powerful werewolf Draugluin, who Huan also defeated. After this Sauron decided to finish Huan off himself. Filled with confidence that he was the one that would finally kill the famed hound, he transformed himself into the most powerful werewolf ever born. In this form Huan wavered and leapt aside, but Lúthien remained to face him. Sauron lunged for her, but she lifted a fold of her enchanted cloak and struck him, momentarily disorienting him and Huan then attacked him. The two fought for long, but Huan eventually won despite Sauron changing into many different shapes and forms. Finally Lúthien commanded him to leave and to surrender the lordship of the Isle to her or have his body ruined and destroyed by the terror of the wrath of Huan. Sauron gave up the keys of the tower and changed into a hideous vampire, before he flew away into the night-sky, shamed and defeated.
Then Lúthien took control of the island and by her powers destroyed the Tower and freed the prisoners. Lúthien found Beren lying beside the dead body of Felagund and so thought him dead. She fell down into a state of grief, but then became reunited with Beren at the rising of the sun as he awakened and realized that his lover was there. They buried Finrod Felagund
there on his Isle. Afterwards Huan returned to Celegorm his master but the lovers walked the woods once more in joy.
, Celegorm and Curufin appeared. Lúthien's exploits had caused a stir in Nargothrond, in which the brothers were expelled. Because of this the brothers fought Beren who won and shamed them. Huan then forsook his master and fought on the side of Beren and Lúthien. Beren stole one of their horses and at the command of Lúthien spared their lives. However as they fled Curufin aimed a shot of his bow at Lúthien. Beren at this point jumped in front of the arrow and took the blow. Huan chased the brothers until they vanished and came back to aid Lúthien. By Lúthien's magic and love Beren was restored to life. As she slept he gave her into the care of Huan and journeyed to Angband
.
When Lúthien awoke she was distraught and together she and Huan assumed the form of Thuringwethil
, the vampire servant of Morgoth and Draugluin the Werewolf. She found Beren and gave him the hide of the great Werewolf. In the form of vampire (which Lúthien took) and werewolf they entered Angband. At the gates, however, Carcharoth
the mightiest werewolf of all confronted them. However Lúthien suddenly became possessed by the ancient angelic power in her blood and forced him into a deep slumber. Together they reached the Throne of Morgoth and here the Dark Lord saw through Lúthien's disguise and stripped her of it. Lúthien then declared herself and offered to sing for Morgoth and filled with an evil lust for her he accepted. But when she began to sing Morgoth and his entire court fell into deep sleep. After this she sprang into the air and placed her cloak over Morgoth's eyes, shielding Beren and herself from him. She awoke Beren and after he had thrown away his disguise he cut a Silmaril from Morgoth's crown using Angrist. But Beren tried to get all three Silmarils, so he attempted to cut another one from the crown but his blade broke, and struck Morgoth's cheek and awakened him. At this Beren and Lúthien fled away, with the whole army of Morgoth's servants still slumbering. When they reached the gates Carcharoth attacked them. Beren wanting to protect weakening Lúthien thrust the Silmaril into the wolf's face to threaten him. The wolf then bit off Beren's entire hand and swallowed the Silmaril. In terror and pain he fled leaving Lúthien cradling a mortally wounded Beren in her arms, with the hosts of Angband on their heels. The Wolf's fangs were poisonous and so Lúthien sucked the venom out with her lips and with her failing power tried to restore him. But just when all hope seemed lost the Eagles of Manwë came and bore them up into the sky away from the angry hordes. They had come at the summons of Huan and they carried the two into the realm of Doriath and laid them on the ground.
of the Heavyhand and Beleg
Strongbow went out with other Elves to defeat the beast. In this Beren was assaulted by the wolf. Huan then leaped to his aid and killed the beast, but died soon after from mortal wounds, by his friend Beren's side. Then Beren was carried to Doriath where he died in Lúthien's arms, after she bade him to await her by the great sea in the afterlife.
, King of Arda
. Even Manwë could not change the fate of Men, and so he presented Lúthien with the only choice possible: to live in the immortal land of Valinor, where she could forget all her grief and enjoy eternal happiness along with her people and the Gods (Valar) but without Beren, or to return to the land of Middle-earth together with Beren as a mortal herself, accepting the Doom of Men and sharing in whatever unknown fate awaits them outside the Circles of the World. She chose this latter option. With this she accepted death as a mortal woman, and although it was not the fate of her race, she turned creation upside down for her love of Beren and relinquished everything for him and became a mortal woman.
Together in their new bodies they returned to Doriath and released the winter of Thingol, who had been in grieving ever since his daughter's death. But Melian could not look at first into her daughter's eyes, since she could see the doom of mortality written in them and she knew that Lúthien would be parted from her forever and leave the material world behind with Beren, when the time came for her to die. Melian on the other hand would exist forever until the end of Arda, as Lúthien should have if she had not became mortal for her husband. By nature she was still Elven, and was so in everything except eternal life, meaning that her child would still have immortal blood through her.
Years later, Thingol received the Nauglamír from Húrin
the Steadfast in payment for the fostering of Húrin's son Túrin
, as well as for the care of Húrin's wife Morwen
and daughter Niënor
. Húrin had recovered the Nauglamír from the ruins of Nargothrond following the departure of Glaurung
the dragon. Thingol decided to unite the greatest work of the Dwarves
with the greatest work of the Elves, and recruited Dwarf smiths from the city of Nogrod to complete his plan. Thingol was murdered by the Dwarves after he insulted them, and a false tale told by the escaping Dwarves led to the sack of Menegroth. The Dwarves plundered Thingol's treasuries and took with them the Nauglamír. However, Beren and an army of Green Elves and Ent
s waylaid the returning Dwarf army (this was the only recorded event of the First Age
in which the Ents actually took part). While the greater part of the treasure of Doriath fell into the river Ascar, Beren reclaimed the Nauglamír, and Beren and Lúthien kept the necklace and the great jewel until the end of their lives. It is said that the beauty of Lúthien combined with the splendour of the gem and necklace was to make her home of Tol Galen the fairest land ever to have existed east of Valinor, and that the Silmaril hastened Beren's and Lúthien's end, since Lúthien's beauty with the Silmaril around her neck was too bright for mortal lands to bear. Lúthien Tinúviel gave up her life along with her husband Beren in the fair, green land of Ossiriand where their son and grandchildren had been born. The Elves never recovered from her death; since she alone of the Quendi had left the world, they have lost she whom they treasured most, forever.
After her death, the Nauglamír was delivered to her son Dior Eluchíl. Whilst Lúthien wore the necklace no one dared assail her, but when Dior took it up the Sons of Fëanor, motivated by their unholy oath, ransacked the kingdom of Doriath and slew Dior and his wife Nimloth
.
Elrond
the Half-elven and Arwen
Evenstar are descendants of Lúthien, as is Aragorn
a descendant of Elrond's brother Elros. According to legend, her line will never be broken.
, her original name is Tinúviel (Lúthien was invented later). Beren is, in this earlier version, an Elf (specifically a Noldo
, or Gnome), and Sauron has not yet emerged. In his place, they face Tevildo, the Prince of Cats, a monstrous cat who is the principal enemy of the Valinor
ean hound Huan. However Tolkien initially created the character of Beren as a mortal man before this in an even earlier but erased version of the tale.
The story is also told in an epic poem in The Lays of Beleriand
, upon which most of the finer details of her life and relationship to Beren is extracted from in this article, since The Silmarillion provides only a generalization of the tale.
word Lufien, which means love. The Tale of Beren and Lúthien
also shares an element with folktales such as the Welsh Culhwch and Olwen
and others — namely, the disapproving parent who sets a seemingly impossible task (or tasks) for the suitor, which is then fulfilled. In Tolkien's version the woman actually helps the suitor fulfil his task.
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
in the fantasy
High fantasy
High fantasy or epic fantasy is a subgenre of fantasy that is set in invented or parallel worlds. High fantasy was brought to fruition through the work of authors such as J. R. R. Tolkien and C. S. Lewis, whose major fantasy works were published in the 1950s...
-world Middle-earth
Middle-earth
Middle-earth is the fictional setting of the majority of author J. R. R. Tolkien's fantasy writings. The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings take place entirely in Middle-earth, as does much of The Silmarillion and Unfinished Tales....
of the English author J. R. R. Tolkien
J. R. R. Tolkien
John Ronald Reuel Tolkien, CBE was an English writer, poet, philologist, and university professor, best known as the author of the classic high fantasy works The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, and The Silmarillion.Tolkien was Rawlinson and Bosworth Professor of Anglo-Saxon at Pembroke College,...
. She appears in The Silmarillion
The Silmarillion
The Silmarillion is a collection of J. R. R. Tolkien's mythopoeic works, edited and published posthumously by his son Christopher Tolkien in 1977, with assistance from Guy Gavriel Kay, who later became a noted fantasy writer. The Silmarillion, along with J. R. R...
, the epic poem
Epic poetry
An epic is a lengthy narrative poem, ordinarily concerning a serious subject containing details of heroic deeds and events significant to a culture or nation. Oral poetry may qualify as an epic, and Albert Lord and Milman Parry have argued that classical epics were fundamentally an oral poetic form...
The Lay of Leithian
The Lay of Leithian
The Lay of Leithian is an unfinished poem written by J. R. R. Tolkien. It tells the Tale of Beren and Lúthien, the story of the love of the mortal Man Beren and the immortal Elf maiden Lúthien. The poem consists of over 4200 verses. It was published after Tolkien's death in The Lays of Beleriand...
, The Lord of the Rings
The Lord of the Rings
The Lord of the Rings is a high fantasy epic written by English philologist and University of Oxford professor J. R. R. Tolkien. The story began as a sequel to Tolkien's earlier, less complex children's fantasy novel The Hobbit , but eventually developed into a much larger work. It was written in...
(although not directly) and the Grey Annals, as well as in other material.
Character overview
Lúthien is a TelerinTelerin
Telerin is a constructed language devised by J. R. R. Tolkien. It is one of the many fictional language set in his Secondary world, often called Middle-earth....
(Sindarin
Sindarin
Sindarin is a fictional language devised by J. R. R. Tolkien, and used in his secondary world, often called Middle-earth.Sindarin is one of the many languages spoken by the immortal Elves, called the Eledhrim or Edhellim in Sindarin....
) princess
Princess
Princess is the feminine form of prince . Most often, the term has been used for the consort of a prince, or his daughters....
, the only child of Elu Thingol
Thingol
Elu Thingol is a fictional character in J.R.R. Tolkien's Middle-earth legendarium. He appears in The Silmarillion, The Lays of Beleriand and Children of Húrin as well as in numerous stories in the many volumes of The History of Middle-earth...
, king of Doriath
Doriath
In J. R. R. Tolkien's fictional Middle-earth, Doriath is the realm of the Sindar, the Grey Elves of King Thingol in Beleriand. Along with the other great forests of Tolkien's legendarium such as Mirkwood, Fangorn and Lothlórien it serves as the central stage in the theatre of its time, the First Age...
, and his queen, Melian
Melian
Melian the Maia is a fictional character in the fantasy-world Middle-earth of the English author J. R. R. Tolkien. She appears in The Silmarillion, the epic poem The Lay of Leithian, The Children of Húrin, the Annals of Aman and the Grey Annals....
the Maia
Maia (Middle-earth)
The Maiar are beings from J. R. R. Tolkien's high fantasy legendarium. They are lesser Ainur who entered Eä in the beginning of time. Tolkien uses the term Valar to refer both to all the Ainur who entered Eä, and specifically to the greatest among them, the fourteen Lords and Queens of the Valar...
. Lúthien's romance with the mortal man
Man (Middle-earth)
The race of Men in J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth books, such as The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, refers to humanity and does not denote gender...
Beren
Beren
Beren is a fictional character in J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth legendarium. He appears in The Silmarillion. Huan spoke to him.-Character overview:...
is one of the greatest stories of the Elder Days
Elder Days
In the fiction of J. R. R. Tolkien, the Elder Days are the first Ages of Middle-earth.During the Second and Third Age, the term referred to the First Age and before, but in the Fourth Age the term began to be applied to all three ages which came before: a time before the dominance of Men and the...
and was considered the "chief" of the Silmarillion tales by Tolkien himself. Her character is revered even at the end of the Third Age
Third Age
The Third Age is a time period from J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth fantasy writings. The history of Middle-earth is to be taken fictionally as a history of the real Earth....
and honoured still by the likes of Aragorn and various other peoples of Middle-earth. The legacy that Lúthien left behind can be most clearly seen throughout the later ages in those who stem from her ancestry, including the Royal Family of Númenor
Númenor
Númenor is a fictional place in J. R. R. Tolkien's writings. It was a huge island located in the Sundering Seas to the west of Middle-earth, the main setting of Tolkien's writings, and was known to be the greatest realm of Men...
, being the line of Elros of which Arathorn and his son Aragorn
Aragorn
Aragorn II is a fictional character from J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium, one of the main protagonists of The Lord of the Rings. He is first introduced by the name Strider, which the hobbits continue to call him...
were descended, and Elrond
Elrond
Elrond Half-elven is a fictional character in J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth legendarium. He is introduced in The Hobbit, and plays a supporting role in The Lord of the Rings and The Silmarillion.-Character overview:...
Half-elven who was Lúthien's great-grandson. She is described as the Morning Star of the Elves, a term meaning that she was the most beautiful of all her people at the height of their glory. In contrast, Lúthien's descendant Arwen
Arwen
Arwen Undómiel is a fictional character in J.R.R. Tolkien's legendarium. She appears in his novel, The Lord of the Rings, usually published in three volumes. Arwen is one of the Half-elven who lived during the Third Age.-Literature:...
is called Evenstar, the Evening Star of the Elves, meaning that her beauty reflects that of Lúthien Tinúviel. Lúthien is also first cousin once removed to Galadriel
Galadriel
Galadriel is a character created by J.R.R. Tolkien, appearing in his Middle-earth legendarium. She appears in The Lord of the Rings, The Silmarillion, and Unfinished Tales....
; as Galadriel's mother, Eärwen
Eärwen
Eärwen is a fictional character in J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium. She is the daughter of Olwë of Alqualondë, and the wife of Finarfin and mother of Galadriel....
of Alqualondë, is the daughter of Thingol's brother.
Etymology
The name Lúthien appears to mean "enchantress" in a Beleriandic dialect of SindarinSindarin
Sindarin is a fictional language devised by J. R. R. Tolkien, and used in his secondary world, often called Middle-earth.Sindarin is one of the many languages spoken by the immortal Elves, called the Eledhrim or Edhellim in Sindarin....
, but it can also be translated "blossom". Tinúviel was a name given to her by Beren. It literally means "daughter of the starry twilight", which signifies "nightingale
Nightingale
The Nightingale , also known as Rufous and Common Nightingale, is a small passerine bird that was formerly classed as a member of the thrush family Turdidae, but is now more generally considered to be an Old World flycatcher, Muscicapidae...
".
Background Information
Lúthien is half-elvenHalf-elven
In J. R. R. Tolkien's fictional universe of Middle-earth, the Half-elven are the children of the union of Elves and Men. The Half-elven are not a distinct race from Elves and Men, and must ultimately choose to which race they belong...
royalty through her father Elu Thingol and half-divine (of the race of the Valar
Vala (Middle-earth)
The Valar are fictional characters in J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium. They are first mentioned in The Lord of the Rings, but The Silmarillion develops them into the Powers of Arda or the Powers of the World...
) through her mother Melian the Maia.
She was born in the year 4700 of the Years of the Trees according to the Grey Annals. But although this is given as her date of birth in the text, it is actually unknown exactly when she came into the world, meaning that this is an approximation. At her birth, the white flower niphredil is said to have bloomed for the first time in Doriath.
She fell in love with Beren
Beren
Beren is a fictional character in J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth legendarium. He appears in The Silmarillion. Huan spoke to him.-Character overview:...
, a Man
Man (Middle-earth)
The race of Men in J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth books, such as The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, refers to humanity and does not denote gender...
of the House of Bëor
House of Bëor
In J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth legendarium, the House of Bëor were the family of Men who ruled over the eldest of the Three Houses of the Edain that had allied with the Elves in the First Age.-The Folk of Bëor:...
. Their first meeting was in the forest of Neldoreth, which lay within the guarded realm of Doriath
Doriath
In J. R. R. Tolkien's fictional Middle-earth, Doriath is the realm of the Sindar, the Grey Elves of King Thingol in Beleriand. Along with the other great forests of Tolkien's legendarium such as Mirkwood, Fangorn and Lothlórien it serves as the central stage in the theatre of its time, the First Age...
, hidden kingdom of Lúthien's father Elu Thingol and his Queen Melian. The kingdom was fenced by a barrier known as the Girdle of Melian which was formed by the power of Lúthien's Maia-mother and barred the entry of any save those granted access by the King and Queen. This meant that none except that privileged minority could find and even see the secret and hidden lands sheltered within.
Their relationship was doomed from the beginning as Lúthien was not just the cherished only daughter of Thingol
Thingol
Elu Thingol is a fictional character in J.R.R. Tolkien's Middle-earth legendarium. He appears in The Silmarillion, The Lays of Beleriand and Children of Húrin as well as in numerous stories in the many volumes of The History of Middle-earth...
, the first and most powerful Elven-king in Beleriand
Beleriand
In J. R. R. Tolkien's fictional legendarium, Beleriand was a region in northwestern Middle-earth during the First Age. Events in Beleriand are described chiefly in his work The Silmarillion, which tells the story of the early ages of Middle-earth in a style similar to the epic hero tales of Nordic...
, but also the daughter of a Maia
Maia (Middle-earth)
The Maiar are beings from J. R. R. Tolkien's high fantasy legendarium. They are lesser Ainur who entered Eä in the beginning of time. Tolkien uses the term Valar to refer both to all the Ainur who entered Eä, and specifically to the greatest among them, the fourteen Lords and Queens of the Valar...
, who had existed since before time and creation itself. Beren on the other hand, was a mortal man on the run from the Dark Lord Morgoth
Morgoth
Morgoth Bauglir is a fictional character from J. R. R. Tolkien’s Middle-earth legendarium. He is the main antagonist of The Silmarillion, figures in The Children of Húrin, and is mentioned briefly in The Lord of the Rings.Melkor was the most powerful of the Ainur, but turned to darkness and became...
and an outlaw, without father and exiled from the land of his kin. Whilst Lúthien had lived for thousands of years in the world already, Beren was young even by human standards.
The Meeting of Beren and Lúthien
Initially it was Beren who saw Lúthien dancing from afar under moonrise beside the Glades of Esgalduin in her father's forest. From the moment he saw her with his eyes he loved her, for she was the most beautiful of all Elves and Men, the fairest of all the Children of the World. Because of this he revealed himself in the shadows wishing to be near enough to Lúthien to touch her, but Daeron her companion, noticed Beren and believed him to be a wild animal. Thus he shouted for Lúthien to flee, but at first she stood there unmoving, as she had never experienced fear or pain in her life and was confused. Then she saw Beren's shadow and was disturbed, making her dash away quickly. But as she hid in the foliage Beren reached out and touched her arm. To this Lúthien ran away in shock, believing indeed it to be an animal stalking her in the woods. As a result he was unable to voice his love for her, since a chain was on his limbs and he was so enchanted by her loveliness. So instead he longed for her in his heart calling her Tinúviel, an Elvish (Sindarin) name which means "Daughter of Twilight" signifying Nightingale and searched for her. Then after a period of watching her from afar, it happened that one day in summer when Lúthien was dancing on a green hill surrounded by hemlocks, she started singing and the sheer beauty of her voice awakened Beren from his enchantment. Then he ran to her out of the shadows and again she turned and tried to escape in fright but he called to her crying "Tinúviel" since he did not know any other name for her, and when Lúthien gazed upon him for the first time she reciprocated his love and was thus chained with his curse and burdens. He kissed her on the lips, but she slipped away from him and he fell into a deep sleep of grief and bliss. But in his hour of despair, when he was groping to see the light of her countenance once more, she appeared before him, and in the Hidden Kingdom set her hand in his and cradled his head against her breast. From then on they met secretly and conducted a clandestine relationship, and none before or after were as happy as they were, walking through the woods together hand-in-hand.The Quest of the Silmaril
However this joy did not last. Daeron, an elf and childhood friend of Lúthien, who was her partner in music and dance, espied her meetings with Beren and reported this to her father. This was not out of spite, but because he also loved Lúthien but his love was not reciprocated. Secondly he cared greatly for her, thinking that this mortal man would bring her into trouble, possibly even death. Furthermore it was forbidden in Doriath for any Elf to have contact with mortal Men, let alone the King's beloved daughter, and never before had mortal and immortal fallen in love.Though Melian warned her husband against it, Thingol was determined not to let Beren marry his daughter, and set a seemingly impossible task as the bride price
Bride price
Bride price, also known as bride wealth, is an amount of money or property or wealth paid by the groom or his family to the parents of a woman upon the marriage of their daughter to the groom...
: Beren had to bring him one of the Silmaril
Silmaril
The Silmarils are three brilliant jewels which contained the unmarred light of the Two Trees in J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium. The Silmarils were made out of the crystalline substance silima by Fëanor, a Noldorin Elf, in Valinor during the Years of the Trees...
s from Morgoth
Morgoth
Morgoth Bauglir is a fictional character from J. R. R. Tolkien’s Middle-earth legendarium. He is the main antagonist of The Silmarillion, figures in The Children of Húrin, and is mentioned briefly in The Lord of the Rings.Melkor was the most powerful of the Ainur, but turned to darkness and became...
's iron crown. He did not kill him outright since he had promised Lúthien that he would spare his life, and because of his renown. Beren left Menegroth immediately and Lúthien remained grieving.
The Vision and Imprisonment of Lúthien
Afterwards Lúthien had a vision in which she saw Beren lying suffering in the hellish pits of the Lord of Wolves, and horror weighed upon her heart. She sought the counsel of her mother who told her that Beren was indeed captive in the dungeons of SauronSauron
Sauron is the primary antagonist and titular character of the epic fantasy novel The Lord of the Rings by J. R. R. Tolkien.In the same work, he is revealed to be the same character as "the Necromancer" from Tolkien's earlier novel The Hobbit...
, the Dark Lord's evil Regent. Because of this Lúthien decided that she must risk her life to save him, and face Sauron herself. She asked her friend Daeron for help, who thinking it was best for she whom he loved, betrayed her secret to Thingol. In angry love and fear the King had her locked in a prison up in the branches of the great beech tree of Doriath and had it patrolled by guards. Daeron was filled with remorse and so Lúthien forgave him. However she devised a plan to escape. Since her mother was a Maia (an angelic being) this conferred on Lúthien as half-Maia, great magical abilities. She grew her locks long and from them devised a spell that made her hair become a cloak that had the power of inducing sleep. With this she beguiled the guards and ran out of her prison.
Lúthien's Captivity and the defeat of Sauron
However en route to rescuing Beren she was found by Huan the Hound of Valinor, and taken to his master CelegormCelegorm
Celegorm is a fictional character in J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth legendarium, appearing in The Silmarillion.He was the third son of Fëanor and Nerdanel, most closely associated with another brother, Curufin. Celegorm is described as "the fair," which could mean either that Celegorm had fairer...
and his brother Curufin
Curufin
In J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium, Curufin is a fictional character, a prince of the Noldor of the race of Elves, the fifth of the seven sons of Fëanor and Nerdanel...
. Celegorm became enamoured of her beauty and plotted to force her into marriage to himself. But he concealed his true motives and appeared to her as a friend, willing her to firstly follow the brothers to Nargothrond
Nargothrond
In J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium, Nargothrond , called Nulukkhizdīn by the Dwarves, was the stronghold built by Finrod Felagund...
. She did so, but when she arrived they held her hostage and forbade her to talk to anyone save themselves. Celegorm wanted to gain family status with Thingol and Lúthien was the window through which he could grasp this golden opportunity, as well as being the loveliest woman in the world. But Huan took pity on her and decided to rebel against his master and free her. He was allowed to speak with words only three times ere he died, which was prophetically said to be by the "greatest wolf of all". Despite this he counselled her with words and together they escaped from Nargothrond.
They came to Sauron's Isle. Here Lúthien sang for Beren to hear. He answered her call, thinking that it was a figment of his imagination and in his grief at the loss of his friend sang in answer. Then Sauron hearing that Lúthien was there became filled with malice. He had heard of her beauty and wished to bring her prisoner to Morgoth, his master as a pretty toy to play with. So he sent wolf after wolf to slay Huan, but each time the hound killed them. Finally he sent his most powerful werewolf Draugluin, who Huan also defeated. After this Sauron decided to finish Huan off himself. Filled with confidence that he was the one that would finally kill the famed hound, he transformed himself into the most powerful werewolf ever born. In this form Huan wavered and leapt aside, but Lúthien remained to face him. Sauron lunged for her, but she lifted a fold of her enchanted cloak and struck him, momentarily disorienting him and Huan then attacked him. The two fought for long, but Huan eventually won despite Sauron changing into many different shapes and forms. Finally Lúthien commanded him to leave and to surrender the lordship of the Isle to her or have his body ruined and destroyed by the terror of the wrath of Huan. Sauron gave up the keys of the tower and changed into a hideous vampire, before he flew away into the night-sky, shamed and defeated.
Then Lúthien took control of the island and by her powers destroyed the Tower and freed the prisoners. Lúthien found Beren lying beside the dead body of Felagund and so thought him dead. She fell down into a state of grief, but then became reunited with Beren at the rising of the sun as he awakened and realized that his lover was there. They buried Finrod Felagund
Finrod Felagund
Finrod Felagund is a fictional character in the fantasy-world Middle-earth of the English author J. R. R. Tolkien. He appears in The Silmarillion, the epic poem The Lay of Leithian and the Grey Annals, as well as other material....
there on his Isle. Afterwards Huan returned to Celegorm his master but the lovers walked the woods once more in joy.
Of Celegorm, Curufin and the dance of Lúthien before Morgoth
But Beren became worried for Lúthien and pleaded with her to return to her father, since it was not fitting for an Elvish princess to live in the woods like a bandit of mortal men. Lúthien refused and confessed her undying love for Beren but just as they went to embrace the Sons of FëanorSons of Fëanor
In J. R. R. Tolkien's world of Middle-earth, the seven sons of Fëanor, the eldest prince of the Noldor, led their people from Valinor to rule over kingdoms in the Northeast of Beleriand:...
, Celegorm and Curufin appeared. Lúthien's exploits had caused a stir in Nargothrond, in which the brothers were expelled. Because of this the brothers fought Beren who won and shamed them. Huan then forsook his master and fought on the side of Beren and Lúthien. Beren stole one of their horses and at the command of Lúthien spared their lives. However as they fled Curufin aimed a shot of his bow at Lúthien. Beren at this point jumped in front of the arrow and took the blow. Huan chased the brothers until they vanished and came back to aid Lúthien. By Lúthien's magic and love Beren was restored to life. As she slept he gave her into the care of Huan and journeyed to Angband
Angband (Middle-earth)
-External links:*...
.
When Lúthien awoke she was distraught and together she and Huan assumed the form of Thuringwethil
Thuringwethil
Thuringwethil is a fictional character in J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth legendarium. Her hide was used as Lúthien's disguise when she entered Angband on the Quest of the Silmaril. Thuringwethil was a vampire messenger of Sauron, probably a Maia, who took the shape of a bat-like creature. Her...
, the vampire servant of Morgoth and Draugluin the Werewolf. She found Beren and gave him the hide of the great Werewolf. In the form of vampire (which Lúthien took) and werewolf they entered Angband. At the gates, however, Carcharoth
Carcharoth
In J. R. R. Tolkien's fictional universe of Middle-earth, Carcharoth , Sindarin for "The Red Maw", was the greatest werewolf that had ever lived. He was also called Anfauglir...
the mightiest werewolf of all confronted them. However Lúthien suddenly became possessed by the ancient angelic power in her blood and forced him into a deep slumber. Together they reached the Throne of Morgoth and here the Dark Lord saw through Lúthien's disguise and stripped her of it. Lúthien then declared herself and offered to sing for Morgoth and filled with an evil lust for her he accepted. But when she began to sing Morgoth and his entire court fell into deep sleep. After this she sprang into the air and placed her cloak over Morgoth's eyes, shielding Beren and herself from him. She awoke Beren and after he had thrown away his disguise he cut a Silmaril from Morgoth's crown using Angrist. But Beren tried to get all three Silmarils, so he attempted to cut another one from the crown but his blade broke, and struck Morgoth's cheek and awakened him. At this Beren and Lúthien fled away, with the whole army of Morgoth's servants still slumbering. When they reached the gates Carcharoth attacked them. Beren wanting to protect weakening Lúthien thrust the Silmaril into the wolf's face to threaten him. The wolf then bit off Beren's entire hand and swallowed the Silmaril. In terror and pain he fled leaving Lúthien cradling a mortally wounded Beren in her arms, with the hosts of Angband on their heels. The Wolf's fangs were poisonous and so Lúthien sucked the venom out with her lips and with her failing power tried to restore him. But just when all hope seemed lost the Eagles of Manwë came and bore them up into the sky away from the angry hordes. They had come at the summons of Huan and they carried the two into the realm of Doriath and laid them on the ground.
The Return to Doriath and the death of Beren
Here Lúthien waited by Beren's side and healed him. Then together they entered Doriath and stood before the throne of Lúthien's father. Beren told Thingol that the quest was, indeed, fulfilled, and that he held a Silmaril in his hand. When Thingol demanded to see it, Beren showed him his stump. When he heard their story he was amazed and thought Beren to be above all other mortal men. Because of this he allowed them to marry, and they did so before his throne that day. But at this time Carcharoth was ravaging all living beings on the borders of Doriath, in a crazed fit because of the burning jewel in his stomach. And so Beren, Thingol, Huan the Hound of Valinor, MablungMablung
Mablung is a fictional character from J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth legendarium.Mablung was a Sindarin Elf who served in the army of King Elu Thingol of Doriath...
of the Heavyhand and Beleg
Beleg
In the fiction of J. R. R. Tolkien, Beleg is a major character who appears in numerous books, tales and poems about the First Age of Middle-earth such as The Silmarillion, The Lays of Beleriand and the Children of Húrin.-Name:...
Strongbow went out with other Elves to defeat the beast. In this Beren was assaulted by the wolf. Huan then leaped to his aid and killed the beast, but died soon after from mortal wounds, by his friend Beren's side. Then Beren was carried to Doriath where he died in Lúthien's arms, after she bade him to await her by the great sea in the afterlife.
Lúthien becomes mortal for Beren
In grief, Lúthien lay down and died as well, going to the Halls of Mandos, where the spirits of the dead await re-embodiment in Valinor (for Elves) and departure from the circles of the world entirely (for Men). There she sang a song of woe before the throne of Mandos Lord of the Dead, of the tribulations and suffering of both Elves and Men, the greatest ever sung, so touching that Mandos was moved to pity for the only time. As a result he summoned Beren from the houses of the dead and Lúthien's spirit met his once again by the shores of the sea. Lúthien knew that this would be their final meeting, since Beren could not remain on the earth beyond his time and she was thus faced with the prospect of eternal widowhood. Mandos consulted with ManwëManwë
Manwë is a god or Vala of the Elven pantheon imagined by J. R. R. Tolkien. He is described in The Silmarillion.Manwë was the King of the Valar, husband of Varda Elentári, brother of the Dark Lord Melkor, and King of Arda. He lived atop Mount Taniquetil, the highest mountain of the world, in the...
, King of Arda
Arda
In J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium, Arda is the name given to the Earth in a period of prehistory, wherein the places mentioned in The Lord of the Rings and related material once existed...
. Even Manwë could not change the fate of Men, and so he presented Lúthien with the only choice possible: to live in the immortal land of Valinor, where she could forget all her grief and enjoy eternal happiness along with her people and the Gods (Valar) but without Beren, or to return to the land of Middle-earth together with Beren as a mortal herself, accepting the Doom of Men and sharing in whatever unknown fate awaits them outside the Circles of the World. She chose this latter option. With this she accepted death as a mortal woman, and although it was not the fate of her race, she turned creation upside down for her love of Beren and relinquished everything for him and became a mortal woman.
Together in their new bodies they returned to Doriath and released the winter of Thingol, who had been in grieving ever since his daughter's death. But Melian could not look at first into her daughter's eyes, since she could see the doom of mortality written in them and she knew that Lúthien would be parted from her forever and leave the material world behind with Beren, when the time came for her to die. Melian on the other hand would exist forever until the end of Arda, as Lúthien should have if she had not became mortal for her husband. By nature she was still Elven, and was so in everything except eternal life, meaning that her child would still have immortal blood through her.
Return to Life, and Death
After returning to life, they dwelt together in Ossiriand as man and woman until after the sack of Menegroth. They had a son, Dior, called Eluchíl — the Heir of Thingol.Years later, Thingol received the Nauglamír from Húrin
Húrin
Húrin is a fictional character in the Middle-earth legendarium of J. R. R. Tolkien. He is introduced in The Silmarillion as a hero of Men during the First Age, said to be the greatest warrior of both the Edain and all the other Men in Middle-earth...
the Steadfast in payment for the fostering of Húrin's son Túrin
Turín
Turín is a municipality in the Ahuachapán department of El Salvador....
, as well as for the care of Húrin's wife Morwen
Morwen
Morwen is a fictional character from J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth legendarium. She is featured in The Silmarillion, The Children of Húrin and The Wanderings of Húrin.-Character overview:...
and daughter Niënor
Nienor
Niënor, also known as Níniel , is a fictional character from J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth legendarium, appearing in the Narn i Chîn Húrin told in full in The Children of Húrin and briefly in The Silmarillion...
. Húrin had recovered the Nauglamír from the ruins of Nargothrond following the departure of Glaurung
Glaurung
Glaurung is a fictional character in J. R. R. Tolkien's fictional Middle-earth legendarium. He is introduced in The Silmarillion as the first of the Dragons. He is also a major antagonist in The Children of Húrin. He was known as The Deceiver, The Golden, The Great Worm and the Worm of...
the dragon. Thingol decided to unite the greatest work of the Dwarves
Dwarf (Middle-earth)
In the fiction of J. R. R. Tolkien, the Dwarves are a race inhabiting the world of Arda, a fictional prehistoric Earth which includes the continent Middle-earth....
with the greatest work of the Elves, and recruited Dwarf smiths from the city of Nogrod to complete his plan. Thingol was murdered by the Dwarves after he insulted them, and a false tale told by the escaping Dwarves led to the sack of Menegroth. The Dwarves plundered Thingol's treasuries and took with them the Nauglamír. However, Beren and an army of Green Elves and Ent
Ent
Ents are a race of beings in J. R. R. Tolkien's fantasy world Middle-earth who closely resemble trees. They are similar to the talking trees in folklore around the world. Their name is derived from the Anglo-Saxon word for giant....
s waylaid the returning Dwarf army (this was the only recorded event of the First Age
First Age
In the fiction of J. R. R. Tolkien, the First Age, or First Age of the Children of Ilúvatar is the heroic period in which most of Tolkien's early legends are set...
in which the Ents actually took part). While the greater part of the treasure of Doriath fell into the river Ascar, Beren reclaimed the Nauglamír, and Beren and Lúthien kept the necklace and the great jewel until the end of their lives. It is said that the beauty of Lúthien combined with the splendour of the gem and necklace was to make her home of Tol Galen the fairest land ever to have existed east of Valinor, and that the Silmaril hastened Beren's and Lúthien's end, since Lúthien's beauty with the Silmaril around her neck was too bright for mortal lands to bear. Lúthien Tinúviel gave up her life along with her husband Beren in the fair, green land of Ossiriand where their son and grandchildren had been born. The Elves never recovered from her death; since she alone of the Quendi had left the world, they have lost she whom they treasured most, forever.
After her death, the Nauglamír was delivered to her son Dior Eluchíl. Whilst Lúthien wore the necklace no one dared assail her, but when Dior took it up the Sons of Fëanor, motivated by their unholy oath, ransacked the kingdom of Doriath and slew Dior and his wife Nimloth
Nimloth
In the fantasy world of J. R. R. Tolkien, Nimloth, Sindarin for "white blossom", was the name of the White Tree of Númenor. Nimloth was a seedling of Celeborn, which was a seedling of Galathilion, which was created by Yavanna in the image of Telperion, one of the Two Trees of Valinor.When the...
.
Elrond
Elrond
Elrond Half-elven is a fictional character in J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth legendarium. He is introduced in The Hobbit, and plays a supporting role in The Lord of the Rings and The Silmarillion.-Character overview:...
the Half-elven and Arwen
Arwen
Arwen Undómiel is a fictional character in J.R.R. Tolkien's legendarium. She appears in his novel, The Lord of the Rings, usually published in three volumes. Arwen is one of the Half-elven who lived during the Third Age.-Literature:...
Evenstar are descendants of Lúthien, as is Aragorn
Aragorn
Aragorn II is a fictional character from J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium, one of the main protagonists of The Lord of the Rings. He is first introduced by the name Strider, which the hobbits continue to call him...
a descendant of Elrond's brother Elros. According to legend, her line will never be broken.
Earlier versions
In the various versions of The Tale of Tinúviel, Tolkien's earliest form of his tale, as published in The Book of Lost TalesThe Book of Lost Tales
The Book of Lost Tales is the title of a collection of early stories by J. R. R. Tolkien, and of the first two volumes of Christopher Tolkien's 12-volume series The History of Middle-earth, in which he presents and analyses the manuscripts of those stories, which were the earliest form of the...
, her original name is Tinúviel (Lúthien was invented later). Beren is, in this earlier version, an Elf (specifically a Noldo
Noldor
In the works of J. R. R. Tolkien, the Noldor are Elves of the Second Clan who migrated to Valinor and lived in Eldamar. The Noldor are called Golodhrim or Gódhellim in Sindarin, and Goldoi by Teleri of Tol Eressëa. The singular form of the Quenya noun is Noldo and the adjective is Noldorin...
, or Gnome), and Sauron has not yet emerged. In his place, they face Tevildo, the Prince of Cats, a monstrous cat who is the principal enemy of the Valinor
Valinor
Valinor is a fictional location in J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium, the realm of the Valar in Aman. It was also known as the Undying Lands, along with Tol Eressëa and the outliers of Aman. This is something of a misnomer; only immortal beings were allowed to reside there, but the land itself,...
ean hound Huan. However Tolkien initially created the character of Beren as a mortal man before this in an even earlier but erased version of the tale.
The story is also told in an epic poem in The Lays of Beleriand
The Lays of Beleriand
The Lays of Beleriand, published in 1985, is the third volume of Christopher Tolkien's 12-volume book series, The History of Middle-earth, in which he analyzes the unpublished manuscripts of his father J. R. R...
, upon which most of the finer details of her life and relationship to Beren is extracted from in this article, since The Silmarillion provides only a generalization of the tale.
Inspirations
In a letter to his son Christopher, dated 11 July 1972, Tolkien requested the below inscription for his wife Edith's grave "for she was (and knew she was) my Lúthien." In a footnote to his letter, Tolkien added "she knew the earliest form of the legend...also the poem eventually printed as Aragorn's song." The name may be derived from the Old EnglishOld English language
Old English or Anglo-Saxon is an early form of the English language that was spoken and written by the Anglo-Saxons and their descendants in parts of what are now England and southeastern Scotland between at least the mid-5th century and the mid-12th century...
word Lufien, which means love. The Tale of Beren and Lúthien
The Tale of Beren and Lúthien
The Tale of Beren and Lúthien is the story of the love and adventures of the mortal Man Beren and the immortal Elf-maiden Lúthien, as told in several works of J. R. R. Tolkien. It takes place during the First Age of Middle-earth, about 6500 years before the events of his most famous book, The Lord...
also shares an element with folktales such as the Welsh Culhwch and Olwen
Culhwch and Olwen
Culhwch and Olwen is a Welsh tale about a hero connected with Arthur and his warriors that survives in only two manuscripts: a complete version in the Red Book of Hergest, ca. 1400, and a fragmented version in the White Book of Rhydderch, ca. 1325. It is the longest of the surviving Welsh prose...
and others — namely, the disapproving parent who sets a seemingly impossible task (or tasks) for the suitor, which is then fulfilled. In Tolkien's version the woman actually helps the suitor fulfil his task.
The Tolkien grave
Edith and J.R.R. Tolkien lie in Wolvercote Cemetery (North Oxford). Their gravestone shows the association of Lúthien with Edith, and Tolkien himself with Beren. The stone reads:External links
- Lúthien as illustrated by Ted NasmithTed NasmithTed Nasmith is a Canadian artist, illustrator and architectural renderer. He is best known as an illustrator of J. R. R. Tolkien's works — The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings and The Silmarillion....