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Beren and Lúthien

Of all the tales Tolkien wrote, and there were a lot, the love story between Beren and Lúthien was perhaps his most personal. In fact, Tolkien is referred to as Beren on his tombstone, while his wife Edith is referred to as Lúthien. So this means a lot to him.

Tolkien also considered this story one of his more important works, with many of its events echoing through the history of Middle Earth. So just who were these two?

Beren was a mortal man born in the Second Age. He came upon the elvish princess Lúthien and instantly fell in love. Lúthien’s father King Thingol disapproved of the match (much as Edith’s parents disapproved of her being with Tolkien) and set Beren an impossible task to win her hand: recover a  Silmaril. The Silmarils, jewels of unsurpassed splendor, were forged by one of Middle Earth’s first elves, Fëanor, and at the time were possessed by Morgoth, Middle Earth’s original big bad. During the quest, which has as many twists and turns as Frodo’s quest to destroy the One Ring, Beren would encounter Sauron, giant werewolves, and finally, Morgoth himself.

Ultimately recovering a Silmaril at the cost of his life, Beren would be resurrected after Lúthien, who died of grief, sang a song of such heartbreak that Mandos, the god of judgement, was moved to pity. The pair would live out their lives in peace in Middle Earth. Their descendants include Aragorn, Elrond, Elros and Arwen. As a series, this be a strong adventure story with a beautiful romance at the center.